Breaking the Rules (6 page)

“Sure.” Hope placed her hand on his arm. “And thank you. I'm so glad you were here.”

He smiled at her. That perfect little smile with dimples on each side of his lips. He placed his hand on top of hers. “No problem, Hope.”

Her knees weakened and she was actually scared she would fall, but Jason showed up to take her out of her distraction. She pulled her hand from beneath Colin's and tried to avoid looking at the source of her preoccupation: his smiling, green eyes.

“Wasn't that cool, Ms. Robinson? Dad's always doing stuff like that.”

“Uh, yeah, Jason. I have to say that was pretty impressive.” She looked around at the other students talking to the coaches. She needed to bring the scene back to normal. The day was going so well, she didn't want any more mishaps. She'd have to deal with her overwhelming emotions later. “Let's get this game underway again, coach.” She shifted from one leg to the next.

Kelly stepped over to Jason and hugged his shoulders. “You gonna play basketball, too, kiddo?”

“Kelly!” He cleared his throat. “I mean, Mrs. Weeks.” His eyes lit up as he hugged her. Jason obviously knew Kelly, and was well trained to call her by her professional name at school.

Colin shifted closer. “Afraid Jason can't play. He has to go with me to the hospital.”

“Aw, Dad. That's so boring. I'll end up sitting in the waiting room for like ten hours.”

“It won't be that long, and I can't let you stay here unsupervised.”

“Why doesn't he stay here with me?” The words were out of Hope's mouth before she realized it. Well, she couldn't very well help it. It was hard to be a single parent. Colin had to juggle his own professional responsibilities, plus his personal one — his son. If she could make it easier on them, then why not? Knowing Colin was alone had prompted her to act. He needed a good friend, and she was happy to help out.

Good friends? Is that what they were? She still hardly knew him, but at the same time, she did know him. The way he stared at her sometimes spoke all the way to her core. Like he had the ability to communicate without saying a word. She took a deep breath and laughed at herself.

Colin cocked his head to the side. “I don't know. You have enough to worry about right now. Get your bag, Jas.” Colin playfully punched Jason on the arm.

Hope grabbed Jason's other arm. “He can stay with me, Colin. The games are only another hour. Then we can go to lunch or I can bring him back home. Whatever you want. Kelly's here, too.”

“Yep. At your orders, doctor,” Kelly chimed in. “But I do have that Adult ESL class to teach after noon.”

Jason smiled. “Come on, Dad. The hospital is so boring. The team needs me.” He motioned toward the game taking place behind them.

Colin checked his phone when an incoming message beeped. “Crap. They're already at the hospital.” He looked up at Hope and scratched his neck. “I don't want to overstep my parental boundaries.” He pulled his hat down. “If you really don't mind, I'd appreciate it.”

“Yes.” Jason fist pumped in the air and ran off.

“Listen to Ms. Robinson,” Colin called after him.

Hope leaned over and whispered, “Plus, the parental boundaries have already been passed a little bit, wouldn't you say?”

He cleared his throat and stared at her. “Just a bit.”

“Shall we call you when we're done or how do you want to do it?” Hope looked around and saw the crowd slowly disperse. She bit her lip in anticipation. They needed to make a decision, so she could move on and not cause any more of a scene.

He took a deep breath and smiled that sweet smile again. “Give me your number and I'll give you a call when I'm done. It should only be an hour.”

After they had their phones situated, Hope waved him off saying, “Don't worry.”

She watched the basketball game after he left, but she couldn't take her mind off the last half hour. Accidents were bound to happen, but taking on Jason for the few hours was a big deal. Man, oh man, she had to get her act together.

“That was really something,” Kelly piped into her thoughts.

Surprised that her friend still stood next to her, she jumped. “What do you mean?”

“Watching Jason. I didn't know you had it in you.” Kelly elbowed her in the side. “Using your student to get to your man.”

Hope turned around, hands at her hips. “Is that what you think?”

Kelly held her hands out in front of her. “Whoa, mama bear, I was just kidding.”

