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between Claire and Ron.”
    “Did Mallory say anything about what’s going on?”
    “She doesn’t have a clue either, and all the secrecy has everyone walking on eggshells.”
    “She’d tell you if she knew, wouldn’t she?”
    “I think so.”
    Nikki had met Mallory Parker the first day of community college, and they’d been friends ever since. She’d started working at Sunny Days Daycare right out of high school, been promoted to manager after they’d graduated, and hired Nikki the next day.
    “Well, hopefully it’s nothing,” Marissa said. “And I’m sorry to rush you, but I’m going to have to go in a few minutes, so what do you need to borrow?”
    After a moment of hesitation, she decided to jump right in. “I finally met my neighbor last night.”
    Marissa’s eyes lit as she glanced up from wiping the counter. “Yeah? Did you take him a cake? Are you here for lingerie?”
    She laughed. “Oh, God no, on the cake and the lingerie. I brought him a baby.”
    “A baby what?”
    “A baby . Like Savannah, only about eight months younger.”
    Her sister braced both hands on the counter, eyes narrowed as if trying to gauge if Nikki was pulling her leg or telling the truth. Apparently, she decided the latter, because she tossed the dishrag into the sink and pointed to the kitchen table. “Screw book club. You’re so going to explain that one.”
    “You got some hot chocolate?”
    “Always.” Marissa reached up into the cupboard. “Now start talking.”
    By the time her sister carried the two full mugs of steaming milk chocolate to the table, Nikki had relayed the main events from the evening before. For her own sake, she left out the bra incident, Sam’s later joke about mouth to mouth resuscitation, and the heated moment when she’d thought he might kiss her. She didn’t need to provide her older sister with any extra ammunition.
    “How perfect,” Marissa declared.
    She raised her eyebrows.
    “Well, not for Sam, the poor guy. For you . Knowing all about babies and stuff, you can spend all kinds of time with him now.”
    “It’s not like that.”
    “But it could be. Just think—”
    “I don’t want it to be,” Nikki retorted while lifting her mug. The last thing she wanted was for him to want her around just because she could help him with Ella.
    “Yeah, okay, I get that.”
    But wait...did she want him to want her around for other reasons? Like that kiss she’d been disappointed not to get last night?
    Um, duh.
    Marissa sipped her hot chocolate, then abruptly got up and headed over to their pantry cupboard next to the fridge. “One hundred percent serious now, that had to be quite the surprise, finding out about the baby out of the blue. I can’t even imagine.”
    Imagining had almost gotten Nikki in trouble when she’d left him on the porch, looking like he needed a hug and someone to promise him everything would be okay. She’d forced herself to keep walking, and it’d taken a lot of willpower not to go over and check on him and Ella before she left for work this morning.
    Then she caved the moment she parked her car and texted him to see how the night had gone. He’d responded with a short ok. She asked, Really? He admitted, didn’t get much sleep. Which was completely understandable, even if the baby had slept—which she hadn’t.
    He’d texted a few questions over the next couple of hours, and when he sent a picture of Ella finally napping after twelve-thirty, Nikki’s heart had swelled with happiness that he’d thought to share it with her. Asleep, she was a picture-perfect angel.
    She’d jumped at the chance to leave early, excited to show up again as the heroine on his porch with a carload of baby gear from Marissa and Eric. Sam would be so impressed.
    Nikki’s hand froze with the mug mid-way to her mouth for another sip. Well, damn it all, anyway. She’d totally set herself up for the exact situation she’d just insisted she didn’t want—Sam wanting her around