From what he’d gleaned so far, Justin’s mother had pretty much left him to raise himself. She’d explained that he was a handful, headstrong and determined to run wild. Corbin saw no evidence of that. Yes, Justin was a healthy, active ten-year-old boy with plenty of energy. But Corbin had once been the same, so he didn’t see that as unusual.
Hope shifted beside him. He realized he’d been quiet too long, lost in thought. “Sorry.”
Her gaze shot to his in surprise, but didn’t stay there long. “For?”
“My mind wandered.” Looking up at the mature trees of every kind, at the bluer-than-blue sky, Corbin breathed deeply and smelled the lake and the wild honeysuckle that grew along the perimeter of the woods. “It’s been a lot to take in, but I’m hoping this place will be good for us.” Maybe it would be good for Hope, too.
She gave him a tentative smile. “It is very peaceful here.”
“There’s plenty to do, a lot of ways to keep an active boy busy.” And they were far from the city and Darcie. He believed Justin’s adjustment would be easier without his mother’s insults, not that she’d mentioned any plans of visiting him anyway.
She’d been clear that she was handing him over—for good.
When he saw Justin bring his legs up to climb the tree, he knew he needed to wrap it up. Stepping away, he said, “I won’t hold you up any longer. Remember, if there’s anything you need, just let me know. It’ll be terrific having you as a neighbor.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
After a nod, he joined Justin, smiling at how easily he scaled the tree. Standing near enough to catch him but unwilling to inhibit him, Corbin said, “When I was your age, I had a tree house.”
Now hanging upside down, Justin eyed him. “For real?”
“My brother and I built it with my mother’s help.”
“Your dad didn’t help?”
It amused Corbin to have this conversation with Justin upside down. “Dad had already passed away, but Mom took up the slack.” He’d given Justin a condensed version of his family already, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him with details yet. “What about us building one?”
Eyes lighting up, Justin swung around and dropped to his feet. Then he scowled. “I don’t know how to.”
“I do, and I’d enjoy showing you.”
Skepticism showed through the excitement. “You mean it?”
Every damn thing he offered, big and small, Justin treated like an unexpected gift he couldn’t quite trust. Of course a dad would build a tree house with his son. Sooner or later, Justin would come to expect some things as his due.
“Why not?” Hoping to break through his son’s invisible wall, Corbin put his arm around him. He tried to make the gesture casual, but it wasn’t. He literally ached to touch his son, to roughhouse, to hug him, to feel the little-boy-softness of his skin and to breathe in the sunshine in his hair.
For now, he’d call it progress that Justin didn’t shy away from the nonchalant touch. “Let’s go explore and see if we can find a tree closer to the main house that will work.”
Bolting ahead, Justin yelled back, “I know a good one.”
Laughing, Corbin broke into a run, too.
* * *
Friday afternoon, using her only break to drink tea and devour an egg salad sandwich, Ivey considered what Hope had shared a few days ago. It made sense, given the relationship she’d witnessed between Corbin and Justin.
All things considered, Corbin seemed a very attentive parent, and Justin didn’t seem any more temperamental than many kids his age.
Corbin hadn’t yet contacted her about a pet, but the man had certainly been busy.
By now, everyone in town knew that they’d moved in, and the rumors were that Corbin was made of money. He spent enough to give that impression, buying things that most people collected over time. Kayak, paddleboard, floats, lawn furniture, a wrought iron patio set, fishing gear, sports equipment... It was as if he’d moved in empty-handed and then filled every space for entertainment.
According to Hope, they were now building a tree house, too. From one of her windows, she had been able to see them in the tree, putting up a platform, both of them shirtless.
She’d been very complimentary in her description of Corbin’s chest. Ivey had been imagining that ever since.
When did the man work? And what type of work did he do?
Because Sunset was a small town, she knew that he’d hired landscapers for the lawn and a few locals to expand the dock. And...
Honestly, she spent far too much time thinking about him. So much time, in fact, she hadn’t given any other guys the time of day. Just as Corbin’s presence had gone through the gossip mills, so had her newly acquired status of single. A few locals had tried to engage her in conversation, and one had even offered to buy her coffee.
She’d been carefully polite in turning them down, claiming a busy schedule. After all, she’d die if anyone thought she was still pining for Geoff. The truth was that she only thought of Geoff when he contacted her, and with him, she wasn’t quite so gracious.
When would she see Corbin again? Maybe she could—
Hope stuck her head into the office. “Sorry, but you have company.”
Ivey’s heart leaped and for a single second she thought that Corbin had stopped by to see her. Maybe she’d conjured him with her daydreaming. Quickly tamping down her expectations—and needlessly smoothing her hair—she decided he probably wanted to find out about a pet. She was already smiling when Geoff stepped in and closed the door behind him.
Well, hell. All her expectant joy evaporated.
No way could she block the scowl from her face. “What are you doing here?”
His charming smile never slipped. “You won’t take my calls, so what choice did I have?”
“You could get the message that we’re over.”
“Right.” Moseying in like a man without a care, he propped a hip on the edge of her desk. “And I have. I get it. We’re over.” With false humility, he added, “I screwed up.”
Cleaning her hands on a napkin, then gulping down the last of her herbal tea, Ivey shrugged. “Wonderful. So why are you here?”
The charming smile warmed another watt. “Since our old relationship is over, I thought we might try a new relationship.”
That had to be a joke. She wasn’t known for her diplomacy, so surely she’d gotten her point across. But just in case, she looked him in the eyes and stated, “No,” without a single blink.