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“Not a chance,” she said over her shoulder.
“You look happy.”
“I was going for sexy, but happy is always good.” She kept going, waving to him over her shoulder.
He had to admit, she did look great in dark jeans, black boots, and the white blouse that hugged her curves, even if she was his sister.
He blew up that train of thought and any hint of him thinking about her out with his best friend. He pulled out his phone instead and called Summer.
“Hi, sorry I missed your call. Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
He wanted her to do just that physically, as well as over the phone. “Hi, sweetheart, I just wanted you to know I miss you. I’m thinking about you. Call me back. Doesn’t matter how late.” Yeah, he didn’t sound desperate at all.
But who cared?
Just hearing her voice made him think of all the good times they’d shared and how much he liked her. Loved her? Yeah. That, too. Otherwise he wouldn’t be this desperate to hear her voice, smell her sweet scent, see her beautiful face, or touch her soft skin.
Yeah, he had it bad.
And he liked it that way.
Instead of going up to his lonely room to change, he headed over to the other side of the house for dinner.
Alex was playing some intricate patty-cake game with Haley. Nate and Miranda had just finished putting the food on the table and sat.
“Thanks for making dinner,” Cody said to Miranda.
She smiled across at him. “I missed having Summer’s help. I guess I’ve gotten used to our time together in the kitchen, catching up on the day, talking about whatever.”
“I’m sure she’s missing your cooking tonight.”
“Have you heard from her?” Nate asked.
“No. She’s probably busy with her grandfather. I just left her a message. I’m sure she’ll call later tonight.”
Natalie put her hand on his arm. “Of course she will.”
Nothing in her voice sounded patronizing, but it sure did come off that way to him, because he knew Natalie thought Summer wasn’t going to call.
And he couldn’t seem to let that thought go all through dinner; all through Alex’s bath and the epic boat battle he lost because he was in his head, wishing and hoping Summer proved Natalie wrong; all through the five books he let Alex swindle him into reading instead of the usual three because Cody didn’t want to go up to his room and sit in the quiet wondering what kept Summer so busy she couldn’t return his call.
He leaned over Alex and kissed him on the head. “Good night, buddy. See you in the morning.”
“Will Aunt Summer be back then, too?”
“Not until after you’re home from school.”
Alex nodded, then turned on his side and snuggled into the covers.
Cody left Alex’s room, closing the door all the way because Alex preferred it that way, then headed down the hall to his own room, taking off his soaking wet shirt as he went.
The second he walked into his room, his night got a hell of a lot better. He approached the bed and the woman in it. “I’m so glad you’re here. I dreaded having to sleep alone.”
“Who are you talking to?” Summer asked from behind him, not in front of him.
Suddenly the light went on and he went perfectly still, his joy that Summer had come home early overshadowed by the gut punch of seeing someone else in his bed, thinking he’d been talking to her.
Natalie rose up on her knees wearing a skimpy pair of black undies and a pushup bra that barely contained her...
