Page 4 of The Perfect Distraction

Up until then, Beth had kept her eyes planted on Joey, afraid to find his dad even more handsome than she’d originally thought. But now she had no choice, and when she looked up at him, she discovered that he was even more attractive at close range.

“Colton Woodward,” he said, extending his hand.

The sunlight dappled his skin, and she noticed the sandy-brown hair on his arms matched the hair on his head. She had no idea why this fascinated her, but it did. Maybe it was easier to look at his arms than his face, which was classically handsome, and the color of his eyes reminded her of caramel.

“Beth Summers,” she managed to say as she placed her hand in his. His handshake was firm and warm, and he let go too soon.

“Are you related to the homeowners?” Colton asked.

“Yes. I’m their niece.” If he kept the questions simple, she’d be fine.

“Will they be joining you?”

“No. My Uncle Brad had heart surgery, and he’s recuperating at home.”

“Oh. That’s too bad. They’re really nice people.”

Beth nodded, and then she realized that Joey was missing. Bobbing and weaving to look around Colton, she didn’t see any sign of him.

“He probably went back inside,” Colton said.

“Wow. He’s fast.” She’d been so distracted by Joey’s hot dad that she hadn’t even noticed he’d left. Deciding that was a very bad sign, she racked her brain for a polite way to end the conversation.

“I—”

“I—”

They’d both started speaking at once, and Colton laughed, the sound of it deep and warm just like his eyes and his handshake. “I should probably finish mowing the lawn. But it was nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, and I should probably get back to reading,” she said, instantly realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

Colton nodded and turned away, but when he was on the bottom step, he turned back around. “Hey. If Joey gets to be a nuisance this summer, don’t hesitate to let me know. He tends to get bored easily, and if he sees you outside, he’ll probably come over to talk.”

“I don’t mind,” she said. “In fact, I thought he was very polite the first time we met.” She’d thrown that in because most parents enjoyed hearing their children praised.

“Good to know,” Colton said and gave her a brief smile. “We’ll see you around, then.”

“Yep. See you around,” she said and waved goodbye.

She watched him walk back across the driveway and admired the set of his shoulders and his fluid, confident gait. He’d been polite and friendly although somewhat reserved, unlike her, who would have been happy to hear his life story if he’d been willing to share it. She was still eyeing him when he started the mower back up with one brisk pull of the cord. While she was watching and wondering what the rest of his story was, he popped his head up and caught her staring.

Great! Perfect! Wonderful! She had a split second to decide whether to acknowledge him or pretend like she hadn’t been looking. She went with the first choice, giving him a brief wave before quickly averting her eyes.

Picking up her book again, she pretended to read until she didn’t feel like faking it anymore. When Colton’s back was to her, she hurriedly went back inside and locked the door behind her.

It wasn’t until a while later that she realized she’d never asked Colton about the rest of his family. She assumed Joey didn’t have any siblings because he probably wouldn’t be bored if he had brothers or sisters to play with. But neither Colton nor Joey had mentioned Joey’s mom.

Shaking her head, she tried to distract herself by unpacking. She went upstairs and emptied her suitcases, hanging some of the clothes in the closet and tucking some in drawers. Next, she organized her personal products in the bathroom, and last, she removed her books from the tote bag and set them on the dresser where she could see them. Just the sight of a stack of books gave her comfort, and these days, she’d take comfort wherever she could get it—within reason. The one place she hadn’t taken comfort was in the arms of another man. One, she wasn’t ready yet, and two, just the thought of getting involved with someone else made her break out in a sweat. After what had happened, she questioned whether she could ever trust another man again, not to mention herself.

The number one question she’d asked herself over and over was: How could I have not seen it coming? As if the incident hadn’t been painful enough, that question still haunted her. To be completely blindsided like that. To have everything that she’d believed about love turn out to be a lie. It had shaken her to the core.

She felt better now than she had in the beginning, but she still had some healing to do, which was why she was here. At home in Clarkston, she was surrounded by well-meaning family and friends, and though they’d provided some degree of comfort, she’d also felt suffocated at times. Everyone had their theories about what had happened and what she should do to move forward, but she had to discover the answers for herself. And with all the distractions at home, it was difficult to do that.

She’d come here in search of peace and forgiveness, which sounded simple but was actually quite daunting. Not only would she have to let go of her hurt and anger, but she’d essentially have to let go of everything she’d ever wanted and start over. Alone. And perhaps, that was the most daunting prospect of all.