Jake stood outside Maggie’s door the next day, feeling like a school kid on his first real date. He held the bag with the magnetic science kit in his right hand and tapped the doorbell with his other hand. The sun shone down on the pavement, creating a feeling of warmth, even if the actual temperature was close to freezing.

Maggie flung the door open. She smiled at him, a genuine gesture that caused his heart to twinge. She wore a casual button-down red-and-black plaid shirt over a pair of slim-fitting blue jeans. Her hair was up and her eyes sparkled. She was as gorgeous as she’d been on her wedding day, seemingly without trying. The scent of roses hung in the air, something he’d now forever associate with her.

“Come in, it’s freezing out there.” She gestured for him to enter the living room.

He looked around. The walls were painted a welcoming peach color that added depth and cheeriness to the small room. A canvas photograph of Alex as a toddler on the beach held a place of honor behind the couch. Through a cut-through in the wall, he could see the galley kitchen and window where he’d seen Maggie standing the night before.

“Alex!” Maggie called down the hall. “Uncle Jake’s here.”

The sound of a little boy jumping off a bed and thundering down the hall echoed throughout the small apartment. Alex burst into the room and stopped short in front of him.

“Hi.” Alex looked at him with a curious expression. “You don’t look like your picture.”

“My picture?” Jake asked. When had Alex seen a picture of him?

“Yeah, in Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The one on the wall. You’re wearing a uniform, like in the picture of my dad.”

Right. His commissioning photo. That thing was fifteen years old, no wonder he didn’t look the same to Alex. He rubbed the stubble on his chin. And he’d probably been much more clean-shaven then as well.

“That was from a while ago, when I was younger.” He held out the bag to Alex. “I brought you this. I wasn’t sure what you liked, but this seemed fun.”

Alex took the bag from him. Jake shifted his weight and stared at the boy as he opened it. The joy on his face when he saw the gift was the same look Brian used to have as he unwrapped his Christmas presents. In fact, Alex was the spitting image of his little brother. A tear appeared in Jake’s eye and he turned sideways to swipe at it.

“Are you okay?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah, I think I got something in my eye.” He smiled at her.

“Can we play with it now?” Alex asked as he tore into the box.

Jake checked Maggie’s reaction. She nodded.

“Sure, let’s set it up on the coffee table.” He and Alex removed all the pieces and together, they read through the instructions.

* * *

Maggie watched her son and his uncle as they hunched over the instruction manual for the gift Jake had brought. Their heads touched, the strands of their dark-brown hair blending imperceptibly. They pressed two of the magnets together and Alex tugged at his piece to break the seal. It broke apart suddenly and he tumbled backwards, laughing the whole time.

“You okay?” Jake asked.

“Do it again!” Alex pressed his magnet to the one his uncle held. Jake acquiesced. Alex repeated the process of pulling the magnet away.

“Now it’s Mommy’s turn.” Alex bounded up from the floor and shoved the magnet at Maggie. She looked at it as if it were a foreign object.

“You just press it to the one he has.” Alex pointed to Jake.

Maggie knelt on the floor to reach Jake’s outstretched arm. The force of the magnet pulled her closer and their eyes met. The strength of their joined gaze felt as forceful as the magnets they held together. She got goose bumps.

This was exactly how she’d felt the day she met Brian. They’d been sitting next to each other at a bar. She’d turned around on her barstool to get her drink and their eyes had met. Her skin had immediately erupted in goose bumps, and they’d spent every day following that together.

She closed her eyes and then opened them rapidly to break the spell. It must be something about the Price men. She dropped her hold on the magnet and pushed herself off the ground.

“Uh, I’ve got to get some things done in the kitchen, okay?” She hurried to the safety of the adjoining kitchen. In the other room, Jake and Alex’s voices blended as they continued to try out differing strengths of magnets.

What was that all about? After all these years, was she now attracted to Jake? Or had it simply been too long since she’d been in close contact with a man? She busied herself washing dishes until the ringing of her cell phone interrupted.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Maggie, it’s Bernadette. I’m really sorry to bother you, but we had some customers in here that complained about their service and now they want to talk to a manager.”

“Where’s Elvin?” Maggie said, referring to the assistant manager.

“He had to go to a doctor’s appointment.”

“Oh, right.” She’d completely forgotten she’d approved him leaving his shift for a few hours. “Who are they complaining about?”

“Velma.”

She groaned. Of course it was Velma. She needed to get to the café and sort out this mess, but what about Alex? She could leave him with Jake, but they’d only met an hour ago. Was that fair to Jake? He was Alex’s uncle though, and he had come to visit him. It was worth asking. She popped back into the room.

“Jake?”

He looked up from the project he was working on with her son. “What’s up?”

“I know it’s a big imposition, but something came up at work that I really need to take care of. Would you mind staying here with Alex? I should only be gone less than an hour.”

“Sure, no problem. Alex and I are getting along fine, right, Alex?”

Her son nodded. “Yeah, Mom, this is so cool.”

* * *

One problem after another hit her at the café. She talked to the couple angered by Velma’s lack of service and comped their meal. Then there was a mix-up with the dinner menu. By the time she’d put out all the fires, it was two hours later. She quickly texted Jake to let him know she was on her way home and jumped in the car.

When she got home, Jake and Alex were engaged in a driving video game, Alex giggling as he swerved around the track. “I’m going to beat you this time, Uncle Jake.”

“Not unless I let you.” Jake made an exaggerated turning movement and uttered a loud car noise, causing Alex to giggle some more.

Maggie hung back in the entry. With the volume up, they hadn’t noticed her come in. She hadn’t seen her son this happy in a long time. He spent time with his grandfathers, but other than that, there weren’t many male role models in his life. Should she have put herself out there in the dating world earlier? She wasn’t sure she was ready for that, but maybe she needed to start thinking of Alex’s needs too. Then again, the idea of introducing him to someone who might not stick around didn’t seem great either.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat. Jake turned around, but Alex kept playing.

“Hey, I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I know. You guys were too into being speedsters.” She laughed. “Sorry it took me so long at work. I really appreciate you staying with Alex. I’m going to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Do you want to stay for dinner, or do you have other plans?”

He grinned. “Nope, no other plans. I’d love to stay. Beats grabbing a sub sandwich from the gas station.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yuck. Next time you think of doing that, stop in at the Bluebonnet Café instead. I may be biased, but our food is pretty darn good.”

“Actually, I plan to eat dinner there tomorrow. The owner of the B&B I’m staying at raved about the Thursday meatloaf meal. Perhaps you and Alex would like to join me?”

She mentally checked her work schedule. “That could work. I’m off at six tomorrow. I could have my mom drop Alex off at the café then.” She hesitated. “How long are you planning on staying in town? I thought you were starting a new job soon? That’s what your mom said.”

“I had a positive second interview, but they haven’t called back yet. They said it would be another week or two. I’ll probably stay in Candle Beach until they do.” He smiled easily at her. “Is that okay with you?”

Her stomach lurched as though she’d driven too fast over a hill. Did she want him to stay in town longer? When she thought he was only in town for a day or two, she’d been happy to let him spend time with Alex. Now that he was going to be around for a couple of weeks, Alex would get used to being around Jake and then he’d suddenly be out of his life like he’d been since Brian died. And what about the way she felt around Jake? She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with those feelings.

“Mom? Is Uncle Jake going to come visit again?” Alex peered at her hopefully.

She couldn’t take away time with his uncle for fear of what Jake leaving would do to him. She met Jake’s gaze and forced a smile. “Yep, he’s going to be around for a couple of weeks. Isn’t that great?”