At five-five, Gilly liked to think she was in shape, even though a portion of baby weight from three years back stubbornly wouldn’t let go of her belly. She’d given up trying to make it to the treadmill three times a week and relied on getting her workout by keeping up with an active toddler. And when she dashed from patient to patient at the hospital wasn’t that the same as a dozen hours of cardio and fat burning?

She’d once had a lean, athletic runner’s build, was even on the girls’ track team in high school. But now when she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized she could stand to lose a few pounds, especially around the hips. She’d let herself go because she never intended to date again. Not ever. And here she was waiting for a guy to show up for dinner.

“Well, you aren’t going to lose ten pounds before he gets here,” she mumbled to herself as she slid into her best summer dress, a black and white floral chiffon that made her feel more like Jennifer Lawrence walking the red carpet instead of a combat nurse stuck in scrubs every day of her life.

Jayden pushed the door open and scrambled on the bed to use it for a trampoline. She lifted him up and swung him around. “Not tonight, buddy. Let’s go check on supper.”

“Supper!”

“Yeah, well, I hope they like Italian,” she muttered to Jayden, as she looped an apron around her neck so she wouldn’t get marinara splatter on her best dress.

But standing at the stove in her little kitchen, dragging a spoon through her thick, homemade spaghetti sauce, it suddenly hit her. She’d overdressed for a simple dinner with a friend. “What was I thinking? Why didn’t I just wear jeans?”

Jayden, who’d plopped down on the floor, was using his set of wooden building blocks to erect a fortress that cut off the only pathway in and out of the eating area.

Cutting her eyes to his project, she chewed her lip. “Oh, buddy, you’re gonna have to move that at some point so people can get through.”

Jayden shook his head. “No! Stays here. No!”

Gilly let out a mother’s frustrated sigh. This is why she didn’t have a lot of people over. She didn’t really like the idea of standing her ground over a fort. Not tonight. She was already having second thoughts about extending the invitation. Why hadn’t she invited them on a Friday night to allow herself at least one good night’s sleep?

She dragged a hand through her hair. It would have been the smart thing to do. But no, her mouth had rolled over her strategic thinking right along with her common sense.

It had been so long since she’d been on a date, she was pretty sure this whole thing would end up in an awkward mess. She was fairly certain she couldn’t remember how to act around a man in a social setting. Sure, she got a few looks and a couple of offers once or twice a year, but it was different entertaining in her own home.

“It’s not a date. It’s just dinner,” she told herself as she glanced at the clock. Realizing there was no time to slip into a sensible pair of jeans, she decided to make the best of it.

Staring at the giant wall Jayden had built around himself, she heaved out a groan. “I’m sure the long-legged, lean Simon might be able to step over those blocks without any trouble, but I can’t promise Delaney won’t destroy all your hard work as soon as she sets eyes on it.”

She started to sweat just thinking about a scene and knew she needed to calm down. “It’s just one dinner between friends,” she repeated. After fanning her face, she picked up a dish towel to wipe her sweaty palms when the doorbell rang.

Sucking in a deep breath to still her jitters, she took one giant step over the top of Jayden’s head and cleared the wall he’d so carefully built.

As soon as she opened the door, her nerves slid away. There stood Simon holding the wiggly Delaney.

“Come on in. It’s okay to put her down if you want. My house is pretty much childproof.”

Simon looked around the tidy living room. It had an oversized, comfy sofa with a matching chair in durable tan canvas. “Your furniture looks in good shape for having a toddler around. Delaney got grape jelly on mine.”

That made her laugh and let more anxiety slip away.

He plopped Delaney down on her feet and glanced over at Jayden. Noting the boy’s creativity, he went over to where Jayden sat on the floor. “How’s it going? What are you building there?”

“Big wall,” the toddler exclaimed proudly, his arms outstretched to emphasize its width. “Big.”

Simon saw trouble coming the minute Delaney got within reach.

She clapped her hands in delight and swooped in. “Bwocks.”

“No!” Jayden shouted right before the first domino effect occurred.

Simon and Gilly stood back and watched as the wall toppled, the blocks crashing onto the floor.

