Page 43 of Summer Weddings
Jeff nodded reluctantly. “I will be once I find out what my mother plans to do to me. I really was gonna stop at the curb. Honest.”
The kid would make an excellent attorney, Robin thought wryly.
“I think I might’ve overreacted,” Cole said. He held open his arms and Jeff flew into them without a second’s hesitation. Briefly Cole closed his eyes, as though in silent thanksgiving for Jeff’s safety.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Jeff murmured. “I would’ve stopped.”
“I know.”
“I promise to be more careful.”
“I certainly hope so,” Robin said.
Cole released Jeff and sighed deeply, then looked at Robin. “You said something about coffee?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’ll get it in a minute. Jeff, you can go outside, but from now on if you’re playing ball with Blackie, do it in the backyard. Understand?”
“Sure, Mom,” her son said eagerly. “But—” he paused “—you mean that’s it? You aren’t going to ground me or anything? I mean, of course you’re not because I did everything I was supposed to—well, almost everything. Thanks, Mom.” He tossed the red ball in the air and caught it deftly with one hand. “Come on, Blackie, we just got a pardon from the governor.”
Robin followed the pair into the kitchen and watched as Jeff opened the sliding glass door and raced into the backyard with Blackie in hot pursuit. Reassured, she poured two mugs of coffee while Cole pulled out one of the kitchen chairs. She carried the mugs to the table, then sat down across from him.
Cole reached for her hand, lacing her fingers with his own. He focused his concentration on their linked hands. “Bobby was my son. He died when he was ten.”
“Jeff’s age,” Robin said as a chill surrounded her heart.
“Bobby was so full of life and laughter I couldn’t be around him and not smile.”
Talking about Bobby was clearly difficult for Cole, and Robin longed to do or say something that would help. But she could think of nothing to ease the agony etched so deeply on his face.
“He was the kind of boy every father dreams of having. Inquisitive, sensitive, full of mischief. Gifted with a vivid imagination.”
“A lot like Jeff,” she said, and her hands tightened around the mug.
Cole nodded. “Bobby used to tell me I shouldn’t worry about Jennifer—she was my ex-wife—becausehe,my ten-year-old son,was taking care of her.”
Robin held her breath as she watched the fierce pain in his eyes. “You don’t need to tell me this.” Not if it was going to rip open wounds that weren’t properly healed.
“I should’ve told you before this,” he said, frowning slightly. “It’s just that even now, after all this time, it’s difficult to talk about my son. For a good many years, I felt as though part of me had died with Bobby. The very best part of me. I don’t believe that anymore.”
“Jeff reminds you a lot of Bobby, doesn’t he?” Robin doubted Cole fully grasped that he was transferring his love from one boy to the other.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Bobby had a huskier build and was taller than Jeff. His sport was basketball, but he was more of a spectator than a participant. His real love was computers. Had he lived, I think Bobby would have gone into that field. Jen never understood that. She wanted him to be more athletic, and he tried to please her.” Cole’s gaze dropped to his hands. “Jennifer and I were divorced before the accident. She died with him. If there’s anything to be grateful for in their deaths, it’s the knowledge that they both went instantly. I couldn’t have stood knowing they’d suffered.” He paused long enough to take a sip of the coffee, and grimaced once. “You added sugar?”
“I thought you might need it.”
He chuckled. “I have so much to thank you for.”
“Me?”
“Do you remember the afternoon Jeff ran away?”
She wasn’t likely to forget it. With Jeff around, Robin always figured she didn’t need exercise to keep her heart in shape. Her son managed to do it with his antics.
“I left on a business trip to Seattle soon afterward,” he reminded her.
She nodded. That was when Jeff had looked after Blackie for him.
“Late one afternoon, when the meeting was over and dinner wasn’t scheduled for another couple of hours, I went for a stroll,” Cole said. “It was still light and I found myself on the waterfront. The sky was a vivid blue and the waters green and clear. It’s funny I’d remember that, but it’s all so distinct in my memory. I stood alone on the pier and watched as a ferry headed for one of the islands, cutting a path through the waves. Something brought Bobby to my mind, although he’s never far from my thoughts, even now. The most amazing thing happened that afternoon. It’s difficult to find the words to explain.” He hesitated, as though searching for a way to make Robin understand. Then apparently he gave up the effort and shook his head.
