Page 27 of Falling for Brody

"Oh, boy!" Chip was practically dancing. "Yes. Yes. Yes!"

Chip swung his gaze to her. "Mom?"

She felt a huge sense of relief and nodded at Chip. "Of course." She looked at Missus Hardy. "Do you need a ride home? Is there something I can help with?"

Missus Hardy gave her a measured look. "There's a lovely bench across the street in the park where the boys are going. Would you walk me over there? I'd love to talk to you a little."

"Absolutely." Rhea nodded. "I think that would be fun."

As they made their way out of the diner, she walked along with Missus Hardy, careful to match her stride and speed.

Rhea kept an eye on Chip and Brody, watching as the two stopped at the curb and looked both ways before starting across.

Missus Hardy chuckled softly.

"He's a good one."

Rhea, whose attention was split, nodded. "Thank you."

"Yes, your boy, but I was talking about Brody."

Rhea heard the soft lilt in the other woman's tone.

"Oh."

Missus Hardy gave her arm a little pat. "I'm enjoying this, you know. Seeing Brody and your son. The two are... quite the duo."

Rhea had to admit that she was right. "We just met yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Missus Hardy gasped at that little admission. "I think Brody might have said that, but it feels like you two... you three... fit with each other." Missus Hardy gave her a knowing look.

"Uh..." She shook her head. "We're going to be working with each other. It's not a good idea to... try something like that... and Brody is young." She felt something scratch in her throat. "And there's no saying that he would even be interested in..." She shook her head. "I don't know why I'm even saying any of this. He's not interested."

They'd just set foot on the sidewalk that circled the park when Missus Hardy gave her arm another pat. "That's sweet that you think that, dear."

"It's true, Missus Hardy." They walked together closer to the bench sitting under one of the large trees in the park. "Brody wouldn't see me as... a romantic partner."

"Don't let me hear you saying that, dear."

They sat down on the bench and Rhea loved the shadow of the tree on her face.

"You strike me as a woman who doesn't believe in her own appeal."

Rhea lifted her hand to her hair and grimaced at the waves of her hair that were quickly on their way to making a nest. "I'm fairly certain that I'm not going to be attracting anything here in town and I'm fine with that. I have my hands full raising Chip."

"Well, I'm not going to argue with you on the topic at the moment..."

Rhea had a feeling that she'd hear more on the topic later. She had a feeling that Missus Hardy didn't give up on much.

"But..." she grinned and toed off her ballet flat shoes into the grass beneath their feet, "I will tell you that when you allow someone to help, it just might give you the time you need to live a little."

Rhea nodded in agreement. Her words made sense, but she knew that nothing was going to happen with Brody.

It just wasn't going to happen.

Even if she was attracted to him, she heard enough talk the night before that she knew he was at least a few years younger than she was and a man that age wasn't usually the kind of guy who wanted his own ready-made family.

He could have anyone in town. There were likely women lined up for a chance. Women who didn't have baggage.

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