Chapter Thirty
WORLDS COLLIDE
Andi
One minute we were arguing over who had the better mini golf score and trying to keep our ice cream from melting down our wrists.
The next thing I know, he’s unlocking the passenger side door of his truck and asking if I want to come back to his place.
My brain short-circuits, flashes to The Situation—not the guy from Jersey Shore, the one in his pants—and yeah, I blurted out yes so fast it probably counted as foreplay.
I know. I’m not proud. But I’m also not sorry.
And now we’re driving through his neighborhood, the late summer sun just beginning to dip below the trees, casting everything in that golden, dangerous kind of light that makes everything seem okay.
Like I’m not going to wind up falling for the wrong person only to have my shell of a heart shattered again.
Not that Cole is the wrong person. Probably. Maybe. God, I don’t know.
He glances at me as he turns into his driveway. “You’re quiet.”
“I’m processing,” I say.
He lifts an eyebrow. “That sounds serious.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” I smirk, even though my heart’s hammering like I just ran a mile. “I just realized I forgot to feed my sourdough starter. Again.”
He grins. “Wait, you bake bread?”
“I’ve made bread,” I clarify. “Once. It went… okay.”
“Was it edible?”
“That’s a strong word.”
He laughs as he shifts the truck into park. “Well, good news is I’ve got actual food inside. I’ll keep you alive.”
We step out and I follow Cole toward the staircase to his garage apartment when I hear footsteps.
I glance to my left and stop suddenly.
“Jack?”
He’s holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. He stops dead when he sees us. His eyes narrow. “Andi?”
Cole stiffens beside me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Jack’s mouth flattens. “I could ask you the same thing.”
My eyebrows fly up. “Wait. You two know each other?”
“Unfortunately,” Jack says flatly, still glaring at Cole like he personally insulted his entire bloodline.
Cole turns to me in disbelief. “How do you two know each other?”
And that’s when the door opens and a woman steps out. Blonde hair, kind eyes, completely unaware she just walked into a minefield. “Jack, what’s taking so—” Her eyes land on me. Then on Cole. “Oh.”
I blink. This must be Cole’s mom.
Wait. She’s the one Jack’s been seeing? I glance between them, stunned. “You’re dating Cole’s mom?”
Cole turns to me, confusion all over his features. He’s clearly trying to work out how it is that I know Jack.
She hesitates. Shifts her weight. “Cole?”
“Hey, Mom,” he says, still frowning. “Andi… this is my mom, Kate.”
Kate stares at me. “How do you—”
Jack clears his throat. “Andi’s a family friend. She’s... close with me.”
Cole scrubs a hand over his face.
There’s a beat of stunned silence.
Kate blinks. “And you and Jack know each other?” she asks Cole.
“From work,” Cole says.
I sense that there’s history there, but no one’s jumping in to offer it.
Jack exhales like he needs a drink, fast. “Well. This is a hell of a reveal.”
Cole throws up his hands. “Awesome. Love this for us.”
“No one warned me I was walking into a rom-com plot twist,” I mutter.
Kate lets out a startled laugh. “Okay, I feel like I need flashcards.”
Jack looks between me and Cole. “So… want to come in for a glass of wine?”
I glance at Cole. “Should we?”
He gives me a look like he’s weighing his options. Kate takes my elbow, guiding me toward the main house. “Yes, please come in. I’ve made dinner too. It’s nice to meet you.”
I glance back, a little stunned. Cole gives Jack a long look before following.
He’s watching me like I’m the only thing grounding him in the middle of this weird tornado.
So yeah. I guess we’re doing this.
The inside of the house is warm and low-lit, scented faintly with vanilla candles. Whatever Kate had planned for their evening probably didn’t entail our walking soap opera entrance.
“Wine?” Jack asks, already heading to the kitchen.
“Please,” I say before anyone else can answer. Alcohol might be the only thing that gets me through this night without stress hives.
Kate gestures toward the couch. “Make yourselves comfortable.” She sounds pleasant—sweet even—but there’s a slight wobble in her voice like she’s still buffering all the revelations.
