Page 28 of Twice Shy

“There’s a clip...” Joel joined him, crouching down opposite and reaching under the table. Ollie didnotlook at the stretch of jeans over taut thighs. “Here—” There was a bar that fitted into two plastic clips, Joel undid one side and Ollie, once he saw how the thing went together, unclipped the other. Which was when the table collapsed onto their heads.

“Ow, shit!” Ollie said, struggling out from beneath the table.

Joel was rubbing his hand but smiling. “Architecture, you said?”

“Hey, that’s different from engineering.” He looked at Joel’s hand. “Are you okay? Did it get you?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He shook his hand out and got to his feet, dusting sand off his ass. Nice ass, not that Ollie was looking. “I, um, was actually wondering whether you…” Joel cleared his throat, squinted over the beach toward the boardwalk and frowned. Ollie looked too, afraid Rory and Luis had gotten into trouble, but they were still playing happily. When he turned back around, Joel had picked up the table. “Whether you…know where we’re putting these?”

Ollie was pretty sure that wasnotwhat Joel had been about to say. But Joel’s sunglasses were sliding back on—shields up—and he was making a show of looking about for a pile of tables. “Over by the steps,” Ollie said. “Jackie’s ‘other half’ is bringing a truck down.”

“Great.” Joel headed off, table under one arm, and Ollie picked up the black plastic sack he’d been using to gather trash and followed thoughtfully. He didn’t think he’d imagined that handbrake turn in the conversation. Or, rather, the emergency stop followed by a swift three-point-turn and pedal-to-the-metal escape. What had he missed?

With Alyssa, Ollie, and Joel helping, it didn’t take them long to load the truck. Jackie’s ‘other half’ was a bluff guy with graying hair and a stout middle, and if he had a first name Ollie didn’t catch it. But he seemed nice enough, willing to help with what was obviously Jackie’sraison d'être, and you had to respect a guy for that.

“You need help unloading at the school?” Joel asked, sounding hopeful, as if he’d like nothing better than to spend another hour of his weekend hauling tables around.

But Jackie, on a post-event high, air-kissed both his cheeks, lashes fluttering. “No, no, you go home Mr. Morgan. Enjoy your Saturday evening. You’ve already given up too much time as it is.”

Ollie felt a little guilty, but he didn’t volunteer to go back and help either. Luis and Rory were tired and hungry, even if they didn’t know it yet, and, to be honest, so was he. So, when Jackie and her ‘other half’ drove off, with Alyssa following in her own car, it left him alone on the boardwalk with Joel. Who made no attempt to leave or to speak, just stood there gazing off into the middle distance, deep in thought.

Ollie allowed his gaze to linger, wondering what had Joel looking so pensive. Despite his easy-going nature, Joel Morgan seemed like a deep guy. “Well,” Ollie said eventually, “I’d better get these two fed and watered before someone has a meltdown.”

Joel nodded, but as Ollie turned to head back to the beach Joel called out, “Hey, Ollie?”

The low sun sinking behind the town was blinding when Ollie turned around and he had to lift a hand to shield his eyes. “Yeah?”

“You, er—" With his back to the sunset, Joel’s expression was hidden in shadow. “You want to grab a coffee?”

Ollie blinked in surprise. “Like, now?”

“You probably need to take the kids home.”

He did, but he also had a strong feeling that if he took a raincheck this might never happen again. And although he wasn’t sure what ‘this’ was, he was also sure he didn’t want to miss it. “They’d probably love a hot chocolate. Actually, there’s no probably about it.”

Joel’s sudden smile looked like it had been startled out of him. “Yeah? Okay. Great.”

And Ollie found himself smiling back, thinkingIs he interested in me? Is this a date?

It kind of felt like a date.

But it couldn’t be. Could it?

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