“What about later?” Ethan asks, not willing to let an opportunity that I missed in my daydream go.

I sigh. “I thought we were going bowling later?”

“You’re going bowling?” Cole tosses the ball back to Ethan. “I was thinking about bowling later too.”

I glare at Cole. He ignores me.

“Come with us,” Ethan says before I can stop him.

“No, Ethan. He’s busy, buddy,” I say, trying to stop the mayhem before it gets completely out of control.

Cole pins me to the spot with his gaze. A smirk threatens to break out across his lips, but he fights it.

“I’m really not,” he says.

The me a year ago would’ve given in. I would’ve been certain that the universe had dropped Cole into my lap as a gift. But that was the me then. I’m not her anymore.

I’m not sure how to get out of this situation, and I don’t have time to figure it out. I have to get to work.

“I’ll text you,” I say before I think twice about it.

“Really?” He lifts a brow. “That’s interesting.”

“Why is that interesting?” Ethan asks.

I turn and face my boy.

“Can you wait in the car, please?” I ask him.

“Mom.”

“Ethan . . .”

He sighs with all the dramatics of a preteen. “Fine.”

“Thank you,” I call after him.

“I’ll see you soon, Ethan,” Cole says.

“Yeah. Okay.” Ethan climbs into the car and slams the door shut. Just like his mama.

I turn back to the glorious man in front of me. My heart thumps as a wave of what can only be described as testosterone hits my senses. It rushes over my skin and pools in my core . . . right where I don’t need it.

His grin is delicious and borderline criminal. He licks his bottom lip as if he knows he’s driving me nuts.

“You are a pain in the ass,” I say, plucking my gaze from his mouth.

“I’ve heard that before. But it usually comes just before someone agrees to something they’ve been fighting.”

“Don’t tell me that I get to be the first woman to break that streak too? I get to tell you no and then not follow up the ass comment.” I make a face of surprise. “Wow. That’s two cherries.”

He narrows his eyes playfully. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Miss Clark.”

“I’m already ahead of you.”

“Is that so?”

Maybe. “Yes.”

Cole wants to say something. I can see it on his face. But after a few seconds, it becomes clear that he’s not going to share whatever’s on his mind.

That’s probably for the best.

“I hate to cut this interesting little rendezvous short,” I say, “but I do need to go.”

“Is everything all right?”

“Yeah. I have to go to work for a bit.”

He makes a face. “On a Saturday?”

“It’s a long story involving a bus, New York, and a middle-aged man with a penchant for mooing livestock. But, yes, I have to go to work on a Saturday.”