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Cole stroked her chin with his thumb and forefinger. His breath caught when she leaned in closer. Focusing on her lips, he closed his eyes, but barks in the background interrupted the moment.
Leah kissed his cheek. “He’s feeling left out.”
“I would be too if he had all your attention.”
Leah touched his face and rose to her feet. “Want some dessert?”
Cole bent over to Chip, reaching his arms forward. The puppy padded its paws toward him. “Sure.” He scratched behind the puppy’s ears, and then a buzzing phone bounced on the table. “Is that your phone?”
“Yeah, it might be Gemma. Can you check?” she asked.
Cole reached for her phone and turned to glance at the screen. His mouth slackened, and being at a loss for words, he put the phone down. Did he read the message right? He clicked on the screen once more.
8:38 PM… Brian: Thanks 4 giving me another chance. Call u when I get a minute
What did that mean? Cole pushed her phone to the side. What did this mean for them?
“Was that her?” Leah asked. “I missed lunch with her today, so she may have been calling to reschedule.”
“No,” Cole said, his voice clipped.
Leah paused in front of the island, stepping away from the carton of ice cream. “What’s wrong? Something happen?” She wiped her hands with a dishtowel and shuffled over to him.
Silent like a passing cloud, Cole slid her phone toward her. Then he got to his feet. He stared as she checked her messages. Her eyes widened, and then her gaze flicked to him.
“I can explain,” she said.
“I’m listening.” The tightness in his jaw caused discomfort, but it didn’t compare to the ache in his chest.
“He wants to talk.”
“Since when?”
“I don’t know. He has a new number, and you know I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize.”
“What does he want?”
“I haven’t talked to him yet.” Her shoulders drooped. “I’ve been avoiding it.”
Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “I should go.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Why?”
“I think it’s best until you figure things out.”
A stony expression transformed her face. “So… that’s it?”
He rubbed his head to ward off his mounting headache. “No… that caught me off guard.”
“How do you think I feel? I didn’t ask him to call me. Why are you acting as if this is my fault?”
Cole heaved a sigh, taking her hands in his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Do you always assume the worst of people?”
Like a cold wind, her words went through him. Did he always assume the worst? Why couldn’t he trust her the way he wanted her to trust him? So what if her ex called, he didn’t ask her to marry him? Judging by her frown, Leah wasn’t ecstatic about Brian reaching out to her, anyway. Still, Cole’s doubts chattered like a noisy argument. He couldn’t silence them.
“Cole?” She touched his forearm.
