watching?â
âI think you canât be too careful when youâre saving the world.â Dinoâs expression was serious. âIf you have something warm that will cover up who you are, we could sit in the Batmobile for a few minutes and discuss tactics.â
âReally?â Jamieâs face lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree. âWait there.â He sped into the house and returned moments later in his warm ski jacket, trainers on his bare feet. In his hand was a plastic Batman figure. Seeing the excitement in his face, Meg frowned.
âJamie, you canâtââ
Ignoring her, he hurled himself at Dino, who caught him with a laugh, swung him round and then lifted him onto his shoulders and carried him to the car.
Gripped by a fear that she couldnât control, Meg watched as cracks appeared in her tightly controlled life. Jamieâs delighted giggles cut through the night air and she plunged her hands into the pockets of her coat, resisting the temptation to snatch him back. Keep him from harm.
âDino is good with him.â Her mother handed her a mug of soup. âI canât believe heâs actually managed to get Jamie to wear a coat. Itâs more than Iâve been able to do all day. This is worse than the Tarzan phase when he ran around in nothing but his underpants for two whole months.â
Meg found it difficult to move her lips. As much as it pained her to admit it, she agreedâDino was brilliant with Jamie, and that was a whole big problem in itself. âYes.â
âItâs a pleasant change for Jamie to have a man about the place. They look good together, donât they? Doesnât it warm your heart to see it?â
âNo, actually.â Meg had never felt colder in her life. âIt just reminds me how little Jamie knows about the real world.â How easy it was to be hurt. The more you gave, the more you could lose.
âChill, Megan.â
Meg turned her head to look at her mother. âSince when did you start speaking like a teenager?â
âSince I started working at the youth group,â her mother said cheerfully. âI love it. Theyâre so vibrant and full of hope.Gives me something to do when Iâm not helping you with Jamie. Oh, look at Jamie jumping in the seat! Heâs enjoying himself, Meg. He likes Dino. And Dino likes him.â
âYes, because it suits him right now. And will until the next female distraction walks across his path and he has someone better to play with than my son. What then?â Megâs tone was savage. Her worries suddenly overflowed, like a river bursting its banks. âPresumably Iâm the one who is going to have to explain to Jamie why Dino doesnât have time for him any more. Iâm going to have to break it to him that men often have a short attention span.â She shivered as Dino fired up the engine, indulging her sonâs passion for supercars. The Lamborghini gave a deep, throaty growl and Jamie bounced around in the passenger seat in paroxysms of delight.
Aware that her mother was staring at her in astonishment, Meg licked her lips. âSorry,â she croaked, âIâm tired. Maybe that was a bit of an overreaction.â
âJust a bit? Megan, youâre a basket case when it comes to men.â
âI know.â
âJust because Hayden couldnât keep his trousers zipped, it doesnât mean all men are the same. You need to move on, Megan.â
âIâve moved on. Iâm living a good life with my child.â Huddling down inside her coat, Meg watched as Dino switched off the engine and let Jamie play with the wheel for a few minutes, pretending to be a racing driver. âWhy does Jamie have to be interested in cars? Itâs the one thing I know absolutely nothing about.â
âHeâs a little boy.â Her motherâs face softened. âA gorgeous, fantastic boy and you have
Carmen Caine, Madison Adler