Page 16 of Twice Shy

“You can’t—?”

“To be honest,” Ollie cut in, “I think we’re done. Sorry, Jackie, but it’s getting cold and the kids are soaked. They should get home and dry off. Right, Mr. Morgan?”

“Right. We really appreciate you helping us out, though, Theo. It’s been great here—much better than at the school.”

“My pleasure.” Theo smiled, his gaze flitting awkwardly between Joel and Ollie. “We have an empty guest room that you’d be welcome to use if anyone needs to change or dry off before they go home?” He nodded toward the refreshment stand, and all the half-empty buckets of water. “Looks like it might take a while to pack everything up, and you don’t want to be doing that while you’re wet through.”

Joel jumped at the offer. His own damp clothes aside, Ollie and Rory definitely needed to change. “That would be great, thanks.”

“Er…” Ollie looked embarrassed, glancing warily at the hotel. “I don’t know. I— Actually, I didn’t even bring a change of clothes for the boys. Stupid. I should have thought.”

“I bet Alyssa will have something you can borrow for Rory,” Joel said.

“No, it’s fine. I—”

“Rory’s soaked. Unless you guys want to head straight home…?”

Ollie dithered, clearly his instinct to help at war with his instinct to get Rory warm and dry. Before he could answer, Joel added, “How about I ask Alyssa if she has anything you can borrow?”

After a final, uncertain glance at Theo, Ollie gave in. “Sure, okay. Thanks. I did promise to help clear up.”

While Jackie made sure all the kids went home with the right person, Joel asked Alyssa if she had some dry clothes for Rory—which, naturally, she did—and fetched his own bag from the porch where he’d left it. He didn’t examine too closely why he was so determined to keep Ollie around for as long as possible today…

But Rorywasdrenched, and his little shoes made squelching noises when they all followed Theo through the Majestic’s grand foyer and down a short corridor to a ground floor bedroom. Theo opened the door onto a beautiful suite with views out over the gardens toward the ocean. No surprise the hotel was doing a roaring trade in weddings—who wouldn’t want to get married here with views like that? “Feel free to use any of the guest towels, or the shower if you like,” Theo said.

“Thanks.” Joel held the door as Ollie pushed the stroller into the room, Rory trailing soggily behind. “This is very generous of you.”

Theo just gave a slight nod and left, closing the door behind him.

“Wow, huh?” Ollie said, looking around the room. “This is beautiful.”

“No kidding. Imagine waking up to that view.”

“You’d be able to watch the sun rise and— Rory, no! Off the bed, you’re all wet!” Ollie grabbed him before he could crawl up onto the pristine comforter. “Now take your sneakers off. Come on. And your socks...”

While Ollie set about getting Rory out of his wet clothes, Joel slipped into the bathroom to change. As a veteran of the charity car wash, he’d brought a complete change of clothes, but it was only really his shorts and t-shirt that needed changing. Peeling them off, he stuffed them into his gym bag and pulled on a pair of jeans and another t-shirt. He felt a lot better for being in dry clothes. From the other side of the bathroom door, he could hear Ollie talking to Rory—or, rather, Rory talking to Ollie. Something about grandma and grandpa and an upcoming visit. Joel tried not to eavesdrop.

Emerging from the bathroom, he found Luis asleep in the stroller and Rory looking pink-cheeked and warmer in borrowed purple sweat pants and a sparkly unicorn shirt. Ollie, by contrast, was still shivering in his wet shorts and shirt.

“Here.” Joel held out his sweatshirt. “Put this on. I’ve got a spare.”

Ollie hesitated, as if he had to think twice about borrowing a sweatshirt. As if it was a test. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“Your lips are blue. And it’s getting colder out there. You’ll catch your death.”

Ollie laughed, and it must have broken the tension because he took the sweatshirt. “You sound like my mom.” Joel winced and Ollie’s smile faded. “Not that you’re— I didn’t mean to imply you were, you know”—he flushed—“old. Or anything.”

“Well. Iamold compared with you.” A point he’d do well to remember.

Ollie dropped the sweatshirt on the bed. “Oh, come on,” he protested, pulling his damp t-shirt up over his head. “You’re what? Thirty-something?”

Joel’s answer got tangled in his throat, his gaze locked on Ollie’s startlingly bare torso—lithe, sparely muscled, a dusting of freckles across his shoulders and an arc of hipbone visible over his low-slung board shorts. A young man’s body. Blood pounded in Joel’s ears, his face heating. And not only his face; he could feel a hot rush of bloodeverywhere. Jesus. He turned away, only to find Rory watching him with dark, serious eyes.

“I’m six,” Rory said. “But Luis is only two.”

“Is that right?” He smiled, grateful for the distraction. “Well, I’mthirty-two.”

“And I’m nearly twenty-five,” Ollie said. “See? Not so much younger.” His hair was all over the place after dragging his shirt off and he met Joel’s eyes with a smiling look. Smiling and just a little…what? Speculative? God help him,knowing?

---