Shaking that depressing thought from his mind, he called out, “Who likes pizza?” The response from the rear of the vehicle was a loud chorus of “me” and “I do.” He laughed, put the truck in gear, and pulled away from the tiny bungalow.
“Now, I know your mom is an awesome cook, so I can’t guarantee that it’s better than your mom’s,” he told the kids, “but I think you’ll like it.”
Jordan took in the sights of the town on the short drive to dinner. It was a cozy, picturesque place to live. Rob sporadically threw out an interesting fact or two about places they were passing. It was so different from their city life, and she found herself unable to stop wondering what it would be like to live here all the time. Could this be where she and the boys were meant to be?
She looked at the man sitting beside her. His eyes were fixed on the road, and she allowed herself just to stare for a moment. He was so handsome, so sexy, and she had to hold on to her hands to keep from reaching out and touching him. Would he be part of their lives if they moved here? Would he want to be part of their lives if they moved here?
This was crazy. They hadn’t even been there a full week and she was already entertaining thoughts of moving here and being with Rob! What was next, “and they lived happily ever after”? Get a grip, Jordan! she scolded herself. There are no happily ever afters for you, haven’t you learned that yet?
The sound of voices arguing woke her from her reverie.
They weren’t really fighting. They were simply having a “heated discussion” over who could eat the most pizza. But the discussion was getting a bit old.
“That’s enough, boys,” she warned lightly as Rob pulled the truck to a stop in front of a quaint-looking Italian restaurant. There were bistro sets outside for dining lit with large candles in glass globes. The brick-and-stone facade gave it a warm feel—one would never know you were dining off a main road with this kind of ambience. For a brief moment, she considered asking Rob if they could eat out here, but he gently took her hand and led her through the glass front door.
Once they stepped inside, Jordan realized the front hadn’t done the place justice. The restaurant was huge on the inside and yet had a very cozy feel to it. There were tons of tables covered in red-and-white checkered cloths, and each one had a wine bottle with a candle in it. It was like every Italian restaurant Jordan had ever seen, but nicer.
The boys weren’t too impressed until Rob handed each of them a roll of quarters and pointed them in the direction of the arcade tucked away in the back. Once they were on their way amid shouts of joy, Rob led Jordan to a table near the back, next to a stone wall. It was very intimate: dimly lit by both a candle and a small wall sconce.
Rob held out a chair for her, and once she was seated, he asked, “So? What do you think of the place?”
“I love the authentic decor and it smells absolutely wonderful in here. I bet there’s not a bad thing on the menu!”
“This was my grandfather’s place,” he stated with pride as he sat down opposite her.
“Really? I didn’t know your grandfather was in the restaurant business.”
“He left it to me several years ago when he died. Now I have this as well as my architecture firm to keep me busy.”
“Wow, that’s unbelievable.” Jordan looked around the place. “How do you have time for both?”
“Well, the staff here is great and we have a manager who runs the place. I’m just a figurehead to them, you know? My office is right up the street, so it’s not that hard for me to keep an eye on everything.”
“Wouldn’t it have been easier on you to sell it?”
Rob smiled. “I couldn’t sell this place. It was my grandfather’s dream. He loved this place. I know it’s not something I ever thought to be a part of, but he entrusted it to me. It was important to him that I have it.” Rob paused and looked around. “Besides, the place practically runs itself, it’s been here for so long.”
As if on cue, a petite brunette dressed in black slacks, white tuxedo shirt, and red apron appeared. “Good evening, Mr. Tyler.” She smiled, handing menus to them both. “Can I get you both something to drink?”
Jordan placed the drink order for her and the boys. Rob inquired if she would like a glass of wine but Jordan declined. Rob ordered a soft drink as well, and then listened attentively as their server listed the specials for the evening. When she stepped away to let them decide, Rob put his menu down and asked, “Anything sound good to you?”
She nodded as she handed him her menu.
“I think it all sounded wonderful. I’m tempted to ask for a sample of all of it!” Jordan smiled and Rob felt a tightness in his chest. It was nice to see Jordan finally relaxing around him. In that moment, he was glad he had taken the chance to ask her out tonight. The waitress reappeared with their drinks and handed Jordan hers. She placed it on the table and then turned to Rob. “You order for us.”
Rob looked at her in stunned silence. “What?”
“This is your place, so you know what’s good. Surprise us. We’ll trust you to do the ordering.” The look on his face was priceless. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear he was scared. “Don’t worry; they’re not as picky as you think.” With a surge of confidence, Rob rose from the table without a word and headed for the kitchen.
Jordan watched him walk off and admired his form. He was dressed casually, too, in black jeans and a gray T-shirt. The man filled out his clothes extremely well, with his lean hips and sexy walk. He oozed confidence.
She rolled her eyes. She was doing it again and wanted nothing more than to slap herself.
Sure, it had been a long time since she’d been with a man, but she had to stop ogling Rob and mentally categorizing all of his body parts. Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d shown any real interest in her. He was just being nice to her boys because he felt sorry for them. Nothing more to it. This was all going to go nowhere.
