Page 7 of The Perfect Distraction

“So, now that you know what I do for a living and we know what you do…”

“She’s a teacher!” Joey stated before stuffing some noodles into his mouth.

“Right. So, what’s the rest of your story?” Colton asked.

Uh-oh. “The rest of my story?” she said, trying to buy herself some time.

“Yeah. Everyone’s got one, right?”

“Right,” she said, still trying to decide which version of her “story” to tell.

“You could start with what brought you here for the summer,” Colton said.

It was an innocent question, and she knew he was just making conversation, but she wasn’t ready to share the real reason why she’d come there. Especially not with a stranger. And that’s what he was—a stranger. Never mind that he lived next door and knew her Aunt Jenny or that he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Besides, she wasn’t about to air her dirty laundry in front of an innocent boy who also seemed to be waiting on her answer.

“Honestly, it’s been a tough year, and I really just needed a break. When Aunt Jenny called and offered up her cottage, I jumped on it. I used to come here every summer when I was a kid.” She’d settled for a partial truth and hoped that would be enough.

Colton nodded like he understood, but Joey looked like he had more questions.

“Don’t you get bored all by yourself?” he asked.

She loved how straightforward kids were, but his question made her a bit uncomfortable.

“Not so much bored as lonely. That’s why I don’t mind when you come over and visit,” she said, shooting him a smile.

“Plus, she likes to read,” Colton said pointedly, “which is something you should be doing more of this summer.”

Colton got up to dish himself a second helping, and Beth looked over at Joey, who suddenly seemed much more interested in eating than talking. Poor kid. Colton had obviously brought up a sensitive subject. If only there were some way she could help…

She waited for Colton to sit back down, and then she cleared her throat and said, “You know, sometimes when kids don’t like to read, it’s because they’re not choosing the right books. I’d be happy to go with Joey to the library and help him with that.” She glanced from Colton to Joey to gauge their reactions.

Colton paused with a forkful of spaghetti hanging in midair, and Joey’s head shot up like she’d just suggested something vile.

“Or not,” she said, regretting the offer.

“Wait a minute. It’s not a bad idea,” Colton said.

“But Dad,” Joey whined.

“Joey, it was really nice of Miss Summers to offer.”

“Why don’t you both call me Beth? I’m Miss Summers during the school year, but it sounds too formal for the summer, don’t you think?”

Joey nodded, and she hoped she’d taken some of the sting out of her previous suggestion.

“Okay. Beth. It was kind of you to offer, but are you sure you want to work on your summer break?” Colton asked.

Once again, she was struck by how considerate he was, even if he could be a bit brisk with his son. She could tell he loved Joey, though, and like most parents, he was just looking out for him.

“Reading is never work to me. I’d be happy to help.” It was as honest as she’d been the whole evening. Not that she’d been trying to deceive them, but she’d omitted a few things—things she still had trouble dealing with herself, let alone sharing them with virtual strangers. Although, if she were going to spend more time with them this summer… Hold it, missy! Nobody said anything about spending time with them. It’s Joey you’ll be spending time with, not his hot dad!

While she’d been caught up in her musings, Colton had cleared the dishes and started serving dessert.

“Can I help?” she asked and started to rise.

He shook his head. “You’re our guest. I’ve got this.”

“Strawberry shortcake! Yum!” Joey shouted as his dad placed a heaping helping in front of him.

“Beth, would you like a similar portion?” Colton asked.

She thought she saw a twinkle in his eye, which was a rare sighting. The man was definitely on the reserved side. But who could blame him? He was a single dad with a job, a house, and a nine-year-old son to take care of. She didn’t fault him for being a bit…uptight.

“A little less than that, please,” she said, winking at Joey who was already obliterating his dessert.

A minute later, Colton set a plate before her with a reasonable portion, and then he sat down with his own plate. They ate in companionable silence for a while, and every so often, Beth would sneak a glance at them.

Joey seemed relieved that the library idea had been put on hold, and he jumped up from the table and said, “Can I be excused, Dad?”

Colton nodded, and Joey deposited his plate on the kitchen counter and then raced out of the room. And then there were two…