Doorstep daddy Read Online Free Page B

weakness, she'd envisioned an intimate dinner for two in a dark corner of a fine restaurant. Maybe a club afterward for some slow dancing. Maybe a goodnight kiss that left her breathless and dreamy-eyed. Maybe a little more than a kiss. And definitely a phone call the next day, asking to do it all over gain. She would have said no, but she wanted the good part first before not wanting a second date.
    "I hope you don't mind," he said belatedly, as if he'd just realized he'd made a mistake.
    "Oh, no, I don't mind," she replied. What else could she say? Hey, buddy, if you 're looking for sex, don't bring the kids? She wasn't looking for sex, but it had been more than a year since her last date, and it would be nice if a man was looking for anything personal from her. Her feminine self-esteem needed a wallop. With a forced smile, she added, "Kids are fun."
    "Good." He looked relieved. Callie decided that wasn't a bad thing between a man and a woman on a first date. "I've made a reservation at the White Dog Cafe in the city."
    Callie had been to the upscale bistro, hardly a place for kids. Disaster would be a mild word for their date if the date weren't headed away from the pass right now. "The White Dog's a great place, but I think Jason and Mark would be bored there. How about a Chuck E Cheese, instead?"
    "Oh." Richard blinked as if the lightbulb of a great realization had just come on. "You don't mind?"
    "No. We'll save the White Dog for another time." If they had another time, she thought. And they'd do it without the kids.
    Richard took out a cell phone and called to cancel the reservation. He also called home and talked to Amanda.
    "I won!" Jason shouted.
    "Hurray!" Callie said. "And besides your trophy, you'll get a free dinner at Chuck E Cheese. Right now."
    "Oh, boy!" Jason beamed. "Can I have pizza and a hot dog?"
    "Sure. I think I'll have that, too." When in Rome.
    "We better change Mark first," Richard said as the youngest Holiday made his familiar announcement once again.
    Callie sighed. What a date.
    Chuck E Cheese was mobbed, three raucous birthday parties not helping matters.
    "I think I should have called in a reservation here," Richard said ruefully.
    "Don't worry," Callie told him while snagging Jason before he could run off and explore. "It clears out fast. My sister Helena brings her kids here all the time. She's got three boys and is more down-to-earth than Gerri." She chuckled. "That's not saying much, but Helena's on the mark about kiddie restaurants."
    "Shall we find a table, then?" he suggested with Cary Grant aplomb.
    He could have been Cary Grant, Callie decided when they reached the after-dinner soda stage. Or Tom Hanks, only cuter. Richard had that same ability those two men had to calmly accept the unexpected. Unfortunately he did call Amanda every few minutes, just to check on her. The poor girl must be ready to strangle him, Callie thought in amusement.
    They kept an eye on Mark and Jason, who were with other children in the restaurant's play area nearby. The noise level was horrendous, but Callie pushed it to the background as best she could.
    "I killed her babies," Richard said. "I think she hates me.
    Callie gasped. "I beg your pardon?" "Those virtual-baby-pet things," he explained. "Amanda got in trouble for taking them to school, so she handed them over to me and I...1 forgot to feed them when they beeped.''
    "Oh, Lordy," Callie said in sympathy for the drubbing he no doubt got.
    "She screamed at me and burst into tears," Richard added. "I don't know why she always does these histrionics. It's just a game."
    "Maybe her reaction has to do with losing her parents," Callie told him. "Maybe the game symbolizes her ability to keep her parents from dying. Maybe she doesn't want anything else to die."
    His beleaguered expression cleared. "I never thought of that. I bet you're right. What a doofus I am."
    Callie giggled. "I haven't heard that word in ages."
    "What else describes an old idiot?" He shook