“Sure. You look gorgeous.” He didn’t even glance at the bottle, too busy looking at me. “I love your hair that way.”
“Thank you.” I flushed with heat. If he only knew how many times I’d changed, finally settling on a denim shirtdress that made me feel young and carefree. I’d blown out my hair to give it more volume and taken special care with my makeup.
“These two must be Duke and Moonshine,” I said.
“Yes. Moonshine thinks she’s a dog and also has an equilibrium problem.”
I knelt to give them both a good stroke or two. Duke wagged his tail. Moonshine purred. So far, so good. I had a feeling Cole took the opinions of his pets seriously. As he should, of course.
“Did you design the house?” I asked as I straightened.
“God no. I’m not that smart.” He held the door open for me. “Come on in. I’ve already opened some wine.”
As I passed by him to step inside the entryway, I caught a drift of his spicy aftershave. Good Lord, a man shouldn’t smell that good.
I distracted myself by taking in the decor. A gray rug lay on light wood floors. The walls were covered in a patterned white-and-gray paper. I glanced down at his feet. He wore a pair of leather flip-flops. Given that we only had two months of good weather, we hardly ever wore such things in Seattle. “Should I take my sandals off?”
“Only if you want to.”
I decided to keep them on. They were flats and comfortable. Plus, bare feet made me feel too vulnerable.
We walked through the entryway to a light and airy kitchen. “Cole, your kitchen is wonderful.” From the risotto dish on the cooktop came the scent of garlic and onions. Fresh vegetables had been chopped and set aside in quaint wooden bowls on the light counter. Windows faced a covered stone patio and grass. Beyond, a fenced vegetable garden appeared lush and green. Farther still was the view of Logan Mountain I remembered so well from childhood. Although not visible from here, I knew the river ran between the mountain and the cluster of trees at the edge of the meadow.
“Why didn’t you build closer to the river?” I asked.
“I would have, but the ground was too uneven and rocky. Also, the well and electrical were here where the trailer had been. Easier to do it this way.”
“Is the swimming hole the same?”
“Exactly the same. I’ll take you down there if you want. I hacked out a trail earlier in the year so it’s easier to get down there now. Before then, grass and shrubs had overgrown the path we made with our feet.”
Duke and Moonshine settled together into a large dog bed. I gasped in surprise when they snuggled close. “They sleep together?” I asked.
“Strange, right? They don’t know they’re different.”
“Yes, but sweet.”
“They’re my first pets, so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t plan to get Moonshine, but she was at the same shelter and was such a hot mess I was afraid no one would choose her. She’s named Moonshine for a reason.” He imitated a drunk person by swaying and stumbling.
“Really?”
He held up a hand. “Scout’s honor. Every so often she stumbles and falls, like she’s drunk. The vet thinks there’s something off in her inner ear.”
“Poor baby.”
“She has Duke to help her get around. Would you like a glass of wine?” He gestured toward the decanter on the counter. “I brought up something good from the cellar.”
“You have a cellar?”
“I know. Pretentious.”
“Not pretentious. Surprising. I would have figured you for a beer man.”
He patted his flat stomach. “I like beer, but I try to limit my intake. As I get older, the harder it gets to stay fit.”
“You seem to be doing a good job of it so far.” I took a sip. Smooth and fruit forward. “This is good.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure if you liked Syrah, so I brought up a cabernet. Less risky.”
I glanced around the room. Like many modern homes, the kitchen and sitting area were one, separated only by an island. A couch faced a fireplace with a large-screen television above. Had he decorated himself? “Is the entire house your handiwork?”
“The building part, yes. A professional designer did the interiors. She was one of my favorites in LA. Back when I flipped houses, she was part of my team.” He set aside his glass and scuttled over to the cooktop to stir the risotto.
“I’ve never tried risotto. Is it hard?”
“Not really. Requires patience, that’s all.”
“I don’t cook much these days. Most nights I have a sandwich or cheese and crackers. I had enough cooking during my marriage.”
“You were the primary cook, I take it?”
“And bottle washer. He wasn’t home much when Brooke was little. I did most everything around the house. I felt like a single parent.”
“Where was he?”
“Work. At least that’s what I assumed. He went from one high-tech start-up to the next.” I took another sip from my glass. “Later, after everything came out, I wondered how much of the time away from us was actually at work.”
Cole dumped a pile of the chopped vegetables into a steamer. “When Iris told me she was in love with someone else and had been for a year, I started going through every moment of the past months, trying to see where I went wrong. The clues were there, but I sure didn’t see them at the time.”
“It’s an awful feeling,” I said. “Thinking your whole life was a lie.”
Cole came around the island to stand next to me. “I hate hearing that tone in your voice.” He took my empty hand and brought it to his chest. “I wanted you to have the best life.”
Touched, I fought against the scratchy feeling that came right before tears. “There was a lot of good, too. My daughter’s pretty great, and we have a close relationship. I’ve had a satisfying
