She turns to face her son. “I have something for your dad. Let me get it.” She goes to the kitchen and returns, carrying a bag. The scent of freshly baked cookies waft from inside.
Outside by the car, Cole waits until my seatbelt is fastened then rounds the car to his seat.
“Where are we going?” I ask
“My dad asked me to drop by his office. He is meeting with a real estate developer, who is looking to work with BH Architects for a future project. I enjoy sitting in during the meetings as an observer to learn how things work.”
“What about Josh?”
He shakes his head. “My brother wants to play professional football. This is all I have ever wanted to do.”
When we get to his father’s office, Cole leads me inside. One part of the wall has been knocked down. A few men wearing helmets and carrying tool belts mill around the outer office. Cole’s dad is hunched over on his desk, studying some complicated diagrams in front of him. He looks up when we walk in and then greets us. I really like his friendly face, genuine smile and kind gray eyes.
After initial greetings, I settle myself on a couch to wait for Cole. He and his father head out to one of the conference rooms to meet with their client. I pull my phone out and spend a few minutes texting Megs.
I put the phone beside me and close my eyes, enjoying the silence. I jolt awake and realize I fell asleep. Somehow I’m no longer curled up as I was before I fell asleep, but stretched out on the couch. Sitting up, I slip on my sneakers and head out in search of my boyfriend and find him chatting with a few workers near the construction.
Oh, God. He looks hot, wearing an orange helmet, black wife-beater, jeans and boots. A tool belt hugs his waist and sweat trickles down the side of his face. He tucks the hammer in one of the loops before grabbing the drill from the floor and sets to work joining the wood panels. I’ve never seen him at work before. He seems so engrossed in what he’s doing, his entire focus on his work. And let me tell you, if Cole makes his mission to focus on something, he gives it his everything.
He stops drilling and as he senses me, turns in my direction. I make a show of staring at him from head to toe slowly, then lick my lips. His face breaks into a roguish smile. I shift on my feet to curb the heat settling low in my tummy.
Another half hour passes before Cole is done with his work. He tells me that I was sleeping so peacefully, he didn’t want to wake me up, so he joined the construction crew working on extending the offices. The outer wall on one wing had been knocked down, most of the foundation work was already done. By the time Cole cleans up, it’s late afternoon. I ask him if he could drive me to my grandma’s to pick up my sisters.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about finally telling him about my past. He’s been very patient with me. Am I ready to share with him that part of me?
“Grandma has this amazing roof terrace. We can do popcorn and movies.”
“As long as they are subtitled, I’m game.” He yawns and rubs his eyes with his fingers.
“Or we can do it tomorrow.” I smile. I’m relieved by my own suggestion and this time I hope he says yes.
He shakes his head. “I want to spend some time with you. I missed you.” He frowns. “Aren’t you scared of what your dad will do?”
“I am. But I want this too. I can’t let him control my life like that. I have the right to spend my time with anyone I want.”
After calling Grandma to let her know that Cole and I are on the way to her place, I give him directions to my grandmother’s house.
I ring the bell once to let her know I’m here and then use the key she gave me when I first visited her with my mom. She looks up from the television, a glass of red wine poised against her lips and smiles. I’m also a little surprised to see Mr. Taylor sitting across from her. She told me that he has been checking on her often, but I didn’t realize they had become this close.
After the greetings and introduction, I gather what Cole and I need, then head toward the stairs that lead to the terrace.
“Your sisters are in the guest room, Eleanor. They seemed exhausted after our trip. They could stay here for the night. I could use the company.” She smiles, in my direction. It’s a sad, yet wistful smile.
“Sure. I’m sure they’ll be happy to sleep over.”
“It’s so good to see you two again,” she signs and speaks the words for my benefit. “You kids have fun. Yell if you need me.”
Ten minutes later, “The Wedding Date” is on the projector with the captions displaying on the screen. Cole is lying on his side and I snuggle into his chest. I move the popcorn in front of me where he can reach it easily before taking a handful and beginning to feed him. He licks the salt off my fingers then drops his head to my neck and breathes me in. He shifts, pressing his hips forward and I feel how much he wants me. Warmth simmers low in my belly, remembering how he looked when I walked in his room earlier today.