hope so. Don’t get me wrong, okay? I’ll owe her for the rest of my life, but Rosemary,” he said, referring to his mother-in-law, “didn’t always run a tight ship.”
“Patience, sailor.” His dad cast him a significant look before stepping off the deck. “What goes around comes around—like father, like son.”
Joe stared after him as he rounded up Davy and buckled him into the back of a blue extended-cab pickup. When everyone was secured inside, the truck backed out and his father returned a wave.
Like father, like son? Had he been such a rebellious little brat like Davy could be at times? He stepped to the edge of the deck, his grip tightening on the railing. It was great of his father to take in son and grandson after all these years. But he could see only a week into the experience that having two heads of the same household wasn’t going to work.
This week he’d start looking for a new place to live. Maybe to rent, but preferably one to buy. He still had the money from the San Diego house sale squirreled away. Buying would establish both the relational and legal roots he needed to ensure his and Davy’s future together. He’d do some sleuthing, too. See if he could figure out what innocent-eyed Ms. McGuire was up to.
With a curious twinge of disappointment, Meg glanced back at the house—and Joe—before both disappeared from sight. His attire had clued her immediately that he didn’t intend to join them, so Sharon was right about that. Although he could have if he’d been inclined. Canyon Springs Christian Church catered to seasonal visitors and was no stranger to the casually dressed crowd.
At any rate, she had to admit he’d looked gorgeous this morning, his muscular brown legs stretched out, sunlight glancing off a head of shiny, ebony hair. And that appraising look he’d leveled in her direction as she stepped up on the deck? It had been enough to send her heart scampering up her throat. It was a wonder she’d been able to return his greeting.
She shook away the memory of his dark, smoky eyes. “Thanks for inviting me along, Bill.”
“With gas prices seesawing again, it never hurts to carpool.”
“What’s carpool?” Davy rummaged in his backpack. “Where cars swim?”
“Look who’s a comedian this morning.” Bill chuckled as he turned onto the black-topped road.
They’d barely picked up speed when Davy thrust something over the seat. A picture frame dropped beside her.
“That’s my mommy.”
Bill exchanged a glance with her as she picked up the frame and turned it face-up. A family portrait. The kind you got at a department store or had made for a church directory.
“She’s beautiful, Davy.”
And she was. A playful, wide-mouthed smile. Lively obsidian eyes flirting with the camera. Raven black hair and flawless, olive skin. No wonder Joe had fallen in love with her. What red-blooded male could resist?
An irrational stab of jealousy pierced her consciousness. Not only upon seeing the beautiful woman with Joe, but also noticing her naturally warm, Hispanic skin tone. A skin tone that once upon a time she herself would have died to have. And almost did. Bet this woman never had to resort to a tanning bed for that healthy, golden-hued glow.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “What was her name?”
“Selena.” Bill kept his eyes on the road.
Her gaze rested a moment longer on the captivating face. Selena. The woman for whom Joe still wore his wedding band. She shifted her attention to the image of Joe and the newborn he cradled. Joe, dashing in his Navy whites. Confident. Proud. A new dad with the world by the tail. The future in his arms.
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