Matt was convinced the universe was punking him. Of course the hotel clerk had a boyfriend. That was fair. But a gorgeous, willowy brunette was attached to the toddler who’d arrived at his table at the same moment he did? Clearly, he wasn’t going to get laid in Port Elgin.

At least he’d have cupcakes and an hour of amusement.

The hot mom didn’t have a wedding ring, not that that necessarily meant anything. Eyes off the mother, Foster.

Had he ever slept with a mother? Not that he knew of, although he didn’t always get into life stories.

You aren’t sleeping with her today. Or ever. His lizard brain would hang on to this as off-limits fantasy material for his right hand, though. The mature, functional rest of him could shut that off. Which meant he could shift into safe, easy flirting, which was almost as much fun, just without the mutually satisfying ending.

He looked down at Emily Kingsley, proudly three-years-old, and she smiled up at him. He returned the grin. She held her finger up to her lips. Shhh. Yep, he got that rule.

At the front, the instructor was talking about different kinds of icing. Swiss meringue, buttercream, fondant. Today they were going to use buttercream, apparently, and as she said that, volunteers started to bring around pre-filled bags of icing. Each tray had three bags, but the mix of colours was varied around the room.

Matt watched as the volunteer came down their line. There was one tray that was chocolate heavy, and another with more pastel colours. The latter was handed to the table next to them, and he quickly leaned across the gap between the tables. “Sorry,” he whispered, sticking out his arm. Thank God for having a long reach. “We’re going to need the pink.”

He zoinked the tray for their table, setting it carefully in front of Emily.

She gave him a solemn look. “Mommy likes chocolate.”

Oh. He glanced past her to her mother, but the pretty woman shook her head with a small smile. I’m good, she mouthed. Thank you.

Emily poked at the ice packs on either side of the icing bags. “What are these for?”

“They keep the icing cold,” he said.

“Why?”

“So it won’t melt.”

“Is it ice cream?”

“No, but you don’t want it to be too warm or it won’t hold the shape when you pipe it out.” He pulled a piece of waxed paper between them and lifted the pink icing bag. He didn’t actually know what he was doing with them, but he’d watched enough cooking shows in the last six months to pretend he did, and as long as the little girl was looking at him like he was a baking god, he’d do his best to answer her question.

Besides, the instructor was still droning on, and this was more fun.

He handed her the bag, then carefully set his hand at the top, where he could control the pressure without taking over. “Squeeze a bit out.”

She squared her shoulders and pressed on the bag. He helped, and they drew a line of icing down the paper.

“Okay, put that back now,” he whispered, and she stowed the icing bag back on the tray with the freezer packs. “And while the lady up there is talking, watch the icing. It’s not going to melt like ice cream, but it will soften. Ready? Your job is to watch that super carefully.”

She nodded and hunkered down, bringing her chin level with the edge of the table, and she glued her gaze to the bubblegum-pink line of icing.

He sure as shit hoped that icing started to melt or something, or he’d look like an idiot to a three-year-old.

When he straightened up, he realized her mother was looking at him with a curious look on her face.

“I’m Matt, by the way,” he murmured. “Total icing novice, but don’t tell her.”

She laughed. “Natasha. And your secret is safe with me. Thanks for giving her something to do.”

He nodded and turned his attention back to the demonstration. He still felt the warmth of that careful look, though, and he was pretty sure if he looked back at her, he’d catch her eyes.

He didn’t glance back.

If she wanted to look her fill of him, that was fine. He was a stranger talking up her kid. She had every right to be wary.

And if she liked to look at him for any other reason, that was a-OK, too.

Ever since he was little, Matt had gotten a certain zing out of pleasing women. At first that meant charming the same teachers he aggravated or winning over the endless parade of babysitters before his brothers could rat him out for just being a normal, boisterous kid.

As an adult, sometimes that meant taking women to bed—definitely his favourite way to make someone happy. But it also meant being a handsome face, a strong set of arms, or a steady shoulder. He knew he was good looking. He knew he sometimes used that to his advantage, and so far, no harm, no foul, as long as he kept the balance right. He tried to be a good guy, a good friend, and always set really clear expectations.

