I sighed as I forced out all thoughts of Cole and what he thought of me from my mind. I didn’t want him here, so I needed to worry much less about how he saw me. If he didn’t like what his partner looked like, then he could leave. I was done making myself into someone I wasn’t just to please a man. I did that for Harold, and all I was left with was a broken heart and a child without a father.
I was determined to shore up my son’s future. That was my only focus.
After I filled Jasper’s cup with water, I dropped it off to him. Thankfully, he didn’t whine about it not being Sprite and, instead, happily picked it up and took a sip. He was sitting upright now with his device propped up in front of him. I could see Jasper’s black sneakers as he wiggled his feet that were resting on the seat across from him.
With him taken care of, I turned my attention back to the table I had been cleaning. Cole was still standing nearby. He had his phone out and was busy typing on the screen. I felt like an idiot. Here I was, all worried that this man was judging me and my mom skills when, in actuality, he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t even paying attention.
I shook my head slightly as I focused back on the table. I was not going to let that happen again. I was going to do what I needed to be the best mom for Jasper. I wasn’t going to care what Cole thought of me. He was going to leave eventually, and I would be left to pick up where he left off.
I was going to live my life like Cole Watkins wasn’t a part of it because, the truth was, he wasn’t. He was an annoyance in my life that was eventually going to grow bored and leave.
Just like my ex.
I blew on a wisp of hair that had fallen from my bun as I emptied the liquid from the cups on the table before placing them into the bin. The hair floated up and then settled right back down on my face.
I wiped my fingertips on my apron and tucked my hair behind my ear. Then I lifted the bin and rested it on my hip. “Have you seen the kitchen?” I asked, not really wanting to leave this strange man alone with my son.
“No,” he said as he slipped his phone into his back pocket and glanced up. “Will you show me?”
“Yep,” I said as I nodded toward the back swinging doors. “It’s through here.”
I took a few steps toward him, and suddenly, he extended his hands and lifted the bin from my hip. I startled, my hands gripping onto the sides with confusion. I whipped my gaze up to meet his.
“Wha—?”
“I’ve got it,” he said. And before I could stop him, he had pulled the bin from me and was holding it in front of him.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Did I ask for him to give it back? Did I just take it? In all my years with Harold, he never once took a laundry basket or dish from me to put away. He’d spent all of his time sitting on the recliner with his feet kicked up and the latest sports show on the TV.
Cole must have sensed my confusion. He met my gaze before he shrugged. “I was raised by my grandma. She would murder me if she knew that I just stood by and watched as a lady carried something heavy without offering to help.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was he being all gentlemanly now? Earlier, he’d basically waved that letter from his lawyer in my face. Now, he was taking the bin and offering to carry it for me?
Something wasn’t adding up.
But my feet were sore, and my hands were tired. If this man wanted to do the heavy lifting, who was I to tell him no? There were times I got sick of doing all the work.
With nothing to carry, I grabbed some glasses from a nearby table and nodded toward the doors. “This way,” I said.
Cole followed after me as I pushed into the kitchen and stepped to the side to get out of the way while propping the door open with my foot. Once Cole cleared the door, I moved my foot and allowed the door to swing shut behind us.
“So how many employees work here?” he asked as I directed him toward the back of the kitchen, where the dishwasher and sink were.
“Well, there’s me, Breia, and Patricia that are the waitresses. Brody is the chef, and he has Zaiden and Molly to help as well.” I paused as I counted those up in my mind. “So six of us full time.” I nodded toward the counter next to the sink, and Cole set the bin down. “We do hire some part-time work over the summer when it’s tourist time.”
I dumped the contents of the cups down the drain before I dropped the now empty cups into the soapy water. I gathered the garbage from the bin and turned to throw it in the trash in the corner. When I turned back around, I saw Cole had moved to pick up the plates and slip them into the water.
For so long, I’d done everything by myself. It felt weird, standing there watching someone help me. I wasn’t going to lie, though, it was nice…if only it wasn’tColewho was helping me.
His movements put me into a trance as I watched him rinse off each plate before he arranged them into one of the light-blue trays that fit into the dishwasher next to him. It was strange watching a man dressed in dark blue dress slacks with a tie around his neck load the dishwasher. Normally it was Zaiden with his long black hair and checkered pants or me.
I stupidly allowed myself to admit that this man was attractive. It had to be the rolled sleeves of his button-down shirt that accentuated his forearms that was distracting me. Every time he reached for a dish, the sleeves would move up, revealing a tattoo on the under part of his right arm.
This man was a mystery, that was for sure.
And then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. This strange, handsome man was currently trying to take half the diner from me. I wasn’t supposed to be attracted to him. He wasn’t my friend, and he certainly wasn’t my love interest. I needed to build a wall between us and keep it there.
I didn’t know this man or his intentions. It was best to keep my distance until he grew bored and left Harmony for good.
