When Mom Meets Dad Read Online Free PDF Page A

think of something else.  We'll fix it.  We'll get them liking each other again."
    ***
    Half of the population of Cedar Grove seemed to gather at the community pool on hot Sunday afternoons.  Amanda and Heather emerged from the women's dressing area, their duffel bags in hand, and looked for a spot to sunbathe.
    Heather pointed to a narrow area of grass next to an orange towel.  "Over there, Mom."  After she ran ahead, she plopped down her bag and spread out her towel.
    Amanda threaded her way across the grass with more care than Heather.  Dropping her duffel bag, she flicked open her towel to lay edge to edge with her daughter's.
    Settling on the terry-cloth, she found her sunscreen in her bag and poured some into her hand.  When she noticed Heather doing the same, she rubbed it onto her legs.
    "Uh...Mom?"
    Amanda looked over at her daughter and saw the man standing behind her.  The one person she hadn't expected to see.  The one person she didn't want to see.  Especially the way he was dressed.  Rather, wasn't dressed.  His red swim trunks left nothing to her imagination.  And all that tan skin--
    "Hello, Amanda."
    She nodded, "Alex," then decided more explanation was in order.  "I didn't know that was your towel."
    "I guess you didn't," he replied.
    The drops of water nestled in his chest hair glistened in the sun.  She couldn't help but be fascinated by it, by his flat stomach, by...
    "Mom, we're gonna swim.  See you in a bit," her daughter informed her as she jumped up.
    "Be careful," Amanda warned.  Even though the life guard kept a close watch, she usually kept an eye on her daughter herself.
    "You, too, Kristy," Alex called as the girls hurried to the pool.
    Left alone with Alex, Amanda focused her attention on applying sunscreen to her arms.  Peeking at him, she watched as he sat on his towel and took an e-reader from his carry-all.  He seemed oblivious to her presence.  She could pretend he wasn't there just as well.
    But when she fished in her bag for a mystery novel she'd tucked in, she knew he was watching her.  When she raised her head, their eyes met.  Alex didn't look away.
    The sun beat down on Amanda's head, but that heat she didn't seem to mind.  Aware of the cleavage her one piece black suit allowed, the French cut legs, and the way Alex's eyes slowly traveled over her, she could only manage one coherent thought and spoke it aloud.  "I'm going to cool off with the girls."
    The flick of his brow was his only response.
    Summoning up every shred of composure inside her, she stood and walked to the pool, sensing Alex watched every ripple of her fanny as she moved.  Damn the man for making her feel so self-conscious.
    Once in the water, she relaxed.  It was cold but felt great on her hot skin.  She found an open stretch of water and dove underneath, coming back up to swim a few strokes.  After swimming back and forth a few times, she looked around for the girls.  To her dismay, she spotted Alex playing pitch and catch with them with a small sponge ball.  Just dandy!
    Heather and Kristy motioned to her to join in the game.  She couldn't refuse without a good reason and she didn't have one.  She couldn't tell Kristy, "I don't want to be around your dad because he makes my skin tingle," nor could she admit to her own daughter that in some ways, Alex Woodsides reminded her of Heather's father.  Not that her ex-husband had ever shown the kind of caring with Heather that Alex obviously felt for Kristy.
    Wading over to her daughter, she plastered on a smile.  Before she'd stopped, Kristy tossed the ball.  "Catch, Mrs. Carson!"
    Instinctively, Amanda raised her hands, and the ball smacked into her palm.
    "Good catch, Mom.  Let's get it going really fast."
    After a feigned toss to Kristy, Amanda instead threw it hard at Alex.  But he must have expected her ploy because he was on guard and had no problem catching it.  The swiftness with which he pitched it back threw her off balance,