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on hold.”
    Since his return, Cole had been working construction for Nick’s company, and Cole appreciated knowing he’d always have a place with his cousin when he needed one. Working for Nick’s dad had always been a way to stay out of the house and keep his father off his back. Too bad Cole hadn’t been smart enough to work more and stay out of trouble, but he couldn’t change the past. And since it had led his mother to take them both away from Jed and out of Serendipity, maybe his juvenile idiocy hadn’t been such a bad thing. No matter what his father thought . . . or blamed him for.
    “No problem,” Cole said. “Any other sites you can use a hand on?”
    Silence followed and Cole knew exactly what his cousin wasn’t saying. Nick had already informed him that a couple of clients preferred that Cole wasn’t on the crew who worked on their homes. As if he’d steal from anyone, but old neighbors? Friends? Jeez. Much as he hated it, Cole had to admit they had good reason to be suspicious, and nothing he could do or say would dispel their mistrust. Undercover work meant he had to keep a low profile and live with the consequences.
    “Don’t worry about it. Call me when you need me again,” Cole said, letting his cousin off the hook.
    “My mother mentioned Uncle Jed needs some help around the house,” Nick said. “I can handle it over the weekend if you want.”
    Nick’s mother was Cole’s mother’s sister. Aunt Gloria had helped Cole’s mom when she needed it most, giving her money to leave Jed, and Cole loved her for it. Nick was like his mom, giving and always there.
    Much as he appreciated the offer, Cole didn’t need Nick handling Jed’s crap for him. “You spend the weekend with your pretty wife,” he said of Kate Andrews, whom Nick had finally married a few months ago, a wedding Cole had missed because of work. It had been one of the few times he resented the job.
    Because undercover defined him. It wasn’t just what he did; it was who he was. He didn’t have a real life: friends, habits, schedule, routine. He had his work, and his downtime before going back under.
    “I don’t mind. I’ll get in and out with no shitstorm. You won’t.”
    “Thanks, but as long as I’m in town, I’ll pick up the slack,” he told his cousin.
    Nick’s groan echoed through the phone. “No reason for you to deal with the old man.”
    “He’s my father. I’m not going to let others do his shit for me, but thanks.”
    Nick cleared his throat. “Fine. Come hang out over the weekend?”
    “We’ll see.” They both knew he wouldn’t show. But Nick still asked, and Cole still gave him his standard answer.
    He said good-bye, grabbed his coffee, and walked out of the shop. As much as Cole liked his cousin, family wasn’t part of his makeup. He hadn’t had a strong unit as a kid, at least until his mother married Brody Williams, but by then Cole had been almost seventeen, self-reliant, self-contained, and basically on his own. He’d taught himself not to want what he couldn’t have. That mind-set served him well in his line of work, and he didn’t see any reason to change now.
    He stepped onto the curb as he caught sight of two women crossing Main Street. For a split second, he thought he saw Erin, then realized he was seeing what his subconscious wanted to see. The woman with reddish hair wasn’t Erin, but the thought of her had been firmly implanted in his brain.
    The first time he’d run into her after they’d slept together, he’d been abrupt. Curt. He’d wanted to make sure she knew he wasn’t looking for her happy smile, flushed cheeks, or warm wave hello. Even if she had been the only good thing about his return home so far. That lack of interaction continued when they saw each other, and though he hated it, he understood keeping her at a distance was better than encouraging any thoughts she might have of a
them
. Because Erin was the kind of woman who would both want and deserve all