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She smiled at his dramatic words. "There are plenty of sticks in our backyard. This one stays here."
Leo dropped the stick and followed her to the car, climbing into his car seat. Luckily, he was easily distracted by the stuffed dog waiting next to his seat. By the time she'd started the engine, he was already playing a new game.
Sometimes, she was amazed at how adaptable her four-year-old was. His bad moods never lasted long, and while he pushed back sometimes, he rarely put up a big fight. He was eager to be good, to make her happy. And she wanted to make him happy, too. That wasn't always easy, since she had to be both mom and dad.
Her divorce had become final three years ago, although her ex-husband had been gone a lot even before that. In special forces for the military, Kevin was often deployed overseas, sometimes disappearing for months at a time. He loved being a soldier, and, ultimately, he'd chosen his job, or his calling as he liked to refer to it, over being a husband and a father. She wanted to hate him for that, but it was difficult to hate someone who was being a hero in so many other ways.
She knew she'd made the right decision for herself and even for Leo. He needed a stable home environment, and hopefully, one day, Kevin could spend more time with his son. Because in the past couple of years, he'd only seen him a couple of weekends a year. Someday Leo would have a lot of questions, but luckily, that day wasn't today.
As she drove back to the café, her mind moved to another man, her gaze drifting to the rearview mirror, to Decker Hayes. With all the contractors in town busy for the next few months, she needed him to fix up the rental house. But there was something about him that told her he was going to be trouble—trouble that would be living in the apartment above her café.
ChapterTwo
Chloe Morgan wasn'twhat he'd been expecting, Decker thought, as he followed her into town. Not that he'd really thought about it that much. But Joel's girlfriends in the past had all had a similar vibe: tall, thin, sophisticated, and stylish. While Chloe Morgan was a pretty woman with light-brown hair and beautiful, hazel eyes, she was barely five-four, and her black leggings and sweater hadn't been the cutting edge of fashion. She was also a mom with a cute little kid.
Was Joel ready to take on a single mom, to be a stepdad?
Decker certainly wouldn't have thought so six months ago when Joel had been massively in lust with Sylvie, a New York fashion designer who he'd been in a relationship with for several years. But that relationship had ended shortly after Joel had moved to Whisper Lake. Apparently, Sylvie had come to Whisper Lake with Joel and had spent two weeks here, but had not liked the small-town life at all. Joel, however, had suddenly become fascinated with the idea of leaving New York and moving to the mountains, becoming a new man.
He could understand why Joel wanted a change. He'd lived in big cities for most of his life. He had stepped in to run his father's huge construction company after a decade of toiling away at every job to prove he was worthy of taking over his dad's legacy. And it hadn't been just the legacy that had hovered over Joel's head, it had been his father's enormous shadow. In New York, it was impossible to get away from all that. But in Whisper Lake, in this beautiful, mountain resort town, Joel could be completely himself.
But he couldn't quite believe that Joel would really be happy with small town life forever. Maybe Joel would prove him wrong. He'd certainly been enthusiastic about the changes he was making in his life. Joel had told him he was doing the opposite of what he used to do, and apparently dating a single mom with a kid was part of his new persona. Now that he'd met Chloe, he saw the appeal.
Chloe was beautiful in a very natural, girl-next-door kind of way. He smiled to himself at the memory of her flushed cheeks and the embarrassed expression on her face when he'd found her trapped in the floorboards. His smile faded as he remembered the feel of her hands in his, the way she'd looked at him, the breathless catch in her voice.
It had just been an adrenaline-charged moment and nothing else, but it had caught him by surprise.
Not that anything would or could happen. She was involved with Joel, and he had never gone after a friend's woman. He wouldn't start now. He also wasn't interested in dating a woman with a child. He liked his dates single, childless, and free of baggage and drama. Simple, easy, and fun were the words he lived by. It made his life so much easier.
As he followed Chloe into town, his thoughts drifted to the last time he'd been here. He'd only been six years old, and he wasn't sure he'd remember anything about the area, but there was a sense of familiarity running through him. He couldn't pinpoint one business, one sign. It was just a shadowy feeling of recognition.
When Joel had told him he'd moved to Whisper Lake, he'd been a little shocked. It was like Joel had pulled a memory out of his past and put it right in his face. Once Joel had invited him to visit, he hadn't been able to think about anything else, and he didn't know why.
He'd traveled all over the world with his father. Whisper Lake had just been one of the places they'd gone to and that had been twenty-seven years ago.So, why was there this gnawing feeling of something he couldn't define at the back of his mind?
Well, maybe he'd figure it out while he was here. He had two months until his next construction job started in Santa Barbara, a few hours away from his home in LA. That's where he'd spend three months before he moved on to another job, another city, another adventure.
That mantra reminded him of his dad, of every trip they'd ever taken. His father had believed in living a life of adventure, and it had been one hell of a life. It just hadn't lasted long enough.
He shook that depressing thought out of his head as he drove into a small lot behind a two-story restaurant. The Blue Sky Café was on the first floor, with an apartment on the second floor. The location in the middle of downtown was perfect. Hopefully, the apartment wasn't a disaster like the house he'd just seen.
After parking his rental car, he grabbed his overnight bag and backpack and met Chloe and Leo at the back door.
She gave him a surprised look. "Is that all your luggage? Aren't you planning to be here for a few months?"
"I travel light."
"Got it. Well, come on in."
She opened the back door and stepped into a hallway. He saw a couple of restrooms, a door marked Office, and caught a glimpse of a bustling restaurant just beyond. Chloe and Leo headed up the back stairs. She inserted a key into the door, and he followed them inside.
The apartment was one room with large windows overlooking the street. There was a queen-size bed, a small dresser, as well as an adjacent sitting area with a loveseat and a chair. A small kitchenette and a bathroom rounded out the living space.
Leo ran toward a fluffy beanbag chair in the corner of the living room and plopped down on it with a delighted giggle.
"Some of the furniture is a little old," Chloe said, turning the smile she was giving to her son onto him.
His gut clenched at that inviting smile, which seemed to instantly fade when she realized who she was looking at.
