A House Full of Fortunes!. Judy Duarte
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headed to the parking lot, she turned back to look at what Angie was wearing behind the check stand. “And, honey,” Doris said reproachingly, her voice quieter yet still loud enough for anyone within five feet of her to hear, “try to dress a bit more conservatively. Nobody is going to take you seriously with all those curves popping out everywhere. You look like you just got off a shift at a roadhouse honky-tonk.”
Doris’s smartphone rang, thankfully cutting off her insult to Angie’s snug-but-comfortable jeans and her white T-shirt. “Gotta take this. You know, the client always comes first.”
Angie started the conveyor belt as her mother breezed out the door in a conservative shoulder-padded power suit. She tried to smile through the mortification that warmed her cheeks and strained the muscles in her face. “Chips, soda, cookies... Looks like someone is planning a picnic.”
Toby tossed her a playful grin. “Fishing on the lake is hungry business.”
“It should be a nice day for it,” Angie said, as she began to check out Toby—or rather, his groceries.
Not that there wasn’t plenty to check out about the man himself—if she were looking.
Brown hair that was stylishly mussed, but not out of place. Dazzling blue eyes that were both playful and bright. Broad, strapping shoulders. Arms that looked as though they could pitch a mean curveball—or hold a woman tightly all night.
“I don’t want to go to Cutter’s Pond,” Kylie complained, breaking Angie from her wayward thoughts. “You’re just going to kill those poor fish. And I don’t even like to eat them.”
Brian rolled his eyes. “Don’t be such a stinking crybaby, Kylie. We never get to do anything fun without you complaining.”
Toby glanced at Angie and gave a little shrug. “Sometimes it’s hard to find an activity or an outing they can all enjoy. It seems that someone always has an objection.”
Angie smiled. “To be honest, I can’t blame her a bit. I never did like putting a worm on a hook.”
“You had to go fishing, too?” the little red-haired girl asked.
Angie offered her a sympathetic smile. “When my father was alive, he would take me to Cutter’s Pond. And while I could usually count on getting sunburned and bit by a mosquito or two, there was always something special about spending time with my daddy.”
“But I don’t have a daddy,” the girl said.
Angie’s cheeks warmed. She’d only wanted to help, but had probably made things worse.
“You might not have a dad,” Toby said, as he gave one of Kylie’s lopsided auburn pigtails a gentle tug, “but you have me.”
Toby’s hands might be skilled at lassoing horses and throwing a football, but the poor man couldn’t do a little girl’s hair to save his life.
Still, these kids were lucky to have Toby. If he hadn’t stepped up to the plate when their aunt had gone off the deep end and lost custody, they might have been separated and placed in different foster homes.
Justin, the boy who’d climbed the ladder, said, “Too bad we don’t have a babysitter for Kylie. She’s gonna wah-wah like a little crybaby and ruin our whole day.” Justin made fake crying noises and rubbed his eyes to emphasize his overly dramatic point.
Maybe Angie could help out after all. “I only have to work for a half hour or so, and then my shift is over. If you don’t mind leaving Kylie here with me, I’d be happy to hang out with her while you and the boys go fishing. We can do cool girls-only things that boys don’t get to do.”
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Toby said, “but you don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, she does!” Kylie gave a little jump and a clap.
Uh-oh. What had Angie done? Had she overstepped her boundaries—or bitten off more than she could chew?
“Please, Toby?” Kylie looked at her foster dad with puppy-dog eyes. “Can I stay here with Angie? Can I please?”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind.” Toby’s gaze zeroed in on Angie, and her heart spun in her chest.
What was that little zing all about?
Had that come from the way Toby was looking at her? Or from having second thoughts about what she’d just offered to do?
After all, she didn’t know anything about kids. She’d been an only child and Doris definitely wasn’t the maternal type. Plus, unlike some of the other girls she’d grown up with, she’d never even had a babysitting job.
But now that she’d made the offer, she couldn’t very well backpedal.
“Of course I don’t mind.” Angie reached under the checkout stand for a stack of coloring pages and pulled out the top sheet. “The Superette is having a poster contest this month. All the kids have to do is color this picture and turn it back in for the judging. I have a few markers Kylie can use. Then, after I clock out, we’ll be on our way for the best girls’ day ever!”
Toby shot her an appreciative smile. “All right. We’ll probably only be a couple of hours. Where should I pick her up?”
Angie hadn’t given much thought to what she’d do with Kylie, but since she didn’t have any money to spend, they’d have to find something cheap to do at home. “I live in the small granny flat behind Elmer Murdock’s place. Do you know where that is?”
“Sure do. Mr. Murdock owns the yellow, two-story house next to the post office. I didn’t know anyone was living in that...unit in the back.”
It wasn’t common knowledge. In fact, she hadn’t even mentioned the move to her mother yet.
Should she explain her living situation? Or better yet, make an excuse for it?
She decided to do neither.
After totaling Toby’s purchases, Angie took his cash and gave him his change. Then she watched him leave the store with the boys, walking with that same swagger the other Fortune Jones boys possessed.
No, she’d never considered dating Toby in the past. And for the briefest of moments, she wondered why she hadn’t.
* * *
After a fun but unproductive day at Cutter’s Pond, Toby and the boys climbed into his truck. If they wanted fish for supper tonight, Toby would have to make another stop at the Superette and purchase a few fillets. As it was, he decided to make things easy on himself and to take the kids to The Horseback Hollow Grill for a couple of burgers. But first they’d have to pick up Kylie.
It had been nice of Angie to offer to babysit. The afternoon had been a lot more pleasant with only the boys. Not that Kylie was a problem child. She was a sweetheart most of the time, but... Well, she had a tendency to get a little teary when things didn’t go her way. But he supposed he couldn’t really blame her. It had to be tough for a little girl growing up in a boys’ world.
As he pulled his black four-wheel-drive Dodge Ram along the curb in front of the old Murdock place, he scanned the front yard, which looked a lot better than it had the last time he’d driven by. The once-overgrown lawn had been mowed recently and a sprinkler had brought the grass back to life.
The old house was still in need of repair—or at least, a fresh coat of paint and some new shutters. But that wasn’t surprising. Elmer Murdock was well over eighty years old and living on his marine-corps retirement pay.
“Can we get out, too?” Justin asked.
“I don’t see why not.” While they’d all had a blast fishing, Toby knew the boys had been stewing over what kind of things might constitute a “girls-only” day. Apparently, the mystery of womanhood began early in a male’s life.
He shut off the ignition, got out of the pickup and made his way to the path that led to the back of