Page 63 of Falling for Brody

She shook her head. "No. Not okay, Brody."

He shrugged. "What do you mean, it's not okay?"

"Brody." The way she breathed, it was like she was putting distance between them. "I just moved here. Chip and I are settling in. And you," she looked him up and down, "you're a handsome man, more than handsome. I bet if I ask around, there's a bunch of women who'd be-"

"Rhea-"

"I have a son, Brody."

"I know," he lifted his hands, shrugging at the idea, "but why is that a problem, I-"

"Your cousins? Joshua and Gabriel? They're settled in their lives and I'm guessing it won't be long before they start their families. Kay has her husband and two children. I really don't see why you'd want to delve into a relationship, however lightly, with a woman who already has a child. That can't be at the top of your list-"

"That's the thing, Rhea. I don't have a list. I've dated some of the women around here and nothing happened. I-"

"Maybe you should try again, Brody. I'm not..."

She moved away from him and into the hallway, stopping to pull the towel away from her neck and folding it in her hands. "Where should I... um-"

"Here." He put his hand out and she put the towel in it.

"Thanks, Brody. For the... for the towel, and everything else."

She walked away and he was left standing there, wondering what he was going to do.

CHAPTER11

Dinner was going great.At least if Rhea wasn't considering the way Brody was watching her across the table.

And it didn't help when Kay's daughter Sarah had climbed up in his lap and was fast asleep against his chest.

Seeing him holding a little girl wasn't a shock to her. She'd seen him with Chip and even with Sarah asleep in his arms, Brody wasn't ignoring Chip. Instead, he'd been talking to Chip throughout the meal, and it felt like... It felt good to see how Chip responded to Brody's attention.

"Rhea?"

She had to pull her attention away from Brody to look at Bea sitting beside her.

Her housemate had been having a great time at dinner, regaling them all in stories about the Armstrong kids. No one had escaped unscathed, but no one was unhappy. The whole family had shared laugh after laugh about their childhood antics.

"Are you okay?"

Rhea turned to look at Missus Hardy. "Me? I'm fine. Are you okay?"

She nodded but leaned in on the arm of her chair. "I'm just fine. I was curious about where you and Brody went when we arrived. You looked a little shaken."

Rhea hesitated to explain because she didn't really understand it much herself. "He helped me with a cool cloth. I think it must have been all of that running around I did before coming here for dinner."

Missus Hardy gave her a look that said she wasn't buying it. Not at all.

She raised a silvered brow in Rhea's direction.

Rhea understood that look.

That look said that they'd be talking about this later.

Bea might be older, but she didn't shy away from asking questions or giving her opinion.

Something down at the other end of the table caught Rhea's attention.

---