Shrugging one skinny shoulder, Jeffrey muttered, “What’s the point? I’ll be leaving pretty soon. When my dad comes.”
Scott thought about the distance he’d sensed between Jeffrey and Blair. Was Jeffrey holding himself back from her, too, in preparation for the time he would leave? And what was Blair’s excuse? He’d never even seen her hug the boy. Was it fear of rejection that kept her from reaching out to him, or was she protecting herself from getting too close in case Jeffrey’s father did come to reclaim him?
It occurred to him that perhaps Blair didn’t have deep feelings for her nephew—that she saw the boy as a burden. A responsibility. A problem. The way Scott’s elderly grandparents had come to think of him...?
No. He didn’t want to believe Blair could feel that way about the snub-nosed kid munching crackers in front of him. Sure, maybe Jeffrey was a pain in the neck, but who could blame him? He was too confused about his future to even make friends at school.
He wondered how to work the conversation back to Blair. As it turned out, he didn’t have to.
“D’you think Aunt Blair’s pretty?” Jeffrey asked out of the blue.
“I think she’s very pretty. Why?”
“There’s this guy—Hal somebody. He hangs around my aunt sometimes, looking at her all goofy. I think he wants her to go out with him. I don’t like him.”
Scott didn’t like him, either. As a matter of fact, he really disliked the guy, and all he knew about him was that his name was Hal and he looked goofy at Blair. He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you like him?”
“He treats me like a dumb kid. And he keeps telling me how lucky I am that Aunt Blair took me in and how I owe it to her to make something of myself.”
Scott winced. He’d heard too many speeches along that line when he was a rebellious kid. And the only thing they had accomplished was to make him even more angry and determined to do what he wanted.
Despite what everyone had said, he hadn’t considered himself fortunate to be dumped on his grandparents’ doorstep. He’d wanted the family he’d lost. He’d wanted the life he’d had before the fiery car crash that had taken it all from him. And no amount of preaching or lecturing could have convinced him that he was lucky.
He pushed the unpleasant memories to the back of his mind. “So what does your aunt think about this Hal guy?”
Jeffrey shrugged. “She’s always nice to him, but she doesn’t really smile at him, you know? Like she has to be polite, but not too much.”
After giving that summary a moment’s thought, Scott decided he liked the sound of it. Blair often smiled when she looked at him. He determined right then to make sure she had even more reason to smile for him.
“Maybe you should ask her out,” Jeffrey suggested casually. “She likes you, and you don’t act like I’m stupid.”
“That’s because I don’t think you’re stupid. And as for me asking your aunt out—I don’t think this is the time to discuss anything like that.”
“Whatever. But it’s okay with me if you want to.”
Scott shook his head at the unsubtle young matchmaker. “I’m happy to know I have your approval. Now, how about getting back to our fishing? We can’t go back empty-handed or Blair’s going to think we’re wusses.”
Jeffrey tried an experimental grin. “We don’t want that to happen.”
“You’re darn right we don’t. Grab your gear, partner.”
As Scott stashed the remains of their picnic and prepared to fish again, he thought about their conversation. The extent of his disapproval upon hearing that some other guy was interested in Blair had taken him by surprise. He’d known he was attracted to her, but he hadn’t realized quite how much until he’d pictured her with another man.
As Jeffrey smiled shyly at him and asked another question about fishing, Scott wondered just what he had gotten himself into by agreeing to participate in that bachelor auction.
*
BLAIR FINISHED the book around noon. The cabin seemed awfully quiet after the nonstop action of the story. She wondered how Scott and Jeffrey were getting along—and whether Scott was taking advantage of the opportunity to talk to Jeffrey about his future. Maybe this afternoon of male bonding would make all the difference in Jeffrey’s outlook. If so, every penny she had spent at the bachelor auction would be well justified.
She rummaged in the kitchen and found a single-serving ca
n of vegetable soup in the pantry. Since Scott had told her he and Jeffrey wouldn’t be back for lunch, she dined alone on the soup and a handful of crackers. She wondered if Scott always kept the kitchen stocked or if he’d made arrangements to have food brought in for this weekend. The available fare was simple, but adequate. They didn’t have to worry about going hungry even if the guys caught no fish this afternoon.
After cleaning the kitchen, she wandered into the living room. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent such an indulgently lazy day. She really should have brought her briefcase and portable computer, but not knowing Scott’s plans, she hadn’t been sure she’d have the chance to get any work done. Now, thinking of all the paperwork she could have gotten out of the way this afternoon, she realized she should have brought her laptop along.
Yet she was aware that the familiar knots in her neck and shoulders were gone and that she hadn’t needed an antacid in more than twenty-four hours. Maybe taking a weekend off wasn’t such a bad thing, after all.
The least she could do, she thought conscientiously, was to make good use of the remainder of this leisure time. She picked up the heavy political treatise, determined to finish it. The book had received a lot of attention and generated much debate among legal and political experts. The controversial conclusions drawn had piqued Blair’s interest, and her only excuse for not wading through it sooner had been lack of free time. She had the time now.