So he caressed her face in the middle of the street. No big deal. He was simply treating her like an old friend. Although Jordan couldn’t remember the last time she’d caressed the face of an old friend, it still didn’t mean anything, did it? It’s all no big deal, she reminded herself.
Nope. Not a big deal at all.
Rob came back to the table and took his seat opposite Jordan again. One look at those big brown eyes of his and Jordan realized what the big deal was: she wanted him to caress her again. Here. Now. All over.
Naked.
Now there was an image to get people talking—Out-of-Towner Naked in Local Restaurant. With her children present! Jordan grabbed her water and took a quick drink.
Taking a deep breath, she started a conversation about the restaurant business that kept them going until their food arrived and the kids were seated at the table with them. It was a safe topic and it kept her mind off her wayward, sexually charged thoughts. Whenever she found her mind wandering to places it shouldn’t, she’d force herself to ask a question about keeping inventory.
Rob had ordered them two pizzas—one with extra cheese, the other with everything on it. The boys dug right in and raved about how great it was, especially after learning that Rob owned the place. Jordan found herself relaxing deeply, enjoying her meal and the company. She could not even remember the last time they had sat down to dinner with a man. Eric had been gone for a long time, and if she was honest with herself, Jordan would have to admit she missed the simple things of family life, like sitting around the dinner table together.
Jordan couldn’t believe how animated her boys were being. It had been so long since they had socialized with anyone other than her family, and yet here they were, chatting with Rob as if they’d known him their entire lives.
Each boy took a turn telling Rob about school and what his favorite subjects were. Rob patiently listened to all the details of their video game collection and which games they had mastered.
Jordan couldn’t help but mentally note how good Rob was with her kids—he would make a great father someday. Maybe not to her kids, but to kids of his own. He deserved that.
It was still early when they finished dinner and Jake asked if they could go to the video store to rent a movie.
“Didn’t we already see a movie today?” Jordan asked her younger son.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said pitifully, playing with the pizza crust left on his plate.
Feeling like the wicked witch yet again, Jordan conceded. They were on vacation. Why were her first reactions to squash any fun the boys wanted to have? Too regimented, that was her problem. Way too regimented. “Where’s the local video store?” she asked Rob wearily.
They were rising to leave when an attractive blond walked over to their table. “Hey, Rob!” she said cheerily as she wrapped her arms around him and placed a kiss on his cheek.
“Hey, Kelly. Kelly, this is Jordan Manning.” He motioned toward Jordan, and Kelly reached out to shake her hand. “And these are her sons, Joseph and Jake.”
“Hi, boys!” Each boy smiled and greeted her politely. “I see you had some pizza tonight. Did Rob let you toss the dough?”
The boys looked at her with wide eyes. “Do you really let people do that, Rob?” Joe asked.
“Sure do. I just thought you were having fun with the video games so I didn’t want to disturb you. But I promise the next time we come here, the shape of our pizza is completely up to you.” He grinned broadly as both boys gasped with certain glee. He could tell they were already planning their next visit.
Kelly turned her attention back to Rob. “So, are we still on for this weekend? I can pick you up tomorrow around four if that will work for you?”
“Absolutely,” he responded, his hand resting on the small of her back, and Jordan felt her spine stiffen at the sight. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and fished out his car keys. “Here are the keys, Jordan,” he said as he handed them to her. They were being dismissed. “Why don’t you and the boys go on out to the car? I just need to speak with the manager before we go. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Oh, sure,” she said quietly and looked away. “Come on, boys. It was nice to meet you,” she mumbled as she ushered the boys out the door and to the car as quick as she could.
“Who was that, Mommy?” Jake asked as Jordan unlocked the truck.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe she’s Rob’s girlfriend,” Jordan said sadly. Glancing back into the restaurant, Jordan saw Rob was still talking to Kelly. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away and almost let out a cry when the woman wrapped her arms around Rob’s neck as she hugged and kissed him again. Jordan climbed into the truck testily, and the boys noticed.
“What’s wrong?” Joseph asked as he got comfortable in the backseat.
“It’s nothing, baby.” She couldn’t let them know she was jealous of this woman, this blond-haired nightmare who had ruined what was promising to be a perfect night.
The sad fact was she really didn’t expect that Rob was living the celibate life, waiting for her to come back and find him, right? She had to accept that, as she had told her children, Rob was not here just for their entertainment. He had a life of his own. Jordan simply hadn’t expected that life to tear at her heart so badly.
Forcing her gaze away from the restaurant, she turned to the boys. “So, what movie are we getting?”
Rob joined them a few minutes later and asked the same exact question. Joseph told him of a comedy he had wanted to see, and without any input from Jordan, they took off driving in the direction of the video store. If Rob noticed Jordan’s cool demeanor or the way she was staring out the window ignoring him, he chose to say nothing.
Once in the video store, Rob joked with the boys by picking up “chick flicks” and asking if any of them were the movies they had in mind. Jake laughed hysterically every time. By the fifth movie, the joke had gotten a little stale and they all finally headed over to the comedy section.
