“Yeah. Mom’s making pancakes. You want some?”
Damn, that sounded good, but he didn’t want to impose. “Your mom hasn’t been up long, either.”
“She said she just needed a minute to drink coffee.”
Nice. She must have texted him first thing. “Does she know you came out here?”
“Yeah.”
Seemed Ryder’s favorite response this morning was “yeah.” He wondered if Joey sported a similar look, with bedhead and sleep-heavy eyes. He wouldn’t mind finding out for himself.
“Mom said it was okay if I said hi, but I shouldn’t bug ya. Am I bugging ya, Mr. Becker?”
Giving him a squeeze, Hendrix said, “You never bug me.” He enjoyed Ryder with his overblown enthusiasm for the smallest things, and his incredible, endless energy.
Glancing toward the cabin, Hendrix spotted Joey stepping out in a fuzzy pale pink housecoat with the collar turned up. She, too, wore pajama pants, but with thick white socks on her feet and a steaming mug of coffee in her hands.
Her curly hair was everywhere, with half of it hanging over one eye.
Honest to God, she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen.
Lifting the mug in invitation, she asked, “Want some?”
Oh, yeah. He wanted some, all right.
The loaded question sent his mind along a single track. Except...he didn’t just wantsome, he wanted it all.
Around Joey, he was alive in ways he’d long forgotten.
Ryder’s small hand pressed to his jaw to turn his face. “Mom makes good pancakes.”
Feeling certain that Joey did everything well, Hendrix started forward. “I bet she does.”
“You wanna join us?”
“We’ll see what your mom has to say.” When he got close enough, he again got hit with the impact of her dimples, now bracketing her sleepy smile.
“You’re up and about early,” she said in a sleep-husky voice.
He should tell her about the car – but not in front of Ryder. “Just checking on a few things.”
Her gaze searched his, and then the area. “What is it?”
Hedging, he nodded at her mug. “You have more?”
“What?” She looked at the coffee in her hand. “Oh, right.” After another quick search, she braced herself and forced a smile for her son. “You want to come inside?”
Since the overblown Christmas scheme inside would likely make the coffee taste putrid, he said, “The fresh air is nice.” No lie there. He loved breathing in the clean, salty breeze from the Pacific. For a long time after relocating from Indiana, the morning air was one of the reminders that he was alive, somewhere new, and memories should be left in the past.
If only it had been that easy.
“Sure. I’ll bring you a cup.” Appearing very distracted now, she headed inside.
Hendrix took a few steps up and put Ryder on a chair, then bent to tie his shoes. While he did that, Ryder put his fingers in his hair.
Hendrix glanced up in question.
“Mom combs my hair when it’s messy. Want her to comb yours, too?”