In retaliation for destroying his work, Jayden shoved Delaney. The girl lost her balance and stumbled backward.

“Jayden, stop that,” Gilly shouted. “There’s no call for that. We can build back your wall.”

By this time both toddlers were crimson-faced and in tears.

Simon lifted Delaney into his arms. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Shhh. Now tell Jayden you’re sorry for knocking over his fort.”

Delaney stuck out her lip in a pout. “Bwocks.”

“I know. I know. You just wanted to play with the blocks. But how about this? How about we sit on the floor and help Jayden build it all back? How’s that sound? Yes? No? Nod your head, doodle-bug.”

The little girl hiccupped, stuck her finger in her mouth, and finally bobbed her head.

While Simon soothed over hurt feelings, so did Gilly, picking up Jayden and settling him on her hip. All at once, she sniffed the air. “Oh, my God. My sauce.”

Scooting over to the stove, she took off the lid. “Oh, no. I forgot to turn the burner to simmer. I’ve ruined dinner.”

Simon chuckled and went over to where she stood. “Don’t worry about it. No harm done. Let’s order a pizza instead. Longboard’s delivers. We can also get some mac and cheese for the kids. Fischer makes it homestyle.”

She leaned her head against Jayden’s. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Mama,” Jayden said, patting her cheeks in solace.

“Anyone for pizza?” Simon suggested again.

“Sure. I’ve got them on speed dial. I usually get half a plain cheese and pepperoni.”

“Better order two then, one cheese and another pepperoni. I’m starving.”

Jayden wanted down.

“Not until you say you’re sorry to Delaney for pushing her.”

“Sow-wy,” Jayden whispered.

Patting him on the bottom, she set him down. “Good boy. Now go play with the blocks and this time share with Delaney,” Gilly directed in her best Mom voice. “No sharing means no pizza.”

Simon slid Delaney to the floor. “Go play with Jayden.” After she’d toddled off to the corner of the kitchen, he leaned in and said, “You should know I’m taking notes. You handled that like a pro.”

“I hope so,” Gilly said with a smile as she dumped the ruined sauce down the sink and flipped on the garbage disposal. “I haven’t burned dinner in years.” She whirled around from the counter. “I was nervous about tonight. And I’m so very tired.”

“I’m sure you are. You probably haven’t had enough sleep. Should we do this another time?”

“No, of course not. I’m better now. I just don’t do this kind of thing very often.”

“Do what? Eat?”

That got a smile out of her. She scrubbed her hands over her face and rubbed the back of her neck.

He took her hand. “You look pretty tonight. I should’ve told you that as soon as you opened the door. You aren’t the only one who’s out of practice.”

“Thanks. It’s just that not many men want a kid.”

“I’m sure the same applies in reverse to my situation. How long have you been a nurse?”

She blew out a breath. “Four years. Want a glass of wine or a beer?”

“Beer sounds great.”

While getting the drinks from the refrigerator, her history seemed to pour out. “Before Dr. Blackwood built the hospital in town, my mom got me a job at San Sebastian General. She’d worked there for almost twenty years, so she had some pull with the personnel department. When I came back to town and announced I was pregnant, I needed to work. After all, I had a nursing degree. Nurses were in demand. Even though my mother was totally disappointed in me, she recommended me for a late-night shift, which are the hardest slots to fill. I didn’t mind the hours because I eventually realized that working different shifts we’d be able to cover watching a newborn with less daycare expense. And once Jayden got here, I knew I’d need all the help I could get. Back at San Sebastian General we both had an even crazier schedule than we have now.”

She paused to twist the cap off a local brew called Pelican Red. “Have you tried this stuff?”

Simon took a long pull. “I like it. Heavy on the barley, toss in plenty of smoke and tobacco with just a hint of cinnamon and allspice.”

“Not bad. You nailed the flavors.”

“I know beer. So, you’ve always worked the graveyard shift?”

“Gotta start somewhere. Besides, the pay is better. Although at the other hospital I worked five nights a week, eight-hour shifts. I prefer the way Dr. Blackwood and Sydney do the scheduling, even though nothing’s perfect. I like the three days on part, four days off. It gives me more time to spend with Jayden. That’s the upside.”

