All talk of work ceased, however, when they sat down to eat. It was a noisy, somewhat chaotic meal, with the two kids eager to talk about whatever they deemed important in their world.
Jude soaked it all in, having long accepted that something like this would never be his. The homey environment. The cozy warmth of the home. The chatter of children. The home-cooked meal. The love and affection that flowed between Cooper and Melanie.
In the past, he’d appreciated stepping into their home and being part of their small family for a short period of time. But that day, being there made him wonder what his life might have looked like if he had opened himself up to having a family.
Early in their acquaintance, Melanie had tried to set Jude up with people she knew. Cooper’s sister. Melanie’s older sister. A cousin. A friend from church.
Rather than waste his—and their—time, he’d told Melanie he wasn’t interested in blind dates. She’d still tried sporadically since then to set him up, but he’d politely declined.
“I have someone who wants to go on a date with you,” Melanie said as she passed him a basket of fresh dinner rolls. “She’s sure that you’re her soulmate.”
Jude lifted his brows. “Say what?”
“She thinks you’re her soulmate,” Melanie said with a grin.
“Even if I believed in soulmates, it seems a bit weird that someone who hasn’t even had a conversation with me thinks that is what I am to her.”
Melanie laughed. “She spotted you at church, and when she saw you talking to me, she figured that getting close to me would mean she could get close to you.”
“As a cop who has seen stalker situations, I’d recommend that this be a stern no from you, Jude.”
“Even if she weren’t delusional, I would have given a stern no.”
The idea of dating her twisted his stomach, for some reason. Yeah… for some reason. He knew the reason, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
“I told her that you were unavailable,” Melanie said. “Just be aware and maybe don’t make eye contact with her.”
“You’re going to have to show me her picture so I know who she is.”
“I honestly don’t think she’s harmful,” Melanie said as she brought up a social media account with a picture. “She’s actually very sweet.”
The woman in the photo was attractive enough—blonde, mid-thirties, with a bright smile—but Jude felt nothing as he looked at her image. No spark of interest. No curiosity.
"Thanks for the warning," he said, handing the phone back to Melanie.
"You know," Melanie said, studying him with that perceptive gaze he sometimes found uncomfortable. "You used to at least consider these setups. Lately, you’ve just shut them down immediately."
Jude reached for his water glass. "I'm just busy with work."
"Hmm." Melanie exchanged a look with Cooper. "That's the same excuse you gave last time. And the time before that."
Cooper cleared his throat. "Melly, maybe Jude doesn't want to talk about his love life."
"Or lack thereof," Jude muttered, trying to keep his tone light.
"I just want you to be happy," Melanie said, her voice softening. "You deserve someone special in your life."
The sincerity in her voice made something in Jude's chest tighten. These people genuinely cared about him. They wanted him to have what they had.
"I appreciate that," he said. "But I'm good. Really."
"Uncle Jude doesn't need a girlfriend," Alex announced with the certainty only an eight-year-old could muster. "He has a gun."
The adults burst into laughter, the tension of the moment broken by Alex's matter-of-fact declaration.
"A gun is not the same as having someone to come home to," Melanie said, still smiling.
"I don't know," Cooper teased. "My Glock has never asked me to take out the trash."
