“Get real, macho man.” Meg grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. “It’s too cold to take a walk. Not to mention the sidewalk has a glaze of ice an inch thick on top of it. If you don’t feel like talking, just sit there and eat.”
Meg wasn’t sure what was behind Cole’s reticence and she didn’t care. If he felt awkward, too bad. She’d felt awkward in church, strolling down the aisle with him. She was going to feel even more awkward walking into the café holding his arm, like she was his girlfriend. In fact, she suddenly found herself wishing she didn’t have to go inside.
But life was about pushing past the hard times, so Meg walked through the door, releasing Cole’s arm the instant they crossed the threshold.
As she’d expected, the place buzzed with wall-to-wall people. Travis stood and waved to her from the back of the café. The table was full, other than the two seats he’d saved next to him.
Cole appeared surprised by the warm welcome he received, but easily fell into the conversation. With him looking so relaxed, Meg doubted anyone at the table had a clue that he’d had second thoughts about joining them.
Once the waitress had taken their orders and poured her a cup of coffee, the tension in Meg’s shoulders began to ease.
She sipped the strong cowboy blend and let her gaze linger on her brother, who was doing his best to draw Cole out and make him feel welcome. Travis appeared to have bought the explanation she’d given him regarding her relationship with Cole.
Though Meg normally could hold her own in any conversation, instead of talking, she listened and found herself learning more about Cole. She told herself since they were sharing custody it was important for her to know as much about him as possible.
“I can’t believe you got out of college and immediately started a business,” Lexi said in an admiring tone. “How does that happen?”
“Lots of luck and not knowing any better.” Cole chuckled. “I earned a degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Texas, so I thought starting a business was what you were supposed to do once you had that diploma in hand.”
Nick leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his intelligent eyes bright with interest. “What did you use for start-up cash?”
“My uncle lent me some money, which I paid back within the first two years.”
Meg heard the pride in Cole’s voice. To have come so far was an amazing accomplishment, especially considering the type of home life he’d had.
“How many franchises do you have now?” Travis asked. Even though her brother had appeared to be engrossed in a side conversation with David Wahl, his lifelong friend and brother-in-law, he’d obviously been paying attention.
“Forty franchises in seven states.” Cole took a sip of coffee. “If everything comes together the way it should, Jackson Hole will be number forty-one.”
“You’re going to open one here?” Meg didn’t know why she was so surprised. The economy in Jackson was booming and cowboys and skiers loved their coffee.
“Your omelet, sir.”
“Looking that way,” Cole answered, flashing the waitress a smile that had been winning him hearts since grade school.
When the college-age girl batted her long lashes in response, Meg stomped firmly down on an unwelcome surge of jealousy. Why should it matter to her who Cole flirted with? He could give the woman his phone number for all she cared. Except, of course, that such an action would send Charlie a bad message.
But just like at the grocery store, the fact that the waitress was pretty and definitely interested didn’t seem to matter to him. He merely added Tabasco to his eggs and returned to the conversation.
“I’m looking at the possibility of living part of the year in Austin, where my corporate offices are located, and part of the year in Jackson Hole.” His gaze turned to Derek Rossi, a former professional baseball player, seated to his right. “I understand that, like Nick and Lexi, you and your wife don’t live here year-round. How is that working for you?”
“It’s difficult,” Derek admitted. As an expert sports commentator for a major network, Derek spent much of the baseball season on the road. “Rachel and I would prefer to live here. That’s not a possibility at this time. The hardest part is working around Joy’s school schedule.”
“That’s the same struggle we face with Addie,” Nick chimed in. “Thankfully our girl is very social. She has friends in Dallas as well as friends here.”
“Even so, we know it’d be easier on her to be in one home or the other,” Lexi added, and Rachel, Derek’s pretty blonde wife, nodded her agreement.
Cole took a bite of his omelet and chewed, a thoughtful look on his face. “According to the provisions of the will, I need to stay in Jackson Hole at least through the school year. Because of that, I’m planning on delegating a few more functions to my management team. Loosening that control will be a good first step if I decide to move here permanently.”
“Thankfully, with the internet, you can stay connected wherever you live,” Nick said. “But I can tell you right now you’re going to miss those football Saturdays in Austin. There’s nothing here that compares to that game-day atmosphere.”
The conversation shifted to college football, a subject on which all the guys at the table seemed to have an opinion.
Meg picked at her waffle, unable to shake a feeling of unease. It wasn’t until the waitress brought the check that she realized what was troubling her.
Cole had spoken of his future plans as if he was Charlie’s sole guardian. He hadn’t mentioned her involvement at all. It was as if she didn’t exist, or matter.
What arrogance, to not even consider her feelings or her plans. To simply assume she would go along with whatever he decided was best.
Earlier, Meg would have asserted that she and Cole had made great strides in their working relationship over the past few days and were on the same page regarding Charlie’s welfare.
Now it seemed that in the course of one meal, they’d somehow taken a giant leap backward.
By the time they picked up Charlie from Sunday school, the snow that had laid down an additional blanket of white overnight had resumed falling. Worse yet, the wind had picked up, whipping the flakes against the windshield and limiting visibility.
Cole released the breath he’d been holding when Meg finally pulled into the garage. He took a second to massage his quads before unfastening his seat belt and stepping out of the vehicle. Though he didn’t feel he needed the crutches anymore, he was beginning to realize how much stress they’d taken off his leg. And how much the cold made his leg ache.
Since Charlie hadn’t gone to breakfast with them, once inside Meg heated up soup and made the boy a sandwich. Afterward, she surprised Cole by asking him to read to him while she cleaned up the kitchen.
Cole had to admit that when Meg shoved a stack of books at him, for a second a panic rose inside him. In that instant he was back in school. Making a joke when a teacher asked him to read aloud. Struggling to understand test instructions. And always, though he never showed it, feeling stupid.
He glanced at the books in his hand. Knowing his history, why had she asked him to read?
Still, it was okay. Thanks to his uncle, after all those years of not understanding the reason for his difficulty reading, he’d finally gotten a diagnosis—dyslexia—and the help he’d needed. Instead of barely getting by, like he had in high school, he’d graduated from college with honors. Along the way he’d tried to make up for all he’d missed.