Look at me all you want, Natasha. He should probably make sure there was no Mr. Natasha before he went whole hog on the sexy mom fantasy, though.

Emily watched the icing—and secretly ate just a little of it—through the rest of the introduction. The practice part of the class was more fun. They did roses and leaves, and a fun squiggly line technique that turned Emily’s cupcake into a pink monster right out of Sesame Street.

Matt turned his cupcake into a bad version of a potted fern, but it made Emily laugh. Natasha decorated the rest of the half-dozen cupcakes they’d been given to practice on. Each one was a minimalist design, with a bottom layer of icing carefully smoothed out, then the same colour piped on top in a careful single bloom.

As she worked, and he practiced his piping skills making monster faces for Emily, he found out she wasn’t a baker. She’d worked in hospitality her whole adult life, and now that she was home with Emily during the day, they did these cooking classes together. “It’s not the same as going back to school or anything like that, but it helps me keep a toe in the food world.”

“You could probably teach one of these classes.”

She laughed, but then she nodded, surprising him. “Yeah. I mean, not now, but I do like that kind of thing. How about you? Are you an aspiring chef?”

He shook his head. “Total amateur hour for me. I’m a paramedic. I stumbled across this class after I arrived at the conference centre today.”

Emily looked up. “What’s a paramedic?”

“Do you know what an ambulance is?” She made the siren sound, and he nodded. “That’s right. I’m the guy in the back of an ambulance. If someone has an emergency, I can help get them to a doctor really fast.”

“Are you a superhero?” she asked earnestly.

Hardly. He gave her a gentle grin. “Only on Halloween.”

The volunteers returned with takeout boxes as they were talking, and Matt took his cue from Natasha as she started to box up their cupcakes. He only had his one, so he waved off a box and stood up. “I’ll eat this on my way back to my hotel room.”

Emily grabbed his hand and tugged on his fingers. “Can you come to the park with us?”

He jerked his gaze to Natasha, who was busy not looking at him. Definitely an awkward, unwanted invite. “Gotta take my cupcake back to my room, sorry.”

Natasha nodded quickly, still not making eye contact. “Emily, we need to take our cupcakes home so the icing doesn’t melt.”

“But Mommy…”

“Emily.”

Matt knew that tone, and he respected it. “I really do need to get going,” he lied, dropping down to a squat so he was at eye level with the little girl. “Thank you for teaching me how to make cupcakes.”

She giggled. “I didn’t teach you.”

“Someone did. Wasn’t that you?”

More giggles. “No.”

“Huh. I’m sure it was someone about this tall…” He held his hand up above her head. “And very bossy.”

She made a squeak of recognition, like yes, that must have been her after all. “I’m bossy!”

That made him laugh.

“Mommy says I should listen.”

“She’s right.” He leaned in. “Moms are always right.”

That got him a solemn nod in agreement.

“Okay, I have work to do, so I’ll go do that, and you can take your cupcakes home.” Why he was repeating that information, he wasn’t sure. He should just do that. Stand up, leave, and let the Kingsleys move on with their lives.

Emily wasn’t buying that he needed to go anywhere, though. “And then we’ll meet at the park?”

He glanced at Natasha, who looked a bit exasperated with her precocious daughter. He really didn’t mind Emily’s attitude, though, and thought he could offer a reasonable compromise. “Can I walk you out to your car instead?”

Emily shrugged. “Okay. My mommy has a Jeep. It’s red.”

“Nice!”

“Do you have a car?”

“I have a truck.”

“Is it pink?”

“No, it’s blue.”

“That’s okay.” But the seriously disappointed look on her face said it wasn’t, and he chuckled as he stood up.

They walked outside, and he stood beside Natasha’s car as she buckled Emily into the backseat. He was just waiting to say goodbye, he told himself. He could hear the words in his head. That was a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing a table with me. That was the right thing to say. He definitely shouldn’t ask if she had a husband, or boyfriend, or anything that might stop him from kissing her. Because he didn’t do entanglements, and it wasn’t like he could propose an afternoon hook-up to a mom with a kid.

