Page 14 of The Bachelor's Dilemma

“Worked on the physical therapy on my shoulder and hip. Hurts like crazy. They didn’t tell me that when I started. Just some discomfort, they said. Ha, I’d like to see them try it.”

He rotated his shoulder and grimaced.

“Then I called about vacancies. Everything was taken by the time I called.”

“You aren’t trying to get back in shape in a week, are you?”

“Hey, no pain, no gain. Besides, I’ve been working on this since last November. Hardly a week. “

“You need to follow instructions exactly for maximum recovery,” she murmured.

“You a nurse?”

He glanced at her. His dark eyes held amusement.

She grinned. It was fun to banter with him.

“Better, I’m a mom. I know things. Didn’t your mother tell you not to argue back?”

His look became pensive, and he looked across the playground to where Zack and his friends were climbing the bars.

“I don’t remember my mother,” he said.

“Oh.”

Anna felt stricken. She couldn’t have known He’d lost his mother early.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

She couldn’t imagine her mother not being a part of her life, even though she lived in Florida.

He shrugged. “Things happen.”

She longed to ask some questions, but didn’t want to pry. If he wanted her to know more, he’d tell her.

Seeking a safe topic, she remembered the sublet.

“My friend said the apartment will be sublet fully furnished. They want less than six months. They’re taking an extensive tour of Europe, but not so long to tie up the place for a year. I thought it might work out.”

“The way places get rented around here, I’ll call this afternoon.”

Anna sipped her coffee, feeling happier than she’d in a long time.

The day was beautiful, a cloudless blue sky, just enough breeze to keep the temperature from climbing uncomfortably high. She was watching her son have a great time. And sitting beside one of the most gorgeous men on the planet.

She even glimpsed some other mothers staring, and then talking among themselves. She resisted the urge to glance at Myles. Did he feel awkward being the only man around?

No, wait, there were two fathers with their children playing Frisbee on the grass. But Myles wasn’t with a child.

He took the last sip of his coffee and put the cup in the bag.

“I thought about seeing the sights, showing myself New York, so to speak. Would you and your son like to go to the Bronx Zoo with me tomorrow? I’ve seen nothing but sand and more sand in the last few years. It occurs to me that kind of outing would be more fun with a child along who would really be captivated by the animals.”

Anna drew in a breath, surprised at the strong inclination to accept on the spot. She’d love to spend more time with him.

Yet, she wasn’t sure she was ready to date.

She’d tried it twice since Tom died and hated both outings.

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