Mission: Colton Justice. Jennifer Morey

because she was a woman? He was too young when Tess died. Did he remember her at all? She doubted he remembered enough to make a significant conscious impact. He had to have dealt with some subliminal effects. Instinctually he’d feel the loss.

      “Hey, buddy, this is Adeline.”

      Jamie eyed Adeline and then turned to his father. “Can I have ice cream?”

      “Sure, come on down.”

      Adeline wondered if he said yes just to get the boy to come down and greet her. Her heart drummed anxiously until she put herself in check. She was there to help with a case, not take over the role of Jamie’s mother. She stood stiffly as he came down the stairs and emerged through the front entry. His little steps carried him toward her and he stared in shy absorption.

      “I don’t bring women here much,” Jeremy said. “I haven’t dated or anything.”

      After he lost his wife, Adeline could well understand. She wouldn’t think too long on why he hadn’t seen any women.

      “I’m a bit younger than his grandparents,” she said.

      “You’re not my grandma,” Jamie said, all in fun. He went to the freezer.

      Jeremy got a bowl and went about the task of scooping a small amount of ice cream while Adeline took advantage of the time to just stare at her son.

      Tess had been Jamie’s mother, but he was her son. She’d felt proud and sometimes sad because she wasn’t part of his life. She didn’t like thinking of Jamie as Tess’s son. She couldn’t quite let go of the fact that she’d had a son and he was being raised by his father and another woman. Tess hadn’t been able to have children of her own because of undiagnosed endometriosis. Adeline should be completely happy that she’d given the woman such a gift, not envious or regretful. Why did those thoughts plague her so much? She hadn’t been at a point in her life to care for a child. She had college ahead of her. She’d made the right decision, despite the occasional doubt that seized her.

      The only thing she might doubt...and even more, regret...was letting her fantasies of Jeremy take flight.

       Chapter 2

      “Jamie, Adeline was...my and your mom’s friend.”

      Jamie looked up from his spoonful of ice cream, his chewing slowing. He sat on a high stool at the kitchen island. Did the mention of his mother make him sad?

      “Ice cream?” Jeremy asked her as he headed toward the refrigerator.

      Why not? “I’d love some.”

      “Chocolate with chocolate chunks or vanilla caramel?”

      “It’s got to be the chocolate chunks.” She smiled at Jamie, who still stared at her as he shoveled ice cream into his mouth.

      She went around the island and sat to one side of the boy, catching a whiff of his kid scent.

      Jeremy placed a bowl in front of her and sat on the other side of Jamie.

      Adeline put a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, the rich chocolate flavor bursting. Delicious. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had ice cream.

      Beside her Jamie started to laugh, almost a giggle. She glanced at him and he pointed.

      “You got ice cream on your face.” His young voice tripped over the words ice cream, spending more time on them.

      Smiling, she licked. “Did I get it?”

      “Yeah.” Jamie laughed some more, swinging his feet and piling in another heaping bite.

      He rested his forearm on the edge of the counter and Adeline noticed Jeremy doing the same thing. They held their spoons the same, Jamie’s fingers a much smaller version. Jeremy glanced at her and so did Jamie and she felt a pang of affection.

      “All right, buddy. Time for pajamas. By the time all that sugar wears off, I want you in bed.”

      “I don’t wanna go to bed.”

      “I’ll read you a story.” Jeremy cleared his and Jamie’s bowls and took them to the sink.

      “Will Adda read, too?”

      He called her Adda. How adorable. She took her bowl to the sink where Jeremy withdrew from rinsing his and Jamie’s. Her hand brushed his. In an instant, awareness of how close she stood to him inundated her senses. The unexpectedness of it threw her off balance. For a few seconds all that existed was him, his nearly six-foot height, fit build, dark lashes around his warm, confident eyes...and the smell of him, spicy but subtle.

      Jamie tugged on Jeremy’s sleeve. “Read.”

      “Go get into your jammies. We’ll be up in a second.”

      Jamie hopped off.

      Adeline listened to his feet patter up the stairs, thinking she could hear the sound every day and never tire of it.

      “We have about two minutes to get up there before he starts hollering.” Jeremy rinsed her bowl and put the dishes into the dishwasher.

      He didn’t have a housekeeper?

      He turned and headed for the stairs. Feeling a little awkward participating in this family activity, she followed. He stopped in the entryway to pick up her luggage and carried it upstairs.

      At the top he paused and let her catch up. “You don’t have to do this, you know. I can show you to your room and you can get settled in.”

      “What’s so tough about reading to a kid?” She kept the mood light, not comfortable revealing how this affected her. She was about to read to her son for the first time.

      She took in the huge landing area, a loft with a seating area and desk. There were two halls sprouting off the room, one to the left and one to the right.

      Jeremy led her down the hall to the right and entered the first room. Spacious with a love seat and chair and queen bed, blues and greens and carved white crown molding, it invited coziness. A five-piece bath with a walk-in closet was more than she needed.

      “How many rooms do you have here?”

      “Eight. This one’s closest to the stairs.” He pointed toward the opposite hall. “Jamie’s room is the first one on that side. Mine’s at the end. It’s a suite. More than I need, but it was nice to share with Tess on those lazy days.”

      He seemed to catch himself talking inappropriately and scratched his temple. “Not...er...for watching movies on rainy days is what I meant.”

      “It’s okay if you spent days in your room with your wife, Jeremy.”

      “I know but...”

      She held up her hand. “I got it.” She did not need to hear about how much he enjoyed those days with Tess. And she berated herself for even feeling a tinge of envy.

      In Jamie’s room, the boy had a book out and was bouncing into position, getting under the covers.

      “I want Adda to read first.”

      “It’s Adeline, Jamie.” Jeremy picked up the book and sat on the bed. “You’re not very shy today, are you?”

      “Adda Lion.”

      “Adda-leen.”

      “Adda.”

      Adeline laughed along with Jeremy, making Jamie laugh, too. “It’s okay, I can read to him.” She stepped forward, taking the book from Jeremy and shooing him off the bed.

      Taking his place, she opened the book and began reading, aware of Jeremy sitting on the chair in the corner. The story was about a big, hairy golden retriever named Doug. Doug was a girl dog who struggled socially at doggy day care. The other dogs teased her because she had a boy dog name.