“What would you like in your omelette?' she asked. 'I have several cheeses, an assortment of vegetables, bacon, ham and sausage. Or you could have the meat on the side.' She offered him a friendly smile that didn't chase away the air of nervousness.
So she'd decided to go the 'all business' route to deal with whatever morning-after jitters she might be having. Nash could have wished for something else, but he understood her decision. She didn't know him from a rock. She was a woman with responsibilities and they didn't include playing footsie with the paying guests.
“An omelette would be great,' he said. 'Cheddar cheese and whatever vegetables you have around. I would appreciate a side of bacon, as well.'
“No problem. It will be about fifteen or twenty minutes. The boys are due down any second and I want to get them fed. Is that all right?'
“Of course.' She nodded and left, all without ever looking directly at him. Nash took his seat and opened the paper, but he didn't actually see the print.
Was she having second thoughts about last night? Did she regret the kiss? When they'd parted, he would have bet she'd been as pleasantly surprised and turned on as he had been. But after several hours to reflect, she could have decided it had all been a mistake.
He didn't want her to think that. He wanted her to want him as much as he wanted her.
Nash shook his head. Okay-he had it bad. He was on the verge of behaving like an idiot over a woman and he couldn't remember the last time that had happened.
The sound of feet clattering on the stairs caughthis attention. The boys were arguing over whose turn it was to pick up in the family room upstairs. Apparently they all tried to get in the kitchen door at once because there were shouts of 'Stop pushing me,' and 'Get out of my way!' Nash smiled as he imagined the three of them shoving and laughing and then bursting into the kitchen. He heard Stephanie's warm greeting, then the sound of chairs being pulled out.
For the first time in years, he found himself not wanting to be by himself. As he sat alone in the dining room, he listened to murmurs of conversation and explosions of laughter, all the while wishing he could be a part of it. Then, without considering the consequences of his actions, he picked up his carafe of coffee, his cup and the basket of scones, then walked into the kitchen.
Once again, conversation ceased. He could feel the boys looking at him, but his attention centered on Stephanie. She had just set a carton of eggs onto the center island. Her head snapped up and her mouth parted slightly. Color crept up her cheeks.
“The dining room was a little empty this morning,' he said by way of explanation. 'Would you mind if I joined you in here?' Emotions raced across her face, but they went too quickly for him to read them. If she hesitated for too long, or looked too uncomfortable, he was going to head back to the dining room and keep out of her way for the rest of his stay.
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly and her blush deepened. When she finally met his gaze, he saw a heat flaring in her eyes that matched the one raging inside him.
“That would be nice,' she said.
The twins shifted their chairs to make room for him between them. He set his coffee and scones down on the table and collected an empty chair. When he was seated he saw that Brett didn't look as happy to see him as everyone else did.
Before he could think of something to say to the preteen, Jason flipped back the napkin on the basket and peered inside.
“Whatcha got?' he asked, then wrinkled his nose.
“Don't you like scones?' Jason shook his head. 'They taste funny.' Nash offered one to Adam, who shrunk back in his chair as if he'd been offered bug guts. Nash glanced at Brett and raised his eyebrows.
Brett reached across the table and took one. 'They're still kids,' he said as he set the scone next to his toast. 'They don't like these yet.'
“Makes sense,' Nash said, trying not to smile. The way Brett talked, he was pushing forty instead of barely turned twelve.
Nash poured himself a cup of coffee. Behind him, Stephanie cracked eggs into a frying pan.
“There's a talent show today,' Jason announced. 'At school. A girl in my class is going to dance ballet.' He wrinkled his nose. 'She's got this funny-looking skirt thing. A tutu. It sticks out and is all stiff. But if you throw it across the room it goes really far.'
“A boy in my class plays the drums,' Adam said from Nash's other side. 'And three girls are going to sing a song from the radio.'
“Sounds like fun.'Adam nodded.
The twins chatted all through breakfast. Brett didn't say much, but he kept his eye on Nash. Stephanie slid their scrambled eggs onto their plates, then whipped up Nash's omelette. While he finished eating, the boys stood and began collecting their backpacks. There was a flurry of activity as each child received a hug, a kiss and lunch money.
“Have a good day,' Stephanie said as she tucked change into Adam's backpack and closed the small zippered compartment. 'I love you.' She gave them each another quick hug, although Brett ducked out of her embrace. Then the boys thundered to the front of the house and outside. The door slammed behind them.
Nash finished his breakfast and poured himself another cup of coffee. Stephanie pushed open the door to the dining room and watched out the front window until they were all on the bus.
As she stood there, he remembered his own mornings as a child. His mother had always made sure she was there to fix them breakfast and pack their lunches. Then she'd walked them out of the house. The last thing she'd said every school morning through to his high-school graduation had been that she loved them each more than she could say and that they were the best part of her world.
For a while, he had stopped believing her on both counts. Now, looking back with the hindsight of an adult, he knew that nothing had changed on her part.
Stephanie returned to the kitchen where she fussed with dishes, munched on an extra piece of bacon and fluttered nervously until Nash used his foot to push out the chair across from his.
“Have a seat,' he said.
She glanced from him to the chair, then sighed. “Okay. I guess we need to talk about it.' She poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him at the table.
She looked at him, then away. Color climbed high on her cheeks, retreated, then returned. Nash figured it was all up to him.
He decided to start with something easy. 'Was my joining you and the boys for breakfast a problem?'
“What?' She'd been tracing a pattern on the table. Now she raised her head and stared at him. 'No. Of course not.' She smiled. 'I thought it was nice. If you want to plan on joining us for the rest of your stay, I'll just set an extra place in here, rather than the dining room. It's not a problem at all.' He'd half expected her to ask him why. Why did he want to join them? Not that he had an answer. On some level he knew that being around her and her kids allowed him to forget. Without work to distract him, there was too much time to think. But that was only one of the reasons. The others all had something to do with him enjoying her and the boys' company.
“I'd like that,' he said. 'So if that's not the issue, what is? Last night?' She swallowed, then nodded slowly.
“And you're not?'
“Isn't it obvious?' She clutched her coffee cup in both hands. 'I just… I guess what I really want to know is why it happened.' Funny, that wasn't his most pressing question.
He knew that she had to be around thirty, maybe a couple of years older. She was smart, successful, pretty and sexy as hell. But right now she looked ready to jump out of her skin with nerves and embarrassment. Because of him? He would like to think he got to her that much, but he had a feeling that might be wishful thinking on his part.
“You're attractive,' he said, wondering if she really didn't know why he'd wanted to kiss her. 'Very attractive and I enjoy your company. I had a pretty universal male reaction to both of those facts.' She pressed her lips together and nodded. 'Okay,' she said, her voice almost a squeak. She cleared her throat again. 'So you're talking about, um, you know, interest.' Sex. He was talking about sex. 'Interest works, but only if it's returned.' This time
