Page 10 of Cole

Annie looked down at herself, as if she’d forgotten what she had on. “Yes. I did.”

“It’s beautiful,” Lexi said. “I have an interest in fashion myself.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call this fashion,” Annie said with a light laugh. “They’re mainly just practical items.”

“Lexi’s a figure skater,” Wilder said. “And she’s designed costumes in the past.”

“But I wish I could sew them too.”

“I’ve seen some of those costumes,” Annie said. “They are beautiful and very elaborate.”

“Yes, they are.”

“And very sturdy,” Wilder said. “Can’t have them coming apart at the seams.”

“Or spilling beads all over the ice,” Lexi added.

“Oh, I can see how that would be important,” Annie said.

“What’s your website?” Lexi asked. “We have lots of little kids in the family. I’d love to buy some things.”

Cole finished up his ice cream as he listened to Annie explain where to find the things she’d made. It was an interesting career, and not one he could remember having ever heard of before.It must be profitable, however, if it was her primary source of income.

The women’s interest in what she did seemed to help Annie relax, though Cole noticed Benji glanced over at his sister occasionally, as if checking in on her. It was clear that Benji loved his sister and wanted to make sure she was okay.

After Cole had stopped the ball from hitting Annie, Benji had taken the time to thank him for doing that. During the time Cole had played with him earlier and the brief practice session they’d had after the games, Cole had seen an earnest passion in the boy.

Teenage boys could be notoriously reluctant to show any type of care or concern for others, but especially siblings. He’d been that way at times when he was going through his teen years. His focus had been very much on basketball and his friends.

Benji was obviously a caring young man, which was probably why Amelia was attracted to him.

“How long have you been doing this?” Cole asked Annie, his interest in her having been piqued.

“In one fashion or another, several years.”

“Maybe you should show her your sketches,” Wilder said as he leaned closer to Lexi. “Like the outfits that Amelia needs for her skating competition.”

“Would you be willing to work with me on a costume?”

Annie hesitated, then said, “I’m not sure I could do something that fancy, but I suppose we could give it a whirl. Just don’t have super high expectations.”

Lexi smiled. “We’ve got time to see if it will work, and I’m happy to help however you might need.”

“Okay,” Annie said with a slight lift to her shoulders. “We can figure it out together.”

Cole liked that Annie was connecting with someone there. The brother and sister duo both seemed to fit in well with their little group.

He glanced over at Benji, glad to see that, even though the teen had a besotted look on his face whenever he looked at Amelia, he wasn’t all over her.

As he watched Annie, Cole was struck by the…elegance of her body language. That was the only word he could think of to describe her.

She was delicate in her movements, using a napkin to gently dab at her mouth. Taking small bites of her ice cream and always lowering her hand between each bite.

He did wonder if she’d finish her ice cream before it became a bowl of soup.

“Benji,” she said, leaning toward the other table. He turned toward her with a questioning look on his face. “Do you want the rest of my ice cream?”

Benjamin smiled and nodded. He took the bowl when Annie held it out. “Thanks, sis.”

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