“Thank you,” Natasha said as she turned around and shielded her eyes from the sun. “That was a fun hour. You were very good with her.”

“Probably the other way around.”

“I think you’re underestimating how exhausting she can be.”

“Now it’s definitely the other way around.”

Her eyes flared wide.

He hadn’t meant exhausting in a dirty way, but— “Sorry.”

She laughed. “It’s fine.”

“Are you really going to a park?” Those weren’t the words he’d prepped in his head. At all.

She hesitated, which meant the answer was no. He’d already guessed that, and he shouldn’t have asked. He was drawn to her, there was no denying that, but he liked her caution as much as everything else—her bright eyes, her dry humour, and the way she was with her daughter. And all of that was exactly why she should turn him down. He wasn’t the guy for a beautiful, wary single mom.

“Never mind.” He took a step back and raised his hand. “Thank you. That’s what I should have said. I had a lot of fun too.”

Her head bobbed in a slow nod as she searched his face.

He took another step back. Give her space. He was—just not quickly.

When she exhaled, a rough sigh, he stopped. And he grinned, because he liked to make women happy even when it was a bad idea. “What can I say here?”

Another laugh. “Say you understand that it’s weird that my child just invited a strange man to the park?”

“I get that.”

“You don’t claim you’re not strange?”

“Can’t do that. As a first responder, it’s my job to educate the public on stranger danger, not be the stranger danger.”

Her lips twisted as she looked at him long and hard. Then she nodded. “Right.”

“So this is goodbye?”

“It should be.” Her lips fell apart and her cheeks turned pink. “I mean, yes, it is.” She glanced down at his feet, not moving.

God, he wanted to flirt with her so badly. Maybe he already was. Maybe this was how his fifteen years of intensive training rolled out with a single mother. “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t suggest I could meet you at the park?”

“Is that your way of asking if I’m single?” She asked the question without looking up at him.

“Yeah.”

She didn’t answer at first, and when she did, it wasn’t exactly an answer to the question. “There’s a mini fall fair happening today. Pre-school level of activities. I’m not sure it’ll be fun for you.”

Heaven help him, but he was certain it would be. “I don’t have anything else to do. I’m all yours today.”

A surprised look flitted across her face. “Well, it’s…” She turned, pointed toward the centre of town, and described how to get to the park. “We’ll be there in half an hour.”

He shouldn’t be looking forward to that. There was no sex to be had in the park. But he still grinned at her. “Then I’ll see you both in thirty minutes.”

Natasha spent the next twenty minutes trying to convince herself Matt wouldn’t show up. She needed to lower her expectations, pronto.

He was officially too good to be true. Sweet, funny, hot. There was something about him that made her immediately comfortable, like they already knew each other. But that was only one layer, an unexpected base level of comfort she rarely felt around men.

This man, though…

One afternoon. That’s all you get. No, she knew that. But the fantasy was nice. Very nice. Smoking hot level of nice.

She made Emily eat a healthy lunch to make up for the icing-overdose, then encouraged a just-try, just-in-case pee break before they packed a bag of snacks and water and spare clothes, and headed out to the park on foot. It was right next to the school where she’d have to pick up Noelle and Logan in a couple of hours, so they’d spend the entire afternoon at the mini fair.

With Matt.

Maybe.

If he showed—

“Matt!” Emily streaked away from her, her hands waving in the air as she caught sight of their new friend striding along the edge of the mini fair.

So he showed up. That wasn’t reason enough for her insides to flutter. She was smarter than that now.

Natasha watched, a lump forming in her throat, as Emily raced around Matt in a tight circle, then grabbed his hand and gestured toward the fenced-off area for pony rides.

He looked over, seeking permission.

“Sure, let’s do the ponies first,” Natasha said, lifting her voice. “I think the ticket stand is just on the other side.”

“I can get those,” Matt offered when they met in the middle of the grassy expanse.

Emily bounced off the end of his arm.

“We took the bulk of the cupcakes home. I can’t let you buy my daughter a pony ride, too, but thank you. Emily, stop bouncing. Please.”

