like he’d never get the hang of this single-parenting thing. Just as soon as he thought he had them figured out, they grew and changed and confused him all over again. Where were the sweet little girls that had cooed at him from their cribs? Of course, those days hadn’t been easy, either; raising infant twins never was. But at least he’d had help then. Jennifer, his late wife, had done the bulk of the caregiving, leaving him to enjoy the fun parts of fatherhood.
But Jennifer had been gone for two years now, taken by ovarian cancer faster than he could have imagined. And he was going to have to fill her shoes along with his own, no matter how hard it was. Often the weight of the responsibility felt like it might crush him, but the girls were still the two best things in his life, and he was a smart enough man to know that he was luckier than most.
“You have kids?”
He turned back to face the woman that had approached Adelaide when she’d been crying. She looked familiar, and it hit him. She had been in the courtroom today, sitting with the boy he’d caught shoplifting. Maybe she was a relative? He extended a hand, falling back on the manners his grandmother had ingrained in him. “I do. Name’s Tyler Jackson, and those little munchkins are Amy and Adelaide. I’m sorry if they upset you. They normally get along pretty well but you know how siblings can be.”
She ignored his hand and stared up at him. She was probably a good six inches shorter than him, and less than half his weight, but if she noticed the size difference she didn’t let on. Instead, she stabbed a finger into his chest and lit into him like an angry mother hen. “I know exactly who you are, Mr. Jackson. You’re the man that tried to get a confused little boy, an orphan no less, put behind bars over a measly baseball bat. That’s who you are!”
He kept his tone even, not rising to the bait. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it. And you are?”
“Dani Post, Kevin’s guardian ad litem.” She looked fierce, he’d give her that, with her dark hair blowing in the breeze like a mane and her dark eyes snapping in anger. But at least she’d stopped poking him.
“Well, Ms. Post, I’m very sorry about the boy’s family situation, but that doesn’t excuse stealing.”
She glared. “Of course not. But he needs help, not legal trouble.”
He crossed his arms and settled onto his heels. “And I happen to think the legal system is the best way to make sure he gets that help. He’s going into the mentor program, right?”
She nodded, but didn’t look any less upset. “You couldn’t have known that would be the final result, though.”
“Actually, the prosecutor’s office assured me that was the most likely scenario. And I’ve had some experience with juvenile courts—they don’t go throwing young kids in jail if they don’t have to.”
“Thank goodness for that.” She tossed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “But he’s had a hard time, and deserves a second chance.”
“And he’ll get it.”
“No thanks to you.”
Tyler checked to be sure his daughters were still safely playing on the swings, then turned back to the angry woman in front of him. Dressed smartly in black slacks and a crimson blouse, she looked like she should be in a boardroom, not at a playground. But if she was a lawyer, that made sense. As did her confrontational communication style. But he wasn’t a witness on the stand, and she didn’t intimidate him. Impressed, and even a bit attracted, but not intimidated. “Actually, I intend to be a very large part of it. I’m going to be his mentor.”
“You’re what?” He could almost taste the anger and frustration pouring off of her as she digested that bit of news. “Haven’t you done enough damage? What more do you want?”
“To keep him from making any more mistakes. Listen, I get that you are worried about him, and that’s admirable. And I’m sure it helps. But a boy that age needs someone who can teach him how to be a man.”
“And what makes you the right person for the job?”
“Nothing really, except I’m willing to do it. I turned him in because I thought it was the best way to teach him a lesson, to keep him from getting into more trouble down the road. I made a few mistakes of my own at that age, and someone stepped in and helped me out. I figure now it’s my turn.”
She blinked at him, a wary respect replacing the look of disgust she’d worn only a few minutes ago. “Well, I hope that’s the truth. But you should know, he’s asked me to be there when he meets with you, and I intend to do just that. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” With that she spun on her high-heeled shoe and strode off.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said to himself, watching her retreat. No, he had no intention of keeping her from joining them; in fact he found he was almost looking forward to another meeting with the fiery lawyer. Ever since his wife’s death, his friends and family had treated him with kid gloves—always careful how they spoke, what they said. No one wanted to upset the grieving widower. He appreciated the sentiment, but a man didn’t want to be handled like a child.
Dani, on the other hand, had gotten in his face, telling him what she thought without holding back. That kind of forthrightness was refreshing and, he was shocked to realize, a bit of a turn-on. He hadn’t had a physical reaction to a woman in longer than he could remember. He’d had chances; plenty had been interested in stepping into his late wife’s place. But none of them had sparked the kind of attraction he’d felt just now.
Of course, it wasn’t going to lead to anything: he was already overwhelmed with running a business and caring for his daughters, not to mention the new responsibility of being a mentor to a troubled boy. The very last thing he needed was one more complication in his life—romantic or otherwise. But still, there was no harm in looking. No harm at all.
Dani parked her red convertible, a gift to herself when she’d been hired at Whitehorn and Watts right out of law school, in the gravel lot in front of the Paradise Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Making the payments was a bit harder on her current, significantly lower salary, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to trade it in for something more economical. From the backseat Kevin peppered her with questions, anxious to see the animals, and probably equally anxious about coming face-to-face with Tyler Jackson. Dani had worried that the boy would balk at the idea of the shopkeeper being his mentor, but she’d assured Kevin that the man wasn’t looking to punish him, just help him. Hopefully that was the truth. She’d been up half the night wondering if she should have petitioned the court for a different mentor, one not associated with the case. But it was too late now, and with Kevin being so brave, she didn’t want to undermine his confidence by backing out.
“What about tigers? Do they have tigers?” A glance in the rearview mirror showed Kevin practically bouncing in his booster seat as he swiveled his head from side to side, trying to spy one of the animals she’d told him the center housed.
“Nope, no tigers. Remember, I told you they take care of native species, animals that live in Florida naturally. But they do have a panther, which is kind of a cousin to a tiger. His name is Simba.”
“Okay, that’s cool. Can I pet him?”
“Definitely not.” She got out of the car and opened the back
