“So you can’t have a dog until later?”
“All because of a stupid fence.”
Cole nodded. “Fences are important, you know. And you know what else? Your mom was worried about you.”
Jeff looked at Robin, who was blinking furiously to keep the tears from dripping down her face. The upheaval and stress of the move had drained her emotionally and she was an unmitigated mess. Normally, she was a calm, controlled person, but this whole drama with Jeff was her undoing. That and the fact she’d hardly slept the night before in his makeshift tent.
“Mom,” Jeff said, studying her anxiously, “are you all right?”
She covered her face with both hands. “I slept with a dog and you ran away and all you took was a frying pan and an atlas.” That made no sense whatsoever, but she couldn’t help it, and once the tears started they wouldn’t stop.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jeff said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“I know,” she whimpered. “I want you to have a dog, I really do, but we can’t keep one locked up in the house all day and we don’t have a fence and...and the way you just looked at me, I swear it was Lenny all over again.”
“Who’s Lenny?” Cole cocked his head toward Jeff, speaking in a whisper.
“Lenny was my dad. He died when I was real little. I don’t even remember him.”
Cole shared a knowing look with her son. “It might be a good idea if we got your mother back inside the house.”
“You think I’m getting hysterical, don’t you?” Robin burst out. “I want you both to know I’m in perfect control. A woman can cry every now and then if she wants. Venting your emotions is healthy—all the books say so.”
“Right, Mom.” Jeff gently patted her shoulder, then crawled out of the fort. He waited for Robin, who emerged after him, and offered her a hand. Cole and Blackie followed.
Jeff took Robin’s arm, holding her elbow as he led her to the back door of their house, as if he suspected she couldn’t find her way without his guidance.
Once inside, Robin grabbed a tissue and loudly blew her nose. Her composure was shaky, but when she turned to Cole, she intended to be as reasonable as a judge. As polite as a preacher.
“Have you got any aspirin?” Cole asked Jeff.
Jeff nodded, and dashed up the stairs to the bathroom, returning in thirty seconds flat with the bottle. Cole filled a glass with water and delivered both to Robin. How he knew she had a fierce headache she could only guess.
“Why don’t you lie down for a few minutes? I’m sure you’ll feel better.”
“I feel just fine, thank you,” she snapped, more angry with herself for overreacting than with him for taking charge.
“Do you have family close by?” Again Cole directed the question to Jeff, which served to further infuriate Robin. Jeff was ten years old! She, on the other hand, was an adult. If this man had questions they should be directed to her, not her son.
“Not anymore,” Jeff answered in an anxious whisper. “Grandma and Grandpa moved to Arizona last year, and my uncle lives in LA.”
“I don’t need to lie down,” Robin said forcefully. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Mom,” Jeff countered, his voice troubled, “you don’t look so good.”
“You were talking about frying pans and sleeping with dogs in the same breath,” Cole elaborated, his eyebrows raised.
“I think Mr. Camden’s right,” Jeff said. “You need rest—lots of rest.”
Her own son had turned traitor on her. Robin was shocked. Jeff took her hand and led her into the family room, which was off the kitchen. He patted the quilted pillow on the sofa, wordlessly suggesting she place her head there. When she resisted, he pulled the afghan from the chair and draped it around her, tucking the ends behind her shoulders.
Robin couldn’t believe she was allowing herself to be led around like a...like a puppy. As if reading her thoughts, Blackie wandered over to her side and lowered his bulk onto the carpet beside the sofa.
“That’s a neat fort you’ve got there,” Jeff told Cole once he’d finished tucking in the blanket. Robin watched him hurry back to the kitchen, grab a plate, then load it with macaroni and cheese and hand it to Cole, apparently wanting to share his favorite meal with their neighbor.
Cole set the plate on the counter. “Thanks anyway, Jeff, but I’ve got to get back to the house. In the future, if you’re thinking about running away—don’t.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jeff said with a mildly guilty look. “My mom turned into a basket case.”
Cole smiled—at least, it was as close to a smile as Robin had seen. “You’re both going to be fine. She intends to get you that dog, you know. Just hang on. It’ll be sooner than you think.”
Jeff walked to the sliding glass door with Cole. “Mr. Camden, can I ask you something important?”
“Sure.”
“Is anyone using the fort?”
“Not that I know of.”
Jeff’s expression was hopeful. “It didn’t look like anyone had been inside for a long time.”
“Six years,” Cole murmured absently.
“That long? How come?” Jeff asked. “It’s a great fort. If it’s all right with you I’d like to go over there sometimes. I promise not to walk in any flowerbeds or anything, and I won’t leave a mess. I’ll take real good care of everything.”
Cole hesitated for a moment. He looked at Jeff, and Robin held her breath. Then he shook his head. “Maybe sometime in the future, but not now.”
Jeff’s deep blue eyes brightened; apparently the refusal didn’t trouble him. “Okay. When I can use the fort, would it be all right if I took Blackie with me? He followed me today, you know. I didn’t have to do anything to get him to tag along.” Jeff paused and lowered his eyes. “Well, hardly anything.”
“I thought as much. As your mom said, you have a way with animals.”
“My dad did, too. If he hadn’t died he would’ve gotten me a pony and everything.”
There was such pride in Jeff’s voice that Robin bit her bottom lip to keep from crying all over again. Jeff and Lenny were so much alike. What she’d told her son earlier was true. More and more, Jeff was starting to take on his father’s looks and personality.
Cole gazed down at Jeff, and an emotion flashed in his eyes, so transient Robin couldn’t recognize it. He laid his hand on Jeff’s shoulder. “Since your mother explained there’s going to be a delay in getting you a dog, it’d be okay with me if you borrowed Blackie every now and then. You have to stay in your own yard, though. I don’t want him running in the neighborhood unless he’s on a leash.”