Simon sipped his beer. “Lack of sleep is the downside. I like your house.”

“Up until three months ago we were living with Mom. Sometime before last Christmas I got the distinct feeling that after three years sharing the same space, we were getting on each other’s last nerve. Jayden and I needed our own place. The answer came when Dr. Blackwood announced he was building a new hospital here, small, but practically right around the corner. I approached Sydney and told her I’d be willing to do anything at the new clinic, work any job, any shift. She hired me on the spot, but I had to wait for all the construction to finish up. Once it opened last March, Mom and I gave up the commute we both hated and started working in town. We celebrated that night with champagne because, for the first time, we could work where we lived. After my first night on the job, I went to see Logan the next morning, was standing on his doorstep by seven-thirty asking about buying a house, how difficult it would be, that sort of thing. I knew he liked to flip houses. He talked me into taking the big plunge and I went to see Nick at the bank for my mortgage app.”

“Is that why the sculptor doesn’t do much sculpting these days?”

She lifted a shoulder. “With twins, who has the time? I understand the craziness of having small kids. And I know Kinsey has her hands full with all the legal work she does. I see Logan hauling the kids around town while she’s busy with contracts and wills and stuff. I don’t think he requires that artistic outlet like he once did. Or if he does, he’s found a new venue for it. He mentioned that he prefers getting a crew together to restore a lot of these old houses around here. He’s pretty good at it, too. He has a knack for knocking out walls and redesigning the interior. He did all the work in here and opened the place up. He even picked out the wood flooring for me.”

“Nick says if I’m in the market for a house, I should go see him.”

“Absolutely. He knows the properties inside and out, knows what the houses need and knows what they don’t. He works with Troy a lot, who has his own business over on Ocean Street.”

“Ah. That explains the call I got from Troy offering to show me some houses this weekend that have already been redone. Would you and Jayden like to join me and Delaney on the tour?”

“Why not? I probably know most of the properties already. I bet I know the one he’s taking you to first. There’s a classic Craftsman at the end of Tradewinds with a long front porch. In fact, we could walk down there after we eat. You could get an idea of what it’s like. The walk might tire out the kids.”

“I’m all for that.”

The doorbell rang signaling dinner had arrived. Simon got up to pay.

Gilly balked. “You don’t have to do that. I invited you.”

“You get it next time.”

Gilly had dragged out Jayden’s old high chair for Delaney. And when they sat down at the table and dug in, it was a noisy, messy affair.

Needing to keep the adult conversation going, Gilly prompted, “You mentioned Delaney came from Boston. Is that where you grew up?”

“Me? No. Why’d you think that?”

“You mentioned you met Delaney’s mother at Cape Cod. I just thought…”

“Amelia and I spent a summer together. That’s it. I grew up in Newport, Rhode Island. My mother taught school. But my dad, he was a lawyer, one of those movers and shakers in mergers and acquisitions. He wanted his son to follow suit. But I was stubborn, determined to do things my way no matter what he said or the advice he tried to push on me. I wanted to move as far away from what he wanted me to do as I possibly could.”

“Which isn’t all that unusual. Relationships between fathers and sons are often tricky.”

“True. But ours seemed worthy of a couple of lengthy novels about how rocky it was spending fifteen minutes together. My mother finally persuaded me to do what he wanted. Maybe bribed would be more accurate. And I went off to college with all the enthusiasm of a stupid kid determined to fail. I put up with it for a while.”

“You went to college?”

“For two long years that seemed like twenty to an eighteen-year-old smartass.”

“I thought all eighteen-year-olds were smartasses. Where?”

“Brown.”

She tilted her head. “Brown University?”

“Oh, yeah. His alma mater. He picked the school and my major. Contract law just like him.”

“But it wasn’t for you?”

“Not only was it not for me, I hated the very idea of it. So one day after I made it through my sophomore year, I got a burr up my butt and joined the Army. It was spring. May. I went back home and shoved my decision in his face. He was livid, the maddest I’d ever seen him. ‘How dare you defy me like that?’”

“Which was the point, I’m sure.”

