He gave her a pitying look over the flames of the four pillar candles he was lighting. “I wasn’t going to stay in a place with all of my lab equipment if there was a chance the power would go out for any length of time. I couldn’t chance my samples getting ruined.”
She shook her head. “Why am I surprised? You brought your own refrigerator, after all.”
“I would have brought my own generator if necessary,” he replied, setting the candles up on the kitchen table. “Fortunately, it wasn’t, or I’d have had to leave the centrifuge at home because it all wouldn’t have fit in my Jeep.”
“Of course you would have.” Teddy shook her head as another boom of thunder rattled the dishes in the cupboards.
“Well, since we’re on a well out here in the sticks, without power, there’s no water—or toilet,” he said.
Teddy froze. “What?” She was standing by the sink and twisted the spigot sharply to prove him wrong. Nothing came out but a small blurp of water, then a gurgle. “No water?”
Now she had another reason to be thankful Oscar had come back. She’d have had no idea about the water (or toilet) and certainly no idea about setting up the generator. She lived in Manhattan, for pity’s sake.
“We can use a bucket of water to flush the toilet if necessary,” he said around the piece of pizza he was devouring. “So don’t panic too much. There’s a lake right out there, don’t forget. Oh, I forgot—there’s a hand pump in the garden. That would be much more convenient.”
Right. Like she wanted to discuss bathroom procedures with the guy whose bones she wanted to jump…
“So, you came back.” She decided to take charge of the conversation, and to forget how she suddenly had to pee.
No toilet? Really?
There went her idea of a romantic, candlelit interlude while a storm raged outside.
“First, before I explain all of that… Teddy, how’s the book going? I realized after the fact that you were—um—exaggerating or maybe even—um—lying when you told me you’d finished it this morning.”
“It’s done now. I sent it off at precisely four twenty-five today. For real. My agent even called to say she received it.”
He smiled, and to her amazement, he seemed genuinely relieved as he gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I’m so glad. Now you can really relax.”
“Yes. I’m definitely looking forward toallthe benefits offinishing.” She gave him a very warm, very deliberate smile, and his eyes widened. Then they narrowed, and when he gave her the same hot smile full of promise, Teddy’s knees nearly gave out.
She’d better sit down.
“Happy to oblige,” he murmured, still looking at her in the candlelight. “Anytime. That is part of the reason I came back.”
“Only part?” she teased.
“Well, I had to return the key.”
Her gaze shot to his in indignation before she realized he was teasing her. “Right.”
“Teddy,” he said a moment later, “why do you have the sofa in front of the connecting door over there?”
She explained about the door hidden behind the rosebush and how she couldn’t figure out where it connected to the rest of the cottage. “And I didn’t even look in the plastic bins,” she added with distaste. “I was a big old scaredy-cat.”
“Anyone would have been. Especially being here alone, with all the stuff that’s been going on.” He looked as if he wanted to say something, then thought better of it. “We can look tomorrow. I don’t think we have to worry about anyone getting there in the meantime. No one’s going to be out in this storm, breaking inorcoming from the lake. It would be impossible.”
She was silent for a moment, considering a whole lot of things. Mostly that he was right, but…
“You’re thinking about how Sargent Blue could get somewhere underwater during a thunderstorm, aren’t you?” Oscar said after a moment.
She grinned. “How did you know?”
He merely looked at her, and the soft expression in his eyes made her heart go very mushy.
He understands me. How did he get to know me so well in only a few days?
“There’s no safe way,” he said, and sipped the wine, then looked approvingly at the glass. “Hm. Not bad.”