I sit, perching on the edge like a guest at a funeral. Cole drops down beside me, noticeably closer than necessary, like he wants to make a point. His arm brushes mine, and the tension that’s been humming in the air spikes again when Jack returns with four glasses of red wine.
He hands one to Kate, one to me, and gives Cole’s a second of extra eye contact before passing it over.
Cole raises an eyebrow. “You poison this?”
Jack smiles without humor. “Thought about it.”
Kate claps her hands once, too brightly. “Okay! So.” She turns to me. “Andi, is it? What do you do?”
I nod, clutching my wine glass. “I’m a morgue tech at the hospital.”
“Oh, wow. That sounds… intense.”
I shrug. “You get used to the dead bodies. It’s the living coworkers that are the problem.”
Kate laughs, delighted. “Well, I suppose that means you’re not squeamish.”
“Not about blood,” I say, then glance toward Cole. “Feelings, on the other hand…”
He smirks. “Working on that.”
Kate looks between us, visibly trying to decide if this is cute or mildly alarming.
“What about your family?” she asks gently. “Are you from around here?”
My grip on the wine glass tightens, and Cole shifts beside me like he feels it.
“I grew up nearby,” I say. “My parents passed away a few years back. It’s just me and Beef now.”
Kate’s eyes soften. “I’m so sorry. That must’ve been hard.”
I nod. “It was. But I’m okay.”
Kate tilts her head, a curious smile playing on her lips. “Did you say Beef?” she asks, eyes widening slightly.
I chuckle. “Yes, Beef. He’s my dog.”
Kate’s eyebrows arch in amusement. “That’s quite a name. Any particular reason?”
I grin. “Well, he’s a rescue—a big, goofy mutt with a heart of gold. When I first brought him home, he had this habit of stealing steaks off the counter. After the third time, I figured the name was fitting.”
Kate laughs, the tension in the room easing a bit. “Sounds like he keeps you on your toes.”
“Always. But he’s also the best cuddle buddy after a long day at the hospital.”
There’s a pause. Then Jack, trying and failing to sound casual, jumps in, “So how long have you two been… whatever this is?”
“Dating,” Cole says flatly, before I can hedge.
My eyebrows shoot up. We haven’t exactly had that conversation yet.
Jack notices. “Didn’t realize it was official.”
Cole leans forward. “You got a problem with it?”
Kate’s head swings between them. “Boys.”
I cut in quickly. “So! Dinner?”
Kate blinks. “Oh. Yes! I—I made way too much pasta. You’re both welcome to stay.”
Jack sets down his wine. “I’ll help you plate it.”
As they disappear into the kitchen, I turn to Cole. “You okay?”
He sighs through his nose. “I don’t like him.”
“I sensed that.”
He glances at me. “You?”
“I don’t know. He’s basically family. He was my dad’s best friend. And after they passed, he’s stuck around—been there for me when I needed it.”
Cole watches me, still quiet. I can’t help but wonder about what kind of run-ins they’ve had at work. Jack does search and rescue for the county. I guess their paths have crossed. I always sensed Cole was the type to befriend anyone and everyone—but there’s something he doesn’t like about Jack.
Kate calls from the kitchen. “You like garlic bread, Andi?”
“Love it,” I call back.
Cole leans in close and murmurs, “Let’s survive this dinner. Then I get you alone.”
“Deal,” I whisper, my heart doing something stupid. “I guess I’ll have to deal with The Situation later.”
“What?” Cole asks, blinking.
I freeze. Shit. Did I say that out loud?
My whole face floods with heat. I lean in like I’m about to confess state secrets, cupping a hand over his ear. “I, um… gave your, you know, unmentionable a nickname.”
There’s a beat of silence. Then his body actually jerks a little, like I just zapped him. He pulls back to look at me, eyes wide, lips twitching.
“You named it?” he says, voice low and incredulous. “Like—what kind of nickname are we talking here?”
I straighten my spine, shameless now. “The Situation. Capital S. Deserving of its own area code.”
He stares at me like he’s not sure whether to laugh or throw me over his shoulder and haul me straight to bed. “You’re insane.”
“And yet,” I say with a smirk, “you’re still sitting here.”
He shakes his head slowly, like he’s trying to regain use of his brain cells. Then he brings one hand up to softly stroke my cheek with his thumb. “I don’t think anyone’s ever flirted with me like this before.”