“Absolutely. At first, it was. But then we didn’t speak for almost three years of my overseas stint, out of sight, out of mind, that sort of thing.”

Delaney began to toss her food on the floor. Simon got to his feet, grabbing a paper towel to clean the sticky stuff off her face, and then went to work on the hardwood floor. He set her down to play.

By this time, it was Jayden’s turn to announce he was done with his plate. He scurried over to make sure his blocks were protected from the interloper who’d knocked them down in the first place.

While the kids amused themselves, Gilly got the feeling Simon had something else to say. But the sun was also going down. “How about we take that walk to see the house before it gets dark? You have to see this place. We can clear the dishes when we get back.”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

“You can use Jayden’s stroller for Delaney.” She bent down to her son. “You don’t mind if Delaney sits in there while you take my hand like a big boy, do you, Jayden?”

Jayden stuck his finger in his mouth and nodded. “’kay.”

They took off walking through the neighborhood to the tune of crickets singing and croaking frogs. Jayden tried to catch one of the slippery critters.

Simon decided to lend a hand, stopping their progress long enough to pick up a baby-sized tree frog with skin marbled the color of granite. “See his webbed feet and his bug eyes. It’s okay to touch his head.”

Jayden obliged, his little fingers exploring the frog’s skin. “Can he jump?”

“He sure can. Let’s put him down and watch him go back to his mom.”

Jayden squatted down to check out the frog’s movements. When it hopped away, he squealed in delight. “There he goes.”

“Back to his mom.”

Gilly watched the byplay and it warmed her heart. Her son rarely got the chance to interact with another male.

Simon must have sensed the connection because he met her eyes and sent her a mischievous grin, taking the boy’s hand while she continued to push Delaney in the stroller. “Jayden has a curious nature.”

“No kidding. That might explain why he thinks he’s Bear Grylls.”

“Boys and climbing go together.”

“I suppose. I’ll remind you of that when Delaney starts escaping from her crib.”

Simon looked mortified. “When does that happen?”

“When you wake up one morning and they’ve spent the night on the floor.”

“Oh wow. I thought the crib was a surefire way to keep her contained.”

Gilly threw her head back and laughed. “Contained. Listen to you. Nothing is surefire with an infant. You learn that pretty quickly.” She waited a beat before picking up their original topic. “So, despite your thinking you’d made a mistake by joining the Army, you still stuck it out for a long time, right? A dozen years is nothing to sneeze at. After all that time, why not just make it a career?”

The question took away his good mood. “Sure, I stuck it out, doesn’t mean I liked every minute of it, though. And the idea of making it a career? No way. After that first tour, I couldn’t very well quit after making such a point of shoving it in my father’s face. It didn’t take me long to realize the Army had…turned me into someone else. That was an eye-opener. And not in a good way. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. What’s the slogan they tout? ‘Be all you can be.’ I was more because I had to be. I had something to prove to myself and my dad. Because I knew almost immediately I’d made a huge error in judgment, I tried everything to make sure I wasn’t a failure. I couldn’t go back to Newport with my tail between my legs and admit how wrong I’d been. I was too stubborn. My pride was at stake.”

He pivoted back to Gilly. “Unfortunately, my dad died before I could admit all that to him, admit how big of an ass I’d been, admit I’d been stupid. He died four months shy of my decision to finally quit the Army. By that time, I’d…done things, terrible things.”

Gilly took his hand in hers. “Soldiers in war…”

Simon swallowed hard and shook his head. He lowered his voice. “No, you don’t understand. I’ve done things, Gilly, things I’m not proud of, things I don’t like thinking about, or talking about. Things I’ll never be able to forget. Not ever.”

“In Iraq and Afghanistan? Things you did in the Army?”

He tightened his jaw. His indigo eyes went hard. “Don’t ever ask me about any of it. Don’t ever ask me about what happened over there. I couldn’t explain it to you if I had a dozen years to do so.”

His eyes were so sad that she brought his head onto her shoulder. “Then we won’t ever talk about it again. Not ever.”

The silky softness in her voice drew him to her mouth. He brought his lips down to hers. She tasted like warm honey and sin, a sweet and spicy blend that pushed his hormones into overdrive.

