Iris suspected that her son and his girlfriend were getting close to an engagement, or at least she hoped so. Chloe seemed to be good for him. He’d been happy moving to Seattle and settling into a new life, but that happiness had turned to true contentment once he found Chloe. A wisp of sadness caught at the edges of her attention, but she pushed it away. She wouldn’t regret her marriage, at least not the early years. They’d given her two beautiful children, after all, and a lot of good memories, no matter how much the bad of recent years had tried to overshadow them.
“Maybe we could go to the lake?” Krista suggested.
“That would be fun.”
Krista finished her sub and salad as she daydreamed about what they could do together at Douglas Lake. They’d spent many a day there when the kids were younger, but since Adam had moved and Krista had been in college, they hadn’t had many outings as a family. It would be nice to have the day together, building new memories that centered around the three of them, getting used to not having Kirk with them. Having Adam here took the sting out of that thought. There was very little she enjoyed more than having her children around her, and a day at the lake sounded perfect.
“I was thinking you could come over tonight and we could have dinner, maybe watch a movie and do manicures. What do you think?”
Iris pulled her thoughts away from the upcoming holiday. “I wish I could, hon, but I’m meeting the girls at the Drunken Otter tonight.”
Krista’s scowl said she wasn’t happy with that answer. Truth be told, she didn’t seem to be happy with much lately. Iris wished the divorce hadn’t soured so much of Krista’s joy. It was almost as if her daughter had reverted to being a teenager, clinging to her mom when she should be focused on spreading her wings. Anytime Iris told her no or did something she wasn’t a hundred percent in favor of—like cutting her hair—Iris heard about it.
“Why do you like going there? Isn’t it loud? Crowded?”
Iris held back a sigh. It felt like she’d sighed a lot in the past half hour. “You’d know if you would come with me.” She’d invited Krista many times. “It’s fun. Wings and drinks and dancing. Letting loose.” She raised her brows at her daughter. “You’d enjoy it. And you’d like Scarlett and Lily and the others if you would give them a chance.”
Krista had seemed to like Scarlett at first, but since the divorce, she’d refused any and all invitations to be with Iris’s friends, almost as if she saw them as a bad influence. Today was no different. “No, thanks.” Krista began gathering her lunch, letting Iris know she was done. “I’ve got to work tomorrow.”
“So do I,” Iris reminded her gently. “It’s not like we get rip-roaring drunk and dance on the tables.”
A jolt went through Krista’s body. “I certainly hope not!”
Iris stood, following Krista to the trash can to throw away their boxes. She put an arm around her daughter and hugged her close. “You’re too young to be this judgmental.” She hoped her teasing tone allowed the comment to slip under her daughter’s guard. It was the truth, but not a truth Krista would take too kindly to hearing.
“Mom!”
Iris laughed off the moment, and it wasn’t until Krista had left that she turned her thoughts back to her daughter’s comments. If only Krista knew—Iris had done much more risky things than going to the Drunken Otter on girls’ night for a drink and dancing. She’d actually kissed a man! Krista would probably faint from the shock of knowing her mother had been so bold. Thoughts of Jamie had been frequent this week, but she tried to turn her attention away whenever possible. No matter how good the kiss had been, no matter how much she’d like talking to him, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone. She couldn’t handle another disaster, and falling in love, risking another man walking away from her, was certainly that.
No, thank you.
Eight
Ladies’ night. He hadn’t been to a ladies’ night in a long time. He chuckled at the thought as he pulled on his dress shirt and buttoned the front down his chest. Sleeves rolled up. What was it his son had said women called that now? Arm porn? He flexed his forearm and noticed the muscles popping under his tanned skin. A redhead usually didn’t tan, but he spent so much time outside with the horses that his skin hadn’t had a choice. At least it looked good against the white of his shirt.
Would Iris notice? That’s all he really cared about. He’d offer her arm porn all night if it would get her to notice him.
It had been five days and Baby was still holding on to her foal, so he slipped his cell into his pocket after making sure the vibrate function was on. He didn’t want to risk missing contact if the music was too loud for him to hear. They were literally in the “any day now” period. Michael, his son, would be home this evening and keeping an eye on things while Jamie was out. He typically spent afternoons and evenings at the restaurant, but his assistant manager, Francisco, had the dinner shift covered tonight so he could be off, and Michael was watching things here as usual. All Jamie had to worry about was getting himself into town and finding a way to approach Iris so that it didn’t appear that he was stalking her.
Which he wasn’t, not really. At least not in a creepy way. He probably wouldn’t know so much of her routine were it not for his friendship with Erin.
“Headed out?” Michael asked as Jamie passed through the kitchen. His dark auburn head was stuck inside the fridge, where he was rummaging around.
“I am.” Jamie shoved his keys and wallet into the pocket of his dress slacks. “Are you stealing my food again?”
Michael had a kitchen in the bunkhouse they’d converted into an apartment for him to live in, not a hundred yards from Jamie’s door, but his son preferred to eat here for some reason. Not that Jamie minded. It was nice to have Michael around. With Marilyn and the other hands, things were hardly ever silent, and Jamie found his occasional night off far too quiet when no one was coming in and out of his kitchen door.
Michael backed out of the fridge, a packet of ham caught between his teeth, arms piled high with sandwich fixings. “Forgot to get groceries,” he mumbled, walking the food toward the kitchen island.
Jamie smirked. “Of course you did.”
“Want one?” his son asked, spreading the bounty out on the counter.
“I’ve got wings waiting for me.”
“Damn.” Michale paused in his sandwich making. “That does sound good. Maybe—”
Jamie headed for the door. “No! I’ve got things to do that don’t involve my son—and you’ve got a mare to keep an eye on.”
