“I fell asleep.”
She said the words in an accusatory tone, as if he were to blame, and he had to smile.
“Looks like.”
“How did that happen?”
“I’m guessing you finally stopped moving for five seconds and closed your eyes.”
“Probably.” She raked a hand through her tangled hair. “I didn’t mean to. I’ve just been so busy. The swing was so comfortable. I was only going to rest for a second, while I waited for you....”
She crossed her arms across her chest suddenly and that delicious sleepy-eyed warmth turned into a glower. “Where have you been?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. Did I miss curfew?”
“I’ve been trying to find you for three days and you just...disappeared.”
He knew he shouldn’t have this little spurt of happiness that she had been looking for him, not when she had made it clear she thought they were a disastrous combination.
“I spent the weekend in Denver with my brother and his family. Ethan and I were helping do some things around their house to help make things ready for them to rent it out while they’re in Europe. I drove back this morning and headed straight for the job site.”
“Oh. That explains it.”
“And I’ve been working every spare minute at the recreation center.”
“Are you finished?”
“Close. We’ve got a few more things to do.”
Hard work was good for the soul, right? He continued to pet her dog, something else good for the soul.
“You needed me for something?”
She gazed at him for a long moment and he saw something hot flash in her eyes before she quickly concealed it. “Er, yes. This is for you.”
From the other side of the porch swing, she slid out a cooler he hadn’t noticed.
“What’s all this?”
Pink bloomed on her cheeks. “That chair. That was...an amazing gift.”
He wanted to kiss those cheekbones. Start there and work his way to her mouth and then wherever else he could touch. “It seemed a shame to waste such a perfect spot, there along the creek. You needed a proper chair.”
“It’s perfect,” she said, her voice soft. “Really wonderful. I’ve sat out there every night since you left it for me.”
“That’s what I was hoping.”
He didn’t tell her the chair was part of his master strategy, demonstrating to this prickly, independent woman that she didn’t have to do everything by herself. Sometimes leaning on somebody else once in a while could be immensely rewarding.
“Thank you. It was...extraordinarily thoughtful of you.”
“I had fun building it,” he assured her. “Ethan helped, as I’m sure he’ll be sure to tell you when he sees you again. He hammered in several of the nails.”
“Then I will cherish it even more.”
The chair had only taken a couple of evenings the week before. Yeah, it was time he could have been spending working on making the house ready but he was suddenly very glad he had decided to devote a little energy to this. He liked seeing her flustered and a little off balance.
Her foot nudged the cooler. She was wearing flip-flops and her toenails were painted a rosy pink. He could always start there and kiss his way up....
“This pales in comparison as a thank-you,” she said, “but it’s the best I could do.”
“Okay, you’ve piqued my curiosity. What is it?”
“Stick with what you do best, right? In my case, that’s food.”
He opened the lid and discovered three stacks of neatly wrapped containers, each with handwriting on the top. One read Chicken Parmesan, he saw at first glance, another Portobello Ravioli, Pork Tenderloin on yet another. There were more but that was all he could see.
“I guess you could say this is my version of TV dinners. Everything should be labeled and most of it can be heated in the microwave. Of course, it won’t be as good as when I originally cooked it, but it’s the next-best thing.”
“There must be a dozen meals in here.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t really count. But most of the serving sizes are probably big enough for you and Ethan both.”
He hated cooking and considered it his hardest task as a single father, coming up with something nutritious and half-decent that Ethan would actually eat. Having that worry taken away would be a huge plus.
“I’m astonished,” he said honestly. “Completely astonished. This will be a great break from fast food.”
She shrugged. “Like I said, I know my strengths and most of them involve a kitchen somewhere.”
“I will love this. So will Ethan. Thank you.”