Kenzie had to smile. Obviously she wasn’t the only female to fall instantly for the freckle-faced charmer with his proper British accent.
“You’ll have to have the same,” the waitress added to her and Ross. “We’re a dry county.”
“They don’t serve alcohol,” Kenzie explained after the woman had gone. “No hard alcohol. Just beer and wine. It’s not uncommon here in the South.”
Ross nodded. “Blue laws. I’ve heard of them. But if you ask me, it’s barbaric.”
Tonight she was inclined to agree with him. She didn’t care much for either beer or wine but she would very much have liked a cocktail to calm her nerves. For some reason Ross Calder was taking up too much room as he sat across the table from her. The booth was too small, too…intimate. Her gaze always seemed to be falling on him no matter where she tried to look. His face, his blue eyes, his unsmiling but strangely disturbing mouth. What on earth was the matter with her?
“Can I see what’s in the package now, Kenzie?”
“Gladly.” Anything to distract her.
But Ross had spied the waitress making her way toward them. “Let’s order dinner first, okay?”
Angus pretended to pout, then shyly volunteered to try the locally harvested clams. Kenzie ordered swordfish while Ross requested prime rib.
“Rare, please,” he told the waitress. “We lawyers have a yen for fresh blood.”
Even though he wasn’t looking at her, Kenzie knew which way he’d aimed that barb. It was so unexpected that she didn’t know whether to laugh or throw something at him. Honestly, she’d never let a guy unnerve her like this before!
Casting a glance at him she found him watching her, his blue eyes twinkling. So he had been teasing. Good grief, did he know how devastating he could be when he wanted to? She looked away quickly, her pulses humming and the heat rising to her cheeks.
“Can I open my present now, Kenzie?”
“Please,” she said, grateful for the distraction.
She watched with bated breath as Angus tore open the envelope. She’d had no idea what to give him, and the shopping was so limited in Buxton and Avon that nothing had inspired her. So she’d drawn him a picture, a cartoon she’d painted in a wash of watercolors. It showed the moment of their meeting, with Angus, dressed in a kilt to acknowledge his Scottish fore-bears, reeling in a kite that was about to land on the unsuspecting Kenzie’s head.
She had drawn herself as a somewhat gawky creature in a blue bathing suit, surrounded by all kinds of birds. Zoom and Jazz stood watch in the dunes.
She needn’t have worried. Angus whooped aloud when he saw it. “That’s me! Look, it’s me, and I have on a kilt at the beach! And there’s your dogs and your pelican and the seagulls and herons!”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it! I’m going to hang it in my room.”
“We’ll have to get it framed first.” Ross was looking at her almost wonderingly. “It’s very good.”
To Kenzie’s annoyance, little fingers of pleasure seemed to dance up her spine. The last thing she sought was approval from this man, especially when she’d been thinking violent thoughts about him just a moment ago. “Thanks.”
“How come you made yourself look so silly?” Angus demanded.
“Silly?”
“Yes. All skinny and your conk so big?”
“My—conk?”
“Your nose.”
She shrugged. “Guess that’s how I see myself.”
“But you’re beautiful, Kenzie!”
“Don’t be silly.”
“But you are! Isn’t she?” he demanded, turning to his father.
Ross’s eyes held hers. “Yes, she is.”
No doubt about it, something in Ross Calder’s voice was making her tingle all over. “Thanks,” she said lamely, then pointed quickly to the envelope. “Look inside. There’s something else.”
It was a picture book called Pirates of the Outer Banks. On the cover, a menacing Blackbeard shook his cutlass at them. “Blackbeard used to hide out on Ocracoke, the island south of ours,” Kenzie explained. “So did Anne Bonney, the lady pirate. They supposedly buried their treasure there, but it’s never been found.”
Angus leafed eagerly through the pages. Then he frowned. “But, Kenzie, I can’t read this! I’m not very good yet.”
“No problem. I bought it mainly for your father. So he could read aloud to you.”
Startled, Ross looked at her.
Yes, read to Angus, Kenzie silently urged him. It’s one of the most wonderful things a parent can do with a child. Don’t tell me it’s never occurred to you to try!
“Can we go to Okie Coke and look for the treasure ourselves?”
Kenzie laughed. “It’s pronounced Ocracoke, sweetie. And, yes, you can. It’s a short ferry ride from Hatteras Village.”
“A ferry ride! Can we go, Dad? Please?”
Dad. Kenzie suddenly realized that she’d never heard Angus address his father that way before. She cast a swift glance at Ross and her heart squeezed when she saw the startled pleasure in his eyes.
“I don’t see why not.”
“Will you come, too, Kenzie?”
“Um—”
“You’ve spilled some Shirley Temple on your sleeve, son,” Ross interrupted. “Go wash it off, please.”
“Okay.” He slid meekly out of his chair.
The moment they were alone, Ross turned to her. “Ms. Daniels.”
Even a blind man could have sensed the change in him. She steeled herself for whatever was coming. “Mr. Calder?”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for Angus, not only this evening, but also the other day. You’ve been kind to him and made him laugh, and I’m truly very grateful.”
“But?”
Ross took a deep breath. “But I’d rather not encourage further contact between the two of you after this evening.” Or with me, he thought silently.
Even though Kenzie had suspected this was coming, she was surprised at the stab of disappointment she felt. “I hope you don’t think I’ve done anything to encourage—”
“Oh, I’m not suggesting as much. And while I’m glad Angus seems to be moving beyond the loss of his mother I don’t believe it’s at all healthy for him to grow attached to you.” He said this without looking at her, knowing better than to allow those big blue eyes to weaken his resolve.
“No, it isn’t,” Kenzie agreed in a whisper.
“So surely you can understand my request?”
She nodded, her own eyes downcast.
“Kenzie.” His hand was on her arm, sending warmth shooting through her. “Look at me.”
She lifted her eyes and the crooked smile on his face threatened to undo her.
“Let’s enjoy tonight, okay? For Angus’s sake?”
She didn’t like the feeling that was coming over her. A thank-goodness-she-was-sitting-down-because-her-knees-were-givingout sort of giddiness that had absolutely nothing to do with the way he was looking at her or with the feel of his big, warm hand on her