“My brother and I were raised near a lake. My mother was crazy strict about us never swimming alone or without a life preserver. She swore there was a nasty undertow, and if we got hit in the head we’d be pulled under, and it would be tough to ever find us again.” Now that he considered it, Corbin decided that he, too, would wear a life belt. What if he was swimming with Justin and he got hurt? No, he’d never put the kid through that, so they’d both be extra cautious.
Justin’s eyes rounded and it dawned on Corbin that he might be needlessly scaring him, dredging up nightmare images better left to Jason Vorhees in Camp Crystal Lake, from the Friday the 13th horror series. He’d already learned that his son had a fascination with all things horror-related. He didn’t need Corbin encouraging that grisly interest.
But then again, this might be one of those lessons where a healthy respect for danger would be a good thing. “It can happen,” Corbin insisted, “So no going to the lake without letting me know. But hey, we’ll pick up some fishing gear, too, all right? In fact, after we show the guesthouse, we can walk down to the lake and check out the dock.” They’d only moved in three days ago, and the time had been filled with setting up furniture and unpacking. “We’ll grab a flashlight and look for frogs. What do you think?”
One narrow shoulder shifted with grudging curiosity. “If you want.”
“I do.” Standing again, Corbin gave in to the need to gently squeeze that proud shoulder, pretending he didn’t notice how the kid froze. “Grab your shoes, okay? We need to go meet her now.”
After he left the room, Corbin freed his smile.
Little by little, he’d win over Justin. It had only been a few weeks, so no doubt he was still adjusting to the shock, especially since he’d been dumped on Corbin like he didn’t matter, with no looking back. He pitied Darcie, though. She’d gifted him with a son, and in the process she’d also given up something pretty phenomenal.
Or at least it would be phenomenal once Corbin got the whole parenting thing figured out.
Chapter Two
Ivey stood with Hope in the driveway, taking in the outside of the one-bedroom house. She loved the setup for Hope, and judging by her friend’s expression of awe, Hope loved it, too.
Though it no longer rained, steady drips fell from everywhere, leaving both women damp. The difference was that Hope’s glossy, baby-fine hair only went a little limp, while Ivey’s turned to dandelion fluff.
“There are no outside stairs, which makes it a little more secure,” came a deep male voice from around the house.
Ivey took in the congenial smile of an extremely handsome man, then transferred her gaze to the boy following behind him.
“You enter from inside the garage,” he said, gesturing toward it. “Either by using your garage door opener, or there’s a keyed lock on the door around the side. I can show you how to manually open the garage door, too, in case the power goes out, but that’s only likely to happen in bad weather...like today’s storm.”
Going mute, Hope stepped a little closer to Ivey, leaving her to do the introductions.
Ivey held out a hand. “Hello. I’m Ivey Anders. I work with Hope and came along to see the place.”
Six-plus feet of striking masculinity stepped forward. The humid breeze had mussed his brown hair, and his golden-brown eyes smiled. “Corbin Meyer. Nice to meet you.” His much-larger hand held hers only briefly before he reached back and gently brought the boy forward. “This is my son, Justin.”
Wearing a ball cap backward, hands shoved into the pockets of his loose cargo shorts, tennis shoes a little ratty, Justin muttered, “Hi.”
In the normal course of things, Ivey didn’t pay that much attention to men, but she was shopping around again—right? Not that a single father seemed like a great idea...unless he looked like Corbin.
Hope nudged her.
“Oh yes. Sorry. It was a long day.” She worked up a smile to cover the awkwardness. “This is Hope Mage. You spoke with her. She’s actually the one interested in the place.”
“I hope you like it.” Flexing some nice muscles, Corbin easily lifted the double garage door. “Room for two cars, or whatever. I believe the previous owner had a car and a golf cart. They were elderly and used the golf cart to get to and from the lake for fishing. By the way, if you do take it, you’re welcome to do that. Fish, I mean.” He waved toward a spiral staircase in the far left corner. “That leads up to the main living area.”
Ivey glanced at the boy who, instead of following, stepped over to the side of the driveway and lifted a wiggling earthworm that had washed up with the rain. Fascinated, she watched him carry it to the base of a tree where an exposed root broke through the grass.
When he released it, Ivey put a hand to her heart. “What a heroic thing to do.”
The boy glanced at her in surprise. So did Corbin and Hope.
“What you just did was so kind. Thank you for that, Justin. I always do the same when I see the poor things out of the ground.”
“You pick up worms?” Justin asked.
“Absolutely. For the same reason you just did.”
“Because they dry out otherwise.”
“Indeed they do. Birds like to find them, so sometimes it’s okay. Circle of life and all that. But I can never resist saving them when I can.”
Swiping his hand on his shorts, Justin sidled closer. “Do you save bugs, too?”
“Of course.” She nodded at Hope and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Neither of us are squeamish about bugs.”
“Even cicadas?” Justin looked at Hope with glee. “Do they make you scream?”
Hope laughed. “I don’t mind most bugs, but yes, those little devils are creepy. I don’t scream, but I do dodge them when I can.”
A huge smile broke over Justin’s sweet face. “My mom used to scream real loud.” He straightened his shoulders. “I always had to get the bugs before she squashed them.”
His mom used to? Ivey wondered about his mother, but of course she didn’t ask. “I imagine here by the lake, you’ll find a lot of insects. Snakes, too. Are you familiar with snakes?”
“We didn’t see none in the city.” He turned to scrutinize Corbin. “You afraid of snakes?”
Without missing a beat, Corbin said, “Remember I told you my brother and I grew up near a lake? We saw a lot of snakes. Snapping turtles, too. It’d probably be a good idea for you to know the safe ones from the ones you should avoid.”
“Avoid them all,” Hope suggested. Then to Ivey, “I’m so glad we don’t deal with reptiles.”