Jordan's Return by Samantha Chase

down the hall toward the boys’ room.
    He hung around until after lunch, playing with the boys down on the beach while Jordan showered and cleaned up around the house. She appreciated some time alone to get things done without the constant interruptions that came with being with her children 24-7.
    When Mark pulled away, Jordan kept her sons close as they all waved good-bye, feeling good about having seen someone they loved so dearly from home.
    Both boys were a little sad Mark hadn’t been able to stay longer, but were in good spirits as they headed back into the house. The phone was ringing as Jordan stepped inside and closed the door.
    â€œHello?” she said cheerily into the phone.
    â€œHi,” Rob said stiffly.
    â€œOh, hi,” she said breathlessly. “How was your weekend?” Jordan really didn’t want to know, but secretly hoped that it was miserable. She was obviously some kind of masochist. And her stomach was so not fluttering just from the sound of Rob’s voice. She would not allow it to.
    â€œFine,” he said. “I was wondering if I could take the boys fishing sometime this week.” Not her and the boys, she noticed, just the boys. He sounded tense and as uncomfortable as Jordan felt at the moment.
    Trying to keep her tone light in opposition to his dark one, she said, “That would be nice. They’ve never really gone fishing but I’m sure they’d enjoy it. When did you have in mind?”
    â€œTomorrow,” he said flatly.
    Okay, no more Mrs. Smiley Face. “Fine,” she responded with equal enthusiasm. After several strained and silent moments, arrangements were made and they hung up. If Rob had really wanted to ease out of this situation with her and the boys, why bother calling at all? Damned if she knew.
    â€œHey, guys! Guess what you’re doing tomorrow?”
    * * *
    Early the next morning, Jordan woke her sons up and got them ready to leave. She packed up a cooler with snacks, drinks, and sandwiches for them and waited for Rob to pull up. Her plan was to send them directly out to him and to avoid having to talk with him at all. After his attitude toward her yesterday on the phone, she seriously began to second-guess her decision to let the boys go out with him and the heck with the consequences.
    Why on earth would he have such an attitude with her? Was he mad she fell asleep while they watched a movie? If he was, it was a damn lame excuse and she’d be happy to tell him so if she wasn’t so hell-bent on not seeing him at the moment.
    She knew by avoiding him she was being a coward, but she didn’t have the strength to care. For far too long, Jordan Manning had spent the bulk of her time caring about everyone else’s feelings. Well, no more! It had become painfully obvious that all her caring had only caused her more disappointment. She had given her heart to him at sixteen and he had stomped all over it. She had done the same thing with her ex-husband, and he had not only stomped on her heart, but gone for an all-out removal of it.
    Let Rob think her a coward. She thought no more highly of him right now.
    Rob showed up while she was dressing. He was early. Dammit! He was waiting for her in the living room, dressed in what Jordan could only assume to be clothes that Goodwill had refused: ripped jeans, an old sweatshirt with paint stains on it, and a ridiculous-looking fishing hat. A quick glance out the front windows showed her the boys were loading their cooler into the truck and getting settled.
    She walked toward him but stopped several feet away and tried to act completely unaffected by his presence by folding her arms across her chest. “What time should I expect them back?” she asked coolly as she reached up to comb a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
    Rob’s expression was equally cool, but his eyes were dark and seemed to bore into hers. “We’ll be back sometime after