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Dianna shot one more look in his direction and shook her head. “I’ve always loved drawing. I think it’s just the way my brain decodes the world around me.” She placed a dry plate to the side and grabbed another one. “What about you? What do you do in your spare time?”
He chuckled. “I think it’s pretty clear I don’t get much time to do anything besides taking care of Mathew. He can take a lot out of me.”
She arched a brow. “That doesn’t mean you should let your own interests take a back seat. Surely there has to be something that you enjoy doing. Perhaps when he goes to bed?”
“I suppose I like reading. That’s probably where he gets it.” A smile tugged at Tristan’s lips. “His mother wasn’t really interested in anything like that. She was more of the athletic type.”
Something in Dianna’s features shifted as if a light had left her face. “Does Mathew see her often?”
Tristan’s chest tightened. He’d stepped right into that one. Of course if he mentioned Erika, there would be questions. “How much has Shane told you about my situation?” He hadn’t meant for it to happen, but his voice had hardened. It was hard not to feel disillusioned while discussing his ex-wife.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she offered. “I just thought—”
“It’s fine,” he bit out.
“It sure doesn’t sound fine.”
He let out a heavy sigh and put the dishcloth back in the sink. “It’s been years. And honestly, I’m over it. But it still makes me—” He jumped when her hand reached out to touch his forearm.
“It’s perfectly normal to be angry. I’m mad and I didn’t even know her.” Her voice was quiet, and he couldn’t tell if it was due to not wanting Mathew to overhear them or if it was something else.
“Thanks,” he murmured thickly. That’s all he could say. He wasn’t the type of person to use his past hardships to gain favor or sympathy. Dianna didn’t need to see him as a victim.
Even if she did, it shouldn’t matter.
He glanced down at where she still touched him and she followed his gaze. Immediately, she withdrew her hand to pick up another dish. Her arm brushed against his, causing a strange reaction to ripple through his body. He was tempted to scoot closer to her so they could touch once more.
Tristan hadn’t dated anyone since Erika left. His reactions to Dianna had to do with that. And he hated that it was getting harder to focus on keeping things professional. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “Tell me more about your family.”
She smiled softly. “What do you want to know?”
“Are your parents as good as you when it comes to kids like Mathew?”
Dianna pressed her lips into a firm line. “Not particularly.”
His brows lifted. “Oh? I’m sorry.”
She lifted a shoulder. “It’s not what you think. My mom passed away when I was pretty young. And my dad was very strict.”
“Your father raised all of you on his own?”
The only response he got was a curt nod.
“Wow. That must have been really hard.”
She gave him a pained smile. “You know? I think it was harder than he let on. Up until recently, he didn’t want any of us dating until our older sisters were married.”
A bark of laughter escaped his lips. Upon seeing the seriousness in her eyes when he glanced at her, he sobered. “I thought you were kidding.”
Dianna turned back to the dishes she was working on. “Nope. But you have to admit, raising seven girls on his own in this day and age wasn’t easy. And there are more concerns than making sure we’re raised to be respectful and hardworking. My father had to worry about each of us plus every man who might be interested in us.”
“I guess I never thought about that.” Tristan’s thoughts shifted to Mathew, and suddenly he developed a deep appreciation that he didn’t have to raise a girl on his own. He wouldn’t know the first thing about raising a little girl. Doing hair, worrying about her hitting puberty…
Heat crawled up his neck and he shoved those uncomfortable thoughts aside, grateful she couldn’t read his thoughts.
“So what changed his mind, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Hmm?”
