himself up on his elbows. “Wipe those lines from your forehead, boy. Of course I know that Robin isn’t your Grandma. I’m not senile, just dying.”
Robbie felt her grin widen. Poor Jake. Chump. Jackass. He’d been downgraded on the insult chain.
She drew a parcel from her oversized purple satchel. “Here, Frank. I thought you could do with some meat on your bones. People are always giving me chocolates. I’ve got pounds to spare.”
“Thanks. Turtles. My favorite. Want one, Jake?” Frank held the box with fragile fingers.
“My favorite, too.” He strolled over to the bed. “Push over, you two.”
“Snuggle in beside me, boy,” Frank said.
Robbie’s heart thumped like an uneven load of laundry in a spin cycle. She gripped the lowered bed rail. She could see herself rolling onto the floor with no way of getting up. “I’ll take the chair if you’re giving it up.”
“Haven’t you shared a bed with two men before?” Jake asked, eyebrow raised.
Two can play at whatever game he was into now. “Every day for a whole summer,” she said.
His mouth tightened at her response.
She smoothed her green T-shirt across her ample chest. “You don’t believe me.”
His thighs nudged the mattress. “It must have been a king-size bed.”
“No, just a double.” Her smile slipped its smirk when she watched the muscles in his thighs strain against the fabric of his pants when he placed one knee onto the mattress.
“No, wait. I was five and my cousins were three and four.”
“Okay, you two, remember there’s an old man who’s dying here. I take it back, Jake, there’s not enough room for all of us in this bed. One of you has got to go.”
Jake watched her for a few more seconds, then he reached into the box of chocolates and popped a turtle into his mouth before he sauntered back to the chair. After he settled back into it, she found herself mesmerized as he licked the tip of his thumb and index finger and winked. She crossed one ankle over the other and concentrated on the fringe of her scarf. Naked in the snow bank, naked in the snow bank. Was he flirting with her? Or had her heated body and perspiration shorted out some wires in her emotional circuits? She shrugged and hoped she didn’t look as confused as she felt.
She’d read books suggesting that when a woman wanted a man to notice her, she should mimic his movements. Her fingers wound around the bedspread to keep them away from her lips. Did she really want him to notice her as a woman? Of course she did. In or out of disguise, she was a woman and he was a handsome man. She lowered her eyelids and she brought her fingertip to her mouth and her tongue flicked over the tip.
“Robin, are you in there?”
When she turned back, Frank seemed to have been poking her arm, but it was difficult to feel through the cotton layers. She stared at the spot. “Ouch. Of course I’m here, where’d you think I was?” Though foreign to her true body, she reached over and rubbed her forearm.
If Frank hadn’t said something to her, she would have forgotten where she was and done something to blow her cover.
“Frank, when we met in the park, you said you were Frank by name and nature. Would you share some of your life stories with me?” she asked. “I’d like to visit more often and hear them.”
“Why’d you want to spend time with an old man when there are plenty of young men around?” He looked directly at Jake.
“I took a sociology course a few years back and the professor said we should know our elders, and it’ll help us understand who we are. My grandparents passed on before I asked them about their lives, so I thought I’d ask you.” She reached for his hand.
“Sure, girlie, you come around when you want to, and if I’m not visiting with the queen, I’d be glad to have a chat with you.” Then he looked over at Jake. “Guess I still have some usefulness left.”
“Of course you do, Granddad.” Jake leaned forward. “I came
Robbie felt her grin widen. Poor Jake. Chump. Jackass. He’d been downgraded on the insult chain.
She drew a parcel from her oversized purple satchel. “Here, Frank. I thought you could do with some meat on your bones. People are always giving me chocolates. I’ve got pounds to spare.”
“Thanks. Turtles. My favorite. Want one, Jake?” Frank held the box with fragile fingers.
“My favorite, too.” He strolled over to the bed. “Push over, you two.”
“Snuggle in beside me, boy,” Frank said.
Robbie’s heart thumped like an uneven load of laundry in a spin cycle. She gripped the lowered bed rail. She could see herself rolling onto the floor with no way of getting up. “I’ll take the chair if you’re giving it up.”
“Haven’t you shared a bed with two men before?” Jake asked, eyebrow raised.
Two can play at whatever game he was into now. “Every day for a whole summer,” she said.
His mouth tightened at her response.
She smoothed her green T-shirt across her ample chest. “You don’t believe me.”
His thighs nudged the mattress. “It must have been a king-size bed.”
“No, just a double.” Her smile slipped its smirk when she watched the muscles in his thighs strain against the fabric of his pants when he placed one knee onto the mattress.
“No, wait. I was five and my cousins were three and four.”
“Okay, you two, remember there’s an old man who’s dying here. I take it back, Jake, there’s not enough room for all of us in this bed. One of you has got to go.”
Jake watched her for a few more seconds, then he reached into the box of chocolates and popped a turtle into his mouth before he sauntered back to the chair. After he settled back into it, she found herself mesmerized as he licked the tip of his thumb and index finger and winked. She crossed one ankle over the other and concentrated on the fringe of her scarf. Naked in the snow bank, naked in the snow bank. Was he flirting with her? Or had her heated body and perspiration shorted out some wires in her emotional circuits? She shrugged and hoped she didn’t look as confused as she felt.
She’d read books suggesting that when a woman wanted a man to notice her, she should mimic his movements. Her fingers wound around the bedspread to keep them away from her lips. Did she really want him to notice her as a woman? Of course she did. In or out of disguise, she was a woman and he was a handsome man. She lowered her eyelids and she brought her fingertip to her mouth and her tongue flicked over the tip.
“Robin, are you in there?”
When she turned back, Frank seemed to have been poking her arm, but it was difficult to feel through the cotton layers. She stared at the spot. “Ouch. Of course I’m here, where’d you think I was?” Though foreign to her true body, she reached over and rubbed her forearm.
If Frank hadn’t said something to her, she would have forgotten where she was and done something to blow her cover.
“Frank, when we met in the park, you said you were Frank by name and nature. Would you share some of your life stories with me?” she asked. “I’d like to visit more often and hear them.”
“Why’d you want to spend time with an old man when there are plenty of young men around?” He looked directly at Jake.
“I took a sociology course a few years back and the professor said we should know our elders, and it’ll help us understand who we are. My grandparents passed on before I asked them about their lives, so I thought I’d ask you.” She reached for his hand.
“Sure, girlie, you come around when you want to, and if I’m not visiting with the queen, I’d be glad to have a chat with you.” Then he looked over at Jake. “Guess I still have some usefulness left.”
“Of course you do, Granddad.” Jake leaned forward. “I came
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