He shifted into a slow melt toward tenderness, a give and take that hit him in the gut. With his hand still clutching Jayden’s, he couldn’t very well make the kiss anything more than a soft gesture, but it made him realize Gilly couldn’t be a simple, brief affair.

When the single mother ran a hand down his cheek, it snapped him back to the situation. She had to point out the For Sale sign by clearing her throat. She threw out a breathless sigh. “Here we are.”

Awkwardness hung in the air as he turned his head to stare at the cream and tan home that sat on a long, rectangular lot at the very end of the block.

She brought him further back to earth by pointing out the addition built over the double-car garage. “It’s a huge playroom or maybe use it as a library.”

Gilly lifted her eyes to the slanted, gabled roof and the row of front dormers and wide eaves at the top. “Classic Craftsman meets a touch of Cape Cod.”

When she found him gawking at its size, she blurted out, “You should’ve seen this place before Logan got hold of it. Rotted wood, broken windows, decades of neglect. Look at it now. It all but gleams. The front porch is an eye-catcher, huh?”

Simon gaped because he realized this was the house, the house he wanted for his own, the house he’d always wanted. “It reminds me of the house I grew up in.”

“Really? Well, let’s take a look then,” she suggested, maneuvering the stroller up to the bottom of the steps and hauling Delaney onto her hip. She headed up to the front porch, cupping her face to peer through the window.

Simon followed with Jayden, taking his turn squinting into its interior. “Nice original hardwood floors.”

“Buffed to a shine. That’s not all. I got the impression from Logan he redid the entire house from top to bottom. It was out of my price range so I didn’t even bother going to the open house after he finished the remodel. It’s been on the market for a while. Who knows? Maybe he’d deal.”

Feeling bold and daring, Gilly tried turning the door knob. Surprised when it opened, she giggled like a teenage girl. “It’s a sign. I feel like it’s meant to be that we get in here and find out if it’s as nice as we think it is.”

Since Simon felt drawn to explore the rooms, he followed her into the entryway. They opened closet doors and oohed and ahhed at all the space, including an office with French doors off the main living room. Still on the first floor, they bypassed the staircase to get to the huge dining room.

“I’d kill for this amount of storage,” Gilly murmured after setting eyes on the kitchen, a wide room with an old fireplace Logan had left intact. “Look at all these cabinets. Love the chestnut wood. This is so my dream kitchen.” She lovingly ran a hand over the granite countertop. “With a kitchen like this, I hope you love to cook.”

“I can manage scrambled eggs, maybe making a hot ham and cheese sandwich. I usually barbecue everything. So this room is probably overkill for a novice like me.”

“Typical,” Gilly uttered, staring out through the picture window into the massive backyard. “Lucky for you there’s an outdoor grill as big as my stove.”

“Really? Let me see that.” It was a four-burner gas grill at the end of the patio. “Wow. You like burgers, Jayden? Just look at that. Great setup to throw on a couple of steaks.”

“Hot dog,” Jayden corrected.

Simon ruffled the boy’s hair. “First chance we get, you got it.”

They continued the tour, ending up in the mudroom / utility room off the kitchen. It was more than an afterthought. Here, Logan had provided a built-in box seat where one could sit down and take off their shoes. The bench had cabinets and storage for organizing shoes and outerwear, along with a stainless-steel washer and dryer that matched the appliances in the kitchen. An oversized, low-rise laundry sink seemed an ideal spot for giving the dog a bath.

“This is amazing,” Simon admitted, taking out his cell phone.

“Let’s go see the upstairs. I love the fact there’s a back staircase right off the kitchen. Makes it so much easier when you need to check on the kids fast and get back to the kitchen in a hurry.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Simon admitted, scratching his jawline. “It’s as if Logan knew all the selling points that a large family requires. This might be more house than I know what to do with.”

“You really are adorable,” she said as she got to the upstairs landing and opened the door to a gigantic playroom.

Simon had seen enough. He pulled out his cell phone. “Do you have Logan’s number? Never mind. I forgot it’s the same as Kinsey’s.” He plugged in the numbers on the keypad.

“What are you doing?” Gilly asked.

“I need to know how much he wants for this place.”