Page 69 of The Grumpy Boss Agreement

“Ah.” He nods and rubs the bridge of his nose with a hand. “It looked like the sinus massage that Sarah does for him. Minus the humming part, I guess.”

I cast an eye over his stooped shoulders.

“Everybody likes to be stroked sometimes. You know, I can try some massage on you.” I blush, shaking my head. “Err not that I’m trying to mother you, or anything.”

He gives me an odd look. “No, thanks.” He lets out another huge sigh. “It’s just hard being the main parent for Charlie.”

I nod. “I get that.”

“When we lived in Atlanta, Charlie was involved in a bunch of activities. Not to mention that we had a full-time nanny to run him from one place to another. And there was Holly, of course. Although I feel her contribution to raising Charlie was….” He waves it away. “Minimal at best.”

Trying not to show my intense nosiness about Cole’s ex, I change the subject slightly.

“What happened to Charlie’s nanny?”

“She has her own family in Marietta. She couldn’t move all the way over here for a job that would end in a couple of months.”

“That makes sense. It’s kind of a shame that he is down here for such a short time, though. My nephew Dex is involved with learning Mandarin, plays t-ball, and goes to a weekend science camp. All of them are fully paid for by the school since there is only one elementary school halfway between South Shore and Cape Simon.”

“Mandarin? That’s pretty impressive. When I was a kid, it was just Spanish or French. And only in high school, I think.”

I shift and resettle, my knee pressing against his thigh. Cole doesn’t move away.

“Is that why you’re moving? Because you miss the city?”

“Well, yeah. I used to live in Atlanta when I went to college there.”

“But you decided to settle here? That seems crazy.”

“I miss being able to walk right out the door and get dinner. Or go to the movies. Or… basically do anything interesting. Cape Simon may be fancy, but downtown Atlanta it is not.”

I roll my eyes.

“The Cape is nice. And besides, it’s where my grandad, my sister, and my nephew are. I’d be crazy to leave all of that just for better dinner options.”

Cole shoots me a smile. “I guess when you put it that way. But don’t you have the itch to live in the city?”

I shake my head emphatically. “I got a taste. I really don’t miss it.”

“You know, before Charlie was born, I planned to move to somewhere far away. Hong Kong, or Brisbane, or Dubai. I wanted to get away.”

“From what?”

Cole glances away into the distance.

“Things around home were kind of tense.”

“Meaning what?”

“My mom died when I was a kid. Ten months later, my dad showed up with Sarah. And Sarah brought her kids. Suddenly our family of five became a family of ten.” He flicks his fingers. “They all moved in here with no problem. There was plenty of room. And I eventually grew to love my step-siblings. But it was tough, watching Sarah replace my mom. Heartbreaking.”

On impulse, I put my hand over Cole’s knee and murmur a sound of sympathy.

Cole looks at me and shrugs. “It’s fine. What are you gonna do? I had no say in the matter anyway.”

“Still, that sounds like a pretty bleak year.”

He snorts. “I never really fit in to the big family portrait. By the time I was seventeen, I started making plans to go to college in Atlanta. That’s where I met Holly. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

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