“You want to know why I did it?” Hope nodded at the basketball court. “Look at that kid.” She pointed to Jason. “He shouldn't have to sit at the hospital waiting for his dad to finish work when he could be here playing.”

“Yeah, he's a good kid. And Colin is a good dad, too.”

“Of course I see that he's a good dad.” She eyed her friend from the corner of her eye. “
Did
I step over my parental boundaries?”

“Nah. I'm glad you took that step. Colin needs a good woman in his life.”

“Hold on right there. I don't intend to take this further than friends.”

“Well, make sure you tell him that.” Kelly walked away, and clapped and cheered for the teams, leaving Hope thinking about her choices and what friendships really meant.

• • •

An hour and a half later, Hope found her cell phone in her purse after hearing it beep. A text message from Colin.

Hey, Soxy, took longer than I expected. On my way.

She smiled and wrote back,
Okay, Yank. We'll wait for you at school.

So, they were texting now? What did that mean? She tapped her index finger against her lip, knowing the answer to her question. They'd obviously passed some line and moved into another category. Friends.

She stuffed her phone back into her purse. For the first time in a long time, contentment enveloped her. It was a successful Friendly Games Morning, she enjoyed giving awards to all the players, plus she had a little fun with Colin. Keeping an eye on Jason turned out to be an easy job. He kept himself busy playing basketball the entire time. After the awards ceremony, he hopped back on the court until everyone left. His next shot was from ten feet back, and the echo of the ball banging the backboard swelled in the air.

“That was a good one.” She smiled.

He yawned an answer. “Thanks. I like to play basketball, but I never really get a chance.”

The yawn was contagious and she made a groaning sound. “I'm tired too. Let's sit for a second.” She pointed toward a picnic table.

He shrugged and bounced the ball a last time.

“So, no time for basketball. Tell me what you like to do.”

“Swim.” He sat next to her and put the ball between his knees. “Like my dad.”

Hope sat at the edge of the bench, wanting to learn more about his father. In her gut, she knew it was wrong to pry, but the tingling in her body told her to find out more about sexy single dad, Dr. Calaway. “Your dad swims?”

“Not so much anymore. He used to be on a swim team, too. Now he's like my own private coach.” He threw the ball up in the air and caught it. “We have a pool at home.”

“Gotta love Florida. I noticed a lot of people in my neighborhood have pools.”

“I bet my dad wouldn't mind if you came to swim at our house.”

She laughed and then his wide eyes, round and full of expectation, stared at her, which made her smile waver. This boy touched her heart. The way he looked up at her, as if needing a woman to talk to, made her want to wrap him in a bear hug. He didn't have that and it wasn't fair. How did Colin deal with it all? He lived through tragedy and still kept his family together. “I bet your dad would be shocked if I showed up.”

“Maybe a little bit.” He smirked and there it was, a dimple just like his dad's.

Get your head in the game, Robinson.
She tugged at her ponytail then reached into her purse to pull out her iPad.

His eyes sparkled. “Cool. I want one of those, but Dad says I'm too young. What are you doing?”

“My grocery list. I have an app.” She touched the screen and opened the program. “It's like shopping without a fuss.”

“Have you played Minecraft?”

She laughed, knowing this was
the
game for middle schoolers. “I tried once, but I can't seem to get the hang of it.”

After adding a few ingredients to her list, she smiled at Jason. “Your dad said he's on his way. If he doesn't get here soon, I'll have to take you to the grocery store with me. Talk about torture.”

He stilled. “I used to go with my mom all the time.”

The familiar tug in her heart pulled again. She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them, Jason stood. “I'm just going to try a few more baskets.”

“Okay.” The knot in her belly tightened. He still missed his mom so much. She couldn't help but wonder if Colin felt the same. Did he remember his late wife doing simple things like shop? Had he dated much since her death? Would he mind if she showed up to swim? She laughed at herself.
Yeah, right.

The next thing she knew, Colin's car pulled into the parking lot. Suddenly her stomach fluttered with excitement and her mouth went dry. She took a sip from her water bottle and turned toward him as he approached.

