CHAPTER 10
Sara stood in the breakfast buffet line with Charlotte and Trevor and tried to keep the nerves tap dancing in her stomach under control. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement and cut her gaze to the side to see another guest from the B&B entering the large dining space.
“Morning,” he greeted her when they made eye contact.
“Good morning,” Sara replied brightly, trying to decide if she was relieved or disappointed the man walking into the room was not the person that had caused her to only get an hour of sleep the night before. Probably a little of both.
Last night had been…oddly intimate. She’d shared things with Austin about her marriage and divorce, things she hadn’t even told her brother and sister. Sara did not open up to people easily.
Maybe her openness had something to do with her being out of her element. She’d never really taken a true vacation before, maybe doing so opened up a Pandora’s box of emotions and Austin just happened to be there.
No. That wasn’t it. She’d spoken to Jess, Brynn, and Ali about her divorce last night and she’d kept things very surface. She hadn’t revealed that she and Jack’s marriage had been one of convenience, or that he’d called to tell her that he’d met someone and asked her if she wanted him to come back and go to counseling. She’d just told the ladies that they grew apart, but he was a great guy.
So why did she tell Austin all of that?
“I want pancakes too, Mommy.” Charlotte tugged on Sara’s arm.
“Okay, sweetie.” Sara added the fluffy cakes to her daughter’s plate, which already held fruit, scrambled eggs, and sausage.
After herding her two munchkins down the buffet line, she took a seat at the end of the large farm table and sat Trevor and Charlotte on either side of her. The trio was tucked in the corner of the spacious room and all the other guests were on the other side of it. She hadn’t necessarily chosen the seats because she was anti-social. Although mornings were typically not her thing. Even when she actually got sleep, which last night she did not. After her slumber-less night of Austin-inspired restlessness, dealing with the two humans she was responsible for this morning was all she could manage.
Bringing the mug of steaming java to her mouth, she closed her eyes as the hot, caffeine-filled liquid slid down her throat and hoped it would do its job and perk her up a bit. After several sufficient sips, she went to work cutting up Charlotte’s pancakes and sausage. Since her little ones’ eyes were always much bigger than their stomachs, she hadn’t even bothered to fill her own plate. Sara hated wasting food, so she’d fallen into the routine of eating whatever their leftovers were.
“Oh, your dad called last night.” Sara had almost forgotten, since her mind had been occupied with all things Austin Stone from the second he’d left her at her doorway. But of course, not before helping her bring the kids in from the car and tucking them in to make sure they stayed asleep.
Swoon.Some girls might dream of knights in shining armor coming to rescue them on horseback. Apparently, all it took for Sara’s ovaries to explode was a man that carried her son in from the car without waking him up. Well, that and the fact he was oozing with sex appeal, and every time he was near her, every nerve ending she possessed came alive.
Pheromones.It had to be pheromones. That was the only logical conclusion she could come to. What else would explain her super-hormone-charged reactions?
Several times last night, she’d even thought he was going to kiss her. His gaze had dropped to her lips and it had been palpable, just like she’d felt his stare in the hall when Karen Carpenter—not the singer—had shown them to their room. Holy cow, his eyes on her mouth was as potent as if she’d used Vick’s VapoRub as ChapStick. She’d been holding her breath as they tingled with anticipation. Last night, when he said goodnight and turned to go into his room, her first instinct had been to look for hidden cameras, because she was sure she had to be on a prank show.
She’d then proceeded to spend the rest of the night flip-flopping like a politician in an election year between wishing what she’d thought was going to happen had, and thanking her lucky stars it hadn’t. She was a single mom with two kids, the last thing she needed was to have a vacation fling. Plus, she was planning on being here for seven more days. How awkward would it be to run into him if they had actually played tonsil hockey?
“Mom!” Trevor spoke in a tone that made her think it wasn’t the first time he’d tried to get her attention.
“Sorry, what?” She blinked down at her son’s expectant face.
“You said dad called.”
“Oh, right. He and Valentina want to come and get you guys for a couple of—”
“No!” Trevor exclaimed. “I want to stay here!”
Sara looked around the room, hoping that her son’s outside voice hadn’t disturbed anyone. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be talking, eating, and generally not paying her side of the room any attention. A small bit of relief swelled in her.
She never would’ve brought the subject up if she’d thought her son would be upset about it. The kids had always been over the moon to see their dad.
“Trev, calm down. You don’t have to get upset.”
“I don’t want to leave,” he explained in a quieter voice. “I want to stay here.”
“Okay, well, your dad wanted to take you to go see your Uncle Paul in Chicago.”
When she and Jack had decided to get a divorce, it had never occurred to her that the kids wouldn’t be jumping for joy to see him any chance they got. She’d heard horror stories about kids not wanting to be with one parent or the other, but she’d really thought she’d never have to deal with that. Jack may not be as hands-on as Sara would’ve liked, but he was a good dad and the kids adored him.
“Will Timmy be there?” Trevor’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah, Timmy and Ainsley.” Paul and his wife had two kids around the same ages as Trevor and Charlotte. The four cousins had only met a handful of times, but they’d always had fun.