“Yes. Of course.” She turned and reached into the vehicle for her purse.
Cole couldn’t help but run his eyes over her as she bent over. He felt the hot thread of desire shoot through him.
She turned with her purse in her hand. Pulling out a business card, she handed it to him. “My cell number is on the back.”
He looked at the card and back at her. “Sales Rep, huh? Royal Imports, what’s that?”
“Jaguar, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo…” She shrugged.
Cole whistled and raised his eyebrows. “Expensive shit. Guess a man and his money soon part when the sales rep’s got legs like yours, huh?”
She smiled. “Something like that.”
“Right.” His eyes slid over her expensive clothes. “You must sell a bunch of these.”
“I do all right.”
He nodded, looking off in the distance. “I can see that. Looks like you’ve done real well for yourself.” His eyes came back to her. “I think I liked it better when you needed me.”
She looked him in the eyes and whispered, “I do need you.”
At her soft-spoken words another shot of desire tore through him. He looked away. “How long you in town for?”
“Our flight is at noon tomorrow.”
He shoved the card in his pocket.
“I’ll call you.” And then he turned and walked away.
Angel watched him go, wondering if she’d hear from him before she left. “Please, Cole. I need you,” she whispered the words, and then turned and climbed back into the SUV.
She looked back at him one more time, and then pulled out.
***
Angel stopped at a drive-thru and got a kid’s meal for TJ and a burger for herself. Then she drove to the motel. She carried TJ and their food inside. They had a room on the lower level in the back. It was quiet and suited their needs. There were two double beds and a small table with two chairs. She set TJ in one of the chairs and put his food on the table.
He ate hungrily.
She sat in the other chair and took off her shoes.
TJ offered her one of his fries.
She smiled and leaned down. He put it in her mouth and giggled.
“Thank you, Honey-Bear.” God, how she loved him. “Let’s call Aunty Nana and see how your sister is doing.” She pulled out her phone and punched in the number.
“Hey, it’s me,” she said. “How’s Melissa?”
TJ shoved a chicken nugget in his mouth.
“Good.”
TJ reached for the phone. “Me, me.”
“You can talk in a minute, sweetie,” she promised, and then spoke into the phone. “Yes, I talked to him. We just came from there.” She handed TJ his milk carton. “I don’t know. I think so. He asked what he’d have to do. Said he’d call me.”
TJ was blowing bubbles through his straw.
“Now, I guess we just have to wait and see. Say a prayer.” She reached for a napkin to wipe up the milk TJ spilled. “Okay. TJ wants to talk to you.”
She held the phone up for him.
“Hi, Nana!”
After they talked for a while Angel took the phone back. “Yes, of course. I’ll call you. Tell Melissa I love her. Okay, bye.” She hung up and looked at TJ. “Well, buddy, how about a bath?”
After she had given her son a bath and he had fallen asleep in one of the beds, Angel sat on the other one and flipped through the channels on the TV. She stared at the screen, but all she could see was Cole.
He’d looked exactly the same, yet somehow he wasn’t the same. Something had changed in him. He seemed colder, harder, the life he led, who knew what shit he’d done in the time since they were together.
Three years.