Page 9 of Play Action Pass

His gaze flickered up to meet hers. “Is that why you’re here?”

Emmie shook her head, wondering how much she should reveal. Coleson didn’t seem like a man who’d go blabbing to the press, but she had to be careful.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” he said softly.

“It’s okay. A little over a year ago, I found my brother floating in his hot tub.” Damn it! She blinked rapidly to hold back the emotional tears. She didn’t want to start crying, but her chin wobbled a little. “My parents went around telling everyone he’d OD’d. They got all manner of sympathy, but it was a lie. He’d taken some Xanax for anxiety and drank whiskey, and that, combined with the heat of the water, caused him to pass out. He ended up drowning.”

“I’m so sorry,” Coleson said. Sadness and understanding were etched on his face. He reached out his hand to cover hers, and she liked the bit of warmth he offered. “Growing up, I was a little punk since I had no adult supervision, and my coach onthe youth football league kind of whipped my ass into shape. If it hadn’t been for him, I have no idea where I’d be today. Probably in jail or in the ground. When he retired, he moved into the beach house I’m staying in. He passed away three months ago so I’m here to pack everything up.”

“I’m glad you had him,” Emmie murmured.

He gave her a little smile, squeezed her hand, and went back to cooking. “Yeah. Me too. Did you have anyone?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not like you. It was my brother and I growing up. He, ah, wanted to divorce our parents, but I was too scared. It haunts me, that he died thinking I was a coward.” When a tear rolled down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away and gave a self-conscious laugh. “Sorry.”

He reached over and patted her hand. “You don’t have to apologize.”

She sniffed. “He was my twin. I thought we’d be together always. I thought he’d make fun of me if I ever got married. I thought I’d definitelymake fun of him if he did. He wasn’t supposed to die, especially not like that.”

Coleson came around the island and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight hug. She stiffened at first, but then relaxed when she realized all he wanted to do was comfort her. When he pulled back, he swept some of her hair behind an ear. That spark she’d felt earlier ignited again, causing her heart to skip a beat. She glanced at his lips, wanting to kiss him, but knowing it was inappropriate to kiss a man she’d only known a handful of hours.

He cleared his throat and took a step back, and she immediately felt bereft. Which was stupid. She’d just met this guy. Still, she never had tingles dance over her skin before. Or have a man stare at her like he wanted to eat her up. At least, none that didn’t see dollar signs first.

An easy smile plastered on his face.

“Dinner is about done,” he said.

She nodded, letting him know she understood.

He drained the pasta, mixed it with the sauce, and took it to the small dining table before getting the perfectly cooked garlic bread out of the oven and sliding the pieces into a bread basket.

“Ready?” he asked.

Emmie brought her glass of wine over, and he held out her chair as she sat down. Then he grabbed his own glass and the bottle of wine and sat across from her.

“To new friendships,” he said, holding up his glass.

“Yes.” She lightly tapped his with hers, then they both took a drink. “It looks and smells wonderful. Thank you for saving dinner. YouTube never prepared me for how hard it would be to cook.”

“YouTube?”

She gave a one-shoulder shrug as she filled up her bowl with food and added a little parmesan cheese. “I thought it would be the perfect app to teach me, but I underestimated how difficult it’d be to watch everything so it wouldn’t burn.”

He grinned. “It does take a little time to learn how to manage it all. No one ever was great the first time.”

“Not even Gordon Ramsey?”

“I’m pretty sure he made some type of deal with the Devil.”

She laughed. “They don’t call itHell’s Kitchenfor nothing.”

They ate for a few minutes, and it was nice having a companion. She didn’t feel quite so alone.

“What do you do for a living?” he asked.

For a moment, panic set in. What did she tell him? Sticking as close to the truth as possible sounded like a wise decision. “I, um, I work in the local animal shelter. Taking careof them. Helping them get adopted. Cleaning cages and taking them on walks.”

“That’s amazing,” he said.

---