“Hey.” He jingled his keys and smiled, those dimples calling out her name. “Thanks for waiting on me.”

“Oh, like I was going to leave Jason here? Anyway, it's only been a few minutes since everyone left. How's Ian?” She examined her water bottle so she wouldn't look at him. If she did, she was afraid he would see what she thought — he was the sexiest man alive.
Don't go there, Hope!

“Ian's fine. Got his bright orange cast on in no time. But I had to spend some private time with his dad. He's really hard on the boy.” Colin frowned. “How do you deal with that?”

“Luckily I haven't had to deal too much with overbearing parents. I'm sure you handled it well. You have a way with words. A calming elixir, actually.” She froze for an instant.
Oops. Did I say that out loud?

He leaned in closer. “Really?”

Jason chose that moment to walk over. “Hey, Dad. Wanna shoot some hoops?”

“I'll be there in a minute.”

“You'll play?”

“Yeah, I'll play.” When he saw Jason's surprised face, he continued, “Don't look at me like that. You better get ready, because I'm going to beat you, buddy.” He pulled Jason's hat down.

“We'll see about that,” Jason chanted and raced back to the court.

Hope laughed with Colin as they watched him maneuver around the court. When she stopped laughing, she saw Colin staring at her again. Did he know what he did to her? She bit her lip.

“Can I buy you lunch?” he asked.

Hope shook her head. She was afraid if she spent another minute with this tall, sweet father, she'd fall into a game she wasn't ready to play.

“It's the least I can do.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “Come on … Soxy.”

“What is it with that moniker?” she asked, displaying a wide grin.

“I like to hear you laugh.” He winked. “Pizza from Luigi's? They'll deliver.”

To hell with it. It had been so long since she laughed this much or just enjoyed the company. What could a little lunch do to them? With his son nearby, no problem. They were friends, after all. “Add in a Caesar salad and you have a deal.”

“You got it.” He had already pulled out his phone and speed dialed the number. “Luigi, this is Mario.” When he elicited another giggle from Hope, he continued. “No, this is Colin Calaway. How are you doing, Jenny? Listen, I have a strange request. Can I get a pepperoni pizza and a Caesar Salad delivered to Harbor Bay Prep? We're at the playground area. Great. Yeah, add three iced teas. Thanks.”

“You remembered.” Hope got up and elbowed him. When he lifted his eyebrows she added, “That I like iced tea.”

“Yank is a smart man.” He placed his hand around her waist and squeezed. At the gentle gesture, she became aware of her strong heartbeat and his tight muscles. “Want to play?” He nodded toward Jason.

She wiped her hands on her shorts. “Sure.” She ran ahead of Colin and they joined Jason on the court.

Did the boy ever stop smiling? He was a sweet kid. Not once did he complain the whole time he was under her care. Not once did he seem like he was unhappy with the situation. Colin had done a terrific job raising this kid. No doubt about it.

“Ever play Horse?” Colin asked bouncing the ball.

“You're on.”

After twenty minutes, a Luigi's motorcycle appeared at the edge of the parking lot. Hope was glad. Not because she wasn't having fun, but because she was having too much fun. At this point, their day together was getting far too personal. She knew she shouldn't over think it, but after watching Colin play with his son, she knew she could easily fall in deep with the man and his son — a family. Before moving here, she promised herself she wouldn't do this. Find a man, least of all one with a child. After she ate her salad, she would have to leave.

“You coming, Ms. Robinson?” Jason yelled at her from the picnic table. He pulled the salad from a bag and set up the drinks as Colin paid the driver.

She ran over and helped him with the pizza. “Smells good.”

“You can have a slice.” Colin peeked over her shoulder, and sniffed the pizza. His proximity along with the touch of his hand on her waist sent chills down her neck.

She stepped aside and sat at the far end of the table. “Nope. Pizza means more workouts.”

They sat in a quiet comfort.

Jason devoured his slice much as he did the other night, as if he were going to miss something if he took too much time eating. After swallowing his last piece, he stood. “I'm going to shoot a few more before we leave, okay?”