said quickly, wondering how everything had gone wrong so quickly. “Or…did you know that already?”
Cole looked confused. “No, I actually didn’t know that. But this is my mom’s house.”
His mother?
“You’re Stella’s son? Colton? The one she tried to set me up with?” Colton. Cole . Damn it! Shock radiated throughout her system. Her one-night stand was the very man Stella had said Jill would be perfect for. Jill had always politely declined Stella’s invitations to meet the woman’s son. She wasn’t at a point in her life where she wanted to be in any kind of relationship—in truth, maybe she never would be. Not because she didn’t want a partner to share her life with, but because she didn’t want to saddle said partner with the burden of being with a woman who had a fifty percent chance of inheriting her father’s early on-set Alzheimer’s.
Cole’s gaze caught hers and held, and suddenly the fire that had been banked there flared back to life. Heat replaced the cold shock. Since she’d never actually seen a photo of Stella’s son—because she’d shot the idea of dating him down from the get-go—she hadn’t exactly known what a good thing she was passing up at the time.
Wow. But how to handle this situation now?
“I…uh…” she stumbled. “I didn’t realize last night that...uh...”
“Wait, so you knew my mom?” Pain flickered in his eyes, then he closed them and raked a hand through his hair. In that moment, despite his stature, tattoos, and bulging muscles, the last thing he resembled was a tough guy. He looked…lost.
Instinctively, she reached out to touch him, her hand freezing then dropping when he abruptly opened his eyes and took a step back.
“You’re the tenant from next door. Of course.” He laughed as if he was in on some private joke. The sound was more bitter than humorous. “My mom talked about you. She liked you…a lot.”
“I liked her, too. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Jill felt tears sting her eyes and looked away, blinking. “Stella was such a sweet lady.” More than sweet. Despite her illness, Stella had been strong and there for her in so many ways. And she’d shared that strength with Jill at a time when she really needed it.
They’d met while they’d both been undergoing chemo. It wasn’t nearly as serious for Jill. She had a small lump removed, and the doctor, while he’d recommended chemo to completely kill any missed cancerous cells, reassured her that they’d caught things early and she should be fine. But it had still been a scary time for her, something Stella understood perfectly. She’d done her best to distract Jill, talking about her amazing son, then going so far as to rent Jill the house next door, since Jill said she needed a bigger place to start the daycare.
She glanced back at Cole. Her heart ached for him. From everything Stella had told her, they’d been very close. Stella had mentioned more than once how guilty she’d felt that Cole, at only sixteen, had clipped his wings and given up his dreams of traveling the globe after she’d been diagnosed with cancer. He’d refused to be too far from her. Now things were different, but before he started living his life, he obviously had to deal with the fact that his mother was no longer going to be part of it.
“Anyway…” Jill wrung her hands. “I—um—came by to apologize about Stanley, the little boy, for disturbing you earlier. It won’t happen again—I’ve spoken to the teacher’s aid. And, uh, I admit, I was curious to see who was here.”
“Ah. Not a problem. I liked Stanley.” He smiled. “So you run the daycare next door.” He leaned against the door jam, still studying her, but he didn’t invite her in.
“You remembered I own a daycare.”
He looked at her strangely. “Of course. I remember everything about last night.”
Her eyes fell as she contemplated her nails. Standing there, she could smell the scent of his skin, his cologne or
Cole looked confused. “No, I actually didn’t know that. But this is my mom’s house.”
His mother?
“You’re Stella’s son? Colton? The one she tried to set me up with?” Colton. Cole . Damn it! Shock radiated throughout her system. Her one-night stand was the very man Stella had said Jill would be perfect for. Jill had always politely declined Stella’s invitations to meet the woman’s son. She wasn’t at a point in her life where she wanted to be in any kind of relationship—in truth, maybe she never would be. Not because she didn’t want a partner to share her life with, but because she didn’t want to saddle said partner with the burden of being with a woman who had a fifty percent chance of inheriting her father’s early on-set Alzheimer’s.
Cole’s gaze caught hers and held, and suddenly the fire that had been banked there flared back to life. Heat replaced the cold shock. Since she’d never actually seen a photo of Stella’s son—because she’d shot the idea of dating him down from the get-go—she hadn’t exactly known what a good thing she was passing up at the time.
Wow. But how to handle this situation now?
“I…uh…” she stumbled. “I didn’t realize last night that...uh...”
“Wait, so you knew my mom?” Pain flickered in his eyes, then he closed them and raked a hand through his hair. In that moment, despite his stature, tattoos, and bulging muscles, the last thing he resembled was a tough guy. He looked…lost.
Instinctively, she reached out to touch him, her hand freezing then dropping when he abruptly opened his eyes and took a step back.
“You’re the tenant from next door. Of course.” He laughed as if he was in on some private joke. The sound was more bitter than humorous. “My mom talked about you. She liked you…a lot.”
“I liked her, too. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Jill felt tears sting her eyes and looked away, blinking. “Stella was such a sweet lady.” More than sweet. Despite her illness, Stella had been strong and there for her in so many ways. And she’d shared that strength with Jill at a time when she really needed it.
They’d met while they’d both been undergoing chemo. It wasn’t nearly as serious for Jill. She had a small lump removed, and the doctor, while he’d recommended chemo to completely kill any missed cancerous cells, reassured her that they’d caught things early and she should be fine. But it had still been a scary time for her, something Stella understood perfectly. She’d done her best to distract Jill, talking about her amazing son, then going so far as to rent Jill the house next door, since Jill said she needed a bigger place to start the daycare.
She glanced back at Cole. Her heart ached for him. From everything Stella had told her, they’d been very close. Stella had mentioned more than once how guilty she’d felt that Cole, at only sixteen, had clipped his wings and given up his dreams of traveling the globe after she’d been diagnosed with cancer. He’d refused to be too far from her. Now things were different, but before he started living his life, he obviously had to deal with the fact that his mother was no longer going to be part of it.
“Anyway…” Jill wrung her hands. “I—um—came by to apologize about Stanley, the little boy, for disturbing you earlier. It won’t happen again—I’ve spoken to the teacher’s aid. And, uh, I admit, I was curious to see who was here.”
“Ah. Not a problem. I liked Stanley.” He smiled. “So you run the daycare next door.” He leaned against the door jam, still studying her, but he didn’t invite her in.
“You remembered I own a daycare.”
He looked at her strangely. “Of course. I remember everything about last night.”
Her eyes fell as she contemplated her nails. Standing there, she could smell the scent of his skin, his cologne or
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