Page 74 of The Merry Christmas Project

He and Josh settled into a pattern : Cole laying the bricks while Josh worked from the inside of the building, laying the internal block work. It was skilled work and required his full concentration but that didn’t stop his mind wandering to Merry and that hour they’d spent together waiting for the locksmith to arrive. That had been over a week ago, but if he was honest with himself, Merry hadn’t been far from his thoughts ever since.

What a woman. And what a start in life she’d had. And he bet she’d barely scratched the surface. He’d been thinking about how it would have been for a kid on her own like that being part of the care system, without anyone to call family, to call ‘hers’, to feel as if she belonged. And that bloke who came and sat on Merry’s bed in the darkness, that had sounded horrific. No wonder she had a phobia of being in the dark. He’d been back there the following day, changed the bathroom lock and changed every bulb in the place so that he knew none of them would blow for the rest of her time in the building.

He might be separated from his kids, but they knew he loved them; he told them every time they spoke, even though he knew it made Harley cringe. He listened to their stories, he made sure he knew the names of their new friends, of their teachers, of the places they liked best in Whistler.

‘All right, boss ?’ Josh asked, looking amused. ‘You’ve got a right face on you. Not enjoying being at the sharp end, after all ? Have you gone a bit rusty ?’

‘Hey, watch it,’ Cole grinned, not stopping from scooping up mortar and slapping it onto the bricks. ‘Remember who pays your wages.’

‘Good point,’ Josh said with a laugh.

Cole focused on lining up the next brick. ‘I’ll tell you what is rusty : my dating skills. I’ve met someone and I’m not sure whether to make a move.’

He groaned inwardly ; he sounded like a predator. He couldn’t even master the language of dating, let alone the actions.

He’d always been fairly extroverted, never had a problem approaching girls and chatting them up. But that was a long time ago and before he’d messed up his marriage. Somewhere along the line he’d lost his confidence. Merry was … well, she was special, he might only get one chance to ask her out and he didn’t want to risk stuffing it up. Without wanting to be big-headed, he did think she liked him. She was always fun and friendly, and they had made each other laugh. But did she like him romantically ? He was too out of practice to tell. She had stepped into his arms and she hadn’t pulled away from him for ages, but that could just have been a reaction to being set free. Although she had kissed his cheek. Perhaps if Olek hadn’t been there, making the next move might have happened naturally.

Josh’s ears pricked up. ‘Have you got a picture of her ?’

‘Um,’ he frowned, ‘I don’t think so. Why ?’

‘I want to see if she’s worth the hassle before we go any further.’

Cole shook his head, laughing. ‘Is that how brutal it is these days ?’

Josh shrugged. ‘Works both ways ; she’ll be showing pictures of you around for a second opinion.’

‘Only if she’s interested in me. You’ve met her,’ Cole continued. ‘She’s the tenant at Holly Cottage.’

Josh tipped his head to one side, considering. ‘She’s nice. Good choice.’

‘So what do I do ?’

‘Ask her for a drink,’ he said with a shrug. ‘The worst she can say is no.’

Cole felt nervous at the thought of it ; the last girl he’d asked out on a date was Lydia over thirteen years ago. He lifted another brick from the pile, placed it on top of the fresh mortar and tapped it into place. ‘Where did you take Vicky on your first date ?’

‘To a gig. And we had backstage passes.’

‘Was she impressed ?’

‘Oh yes.’ Josh pulled a smug face and they both laughed.

‘And now look at you,’ said Cole. ‘Living together and with a baby of your own.’

‘I know. It’s mad.’ He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. ‘Vicky’s going to visit a nursery later this afternoon, she’s going back to work after Christmas.’

‘Aren’t you going with her ?’

Josh tapped the block into place with the end of his trowel. ‘Nah, the only appointment they had was at three and I’ll still be at work.’

Cole was reminded of himself at the same age ; he’d thought exactly the same. If Lydia specifically asked him to be there, he’d do his best, but to his shame, he’d rarely offered.

‘Your call, but if you want my advice, be involved,’ Cole said. ‘Vicky will appreciate your input, I promise. Joint parenting means just that. I know Vicky is not at work just now and it makes sense for her to do all the appointments, but I wish I’d done my fair share of the crap jobs, not just turned up to play with them at bath time. Know Alice’s shoe size, go to the doctors and dentist, the hairdressers, all of that.’

Josh smirked. ‘She doesn’t have any teeth or wear shoes and she’s got a massive bald patch at the moment which Vicky frets about, but point taken, I hear what you’re saying. And I do my bit when I’m at home.’

‘Could you buy nappies without Vicky telling you what to get ?’ Cole asked, pretty sure he knew what the answer would be. Because when his kids had been in nappies, he hadn’t had a clue. Next time around, he’d make sure … The thought stopped him in his tracks. It had never crossed his mind before, but now it had. He probed the notion a bit more. The thought of having more children one day made his heart beat faster. Yep, definitely ; Cole wanted a second chance at fatherhood.