Within minutes they decided on a movie and Rob very respectfully asked Jordan if it was all right for them to get some microwave popcorn to eat while watching the movie. After his behavior earlier in the day at the movie theater, he certainly didn’t want to take a chance on offending her again. The boys had eaten quite a bit of junk food in the afternoon and had just consumed a ton of pizza. He wanted to be certain Jordan was okay with the plans before he plowed on through with them. She mumbled her response, but the boys were so busy chattering at him that Rob didn’t notice her disinterest.
Once they were back at the house with movie in hand, Joseph asked Rob if he was going to stay and watch it with them and he readily agreed to. Jordan excused herself and went to the sanctuary of her bedroom to calm her nerves and change her clothes. She could have told them all her plans but their conversations at this point clearly did not include her.
As she closed the door behind her and flipped on a small lamp, questions flooded her mind. Why would he be hanging out here with them when he had a girlfriend waiting for him? Wouldn’t this Kelly person be peeved at all the time Rob was spending with Jordan and her kids? It made no sense.
Stepping into her large closet, she kicked off her sandals rather aggressively before grabbing a change of clothes: yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and, feeling even more pitiful, pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Hell, there was no point in trying to look nice now. Jordan even considered going into the bathroom and washing off all traces of makeup, too. Might as well go back to looking like that troll she envisioned earlier. Clearly even with the effort, she couldn’t attract a man. Even one who used to be attracted to her. How pathetic was that? With a deep sigh, she padded back out to the living room and found they had left the couch empty for her.
“Wow, you look ready for bed already,” Jake said as he briefly took his attention away from the giant bowl of popcorn in front of him.
“We know how you like to lie down on the couch and watch TV,” Joseph said as he started up the movie. Rob was sitting in the large chair next to the sofa while the boys sat on the floor. Jordan didn’t even spare Rob a glance but she could feel his eyes on her.
“Hey, Mom? Want some popcorn?”
“No thanks,” she replied flatly while trying to get herself comfortable on the sofa and avoid Rob’s watchful eyes. Damn him for making her think all kinds of silly, romantic thoughts of him when all the while he had a girlfriend! When would she ever learn?
Leave it to Rob to omit that little tidbit of information. Who would have thought that at the age of thirty-two, the old hurts of eighteen could come back with such a vengeance?
Dammit!
If it hadn’t been for that woman showing up tonight, she’d be sharing the couch with Rob, comfortably leaning into him the way she’d longed to this afternoon in the movie theater. But now, if it weren’t for the fact that it would upset the boys, she’d actually be asking him to leave. With any luck, the movie would be short and he’d leave immediately after it was over.
But then when had luck been with her today?
It was sometime later, maybe halfway through the movie, when Jordan felt she could no longer hold her eyes open. The day had been emotionally draining and had finally caught up with her, and the boys were wrapped up in the slapstick comedy. She couldn’t even see Rob because she had slouched down as far as she could into the sofa so she wouldn’t have to see him.
Finding it too hard to stay awake, she decided to give in and just rest her eyes for a little while. No one would notice and the couch was oh-so-comfy. Her last thought was that wherever they ended up moving to, she had to purchase a couch just like this one because it was pure heaven to relax on.
When the movie was over, the boys turned expectantly toward Rob. “What did you think?” Jake asked.
“It was a good movie.” He
stood and stretched. He glanced at his watch and saw it was almost eleven o’clock, then he looked down at Jordan, fast asleep on the couch. Rob looked from her to the boys.
“She does that a lot,” Jake supplied. “Sometimes we can’t even get her to wake up so we have to leave her on the couch all night. That makes her real cranky the next morning.”
Rob almost grinned. “Why don’t you guys go on and get into pj’s and get in bed? I’ll straighten up in here so you won’t have to do it in the morning.” The eyes that stared back at him were full of gratitude. “I’ll take care of your mom, too.”
“Thanks, Rob,” Joe said around a yawn. Clearly the events of the day had worn him out.
“Will you come over tomorrow?” Jake asked, himself stifling a large yawn.
“I can’t, guys. Sorry. I’ll be away over the weekend but I promise to come by and see you when I get back, okay?” At their sad faces, he repeated himself. “I promise.” That was all they needed to hear before they headed off to bed.
Rob went about cleaning up the popcorn mess and straightening up the room. When there was nothing left to do, he stopped and watched Jordan sleeping on the couch. He crouched down beside her and gently swept her hair that had escaped her ponytail away from her face. God, she was beautiful. He didn’t want to leave. Without thinking, he bent forward and placed a soft kiss on her temple. Jordan sighed deeply and shifted slightly. Lost in the moment, he carefully scooped her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. Lord, but she felt good curled up against him!
She had barely stirred as he carried her and he held her close while he turned down her bed. Placing her gently down on the mattress, he felt suddenly protective of her. She seemed so tiny and fragile, like the young girl of sixteen he remembered.
But she wasn’t a young girl anymore. No, this was no girl lying on the bed with her soft lips slightly parted. This was a woman—a woman who still had the ability to stir his blood.
Jordan's Return Page 6
