Colder Than Ice

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But he was already pouring. “Sure I do. I heard you say it makes you warm. I’m frozen.”

“Well, the tea might help,” Beth said, “but maybe some shoes and socks would help more.”

He grinned at her, curling his toes and sipping his tea. He seemed better this morning than he had before, Beth thought. Definitely not as sulky and brooding as he had been. Then again, he hadn’t been sulky or brooding at her place yesterday, either. Only around his father.

Maybe things were better between them today.

Beth finished her tea in a single gulp. It burned down her gullet.

“Well, I’d better go.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Josh drained his cup and put it down, getting to his feet.

Beth scowled at him. “Where are you going?”

“My morning jog.”

“Josh, I told you, I don’t want you coming back with me.”

“I’m not running with you. I’m running by myself. It’s a free country, and you don’t own the road.”

“But—”

“But nothing. If my morning jog happens to follow the same route as yours, that’s hardly deliberate.”

“You’re really pushing it, you know that?”

He smiled and winked at her. Beth hugged Maude goodbye and jogged down the steps, along the sidewalk and out to the road. Josh came right behind her.

He’d followed her, single file, for about fifty yards, when she finally rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder. “For God’s sake, you might as well come up beside me.”

He picked up the pace, drew up beside her. “If you insist. I was enjoying the view from back there, though.”

“Very funny.” She sighed, glanced sideways at him. “Why are you doing this, Josh?”

“Look, I care about Maude. And she cares about you. She’s worried, Beth. I mean, it’s not like her to hear noises in the middle of the night and get all nerved up like she did last night, is it?”

“No. At least, it’s never happened since I’ve known her.”

“It’s because of that car yesterday. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but that made her nervous. She’s got it in her head that whoever it was, was up to no good, and you know how she is when she gets something in her head.”

She nodded, her lips thinning. She did know. Arguing with Maude was about as practical as arguing with a bulldozer.

“So if it makes her feel a little better to have me watching out for you, then I’m willing to do it. Aren’t you?”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “And that’s all this is? You’re humoring Maude?”

“If I say it’s not, are you going to send me packing?”

She pursed her lips, thinking that over. “No. Not yet, anyway.”

“Okay. Maude isn’t the only reason I’m tagging along after you like a lonely pup. The truth is, I like you, Beth.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay? Just okay? Not even an ‘I like you, too, Josh’?”

She looked sideways at him. “You can tag along until we get to my house. Then you turn right around and jog your butt right back to Maude’s. Agreed?”

“Fine.”

She nodded. “My place is around the next bend. You want to race?”

Before he could reply, she took off at a sprint.

Chapter Six

Beth looked across her coffee table at Josh, who sat in an easy chair. Maude was in the kitchen, whipping up something that smelled wonderful. Beth caught glimpses of her beyond the archway in the kitchen and kept offering to help. Maude flat out refused. Bryan was at the small desk on the far side of the living room, using Beth’s computer to catch up with his e-mail.

“Thanks for letting Bry use your PC,” Joshua said. “He’s been bored out of his mind.”

“It’s not a problem. I certainly don’t mind him using my computer if he doesn’t mind using my screen name. Did you ever get hold of the local ISP?”

“Phoned them today. They’re ‘processing our application.’ But they said he should be able to log on by morning.”

“That’ll make him happy.”

Josh shrugged. “He thinks I should have upgraded him to wireless service.”

She smiled. “Typical teenager.”

“How’s he doing? With the tutoring, I mean?”

“We had a great session today. I assigned him Hamlet last night, and he’s already halfway through it. He’s smart, Josh. And he’s a good kid.”

“Thanks.”

She was quiet for a moment. The silence stretched, and it was awkward. She looked toward the kitchen. “I wish Maude would let us help.”

“I think she’s enjoying having people to take care of,” he said.

Beth nodded, knowing he was right about that. “So is there really anything wrong with her stove?”

Joshua looked alarmed. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, Josh, isn’t it obvious?” She shook her head at his puzzled look. “She’s been trying to fix me up with some ‘eligible young man’ ever since I met her. I’m afraid I was right in my earlier assumption. You are the newest candidate.”

“Oh, that.” He smiled as if to cover it, but she didn’t miss the look of relief that crossed his face. “So you still think she’s matchmaking.”

She shrugged. “I’m sure of it.”

“Do you mind?”

She shrugged. “I keep telling her I’m not in the market for a man.”

“Ouch.”

She looked up quickly. “I didn’t mean—”

He held up a hand, stopping her. “It’s okay. I’m not easily offended. Or dissuaded.”

She shrugged, not sure what to say to that. “Things seemed better between you and Bryan, this morning.”

“Changing the subject, huh?”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting.

“Actually, yeah, I think things are better. And I have you to thank for it.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“I tried what you suggested, talked to him about what was going on with me.”

“And it worked?”

He shrugged. “He didn’t respond in kind. Then again, he didn’t stomp away and slam a door on me, either. I call that progress.”

“It’s a start.”

The dull bleat of a cell phone came from Beth’s purse, which was hanging from a hook in the tiny foyer, near the door. She crossed the living room, dug it out and answered.

“Hey, Beth? It’s me. Is everything okay there?”