intense.
The problem, she decided, lay in the fact that she hadnât expected Cole to look soâ¦fit. The sight of all that lean muscle came as a pleasant surprise. Coleâs aggressive, unfriendly expression had been softened as he bantered with Jeff.
Blackie ambled to her side and Robin leaned over to scratch the dogâs ears while she continued to study his master. Coleâs hair was dark and grew away from his brow, but a single lock flopped stubbornly over his forehead and he had to toss it back from his face every once in a while. It was funny how sheâd never noticed that about him until now.
Jeff mustâve made some humorous remark because Cole threw back his head and chuckled loudly. It was the first time sheâd ever heard him laugh. She suspected he didnât often give in to the impulse. A smile crowded Robinâs face as Jeff started laughing, too.
In that moment the oddest thing happened. Robin felt something catch in her heart. The tug was almost physical, and she experienced a completely unfamiliar feeling of vulnerabilityâ¦.
âDo you need me to roll out the barbecue for you?â Jeff shouted when he saw that she was still on the porch. Heâd turned his baseball cap around so the bill faced backward. While he spoke, his arm continued to work feverishly as he buffed the passenger door with his rag.
âNotâ¦yet.â
âGood, âcause Mr. Camden needs me to finish up this side for him. Weâre on a tight schedule here, and I donât have time. Coleâs got a dinner date at five-thirty.â
âI see.â Standing on the porch, dressed in her old faded jeans, with a mustard-spotted terrycloth hand towel tucked in the waistband, Robin felt as appealing as Ma Kettle. âAny time youâre finished is fine.â
So Cole Camdenâs got a date, Robin mused. Of course heâs got a date, she told herself. Why should she care? And if watching Jeff and Cole together was going to affect her like this, it would be best to go back inside the house now.
Over dinner, all Jeff could talk about was Cole Camden. Every other sentence was Cole this and Cole that, until Robin was ready to slam her fist on the table and demand Jeff never mention their neighborâs name again.
âAnd the best part is, he paid me for helping him wax his car,â Jeff continued, then stuffed the hamburger into his mouth, chewing rapidly in his enthusiasm.
âThat was generous of him.â
Jeff nodded happily. âBe sure and save some shortcake for him. He said not to bring it over âcause he didnât know exactly when heâd get home. Heâll stop by, he said.â
âI will.â But Robin doubted her neighbor would. Jeff seemed to be under the impression that Cole would show up at any time; Robin knew better. If Cole had a dinnerdate, he wasnât going to rush back just to taste her dessert, although she did make an excellent shortcake.
As she suspected, Cole didnât come over. Jeff grumbled about it the next morning. He was convinced Cole wouldâve dropped by if Robin hadnât insisted Jeff go to bed at his regular time.
âIâll make shortcake again soon,â Robin promised, hurrying to pack their lunches. âAnd when I do, you can take a piece over to him.â
âAll right,â Jeff muttered.
That evening, when Robin returned home from work, she found Jeff playing with Blackie in Coleâs backyard.
âJeff,â she cried, alarmed that Cole might discover her son on his property. Heâd made it clear Jeff wasnât to go into his yard. âWhat are you doing at Mr. Camdenâs? And why arenât you at Heatherâs?â She walked over to the hedge and placed her hands on her hips in frustration.
âBlackieâs chain got all tangled up,â Jeff said, looking sheepish. âHe needed my help. I told Heather it would be okay with you andâ¦â His