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watching pulled him from his thoughts. Glancing around, Charles spotted two women on a park bench near the sandbox. They stared at him as they talked.
    Christina Hennessy and Dolores Nunez, nanny for Burke and Christina’s toddler. Distaste curled through him. He didn’t care for Mrs. Hennessy much, not simply because she was Burke’s wife, but because she was such a fake. Probably why she and his ex, Kathleen, had gotten along so well.
    And still, she didn’t take her gaze from him. Out of a morbid sense of humor, he lifted a hand and waved.
    Her right brow rose and she deliberately ignored him, turning her gaze on the nanny.
    Why the woman needed a nanny was beyond him. She didn’t work and didn’t seem to have any responsibilities that he could see.
    Speaking of nannies, Demi surprised him and stepped out of the Sugar Plum Café instead of The Reading Nook and headed his way. He tried to forget about the pair across the park.
    But the hair on the back of his neck rose as he continued to feel their stares. He reminded himself not to let their snide glances and whispered words affect him.
    But a small part of him wanted to stomp across the park and demand they cease their nasty gossip. Instead, he took a deep breath and watched Demi approach. The concerned frown on her features told him that she’d picked up on his expression. With effort, he loosened his jaw and relaxed his shoulders.
    Only to tense up again when Burke stepped into view. The man glanced at him and pursed his lips as though seeing something distasteful.
    He said something to Christina and the nanny, then practically shouted, “Come on. It’s not safe for Georgina to play here. Apparently, they don’t screen the people who use this place and will allow murderers around small children.”

FIVE
    D emi couldn’t read the expression on Charles’s face, but the smile he shot her looked forced, the frown lines between his brows deeper than yesterday.
    Burke said something that Demi wasn’t close enough to catch, but apparently Charles heard it—and didn’t like it. She saw the fury on his face and the rock-hard tension in his body. She had a feeling he was exercising extreme self-control at the moment.
    Burke held his daughter as he and the two women left the park.
    Charles relaxed and occupied himself by pushing the twins on the swings. They each sat in the little side-by-side bucket seats, legs dangling. Sweet laughter reached her ears, chasing away the frown she knew was on her face.
    A twinge in the vicinity of her heart made her wince. What about her own father? Where was he? Was he missing her? Worried about her? Or was he even alive? She had the same questions about her mother, but no amount of trying could bring to mind a face that she could call family.
    Drawing in a deep breath, she stuffed her sorrow away and pasted a smile on her face. “Good morning,” she called.
    Charles turned and his answering smile flashed her way. It seemed a little less forced than the previous one. “Hey, there. We got here a bit early and this was the only way I could corral them.”
    Demi let out a laugh. “Looks like fun.”
    “They seem to like it, but even as petite as you are, I don’t think you’d fit in the seat.”
    His appreciative gaze made her pause. Was he flirting with her? Sure looked like it. Did she mind? Warmth centered itself in her midsection. No, she didn’t mind a bit. “You’re silly.” She stepped next to him, placing herself behind Aaron. “Let me take one so you don’t have to dance back and forth between them.”
    His eyes lingered on her a moment longer and his expression seemed to soften even more. “That’d be nice. Thanks.”
    Demi waited until the little boy came back toward her then gave him a gentle push. He squealed and laughed, his black hair blowing in the wind. As he approached her again, he held out his hand and yelled, “I gots Dino!”
    Demi laughed and caught the swing, pulling Aaron to her so she could