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Before I could crankthe s out front at the bakery She was dressed in tight jeans, black boots, and a fitted top that showed off her rack I watched a minute while she bent over her bucket of water and dipped her sponge Nice Now, that, I can live with I wondered if she was the owner or hanging around to help out Guess I’d know soon enough

Seeing the letter sticking up fros back into perspective I revvedwould coirl

The hot water fro otten worse through the weekend At least I’d gottento help

To top that, Monk was a solid guy and a good friend He would have to run the shop alone as well as take on some of my work, and I’d definitely owe him one Even if he didn’t expect ood deed unnoticed

I dried off and dressed while Tani slept and then I went to wake her I found her curled up in a ball at the foot of her bed, her curly blond hair was a e and she wiggled away knowing I was there to ruin her dreams

“Tiet in early today Uncle Monk’s waiting and you kno cranky he gets”

She rolled over and yawned then gru to the bathrooht have her mother’s blond curls but her attitude was all s as ood hour to become her usual chipper self

I had her toast and oatmeal ready just the way she liked it when she came in dressed in her favorite pink kitten shirt and cliain today?”

I knehat she was getting at She’d been asking me to pick her up on my bike for weeks I never took her to school on the bike, because she claimed she didn’t want helmet hair all day, but she loved for er mattered “I’ll try to pick you up at the end of the week”

“Thanks Maybe Danny will see ed her brows at me and smiled She was as boy crazy as her mother

“You’re too young to have a boyfriend, Tani” I felt sorry for the little punk who’d want to date hter at sixteen, much less six

“He’s not a boyfriend, Daddy He’s a boy in oing to punch his face in”

I tried not to so around threatening people, and you know I can’t hit a kid They’d lock me up and for that, then would make you breakfast that way you like it?”

“I know that I only want you to scare him a little Do you think Uncle Monk could co” She dipped her toast in her oatmeal and took a bite