I shook my head. “No, I don’t want you to throw it away. I’m just…confused.” I peeked over at the pot. “No one has ever done something this nice for me before.”
He scoffed. “I’m just correcting a mistake.”
“Most people don’t correct their mistakes.” I knew that firsthand. Harold lived for himself. I was never part of his plans. If Jasper was sick, Harold continued on like nothing had happened. It was always up to me to take care of things so Harold’s schedule wasn’t affected.
Cole was studying me when I raised my gaze to meet his. “Maybe you need to change the people in your life.”
I nodded. “Probably.” If only he knew. But that was a part of my history I wasn’t willing to share with him quite yet. I still didn’t know much about this man other than his inability to wear small-town clothes and how quick he was to admit that he was wrong and to make amends.
Silence fell around us as we stood there, studying each other. I wasn’t sure if he was going to speak or if he was waiting for me to say something. Finally he dropped his gaze and turned to face the stove once more.
“It’s finished. I bought a container to put it in.” He reached over and grabbed a large plastic tub from a Godwin’s Grocery bag. “If you want to get your stuff, I can meet you at your car with the soup.” He picked up the ladle and then nodded toward my office door.
“Um, yeah,” I said as I took a few steps and then turned back around. “But I need to close up.”
He waved away my comment. “I can do that. You should get back to Jasper.” He stuck the ladle into the soup and then started transferring it to the container.
“Oh, okay,” I said. Truth was, I was anxious to see my son. Zoey had kept me up-to-date on how he was doing throughout the day, but I was ready to snuggle with him in my bed and to see for myself that everything was okay.
I headed back into my office, where I powered down my computer. Once I organized my desk, I grabbed my purse and pulled the strap up onto my shoulder. I flicked off the lights and headed out into the kitchen. Cole was gone, so I did a quick once-over as I walked past just to make sure everything was in place as I made my way to the back door.
Cole was waiting by my passenger door when I got out to the parking lot. Condensation had formed on the inside of the tub as Cole gingerly held it in his hands.
“Let me get the door,” I said as I quickened my pace. As soon as I got to the door, I pulled on the handle and then stepped out of the way.
Cole set the tub down on the passenger seat and then wrapped the seatbelt around it so it would stay put should I have to suddenly break. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, so I just stood there, watching him. As soon as he straightened, I stepped back to give him room.
He shut the door and met my gaze. “You should be good. I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
He held my gaze for a moment before he extended his hand. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
For what felt like the millionth time tonight, I was startled by Cole. I’d gone from despising him this morning, to thinking nice things about him this evening. I wanted to get a better understanding of who Cole Watkins was, but he was confusing me at every turn.
“Um, okay,” I said as I glanced up at him once more before I started walking toward the other side of my car.
“Do me a favor,” he said once I stopped in front of the driver’s door.
He leaned forward and pulled on my door handle. I moved to stand in between the door and the seat before I turned to face him. “Okay,” I said, unsure of what he was going to say.
“If Jasper is sick tomorrow, don’t come in. Stay home.” He was holding onto the top of the door. His gaze was focused on his hands until he slowly brought it up to meet mine.
“Okay,” I repeated, nodding to make sure he knew I’d heard him.
“Okay,” he responded.
Realizing that I couldn’t just stand there, staring at him, I dropped down onto the driver’s seat and shifted to the side so I could secure my seatbelt. I felt Cole’s gaze on me as I got situated, and then, slowly, he shut my door.
Now alone, I blew out my breath, my mind swirling with what had just happened. This man, thisstranger, had treated me better than Harold ever had—and I had birthed Harold’s son. Was this what it was like for other women in their marriages? Was this what a good man was like?
I blinked a few times, hating that my heart ached for this kind of partnership. For the first time in years, I didn’t have to worry about what was for dinner. I wasn’t going to have to go home after a long day and cook. This stranger had cooked a meal for me and Jasper. A meal that made sense.
He’d stunned me to silence.
I shook my head as I slipped the key into the ignition and started the engine. I drove home carefully, so as not to spill the soup. I pulled into my spot at the back of the house and turned off my car. Then I opened my door and hurried to the passenger side, where I gingerly removed the soup.
I had to use my foot to slam the door behind me. Then I carefully made my way up the back porch steps and set the tub down so I could open the back door. I could hear Jasper’s show playing on the living room TV when I walked through the mudroom and into the kitchen.
