Page 31 of Summer Weddings
Robin was just as guilty. She’d been so caught up in the tide of emotion and attraction that she’d refused to recognize what was staring her in the face. She’d ignored her own suspicions and fears, shoving them aside.
She and Cole were both hurting, needy people.
But once the hurt was assuaged, once the need had been satisfied, Cole would discover what Robin had known from the beginning. They were completely different people with little, if anything, in common.
Chapter6
“What do you mean you want to meet my cousin?” Angela demanded, glancing up from her desk, a shocked look on her face.
“You’ve been after me for weeks to go out with Fred.”
“Frank. Yes, I have, but that was B.C.”
“B.C.?”
“Before Cole. What happened with you two?”
“Nothing!”
“And pigs have wings,” Angela said with more than a trace of sarcasm. She stood up and walked around to the front of her desk, leaning against one corner while she folded her arms and stared unblinkingly at Robin.
Robin knew it would do little good to try to disguise her feelings. She’d had a restless night and was convinced it showed. No doubt her eyes were glazed; they ached. Her bones ached. But mostly her heart ached. Arranging a date with Angela’s cousin was a sure indication of her distress.
“The last thing I heard, Cole was supposed to attend Jeff’s baseball game with you.”
“He did.” Robin walked to her own desk and reached for the cup of coffee she’d brought upstairs with her.Peeling off the plastic lid, she cautiously took a sip.
“And?”
“Jeff pitched and he played a fabulous game,” Robin said, hoping her friend wouldn’t question her further.
Angela continued to stare at Robin. Good grief, Robin thought, the woman had eyes that could cut through solid rock.
“What?” Robin snapped when she couldn’t stand her friend’s scrutiny any longer. She took another sip of her coffee and nearly scalded her lips. If the rest of her day followed the pattern set that morning, she might as well go home now. The temptation to climb back into bed and hide her head under the pillow was growing stronger every minute.
“Tell me what happened with Cole,” Angela said again.
“Nothing. I already told you he was at Jeff’s baseball game. What more do you want?”
“The least you can do is tell me what went on last night,” Angela said slowly, carefully enunciating each word as though speaking to someone who was hard of hearing.
“Before or after Jeff’s game?” Robin pulled out her chair and sat down.
“Both.”
Robin gave up. Gesturing weakly with her hands, she shrugged, took a deep breath and poured out the whole story in one huge rush. “Cole was held up at the office in a meeting, so we didn’t meet at the house the way we’d planned. Naturally Jeff was disappointed, but we decided that whatever was keeping Cole wasn’t his fault, and we left for Balboa Park without him. Cole arrived at the bottom of the second inning, just as Jeff was ready to pitch. Jeff only allowed three hits the entire game, and scored two home runs himself. Afterward Cole took us all out for Chinese food at a fabulous restaurant I’ve never heard of but one you and I will have to try sometime. Our next raise, okay? Later Cole phoned and asked to take Jeff and me on a picnic Saturday.I think we’re going to Golden Gate Park because he also talked about flying kites.” She paused, dragged in a fresh gulp of air and gave Angela a look that said “make something out of that if you can!”
“I see,” Angela said after a lengthy pause.
“Good.”
Robin wasn’t up to explaining things, so if Angela reallydidn’tunderstand, that was just too bad. She only knew that she was dangerously close to letting her emotions take charge of her life. She was becoming increasingly attracted to a man who could well be trying to replace the son he’d lost. Robin needed to find a way to keep from following her heart, which was moving at breakneck speed straight into Cole’s arms.
“Will you introduce me to Frank or not?” she asked a second time, strengthening her voice and her conviction.
Angela was still watching her with those diamond-cutting eyes. “I’m not sure yet.”
“You’re not sure!” Robin echoed, dismayed. “For weeks you’ve been spouting his virtues. According to you, this cousin is as close to a god as a human being can get. He works hard, buys municipal bonds, goes to church regularly and flosses his teeth.”
