had a feeling it wasn’t simply the music from the lute Meg was reacting to, but the golden glow from the lamplight which complemented the warmth of the fire. The potpourri she’d brought home last week from the store also added to the ambience.
He’d teased her when she’d filled festive Christmas bowls and told him she was going to scatter them throughout the house. Now, the scent of peppermint mixed with cinnamon filled the air. Somehow, his house had begun to feel an awful lot like a home.
“I’m sorry we had to leave the party so abruptly,” Meg said, taking another sip of cider. “You didn’t even get to sample any of that scrumptious food Lexi made.”
“I have to admit I had my eye on the poached salmon.” Cole raised his cup to his lips but didn’t take a drink. “Other than that, I didn’t mind leaving. I’ve never been much for parties.”
Meg chortled. “Don’t give me that. In high school you had a reputation for being quite a party animal.”
Cole tightened his fingers around the mug’s handle. “Let’s just say I never missed an opportunity to go where food was being served.”
“Food?” Meg’s eyebrow lifted. “What did that have to do with anything?”
It had everything to do with it, Cole thought. In fact, tonight, seeing the bountiful buffet table had brought back memories of those lean years. But they were in the past. No longer did it hurt to recall them.
“Are you sure it wasn’t the liquid refreshments that drew you to those high school parties?” Meg asked with a teasing smile. “C’mon, you can tell me.”
“I rarely drank back then.” Cole shrugged. “I couldn’t afford to get caught and kicked off the team. Plus seeing how booze ruled my stepfather’s life made me determined to not go down that same road.”
“Well, I never got invited to the parties, so drinking wasn’t an issue for me.” Meg laughed. “I think Travis made up for me. From what I heard, he did a good job representing the family at those kind of events.”
Cole simply smiled.
“Are you hungry?” she asked abruptly. “There’s leftover chicken salad in the fridge. I could make us a sandwich.”
While Charlie hadn’t appeared impressed by the tarragon chicken salad Meg had made yesterday—asking for PB&J instead—Cole had thought it was terrific.
“Sure. But I can—” He started to push himself up from the sofa, but Meg waved him back down.
“Let me,” she said. “It’ll only take a sec.”
Before he had a chance to protest she was already on her way to the kitchen. It seemed like she’d barely left when she returned with a sandwich for each of them and fruit. Cole realized he must be hungrier than he’d initially thought, because the chicken salad on nine-grain bread and the cut-up apple slices with fruit dip looked like a feast.
“Wow,” he said, taking the plate she handed him. “Very nice. Thanks.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re easy to please?”
Cole thought for a second then shook his head. “Only you.”
He was still chewing when Meg placed her sandwich back on her plate.
“Why did you go to parties for the food?” she asked. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Cole slowly swallowed and didn’t immediately respond.
“This is probably me worrying about nothing, but when I was getting the food together, I realized you’d made a statement and I just glossed over it. I think I do that a lot.”
Two bright spots of color dotted her cheeks.
Cole knew he could make up something that answered her question but told her nothing. Or he could tell her the truth.
“Food matters,” Cole said, “if you don’t have enough to eat.”
“Not enough to eat?” Meg pulled her brows together. She’d asked a simple question and he’d given her a riddle. “Why wouldn’t you have had enough to eat? Your stepdad had a job.”
Meg knew that for a fact. She’d seen Wally stocking shelves at the big-box store out on the highway with her own two eyes. She and Cole had been seeing each other at the time and she’d recognized the grizzled mountain-of-a-man as his stepfather. Instead of speaking, she’d walked on by and acted as if she didn’t know him.
Now, looking back, she realized that had been rude. Of course, if she was ever granted a “do-over” on her teenage years there would be a lot of things she’d do differently. Knowing the man he’d become, Meg was sure Cole felt the same way.
“You’re right. Wally did have a job. When he decided to