Too subtle for Charlie to catch; nevertheless the exchange had brought a chill to the room that no fire could warm.
Though he wanted to tell her that they both knew she was the one who couldn’t be trusted, he kept his mouth shut. He remembered all too well how hard it had been for him as a child to listen to his mom bicker with her new husband.
There was a child in the house. This meant any animosity between him and Meg had to be put to bed. At the very least while Meg was living under his roof and probably until he could sever her custody ties with Charlie.
It wasn’t fair for the boy to be put in the middle of adult business. Besides, what happened between Meg and him had been a lifetime ago. While it was doubtful he’d ever trust her again, they were two adults. For Charlie’s sake they should be able to put the past behind them. Which meant no sniping at each other.
“Uncle Cole.” Once again at his side, Charlie tugged on his sweater. “Aren’t you going to take Aunt Meg’s hand? She’s had it out there a long time.”
“Worried I’ll let you fall?” she softly taunted, a smile on her lips.
“Not in the least.” Cole closed his fingers around Meg’s, disturbed by the intensity of emotions the touch aroused.
He met her gaze. Despite his earlier gibe, he wasn’t worried she’d let him fall. From what he’d seen, she was too much of a professional to let personal feelings influence her job performance.
In less than a minute Cole was settled on the floor, strapped into the machine, feeling it work its magic.
Meg, with enthusiastic help from Charlie, had propped him up with pillows against the back of the sofa.
“Now what?” Charlie asked.
Cole opened his mouth to suggest they watch the basketball game on television, but stopped himself in time. This was his son’s first night with him. He couldn’t believe he’d considered television even for a moment.
“Can we watch TV?” Charlie asked, plopping down on the floor beside him.
Cole swallowed a chuckle at Meg’s look of shock.
“I thought tonight might be a good chance for the three of us to get better acquainted,” she said diplomatically.
“What did you have in mind?” Cole tried to keep the suspicion from his voice. While he’d never been a holding-hands-around-the-campfire kind of guy, he wanted to keep an open mind.
Charlie’s brows pulled together. “I don’t know what akwadented means.”
“It means,” Meg said, settling into a nearby chair, “that we get to know each other better by asking and answering the same questions about each other.”
“I dunno,” Charlie said, his expression uncertain.
Cole glanced longingly at the fifty-two-inch television. The basketball game was looking better by the second.
“For example,” Meg said, apparently not dissuaded by their lack of enthusiasm, “my favorite color is green. What’s yours?”
Charlie shrugged.
The look on Meg’s face fell. Cole knew he could squash this game with a few well-chosen words. But that would be mean. Plus he’d vowed to keep an open mind. He forced excitement into his voice. “Mine is blue.”
“That’s my favorite color, too,” Charlie said.
“See, isn’t this fun?” Meg asked. The smile remained on her lips but he heard the strain in her voice, saw it on her face.
Charlie looked at Cole.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Cole said.
“It’s fun,” the little boy echoed.
Cole grinned. That was his boy.
Meg sighed.
“Let’s stick with the basics for a little bit,” Meg said, then proceeded over the next thirty minutes to ferret out their favorite food, their favorite pet—they all liked dogs best—even their favorite thing to do in the evening.
When Charlie said sitting on his daddy’s lap while listening to him read Warren and Dragon was his “most favoritist thing in all the world,” Cole’s throat clogged up.
“You had a nice daddy,” Meg said. “I had a nice daddy, too.”
Unexpectedly she shifted her gaze to Cole. “How about you?”
“He was great.”
“Looks like we were all blessed with wonderful fathers,” Meg said softly.
“Did your daddy read you Warren and Dragon?” Charlie asked Cole.
“I don’t remember.” Okay, it wasn’t a truthful answer but if he said no, Charlie would surely ask why. There was no way Cole wanted to get into his father’s reading difficulties.
“I think it’s time to unhook Uncle Cole from the machine.” Meg slanted a glance in Charlie’s direction. “Want to help, deputy?”
The boy’s somber expression immediately brightened. He pumped a fist in the air.
Cole braced himself when Charlie jumped to his feet. But he’d