Right Next Door

In contrast to all the beauty surrounding her, Robin’s heart was troubled. Watching Cole, so patient and gentle with her son, filled her with contradictory emotions. Part of her wanted to thank him. Thank him for the smile that lit up Jeff’s face. Thank him for throwing open the shades and easing her toward the light. And part of her wanted to shut her eyes and run for cover.

“Mom, look!” Jeff cried as the kite whipped and kicked in the wind. Blackie raced at his side as the sleek red-and-blue kite sliced through the sky, then dipped sharply and crashed toward the ground at heart-stopping speed, only to be caught at the last second and lifted higher and higher.

“I’m looking, I’m looking!” Robin shouted back. She’d never seen Jeff happier. Pride and joy shone from his face, and Robin was moved almost to tears.

Cole stood behind Jeff, watching the kite. One hand rested on the boy’s shoulder, the other shaded his eyes as he gazed up at the sky. They laughed, and once more Robin was struck by the mingling of their voices. One mature and measured, the other young and excited. Both happy.

A few minutes later, Cole jogged over to Robin’s blanket and sat down beside her. He did nothing more than smile at her, but she felt an actual jolt.

Cole stretched out and leaned back on his elbows, grinning at the sun. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much.”

“You two seem to be enjoying this,” Robin said.

If Cole noticed anything awry, he didn’t comment. She’d managed not to tell him about the date with Angela’s cousin; she certainly didn’t want him to think she was trying to make him jealous. That wasn’t the evening’s purpose at all. Actually she wasn’t sure what she hoped to accomplish by dating Fred…Frank. She mentally shouted the name five times. Why did she keep calling him Fred? She didn’t know that any more than she knew why she was going out with him. On the morning she’d talked Angela into making the arrangements for her, it had seemed a matter of life and death. Now she only felt confused and regretful.

“Jeff says you’ve got a date this evening.”

So much for her worry that she might blurt it out herself, Robin thought. She glanced at Cole. He might’ve been referring to the weather for all the emotion revealed in his voice.

“A cousin of a good friend. She’s been after me for months to meet Frank—we’re having dinner.”

“Could this be the Frank you weren’t going out with and that was final?”

Robin stared at him blankly.

“You answered the phone with that when I called to inquire about Blackie. Remember?”

“Oh, yes…” Suddenly she felt an intense need to justify her actions. “It’s just that Angela’s been talking about him for so long and it seemed like the right thing to do. He’s apparently very nice and Angela’s been telling me he’s a lot of fun and I didn’t think it would hurt to meet him….” Once she got started, Robin couldn’t seem to stop explaining.

“Robin,” Cole said, his eyes tender. “You don’t owe me any explanations.”

She instantly grew silent. He was right, she knew that, yet she couldn’t help feeling guilty. She was making a terrible mess of this.

“I’m not the jealous type,” Cole informed her matter-of-factly.

“I’m not trying to make you jealous,” she returned stiffly.

“Good,” Cole said and shrugged. His gaze moved from her to Jeff, who was jogging across the grass. Blackie was beside him, barking excitedly.

He hadn’t asked, but she felt obliged to explain who’d be looking after her son while she was out. “Jeff’s going to the movies with Heather and Kelly Lawrence while I’m out.”

Cole didn’t say anything. All he did was smile. It was the same smile he’d flashed at her earlier. The same devastating, wickedly charming smile.

He seemed to be telling her she could dine with a thousand different men and it wouldn’t disturb him in the least. As he’d said, he wasn’t the jealous type. Great. This was exactly the way she’d wanted him to respond, wasn’t it? She could date a thousand different men, because Cole didn’t care about her. He cared about her son.

“Let me know when you want to leave,” he said with infuriating self-assurance. “I wouldn’t want you to be late.”

On that cue, Robin checked her watch and was surprised to note that it was well past four. They’d been having so much fun, the day had simply slipped away. When she looked up, she found Cole studying her expectantly. “It’s…I’m not meeting Frank until later,” she said, answering his unspoken question evasively while she gathered up the remains of their picnic.

An hour later, they decided to leave Golden Gate Park. Jeff and Cole loaded up the kites, as well as the picnic cooler, in the back of Cole’s car. It took them another hour to get back to Glen Park because of the traffic, which made Robin’s schedule even tighter. But that was hardly Cole’s fault—it wasn’t as if he’d arranged for an accident on the freeway.

Cole and Jeff chatted easily for most of the ride home. When they finally arrived at the house, both Robin and Jeff helped Cole unload the car. Blackie’s barking only added to the confusion.

“I suppose I’d better get inside,” Robin said, her eyes briefly meeting Cole’s. She felt awkward all of a sudden, wishing Jeff was standing there as a barrier, instead of busily carrying things onto Cole’s porch.