“I want to get in line!”

“We need tickets first.”

“Mommy!”

“Emily,” she said, a low warning. “Best behaviour, right?”

Matt slowed down as they passed the ponies. “You can see us from the ticket line,” he said quietly. “If you want me to wait with her?”

It was a nice offer, but…

Before she could say no, he picked up the pace again. “Or we can all get tickets together. Besides, we need to find out what else they have here, don’t we?”

“Okay,” Emily said.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Well, now that we’re all in agreement…”

Matt chuckled, warm and low.

Once Emily was astride a pony, and they were both watching from the other side of the fence, he bumped his arm against hers, a gentle nudge with his elbow. “Thanks for the invitation, by the way.”

She gave him a solid, suspicious side-eye.

He grinned. “A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do to get his mini fair fix.”

“I’m glad we could help you with that.” She couldn’t help but smile. “So you’re just in town for a couple days?”

“Yeah. There’s a regional training thing at the conference centre. I was strong-armed into attending by my boss, but I’m not complaining now.” The look he gave her, like the nudge with his elbow, was just right. Warm and interested, an obvious opening for her to take the next step, but not pushy.

Natasha knew this routine. This was her routine, although she was rusty at it. She let her smile grow as she looked back and forth between Matt and Emily. On the third slow swivel of her head, his gaze darkened, turning hot and incandescent just for a moment.

Oh, yeah, she knew this routine well.

Her breath caught in her throat. She let her lips part on her next exhale, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheek as she dragged in a ragged breath. You affect me, her body language screamed. And it felt good to admit that, even if they couldn’t do anything about it.

It had been too long since she’d flirted with someone. She used to do it at work all the time, but since having Emily, she’d morphed her bartender persona into a tougher, no-nonsense friend. She liked that role, too.

But it was nice to be wanted as a woman.

Really nice.

“What’s next?” he murmured, and none of the answers that sprang to life fully formed were even remotely acceptable.

She turned around, scanning the other activities. “The inflatable corn maze, probably. We’ll have to go through with her, though. Despite all evidence to the contrary today, she’s pretty shy.”

“Emily Kingsley, age three? Defender of all things pink?”

“Yeah, that was…something. She doesn’t usually like strangers.”

“That's smart,” Matt said, and something in his voice dragged her attention back to his face. God, his eyes were dangerous. Hot and bright and way too clever. “But maybe I don't need to be a stranger.”

“That’s—”

Before Natasha could set the record straight, Emily was hurtling towards them again, her pony ride over. “Mommy! That was fun!”

“Yay! Do you want to do the corn maze next?”

Her answer was a gasp, then she bounced back and forth between them all the way to the maze, and through it—twice.

Next they went to the ice cream truck. They carefully ate miniature ice cream cones at a picnic table and Natasha tried not to replay Matt’s words in her head. Maybe I don’t need to be a stranger.

What was happening?

“All done, Mommy.” Emily beamed at her. “Can I show Matt my new shoes?”

“Sure,” Natasha murmured. Focus.

Her daughter pivoted all her attention to their new friend. “I have new running shoes.”

Matt grinned, a shallow dimple popping in his right cheek. “They look fast. Are they fast?”

She took off, running in circles around the table.

“Sugar high,” Natasha said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. She’s adorable. It’s a good age.” There was something in the way he said it that made her curious, and he met her inquisitive gaze with a boyish grin. “I’m a newish uncle. My nephew Calvin is almost one. And my younger brother is newly married, too, so I hope there will be a baby there soon enough.”

“Sounds like a big family.”

“Not as big as some around here, but yeah, we make a lot of noise at holiday dinners.”

She laughed. “I just have one sister. We’re close—Emily and I live with her family—but it’s never mayhem, even with our three kids all sharing a space.”

He gave her a look that made her heart jump. “So it’s just the two of you?”

He’d essentially asked if she was single earlier, but she’d sidestepped the topic. Now he was curious again, and damn it, there was only so much curiosity a girl could take. And something about him weakened her usual resolve to keep all of this tightly private. “Yeah. Always has been. Her dad lives in Toronto.” And never wants anything to do with her, except today, maybe, but who knows because he hadn’t called back.

