Page 18 of Honey Bee Library
“I um…” I didn’t know what to say to that. Did he want me to come back?
Then Patricia’s words echoed in my mind, “He either wants something, orwantssomething.” Was she right? Did Cole think I was…easy? I held his gaze as if I could find the answer to my unspoken question there.
Whywashe being this nice to me?
I wanted to think it was because he was a decent human being, and there were times he’d made it easy to believe that. But then there were also times where he was cold and distant, and all the goodwill he’d gained by his acts of kindness was overshadowed. Like he was finally showing his true self. Or maybe that wasn’t his true self? I wasn’t sure.
All I knew was that he was confusing, and I didn’t like feeling confused.
Cole took a step back. His eyes were wide, and his expression had fallen as he studied me. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He raised his hands. “I…um…I shouldn’t have asked.” He pushed his hand through his hair before dragging it down his face. “Just forget that I said anything.”
I felt myself scrambling to keep him from leaving. I didn’t want him to feel bad. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said while offering him a small smile.
He studied me. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why isn’t it a good idea?” He folded his arms across his chest.
I sighed. “I just think that with us working together and with your…future plans.” I didn’t want to push him into thinking that he had to open up to me when he so clearly didn’t want to. “It’s best for us to keep work and home life separate.”
He held my gaze. “Ah.” He paused, the silence between us felt deafening as we stood there. Then he scrubbed his face with his hand as he tipped his head back and took in a deep breath. “Okay,” he said as he returned to studying me. “If that’s what you want.”
I nodded. “It is.”
Cole didn’t say anything more. He just held my gaze before he turned and left my office. As soon as I was alone, my knees felt like they were going to collapse, so I moved to sit on the edge of the couch. I tipped my head forward and took in a deep breath. This was good. Setting boundaries with Cole was right. It would only get messy if we mixed our personal and work life.
I still didn’t know who this man was, what he wanted, or what his plans were. The last thing I needed was to be dependent on another man who had no intention of sticking around. I needed to protect my son and—when I thought long and hard about it—myself. We were finally building a foundation at the diner and in Harmony. The last thing I needed was for one stupid choice to yank that away from me.
I kept my distance from Cole for the rest of the evening. Jasper was excited to see him and talked with him for a few minutes until Cole saw me watching and ended it. Jasper spent the evening sitting in his booth, watching his tablet and eating a hamburger and fries while I helped with the last few customers before we closed for the night.
Breia and Patricia helped me pick up the dining room while Cole stayed in the back with Brody. Once everything was cleaned and drying, they said goodnight. I could tell that Breia wanted to offer for us to stay at her place but was resisting it, and I didn’t want her to grow to resent me. “Go. We’ll be fine,” I said as I motioned toward the parking lot.
“Are you sure?” She hesitated.
I nodded. “Yes, don’t worry about us.” Even if I had to get a ride-share and stay at the Harmony Island motel for the night, we were going to be fine.
“Okay,” Breia said as she grabbed her purse and hurried through the kitchen.
I settled in at my desk, scrolling on my phone as I tried to figure out my plan for the night. Jasper was lying on the couch with his right ankle resting against his left knee, propping his tablet against his leg. Movement by the door had me looking up to see that Cole had appeared in the doorway.
“I’m going to head out,” he said, then paused.
I nodded, ready for him to leave so I could breathe again. “Okay.”
He studied me like he wanted to ask me something but then nodded. “Okay.”
It was only after Cole started to back away that I noticed Jasper had climbed off the couch and was heading toward the door. He looked intent on leaving with Cole. “Bubba,” I said as I pushed away from my desk and hurried to stop him. “Jasper, honey, where are you going?”
He turned to look at me, confused. “With Cole,” he said matter-of-factly.
“We’re not going with Cole tonight.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulders to stop him from leaving.
“What?” Jasper asked, looking up at me.
Cole didn’t linger. When I looked in his direction, he was gone, so I knelt down in front of my son. “We’re not staying at his house tonight. We don’t want to be rude and overstay our welcome.”
Jasper knitted his eyebrows together. “Oh,” he said quietly.
