“I’ll be here.” Probably just to be irritating, he reached up to remove the clip again, letting her shoulder-length hair swing free. The fact that he did it so quickly and so deftly attested to a wealth of experience that made her nervous all over again. “See you later, Terry.”
It was the first time he had used the nickname that only her closest friends called her. As she watched him walk out, she thought of how intimate the familiar diminutive had sounded coming from him.
As she had acknowledged, it was too late to pretend there was nothing between them. Riley seemed to be drawn increasingly to spend time at her place, and she seemed to be taking for granted that he would be hanging around. And wasn’t that exactly what she’d wanted to avoid? Getting too accustomed to his presence in her life?
It would be hard enough on her children if Bud decided not to return now that they had grown so close to him. She had to keep reminding herself that Riley was just as free to take off as Bud had been.
Her children announced their arrival with the crash of the front door opening and a clatter of footsteps. “Mommy! We’re home,” Maggie called unnecessarily.
“Mom! Come see the ribbon I got for my painting,” Mark shouted. “First place!”
Pasting on a smile, she went to join them. Her life really was very full, she reminded herself. If there were a few holes—well, the blessings more than made up for them. She simply had to keep reminding herself of those facts when Riley O’Neal was around to tempt her to forget.
It hadn’t been easy, but Riley convinced Teresa to hire a baby-sitter and go out with him Saturday evening. Although he’d spent nearly every evening that week with her and the kids, she had been hesitant to commit to what could only be considered a date.
He wasn’t sure why she’d finally agreed, whether it was because she really wanted to get out or to shut him up or because she still felt sorry for him because he’d made no progress in locating his uncle. Whatever her reason, he promptly took her up on her acceptance, setting a time and making arrangements before she could change her mind.
As he dressed for their outing, he tried to analyze what, exactly, was going on between them. They were friends, of course. He genuinely liked her and respected her. But he had plenty of other women friends, and he hadn’t been losing any sleep over them lately, remembering what it was like to kiss them or wondering what it would be like to do more. He hadn’t lain awake staring at his ceiling and making mental lists of all the reasons he should stay away from them.
He wanted her. That wasn’t such a shock in itself. After all, she was an attractive and desirable woman, and it had been a while since he’d been intimately involved with anyone. He was a normal, red-blooded, young, single male, and it would be more surprising if he didn’t want Teresa.
But he didn’t date women with children. That had always been his rule and one he’d never been tempted to break—until now.
Her kids were cute. Well behaved. Bright. But he had no more interest in becom
ing a stepparent to them now than he had when he’d first met them. Now that he knew them better, now that he’d seen firsthand what a good mother Teresa was to them, he was even more aware of his own deficiencies when it came to parenting material.
Parents were patient and organized and dependable and unselfish. They knew how to handle childhood tears and tantrums, traumas and temperatures. Did any of that description apply to him? he asked the reflection in his mirror. Of course not.
And yet he still found himself drawn to Teresa. She’d been a great help to him during the past week. He might have been close to frantic about Bud by now if she hadn’t been so calmly reassuring. She’d convinced him that Bud probably knew what he was doing and that he wouldn’t stay away forever. When he was ready to talk, he’d call or show up on Riley’s doorstep. He always had before.
He studied his reflection in the mirror, checking to make sure he was presentable. He’d finally gotten around to having his hair trimmed, so it didn’t look as shaggy as it had lately. He wore a long-sleeve black-and-oatmeal checked shirt unbuttoned over a black pullover and khakis. After a brief mental debate, he’d donned a pair of socks before sliding his feet into brown leather slip-ons. Because he liked the look, he fastened a short necklace made of shells in shades of brown and black around his neck. Fastening the brass buckle of his braided brown leather belt, he decided he looked fine for a casual evening out in Edstown.
He liked clothes, but he didn’t usually obsess about them quite as much as he had for this date. Which only proved that there was something different about his responses to Teresa Scott.
Even though he was ten minutes early, Jenny’s little car was already parked in Teresa’s driveway when Riley stepped outside. He rapped on Teresa’s door, hoping she was ready. Mark opened it.
“Hi, Riley. Cool necklace.”
“Thanks. I got it in Hawaii last summer.”
The boy’s eyes widened. “Hawaii? Really?”
“I picked up several while I was there. Sort of got carried away. Maybe you and Maggie would each like to have one?”
“I would. All the guys at school are wearing shell necklaces, but I don’t think any of theirs came all the way from Hawaii. Bobby got his at Wal-Mart.”
Smiling as he moved past the boy, Riley nodded toward Teresa and Jenny, who were standing in the center of the living room. “Ladies.”
Jenny grinned. “Hey, Riley.”
“How’s your family?”
“Everyone’s great, thanks. I’ll tell them you asked about them.”
“Do that.” Riley couldn’t keep his attention away from Teresa any longer. She looked beautiful. As he’d suggested, she’d kept her outfit casual—a royal-blue-and-black color-block sweater with black slacks—but she still looked like the regal princess he always compared her to. She’d left her hair down, which she rarely did. It fell in a soft, shiny golden curtain around her shoulders, perfectly framing her delicately oval face.
“You look very nice,” he said, vividly aware of the three pairs of eyes watching them. “Are you ready to go?”