“Just a cup of coffee.” Lily slid out of the booth. “I’ll go with you to help.”

“Have you made up your mind about the job?” Mack asked as they waited in line to order. He’d forgotten how good it felt to simply take a woman out for ice cream.

“Not yet, but we’re stopping by Sally’s shop on the way home. I’d like to take a look at the place and get a feel for what I’d be doing,” she answered.

Their turn finally came. Before Lily could open her purse, Mack had his wallet out, rattled off the order, and handed the lady a twenty-dollar bill. The young woman made change and gave him a receipt.

“We’ll bring it out to you as soon as it’s done,” she said. “Are you ready for school to get back in session, Mr. Cooper?”

“Might as well be,” Mack answered. “When do you go back to college?”

“Tomorrow,” she answered. “Just one more semester and I’ll have my degree.”

“That’s great. I’m glad you stayed with it. Still going to teach vo-ag somewhere?” Mack asked.

“Plannin’ on it.” She grinned and looked over his shoulder at the next customer.

Mack ushered Lily back to their booth with his hand on her lower back. A few customers smiled and others waved. He could almost read their minds—Mack was dating Lily Anderson. They were happy for him. There was chemistry, at least on his part, but he wasn’t sure that he’d ever be able to trust another woman, no matter how much he wanted to do so.

Lily slid into the booth beside Holly. “Thank you for treating us today.”

He took a place across from her beside Braden. “My pleasure. Ice cream is my ultimate weakness.”

“Mine, too,” Braden said. “I like it even better than cake, and I love Mama’s chocolate cake.”

Mack’s knee brushed against Lily’s under the table, and even through his jeans and her stretchy pants, he could feel electricity between them. What would it be like to hold her in his arms, or even kiss her? Just thinking about it made the dining area so hot that he removed his coat and draped it over the back of the booth.

Their order arrived, and each of them reached for their part of the food. Mack picked up his sea salt caramel Blizzard. Lily took her coffee from the tray. The ketchup bottle was on the table, and the kids grabbed for it at the same time. The argument over who got to use it first was settled with a contest of rock, paper, scissors. Braden won and took his time squeezing it over his fries.