“We had a great time,” she added self-consciously. She couldn’t really blame her nervousness on Cole; he’d been the perfect companion all day. “Thank you for the picnic.”

Jeff joined them, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Cole. “Are you gonna let her do it?”

“Do what?” Robin asked.

“Go out with that other man,” Jeff said righteously, inviting Cole to leap into the argument. “I can’t believe you’re letting her get away with this.”

“Jeff. This isn’t something we should be discussing with Mr. Camden.”

“All right,” he murmured with a sigh. “But I think you’re making a mistake.” He cast a speculative glance in Cole’s direction. “Both of you,” he mumbled under his breath and headed for the house.

“Thanks for the wonderful afternoon, Cole,” Robin said again.

“No problem,” he responded, hands in his pockets, his stance relaxed. “Have a good time with Frank.”

“Thanks, I will,” she said, squinting at him suspiciously just before she turned toward the house. Darn it, she actually felt guilty! There wasn’t a single solitary reason she should feel guilty for agreeing to this dinner date with Angela’s cousin, yet she did. Cole must’ve known it, too, otherwise he wouldn’t have made that remark about having a good time. Oh, he knew all right.

As Robin was running the bath, Jeff raced up the stairs. “Mom, I need money for the movie.” He thrust her purse into her hands. “How much are you giving me for goodies?”

“Goodies?”

“You know, popcorn, pop, a couple of candy bars. I’m starving.”

“Jeff, you haven’t stopped eating all day. What about the two hot dogs I just fixed you?”

“I ate them, but that was fifteen minutes ago. I’m hungry again.”

Robin handed him fifteen dollars, prepared for an argument. That amount should be enough to pay his way into the movie and supply him with popcorn and a soda. Anything beyond that he could do without.

Jeff took the money from her and slowly shook his head. “That’s it, kid,” she said in a firm voice.

“Did I complain?” Bright blue eyes gazed innocently back at her.

“You didn’t have to. I could see it in your face.”

Jeff was ready to leave a few minutes later, just as Robin was getting dressed. He stood outside her bedroom door and shouted that Kelly and her mom were there to pick him up.

“Have fun. I won’t be any later than ten-thirty,” she assured him.

“Can’t I wait for you over at Cole’s after the movie?”

“Absolutely not!” Robin’s heart skidded to a dead stop at the suggestion. The last person she wanted to face at the end of this evening was Cole Camden. “You didn’t ask him, did you?”

“No…but I’m not all that excited about going to Kelly’s. I’m there every day, you know.”

“Sweetie, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t be late.”

“You’re sure I can’t go over to Cole’s?”

“Jeffrey Leonard Masterson, don’t you dare bother Cole. Do you understand me?”

He blinked. She rarely used that tone with him, but she didn’t have the time or energy to argue about this.

“I guess,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “But could you make it home by ten?”

“Why ten?”

“Because I don’t want to do anything stupid like fall asleep in front of Kelly,” he whispered heatedly.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Robin said.

Glancing at her clock radio, she gasped at the time. She was running late. From the moment she’d made the arrangements to meet Frank, she hadn’t given the reality of this evening much thought. Just forcing herself to go through with it had depleted her of energy.

Robin had always hated situations like this. Always. She was going to a strange restaurant, meeting a strange man, and for what? She didn’t know.

Tucking her feet into her pumps, Robin hurried to the bathroom to spray on a little perfume. Not much, just enough to give herself some confidence. She rushed down the stairs and reached for her purse.

Her hand was on the doorknob when the phone rang. For a moment, Robin intended to ignore it. It was probably for Jeff. But what if the call was from her parents? Or Frank—calling to cancel? Ridiculous though it was, each ring sounded more urgent than the last. She’d have to answer or she’d spend all evening wondering who it was. Muttering under her breath, she dashed into the kitchen.

“Hello,” she said impatiently.

At first there was no response. “Robin, it’s Cole.” He sounded nothing like himself. “I lied.” With that the line was abruptly disconnected.

Robin held the receiver away from her ear and stared at it for several seconds. He’d lied? About what? Good heavens, why had he even phoned? To tell her he’d lied.

There wasn’t time to phone him back and ask what he’d meant.

“Would you care for something to drink?” Frank Eberle asked, glancing over the wine list.

“Nothing, thanks,” Robin said. Frank had turned out to be a congenial sort, which was a pleasant surprise. He was quite attractive, with light blue eyes and a thick head of distinguished-looking salt-and-pepper hair. Angela had once mentioned he was “a little bit” shy, which had panicked Robin since she was a whole lot shy, at least around men. The way she’d figured it, they’d stare at each other most of the night, with no idea what to say. However, they did have Angela in common. Whereas with Cole, all she shared was—