Cole’s question caught me off-guard. “You want me to stay?” I blurted out, not realizing how it sounded until it was already too late.
“Well, I can’t very well eat all these by myself now, can I?” Cole shrugged and stretched out his hand to me.
I hesitated. For some reason it felt like a step and one I wasn’t sure I was ready to take. We were only sharing dessert. It was innocent. A thank you between friends. Except we weren’t even friends.
I stared at Cole’s calloused hand. They were a working man’s hands and it was honest work. Before I could talk myself out of it, I settled my palm in his and let him lead me up the steps onto his porch.
“Sorry it’s not in better condition,” he mumbled as we reached the top step, and he cleared the sweater off the rocking chair so I could sit.
“It’s beautiful,” I assured him.
Cole dropped into the rocking chair beside me and my mind malfunctioned. An image popped into my head that I hadn’t seen coming but couldn’t shake. It was Cole and me, sitting here, exactly as we were at this very moment, but we were watching kids play on the grass. Kids chasing a dog and laughing. They weren’t our kids. They were our grandkids. I pictured us as an old couple, with wrinkles and gray hair, sitting out there, sharing a brownie and a smile while our grandkids played in the yard.
“Grace?” Cole called, snapping me out of the weird scenarios playing out in my mind.
“Sorry,” I apologized quickly, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment at being caught daydreaming.
“Where’d you go?”
“Huh?”
“Just then. You were a million miles away.”
“Just daydreaming, I guess. It’s so peaceful out here.”
“It definitely is,” Cole confirmed, handing me a brownie.
“Thanks,” I replied, nibbling at the corner.
The moment the ooey-gooey chocolate goodness touched my tongue, I had to stifle my moan. Despite the fact I’d already had two today, they were just so good. There was no doubt that if I stayed in Wattle Creek for much longer, I’d have to start running just so I could keep eating them, otherwise, I’d be waddling back to my life three sizes bigger than when I left it.
“How’s the ankle?” Cole asked, pointing to my leg.
“It’s fine. A bit sore, but I’ll live.”
“I’m glad,” Cole replied with a smile.
“So, is it just you out here …” I asked, glancing over my shoulder wondering if a girlfriend or wife was going to push through the door and demand to know what I was doing here in shorts that were too short, a shirt that was too tight, and boots that made me feel like I was trying too hard. Even though I’d spent the better part of the last two days with my sisters trying to convince me that there was no Mrs. Flanigan, until I heard it from him, I wasn’t going to believe it. I’d been burned by that one before.
“Just me and Rocket,” Cole confirmed, then almost like he was summoned, a gorgeous tan, white, and black dog lumbered around the corner and up the steps.
“This must be Rocket.” I smiled as the dog came to sit at my feet and I reached down and rubbed him behind his ears.
“Careful,” Cole warned, and I yanked my arm back. Through a chuckle, Cole clarified. He wouldn’t bite, but if I kept petting him, he’d never want to let me go.
“So, Grace, what brought you to Wattle Creek?” Cole asked as he popped the last of his brownie in his mouth and leaned back in his chair.
“Honestly?”
“Is there any point lying?” Cole’s pointed question surprised me. He was right though. What did I have to lose? Cole was practically a stranger, but even after knowing him for less than an hour, I felt in my gut he was a good guy. Maybe he’d see things in a way I hadn’t been able to and help me understand the mess I was caught up in.
“Other than to save me from looking like the world’s biggest fool?”
“Grace, you could never look like a fool.”
I smiled. How could I not? Cole was a sweet talker, and the fact he looked as good as he did had my ovaries getting ready to explode. “You’re sweet for thinking that, but we both know you’re lying. Let’s not forget how we met?” I reminded him, trying to internalize the cringe.
“Oh, trust me, I remember exactly.”
