Page 36 of Summer Weddings
“Would you like a cup of coffee before you go?” Heather asked.
“No, thanks.” Robin had been blessed with good neighbors. Heather on her right and Cole on her left… .
Together Robin and Heather woke Jeff, who grumbled about his mother being late. He was too drowsy to realize it was only nine-thirty or that she’d returned ahead of schedule.
After telling Heather a little about her evening, Robin guided her son across the yard and into the house. She walked upstairs with him and answered the slurred questions he struggled to ask between wide, mouth-stretching yawns.
Tugging back his quilt, Robin urged him into his bed. Jeff kicked off his shoes and reached for the quilt. It wasn’t the first time he’d slept in his clothes and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
Smiling to herself, Robin moved quietly down the stairs.
On impulse, she paused in the kitchen and picked up the phone. When Cole answered on the first ring, she swallowed a gasp of surprise.
“Hello,” he said a second time.
“What did you lie about?” she asked softly.
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“I’ll be right there.” Without a further word, he hung up.
A minute later, Cole was standing at her front door, hands in his back pockets. He stared at her as if it had been months since they’d seen each other.
“You win,” he said, edging his way in.
“Win what? The door prize?” she asked, controlling her amusement with difficulty.
Not bothering to answer her, Cole stalked to the kitchen, where he sank down in one of the pine chairs. “Did you have a good time?”
She sat down across from him. “I really did. Frank’s a very pleasant, very caring man. We met at the Higher Ground—that’s a cute little restaurant close to thebartstation and—”
“I know where it is.”
“About your phone call earlier. You said—”
“What’s he like?”
“Who? Frank?”
Cole gave her a look that suggested she have her intelligence tested.
“Like I said, he’s very pleasant. Divorced and lonely.”
“What’s he do for a living?”
“He works for the city, I think. We didn’t get around to talking about our careers.” No doubt Cole would be shocked if he knew she’d spent the greater part of the evening discussing her relationship withhim!
“What did you talk about, then?”
“Cole, honestly, I don’t think we should discuss my evening with Frank. Would you like some coffee? I’ll make decaf.”
“Are you going to see him again?”
Robin ignored the question. Instead she left the table and began to make coffee. She was concentrating so carefully on her task that she didn’t notice Cole was directly behind her. She turned—and found herself gazing into the darkest, most confused and frustrated pair of eyes she’d ever seen.
“Oh,” she said, startled. “I didn’t realize you were so close.”
