I hope, we can work through it together.” He looked down at Hope, at the way she avoided his gaze. She’d parted her baby-fine hair neatly in the middle, and silky bangs fell over her forehead. She had a slight figure, was incredibly shy, at least around him, and her blue eyes were shades darker than his son’s.
She commiserated with his son, and Corbin commiserated with her. Maybe because, in some indefinable way, she reminded him of Justin. Every bit as wounded, wary and guarded. Already he felt protective of her, but then, that was part of his nature. His mother, bless her, hadn’t tolerated apathy of any kind. The adage “boys will be boys” was pure nonsense, she said, and there was no excuse for boys to be less compassionate, less aware, than girls.
From what he’d gleaned so far, Justin’s mother had pretty much left him to raise himself. She’d explained that he was a handful, headstrong and determined to run wild. Corbin saw no evidence of that. Yes, Justin was a healthy, active ten-year-old boy with plenty of energy. But Corbin had once been the same, so he didn’t see that as unusual.
Hope shifted beside him. He realized he’d been quiet too long, lost in thought. “Sorry.”
Her gaze shot to his in surprise, but didn’t stay there long. “For?”
“My mind wandered.” Looking up at the mature trees of every kind, at the bluer-than-blue sky, Corbin breathed deeply and smelled the lake and the wild honeysuckle that grew along the perimeter of the woods. “It’s been a lot to take in, but I’m hoping this place will be good for us.” Maybe it would be good for Hope, too.
She gave him a tentative smile. “It is very peaceful here.”
“There’s plenty to do, a lot of ways to keep an active boy busy.” And they were far from the city and Darcie. He believed Justin’s adjustment would be easier without his mother’s insults, not that she’d mentioned any plans of visiting him anyway.
She’d been clear that she was handing him over—for good.
When he saw Justin bring his legs up to climb the tree, he knew he needed to wrap it up. Stepping away, he said, “I won’t hold you up any longer. Remember, if there’s anything you need, just let me know. It’ll be terrific having you as a neighbor.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
After a nod, he joined Justin, smiling at how easily he scaled the tree. Standing near enough to catch him but unwilling to inhibit him, Corbin said, “When I was your age, I had a tree house.”
Now hanging upside down, Justin eyed him. “For real?”
“My brother and I built it with my mother’s help.”
“Your dad didn’t help?”
It amused Corbin to have this conversation with Justin upside down. “Dad had already passed away, but Mom took up the slack.” He’d given Justin a condensed version of his family already, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him with details yet. “What about us building one?”
Eyes lighting up, Justin swung around and dropped to his feet. Then he scowled. “I don’t know how to.”
“I do, and I’d enjoy showing you.”
Skepticism showed through the excitement. “You mean it?”
Every damn thing he offered, big and small, Justin treated like an unexpected gift he couldn’t quite trust. Of course a dad would build a tree house with his son. Sooner or later, Justin would come to expect some things as his due.
“Why not?” Hoping to break through his son’s invisible wall, Corbin put his arm around him. He tried to make the gesture casual, but it wasn’t. He literally ached to touch his son, to roughhouse, to hug him, to feel the little-boy-softness of his skin and to breathe in the sunshine in his hair.
For now, he’d call it progress that Justin didn’t shy away from the nonchalant touch. “Let’s go explore and see if we can find a tree closer to the main house that will work.”
Bolting ahead, Justin yelled back, “I know a good one.”
Laughing, Corbin broke into a run, too.
* * *
Friday afternoon, using her only break to drink tea and devour an egg salad sandwich, Ivey considered what Hope had shared a few days ago. It made sense, given the relationship she’d witnessed between Corbin and Justin.
All things considered, Corbin seemed a very attentive parent, and Justin didn’t seem any more temperamental than many kids his age.
Corbin hadn’t yet contacted her about a pet, but the man had certainly been busy.
By now, everyone in town knew that they’d