nice of you,” she said instead, her tummy tense, the pulse in her neck bounding thick and sluggish.
He shrugged. “It was just mac and cheese.”
Maybe, but it’d been delicious, and to put down her tools at five and not have to worry about what to feed Finn for dinner had been ah-mazing. “You shouldn’t undersell yourself. You’re a good cook. Did you take lessons or pick it up along the way?”
Jane congratulated herself on steering the conversation onto a mundane, day-to-day track. Nothing more mind-numbingly boring and sexless than the Groundhog-Day-conundrum of families the world over—what to eat for dinner.
“I’m hardly Michelin star,” Cole dismissed. “My mother taught me a few basic dishes to get by. She worked several jobs and sometimes didn’t get home until late at night, and she was determined to raise a boy who knew his way around a kitchen.”
“She sounds great.”
He smiled, and it was so full of nostalgia and affection it did funny things inside Jane’s chest. “She was.”
“She’s…not around anymore?”
“No.” He shook his head. “She died three years ago.”
The thickness in his voice was unmistakable, and Jane battled the urge to slide her hand onto his arm and squeeze. She settled for a gentle, “I’m sorry.” Her parents may live in Germany right now, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine not having them in her life. Finn not having them in his life.
“Thank you.”
“And your father?”
“I have no idea. He buggered off for good when I was twelve, and I’ve not heard from him since. I assume he’s also dead.”
Jane frowned. That was a big assumption. “Why?”
“Because I’m pretty well-known in Australia. As is the amount of money I’ve earned over the years—and my father is the king of freeloaders. He’d have come out of the woodwork a long time ago if he was still around.”
“I’m…sorry.” Jane wasn’t sure what else to say.
“It’s fine,” he murmured, returning his gaze to the backyard as he took another slug of his drink.
Jane followed suit, and they lapsed into silence again. She had no idea what he was thinking, but he didn’t seem angry or upset, more…contemplative, which suited the early evening ambience.
“Arlo Pike wants me to run a rugby clinic for the local kids this weekend.”
The bottle paused halfway to Jane’s mouth as she glanced at Cole. It didn’t surprise her. She’d met Arlo a couple of times since arriving in Credence, and he struck her as nothing but proactive in the community.
“That sounds like a great idea.” She did some quick mental calculations on how much she could get achieved tomorrow to make up for Cole being otherwise occupied at the end of the week. “I might bring Finn down to watch for a while those days.”
“I’m happy to take him with me.” Cole’s gaze met hers. “He likes kicking a ball around, and it’ll be plenty of exercise for him.”
“Oh.” Jane sat back a little. She hadn’t considered that Cole would want a tagalong while he taught a rugby clinic.
He frowned. “If that’s okay by you.”
“But…won’t you be busy running the clinic? You don’t need your attention divided.”
Jane knew from experience that her son needed an eagle eye trained on him at all times.
“Apparently, it won’t be a big group, and Arlo’s making sure there are plenty of volunteers to keep an eye on everybody at all times.”
Jane had no doubt that Arlo would make sure it was run with full supervision, but mother guilt reared its ugly head again. She volunteered to help with Finn’s activities whenever she could—she took time out of work specifically to do so. But ordinarily, during vacation, when it was her time with Finn, she didn’t work at all.
It felt wrong to not be a part of it.
“I’ll put him in with some kids his age,” Cole added. “He’ll have a blast, and I’ll get him back to you in one piece at the end of the day, I promise.”
He smiled at her then, and her stupid stomach turned over as she returned the smile. “And what about you? Are you…?” She tipped her head at his ever-present walking stick. “Should you be taking on something like that right now?”
Picking up his stick, he twirled it in his hand, and Jane held her breath. She’d obviously annoyed him this past week any time she’d called his fitness or ability into question. But he seemed pensive rather than annoyed right now.
“Trust me.” He turned his head to the side, his eyes finding hers. There was a mischievous