“Well,” I say, rising to my feet, “you should’ve led with The Situation. It’s a crowd-pleaser.”
He groans into his hands, but when he peeks up at me again, he’s grinning—cheeks pink, eyes warm, completely wrecked in the best way.
We head into the kitchen, and for a moment—just one—this almost feels like normal chaos.
Like a real family dinner.
A weird, wildly dysfunctional one.
But maybe not the worst.
The table’s already set when we sit down, big bowls of pasta in the center and a salad that looks like it belongs in a cookbook.
Jack passes the serving spoons with the brisk efficiency that I’d expect from him.
Kate, on the other hand, has taken her seat beside me and is already folding her napkin with practiced ease.
“This looks amazing,” I say, eyeing the pasta like it might solve world peace.
Kate beams. “Thanks. It’s an old family recipe. Cole used to love it growing up.”
Beside me, Cole gives a brief, noncommittal shrug. Jack’s jaw tightens.
I glance at Kate. “So... what’s it like raising a human like this one?” I tip my head toward Cole and dig my fork into a pile of linguine.
She laughs. “Well, he didn’t come with an instruction manual, but he was a pretty good kid. A little too serious sometimes. Always trying to keep the peace.”
Cole makes a quiet sound like he disagrees but doesn’t argue.
“Any fun stories?” I prod, twirling my pasta. “Weird memories? Embarrassing childhood obsessions? Got anything like that?”
Kate smiles like she’s more than game. “There was a period when he insisted on sleeping in his snow boots. Just in case there was a blizzard and he needed to be ready to shovel.”
I chuckle.
Cole’s gaze snaps to his mother. “I was ten. And we’d had a storm warning.”
“Better safe than sorry,” I mutter, smirking behind my glass.
Cole glares at her, but there’s no real heat in it.
Kate reaches for the salad bowl and passes it to me. “He used to organize all his Halloween candy by type, then trade based on a complex points system. It was very serious business.”
“He’s still like that,” I say, grinning. “I saw his fridge. Labeled shelves.”
Jack snorts. “Of course he does. God forbid anyone reach for the wrong yogurt.”
The air shifts again—just a little tighter, a little tenser. Cole’s smile fades.
Kate glances between them, the way moms do when they’re counting how close they are to needing a fire extinguisher.
I clear my throat and gesture toward Cole. “Okay, but in fairness, he did make me soup when I was sick. And watched three whole movies with me. One of them had zombies. That deserves a medal.”
Kate smiles again, this time warmer. “He’s got a good heart. Even when he’s being stubborn.”
Cole nudges my foot under the table, subtle. I nudge back, just as soft.
The rest of the meal plays out in a strange balance—Kate and I swapping stories and easy conversation while Cole and Jack mostly circle each other in silence. Every now and then Jack chimes in with a dig, and every time, Cole swallows it down like he’s trying like hell to keep the peace.
Eventually, dessert is brought up, and Kate rises to go cut something from the kitchen.
When she’s out of earshot, I look between the two men and raise my eyebrows. “So. You two always this fun?”
Neither of them answers.
But Jack finally mutters, “It’s been a long week.”
Cole doesn’t argue.
Just takes another sip of wine.
After dessert—which is a lovely lemon tart—Cole rises to his feet and reaches for my hand. “I’m sorry we can’t stay longer, but we’ve got a situation to tend to,” he says, eyes darkening on mine.
My heart rate ratchets up.
“Situation?” his mom asks.
My knees almost give out. “Yeah. It’s this whole big thing, but I can handle it.”
Kate blinks. “Is it… urgent?”
Cole bites back a grin. “Very.”
Jack lets out a low snort like he’s heard enough.
Kate watches us like she’s doing mental calculus and almost decides to ask a follow-up question—but then just sips her wine and raises one eyebrow. “Well. Be safe, I guess.”
I grab Cole’s hand, cheeks blazing. He treats me to a look that says you started it.
As we head for the door, I whisper, “You’re going to get us in trouble.”
He leans in, voice rough near my ear. “You love it.”
And we’re out the door before I can say something wildly inappropriate in front of his mom.