A Dose Of Passion. Sharon C. Cooper

dropped and he rubbed his forehead.

      “I’m sorry,” he said gruffly. “I was surprised to see you out here.”

      “Probably no more surprised than I am to see you standing on my grass, blocking me from finishing my yard.” She slipped off her work gloves again and shoved them into the back pocket of her shorts. It seemed as if he was in no hurry to leave her alone.

      Swiping her arm across her forehead for what seemed like the hundredth time, she wiped away the perspiration beading at her hairline. Noah, what are you up to? Derek moving in next door wasn’t a coincidence.

      “Are you saying you didn’t know that Noah purchased that house and insisted I move into it?”

      “I didn’t even know the house was for sale. My neighbor, a sweet older woman who was always a pleasure to have living next door, told me she had sold the house about a month ago.” Macy didn’t try to hide the bite in her words. She wanted him to know she wasn’t any happier than he was about this new development. “She said someone had made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. And despite what you might think, Noah didn’t always check with me whenever he decided to do something crazy.”

      “So you didn’t know he was leaving me that house in his will and insisting I move into it?”

      Macy’s hands flew to her hips. “What part of ‘I didn’t know’ don’t you understand? You come over here yelling like you’ve lost your mind because you think I’m playing some game? Well, I’m not. I don’t play those types of games.”

      “Daddy!” Macy heard the high-pitched voice before she saw the cutest little boy running across the yard toward Derek, not stopping until his arms were wrapped around his leg. “Hi. What’s your name?” the little guy asked, hiding slightly behind his father.

      A smile tugged at Macy’s lips. There was no way this cutie-pie could be related to the big lug. She bent down to his level. “My name is Macy. What’s yours?”

      “Jason.” He finally released Derek and approached Macy. “I’m four. How old are you?”

      “Jason.” Derek’s warning tone caused Jason to glance up at him. “What did I tell you about asking grown-ups their age?”

      Jason lowered his eyes and bit on the tip of his finger. “You said it’s not appopiate,” he said, butchering the word. Macy was impressed he had even gotten that close to saying it correctly.

      “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jason.” Macy stretched out her hand for a handshake. Jason glanced at his father before accepting her hand and grinned, showing off two missing front teeth and making Macy fall in love with him instantly.

      “You want to be my girlfriend?”

      “Jason!”

      Macy burst out laughing and tipped backward on her haunches, catching herself with a hand behind her before tipping all the way back. She stood to her full height and dusted her hands on her shorts. She didn’t know what was funnier, the fact Jason knew anything about girlfriends or the horror on Derek’s face.

      “What did I tell you?” Derek lifted his son effortlessly, holding him out in front of him. “You are too young for a girlfriend and you are not to ask another grown woman to date you. Do you understand me?” Jason nodded slowly and Derek threw him over his shoulder, clearly frustrated but eliciting a giggle from his son. “I’m sorry,” Derek said to Macy. “Apparently I need to break some of the bad habits he’s learned from one of his uncles.”

      Macy waved him off. “No harm done. He’s absolutely adorable.” Thanks to Jason, some of the tension between them seemed to have dissipated.

      They stood there in awkward silence. Like her, Derek was probably wondering what was on Noah’s mind when he’d purchased the house for Derek to move into. They continued to stand there, each in their own thoughts, until they heard a ton of noise coming from the movers.

      “Listen, I’m sorry about yelling. I just—” he shrugged “—was surprised to see you.”

      “Yeah, you said that.” Macy put the left earbud in her ear and started to put the second one in. “Next time maybe you can think twice before coming onto my property and yelling at me.”

      “I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned and Macy grinned when Jason, who was still hanging over Derek’s shoulder, waved at her.

       Such a cute kid. Too bad his father is a jerk.