Page 25 of A Beach House Beginning

“So far. The girls haven’t hit their teens yet.”

She groaned, not wanting to think about how fast her child seemed to be growing up.

From his crate, Theo whined to be let out. She winced. She was a terrible dog mom. She should have done that first thing. “Oh shoot. I’d better take him outside. He’s been in his crate for an hour while I went shopping.”

“Why don’t I take care of that and you can keep putting away your vast quantities of vegetables?”

“That would be great, actually.”

“I’ll take him out to the fenced area of the garden. That way we won’t need the leash, especially since I don’t expect he’ll be that crazy about hanging out in the rain, either.”

“We call that the dog yard, since that’s where the Andersons put their little Sophie.”

The entire Brambleberry House property had a wrought-iron fence surrounding it, but it was open in front for the driveway. The completely fenced area adjacent to the house was the perfect size for Theo.

She had just finished finding room in her refrigerator for the rotisserie chicken she planned to shred and use in multiple recipes when she heard a sharp rap on her apartment door.

She hurried to open it for Wes and Theo, both of them drenched.

“Oh my! What happened to the umbrella?”

“It broke in the wind ten seconds after I walked outside.”

“You’re soaked. Let me find you a towel.”

She grabbed two—one for Wes and one for Theo.

“Thanks,” he said as Jenna picked up her dripping dog and began rubbing him briskly with the towel, trying not to notice how Wes’s blue T-shirt clung to every hard muscle of his chest.

He dried off his hair, not seeming to care that the towel left the ends tousled and sticking up in random directions.

He looked as if he had just climbed out of the shower.

Her shower.

She swallowed and turned her attention back to the dog. She didnotwant to go there, even in her imagination.

“You seem to know what you’re doing in the kitchen.”

“You mean because I bought a little of everything at the grocery store?”

“Yes. Plus I think you have some things there I’ve never even heard of.”

“I like to cook. I don’t have a lot of time during the school year so summer gives me a good chance to experiment and try some new recipes.”

“I should do that. I’m sure Brielle will quickly get tired of eating pizza or going down to the taco truck on the beach.”

“Who could ever get tired of that? We love pizza and tacos.”

His mouth lifted into a slight smile that made her suddenly aware that they were alone here in her apartment, without either of their girls.

And she was suddenly aware that he was an extremely attractive man.

“We should grab tacos together sometime while I have Brielle with me full-time.”

She swallowed, her mind racing. Was he asking her out? Panic raced through her. She wasn’t ready. Not to date again, to allow herself to be vulnerable again. She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready.

Just before she would have made some excuse, common sense reasserted itself. He was not asking her out on a date. He was suggesting that, as two single parents, they share a meal together with their children.

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