“Just a minute,” she said, trying to keep the shiver in her voice from giving away her thoughts.
“I put the potatoes on the grill. I got a bottle of wine. Ready for me to open it?”
She turned around and stared in the mirror again—flushed face, eyes dark and somnolent. Get it together, Lea. “Sure, sounds good.”
She waited a few more minutes, gathered what dignity she had left, and walked back into the kitchen. A glass of merlot sat on the counter, but Colin was nowhere in sight. The last time a man thought to pour her a glass of wine was...well, she couldn’t remember. When she walked out onto the deck, she found Colin by the pool.
“This is awesome out here.” He knelt and dipped his hand in the water.
“Thank you. When I got the house in the divorce, I had the patio redone. We used the pool for entertaining my ex’s clients. Now, I like to have the girls over to relax.”
He stood and went to turn the steaks on the grill. “I’m glad we decided to do this. I’ll be on swing shift for a few weeks so I might not be around a lot.” She tried not to let his comment tug at her already sensitive nerves. “If I took you out to dinner, we could touch base, make sure you’re comfortable with everything. Surely two adults having a meal won’t offend my mother, two friends having dinner together.”
She had to think fast knowing the invitation’s innocence may have been spun on his part, but not so much on her own. “I’m starving,” she said, and started for the back door. Her avoidance had to be enough to let him know dinner could be misconstrued as a date and they’d agreed going out was off limits. Well, she’d made it off limits anyway.
He didn’t push the issue further as they prepared their plates. Grateful he could be a gentleman, she had to wonder what would happen if they did go to dinner? Would anyone think anything bizarre? Women dated younger men these days, maybe not as young as Colin, but it happened. Now, being her best friend’s son held another host of issues.
As he piled the food on his plate, he said, “I rented a couple of movies. One for me, a lot of cars blowing up, and the one for you involves a lot of riding in carriages. The man and woman on the back of the case were kissing, so I figured it would be girly enough.”
She chuckled. Her thoughts were too quick to image them sitting on the couch, snuggled under a blanket watching a movie. She spoke before she had a chance to filter the ridiculous thought.
“Sounds great, but I like the action movies, too, so let’s start with that one.” She put a potato on her plate. “You know you can do your own thing. Just because we’re roommates doesn’t mean I can’t disappear and give you time alone down here. I have a ton of work and since I work at home I can always retreat to my office. Like, if you wanted to bring a date over.”
“Thanks, but this is your house and I’m not about to run you out of anywhere.” He finished filling his plate—an impressive sight, seeing as his waist was smaller than hers. “Want to eat outside?” he asked.
“Sure.” They sat at the glass top table by the pool. Lea focused on the food hoping not to make a fool of herself by staring at the thickness of Colin’s forearms.
He played with a piece of steak. “I don’t date much anymore. It seems women are interested in two things—how much money a man makes and if he’s good in bed. I’m sick of the games.”
She could relate. “I get it, but it goes the same for women my age. Guys think I should be made of money or I’m a tiger in the sack. The effort they put into finding out those two things is mind blowing—and absurd.”
“So,” he said, pausing before casually changing the subject, “you work from home?”
“Yes, I am an editor for The Mobile Times and I’m also a journalist for the paper. I have to make an appearance at the office once a week and the rest of the time I’m on deadlines. I also write articles for different writing journals. I enjoy it. My ex never took my work seriously.” She shrugged off the memory of his chauvinistic attitude and chalked it up to his arrogance.
Colin stuffed a bite of potato into his mouth. She watched him chew, drank in the way how the muscles in his neck contracted as he swallowed. She couldn’t remember ever finding a man chewing so sexy.
“I think it’s cool you have a career you’re passionate about. My mom never understood why I wanted to be a cop. I went to college to become a detective. I set a goal and now I’m on my way to achieving it. I’ve always pushed myself.” He looked up from his plate, those shimmering blue irises intensely focused. “I’ve never set a goal I haven’t reached.”