Wild Man (Dream Man #2)(48)
“Slim,” Cob said softly, moving into my vision and giving his son a gentle look that, albeit gentle, clearly said to Brock that he’d made his point and it was time to move on before he moved up the stairs. When his eyes hit me, he said softly, “Heya Tess. Good to see you again.”
“Hey,” I said softly back.
“Have the children at my house by five.” I heard Olivia hiss at Brock.
“I’ll have them back at seven so Dad can have a good visit,”
I moved back behind the counter but glanced at the living room as Cob and the boys gathered at the bar and I saw her pinched face now staring daggers at Brock.
And Ellie was not wrong. She did have a pinchy face and after the initial impact of her looks, her words, attitude, anger and inappropriateness colored those looks and she was not nearly as beautiful as I’d thought.
“Fine,” she bit out then started stomping to the door.
I picked up the pastry bag and went back to decorating even as I listened hard.
Therefore I heard Brock rumble low, “You cool down, you reflect on this, Olivia. You do this shit one more time, and I mean any of it, from your start of showin’ two hours early to take my boys to finish with you throwin’ a shit fit in front of them and my woman, I warn you, I’ll take action.”
“Go f**k yourself, Slim,” was her hissed retort.
“Jesus,” was Brock’s muttered reply.
My eyes slid to Cob to see his mouth tight, his jaw hard and his eyes aimed at the counter.
He must have felt my look because his head came up, his gaze caught mine, he schooled his features into a smile that did not reach his concerned yet angry eyes then he released my gaze and reached out to wrap a big hand around Rex’s head and pull him into his side.
“That’s a big cake, boy, so big I’m thinkin’ I can talk Tess into lettin’ me stay so I can bum a piece,” Cob said to Rex.
“I don’t know, we were all gonna take quarters,” Rex said back and Cob grinned at him.
Brock showed, stalked to the end of the bar and looked between his sons.
“You guys all right?” he asked.
Joel shrugged and kept his gaze steady on the cake so I went back to decorating it even though I knew this non-answer actually meant a big, fat, hairy no to his father’s question.
“Yeah, Dad,” Rex mumbled.
“Right,” Brock whispered disbelievingly but let it go. Then, “Tess?”
“I’m good, honey,” I told the cake then asked it, “You want me to get you a beer?”
“I’ll get it,” pause then, “Dad?”
“Sounds good, Slim.”
“Boys?” Brock called.
“We can have a beer?” Joel asked.
I looked to him to see him looking beyond me to where Brock was at the fridge and I saw him grin at whatever look Brock was giving him then he said, “Okay, I’ll take a pop.”
“Me too,” Rex chimed in.
I went back to piping.
“Wow, Tess, the boys didn’t lie. You can barely see your hands move,” Cob noted.
“Practice,” I muttered.
“I can see that,” Cob muttered back then he said something that made warm gushiness flood my belly and my hands freeze mid-squirt. “Could be he’s my son but been around men as a whole a long time. Women who can pull off lookin’ beautiful bein’ barefoot in a kitchen wearin’ a t-shirt and glasses and no makeup with their hair pulled back in a ponytail while they decorate a cake that makes your mouth water just lookin’ at it, well,” my eyes had gone to him and he smiled gently at me, “don’t know a man alive or dead that I met in my sixty-eight years who wouldn’t want that woman above all others in his kitchen.”
He didn’t need to reassure me after my first acid encounter with Olivia.
But it was still a nice thing to do.
“Thanks, Cob,” I whispered.
“Don’t thank me for tellin’ the truth, sweetheart,” he whispered back.
Brock’s front hit my back and Cob’s beer hit the counter in front of him as Brock set it there while he joked, “Quit flirtin’ with my woman, Dad.”
This made Rex and Joel emit boy snickers and Cob to mutter, “I’ll try, Slim, but it’ll be hard.”
“Jesus,” Brock muttered back then I felt him take a swig of his beer.
I went back to piping but I did it smiling.
* * * * *
“Here you go, Cob,” I said softly, handing Brock’s father a fresh beer.
Dinner (and cake) consumed, visit with Gramps (and Dad) over, Brock was off taking the boys back to Olivia and her husband Dade’s house and I was hanging out with his Dad at his place.
Why Cob was still there, I wasn’t sure. I was still there because I was spending the night.
I curled in the seat across the sectional from him with my peppermint tea and tried not to be obvious as I studied him while he studied the fire Brock built.
When silence stretched as we sipped at our beverages and Cob’s look went from reflective to dark, I whispered, “Hey,” and his eyes came to me. “You okay?” I asked quietly.
Cob didn’t delay in letting me know what was on his mind.
“When he was datin’ her, I felt joy,” Cob stated and I stared at him. “We weren’t close, still aren’t close, but I was around. Looks like that and sugar sweet,” he muttered then went on to say, “Turns out saccharine.”