“Mommy, can we go on the climbers?”

Natasha flashed a quick glance at her watch. “Yep. We have another half hour before we need to go over to the school to pick up your cousins.”

The next twenty minutes were spent circling the climbers, with Matt being called upon frequently by Emily to help her reach the highest rungs—and then be immediately rescued.

He was endlessly patient, constantly amused, and managed to give Natasha a delicious chunk of his attention even as he entertained her tiny, demanding spawn.

Her pulse thumped in her neck. Time was getting away from her. She needed to find a way to say goodbye.

Or…not. Or something, the details of which she couldn’t bring herself to guess at. She hadn’t tried dating in years—hadn’t had the energy to play the games, and wasn’t comfortable introducing Emily to anyone yet.

Ha. Joke was on her. Emily had done the introducing for them.

When her daughter crawled under the play structure, Matt made his way back to Natasha’s side. The way he looked at her, his gaze hot and piercing, she was pretty sure his thoughts were in the same place.

She wasn’t wrong.

He leaned in. “Like I told you, I’m in town until Thursday night. If you two are free for dinner…”

Crap. “I work every night.”

He gave her a regretful smile. Right. So that would be the end of that.

“Today was nice, though,” she heard herself saying. “Very nice. Thank you for entertaining both of us.”

“Thanks for letting me tag along. Maybe we can stay in touch.” He pulled out his phone. “Can I have your number?”

Can I get your hopes up? But they’d really had a good day together. She didn’t need to be cynical and shoot herself in the foot, even if this didn’t turn into anything. Maybe he’d go home and realize, wow, that was a dead-end way to never get laid. Or…maybe not. “Sure,” she finally said, and he laughed.

“Hard decision to make?”

“Well, you know, I guess I’ll take pity on you,” she said softly, not meaning it at all. Flirting still felt good, felt right with him. “Gotta throw hot guys a bone every so often or they’d never score another amazing playground date.”

“You know it. We’re hard done by, for sure.” He grinned. “Is it Kingsley? Like Emily?”

She nodded and spelled out her phone number for him.

He tapped the screen, and her phone started ringing. She pulled it out and answered the call. “Hello?”

He grinned at her. “Hey, Natasha, it’s me, Matt.”

“Oh, right. Icing novice. I remember you.”

“That’s right. Remember how much fun we had at the park?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Yeah. I do.”

“I was thinking we should do that again sometime soon.” He held her gaze as he spoke into the phone. “I’d love to see more of you and Emily.”

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t breathe. How was he this perfect? She forced herself to inhale, her breath hitching at the top. “Are you for real?”

“Yep.”

She laughed and nodded. “Yes, we’d love that.”

She was still shaking her head as she ended their call and tapped on the number to add it to her phone book. First name, Matt. Surname…

“I should put you in here as Mr. Too Good To Be True, but what’s your last name?”

“Foster.”

Her thumb froze over the keyboard. No. Not Foster. Anything but…

She didn’t want to look up at him. Didn’t want to see that sharp jaw, those bright eyes, the dark brown hair that fell over his eyes just like his brother’s.

The man she’d wanted to be the father of her baby.

The man who hadn’t been, and who’d broken her heart a little.

It had been almost four years since she’d seen Jake, but now she knew with sickening certainty that’s why Matt had seemed comfortable and familiar to her.

Heat swarmed her face. She kept her head down and hit save without adding his last name.

Matt.

That’s how he’d live in her phone book. Just Matt. And if he called, she’d have to dodge him.

She forced herself to smile as she closed her contacts app and stuffed her phone into her bag. “Okay, we need to go.” She lifted her voice. “Emily! Time to go pick up Noelle and Logan from school, baby.”

Her daughter came racing across the playground and threw her arms around Matt’s legs. “Bye,” she said. “See you later.”

They wouldn’t, though.

Today had been yet another episode in the ongoing saga of Natasha’s terrible luck with men. They would never see Matt Foster again.