Page 89 of Situationship
—Unknown
Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. Colin’s mental countdown clock activated the second Teagan said yes to property shopping—and their day-long date—then sealed it with a kiss. They’d agreed to meet at ten, but he’d been ready by nine thirty and, instead of pacing the length of his house another million times, he headed next door.
Smoothing his hair and doing a quick breath check, he knocked on the door. And waited.
And waited.
And was about to knock again when the door swung open.
Between searching for lost treasure to pay for the NYU money and dealing with his boss, Colin couldn’t afford any more derailments. So he wasn’t about to get sideswiped now. Not by some mooch who cornered his ex-wife to get what he wanted.
Frank stood in the doorway, looking cozy—bare feet, pajama bottoms, no shirt, with the girls climbing all over him. Lily was wrapped around his right foot, Poppy around his left, looking like two baby opossums clinging to their daddy.
“Hey girls,” he said, because they were the most important factors in this equation. He squatted down on his haunches and held out his arms.
“Cowin,” Poppy squealed, and both girls ran to him. He swung Poppy over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold and picked Lily up, making a bench seat with his forearm.
Frank sized him up, and Colin just smiled.Take that, jackass. “Can I help you?”
“I thought you were in rehab,” Colin said.
“I thought you were married.”
“Are you really moving to town?”
“Thinking about it.” Frank puffed his chest out. Colin would puff his back except the kids were still crawling all over him like he was a toddler whisperer. “Man’s got to be near his family.”
“Man should have thought about that before he lost the family home.”
“Not all of us were born with a silver spoon.”
That grated on Colin because, even though his parents were successful, he never once took a handout. Getting through college on scholarships and loans, paying them off only three years after graduation. He’d worked his ass off to get where he was. Yes, he’d been willed some money, but that was only a few years ago. And he hadn’t touched a penny. In fact, Colin never took anything from anyone, unlike the freeloader standing in front of him.
He set the girls down and waited until they chased each other into the house before speaking. “You already destroyed her once. What are you doing?”
“Trying to right my wrongs.” He looked so self-righteous and smug, Colin almost punched him but he didn’t want to make any more waves for Teagan.
Every move from here forward was with Teagan in mind.
“You trying to right things for you or for her?” Colin asked, and Frank shut the door in his face.
* * *
Teagan heard part of the conversation, and the knot in her gut told her she should probably put some hustle in her bustle to get downstairs before round two began.
With only a swipe of mascara and lip gloss—War of the Exes didn’t allow for more—she rushed down the stairs. Taking a moment outside the kitchen entry, she checked herself in the mirror.
Lord, she looked frazzled. And breathless.
She closed her eyes, pictured a sandy beach with gentle waves rippling along the shoreline. When that didn’t work, she told herself to breathe.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in.
She checked herself again. A bit tousled but she’d take it. Smoothing down her sundress—which she’d bought specifically for today—she gave a big, welcoming smile and entered the kitchen.
“I hope I didn’t keep you wait—” She glanced around the kitchen for a tall, dark, and delicious man, only to find Frank with a big, braggart’s smile in place.
“Not at all,” Frank replied with a wink. “Just about to serve up some waffles. Your favorite. Why don’t you take a seat at the bar and—”
