Page 17 of The Single Dad Project

She winced, pain flashing across her features. “Adam, don’t say—”

“I’m good, Addie. And I mean that. Glad the results weren’t worse.”

He did mean it; he didn’t hate Maurice. Definitely didn’t wish any kind of illness on him. His father just didn’t add to his life, nor did he take away from it. He was just a nonfactor.

Heaving a sigh, Adele nodded then, raising her cup to her mouth, slowly surveyed the living room, dining room and what was available of the kitchen.

“I have no shame in admitting I’m going to miss you two. I do every time you leave Chicago,” she said. “You and Jussy, you’re the only real family I have.”

Like him, she didn’t have a relationship with her mother, though she did possess a slightly better one with their father than he did. Still, from the time they were young until now, it had mostly been the two of them.

“I miss you, too. And any time you want to come visit us for however long, whether it’s a couple of days or months until my job’s done, there’s an extra room for you.”

“I know.” She nodded. “And thank you. Just don’t fall in love with this place, okay? No, don’t shake your head at me,” she ordered when he started to do just that. “This place has a certain charm. I peeped that as soon as I drove through downtown. So promise me you won’t fall under the spell of it, decide to stay and not return home.”

Even as he scoffed, an image of a certain woman with gorgeous, long locs, wide, dark brown eyes and a plush, worship-worthy mouth flickered across his mind’s eye. Heat circled his gut, but he ignored it as he smiled at his sister.

“I promise, Addie. I’m coming home when I’m finished here. Rose Bend is nothing but a job and a pretty town.”

A more suspicious man would feel like those were famous last words.

Good thing he wasn’t a suspicious man.

CHAPTER FOUR

“VINTAGERENOVATION?SERIOUSLY? They’re coming here?” Flo gaped at her brother, Coltrane “Cole” Dennison. Honest to God gaped, and she couldn’t help herself.

BecauseVintage Renovation. InRose Bend. Shelovedthat show. It was one of her favorites on cable’s Home Improvement Channel.

“Yes,Vintage Renovation: Queen Anne Edition, to be exact. It’s a new version of the series. A couple just bought the old Hudson place and hired an outside contractor to renovate it as well as restore it. AndVintage Renovationwants to feature the project,” Cole explained.

“How amazing.” Flo set the take-out container from the Sunnyside Grille, the local diner—the best diner in town—on top of his desk. “When does filming start?”

“Thank you for this,” Cole said, sliding the container closer. He flicked the top open and grinned at the sight of the squash casserole, macaroni and cheese and meat loaf. The delicious aroma filled his office and elicited a grumble from her own stomach. “Where’s yours? Because I’m not sharing.”

She cocked her head, smirking. “Really? You’re an ungrateful ass.” Laughing, she waved a hand toward the meal. “I’m picking up my own lunch on the way back to the studio. I didn’t want it to be cold since I have a client coming in at one-thirty.” Copping a glance down at her watch, she noticed that was about an hour and a half from now. “When Sydney brought Patience in on Tuesday for pictures,” she said, referring to his wife and five-year-old stepdaughter, “she mentioned how you barely left the office for lunch. So I thought I’d bring you some food so your wife wouldn’t worry about you wasting away to nothing.”

His grin softened into a smile, love lighting his eyes. Something tugged at her chest, twisting between her ribs as she glimpsed the emotion.Somethingbecause she refused to name it—was too ashamed to. It swerved too close to envy for her comfort. Which made zero sense because she didn’t desire a relationship.

No, she wanted none of that.

But maybe, just maybe, she might wonder what it felt like to be so loved, so secure in that love, that your eyes lit up at just the thought of your person.

She was thrilled that Cole had that. Especially since before Sydney returned to Rose Bend six years ago, he’d suffered a tragedy no person should ever have to endure. He’d lost his first wife and baby in childbirth, and for a while Flo and the rest of the family believed they’d never see him smile again. But then Sydney had returned home, pregnant with Patience, and she’d given him back love and a family. Flo would always be grateful and adore Sydney for that.

Also helped that she was really cool people.

“Getting back toVintage Renovation, itisamazing as you said,” he said, scooping a forkful of mac ’n’ cheese. “And not just for the new buyers of the Hudson house, but Rose Bend, too. This will bring the town national attention, and that converts into tourists and revenue.”

“Always thinking about your constituents, huh?” she teased, smiling.

Cole was mayor of Rose Bend, this being his sixth year. The townspeople kept reelecting him because he was one of those rare species of politicians who actually kept his promises. Not only had he expanded the annual motorcycle ride, brought more festivals and spearheaded the construction of new projects, including an elder and children’s care center, but he also cared about this town and its citizens, as well as their concerns. The same couldn’t be said for their previous mayor, Jasper Landon. To put it simply, he’d been a condescending jerk of a racist—and wasn’t that kind of redundant? His daughter, Jenna, who’d been known as the town bitch for the longest time, was now family and could often be found at their dinner table on Sunday and at their regular girls’ night.

Jenna’s father was still a douche, though.

“If by constituents you mean my favorite little sister...” He jabbed his fork in her direction. “If you tell Leo, Sinead or Cher I said that, I’ll deny, deny, deny.”

Flo snickered. “Hell, you reallyarea politician.”

---