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“And maybe not,” Dani said.
Smiling briefly at his son and then sending Dani a threatening glance, Blake walked off the back porch and around to the front of the house. A few seconds later Blake’s pickup roared to life.
Cody, who’d stood stock-still throughout the argument, ran through the house to the front porch where he waved frantically at his father as the taillights of the pickup faded into the night.
Without another word, the boy dashed up the stairs and into his room. A few seconds later he stomped to the bathroom and took a shower.
“Do you want me to talk to him?” Chase asked.
Dani shook her head. “No. I think this one is between Cody and his mother.”
“Then maybe I should go.” He took her into his arms and kissed her gently on the mouth.
Warmth invaded Dani’s body, coloring her face. “ You can stay,” she whispered.
Groaning and hazarding a glance at the stairs, Chase shook his head. “You need time to sort things out with Cody, and besides, I still need to check on Jenna Peterson. I don’t buy Caleb’s story. My guess is that he fired her. Now the only question is why?”
“Not the only question,” Dani said with a sigh.
“First things first,” Chase said, releasing her. “You deal with Cody and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She watched him leave and slowly closed the door when his Jeep was out of sight. Then, ignoring the loneliness settling ov
er her, and with renewed determination, she mounted the stairs to tell her son that she was going to marry Chase McEnroe.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning Dani still hadn’t talked to her son. After Chase had left the night before, Dani had tried to talk to Cody, but he’d refused to speak to her. Now, nothing had changed, she thought ruefully as she swept the kitchen floor and waited for him to get up.
He waited until the last minute before dashing down the stairs and pausing at the table for breakfast. While she put the jug of milk on the table, he sat, avoiding her eyes, his fingers nervously drumming on the polished wood.
“Slow down a minute,” Dani said with a warm smile. “I think we’ve got a few things we should discuss before you take off for school.”
“But I’m already late—”
“I know. But I can drive you. I want to talk.”
“’Bout what?” He poured milk on his cereal and started eating.
“Last night, for starters,” she replied, leaning on the broom. “And then maybe just about us—you and me—and how we’re going to handle dealing with your dad now that he’s back in town.”
Cody’s eyes flashed. “I can handle dealing with him just fine.”
“You think so?” she said gently, trying with difficulty not to sound like a dictator.
“You’re the one with the problem, Mom.”
“Believe it or not, Cody, I’m trying to be very open-minded about this and work it out so that we’re all happy.” After putting the broom back in the closet, she poured a cup of coffee and took a chair opposite him.
“Humph,” Cody said stubbornly. “I suppose you think you’re gonna try to tell me when I can be with him.”
“No, but—”
“Sure you are!”
Dani held up her hands to ward off the battle, and Cody stared straight at her left hand, his mouth dropping open and his eyes reflecting an inner pain at the sight of her engagement ring. “Where’d you get that—from Chase? You’re gonna marry that guy aren’t you?” he said, balling a fist and pounding it on the table, his face flushing red and contorting in a battle against tears of outrage. “Dammit!”
“Cody!”
