“This is a great setup,” he finally said.
“Mmmm. Stargazing for two.” Her voice was dreamy, and an unexpected bolt of jealousy gripped him. She was dreaming about whatever guy she was planning on sharing this setup with once he was gone.
For the first time it occurred to him that he was renovating the house where she’d fall in love and raise a family. She’d share that bed with someone, drink coffee with him in the breakfast nook, cuddle with him on the balcony at the end of the night. For some reason all his mental pictures had been of just her, with no guy in sight. Weird that it bothered him a little now.
“I’m scared shitless.”
Her words knocked him right out of his head, but he managed to volley back a joke. “I told you I’m gonna make that balcony perfectly safe for you,schmoopie.”
“I don’t know how, but your nicknames are getting worse.” She sat up and swung her feet to the side of the lounger. “Just… roots. A mortgage. Permanence. Not things I’m particularly known for.”
He sat up too. “Hey, you got this.”
“Thanks.” She looked down as she played with the end of a braid. “Should I get a dog?”
Not what he was expecting, but okay. “This house has a great backyard for a dog. Lots of nice areas for walks too.”
“Right, but shouldIget a dog?”
The question seemed to matter to her, although he had no idea why. “Sure. I bet you love animals. And it’d be something else for you to talk to.” He grinned at the picture of Thea keeping up a running conversation with her dog at all hours of the day. When she didn’t smile back at him, he nudged her foot with his. “Seriously, I think you’d love a dog. And your dog would love you.” All that warmth and affection? Hugs and pets and kisses? He was almost ready to switch places with the hypothetical canine.
“Well.” She slapped her hands on her thighs and said crisply, “since that’s not happening anytime soon, I guess we’d better go over the schedule for the next few weeks.” She stood, and Aiden joined her.
As they moved through the house, they flipped on lights to ward off the darkness pressing against the windows.
“Sorry I can’t offer you anywhere to sit or anything to drink but water,” she said when they reached the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room. “Also, I haven’t moved my drinking glasses in yet, so it’ll have to be straight from the tap.”
“Horrible hospitality.” He set his binder on the ugly countertop as Thea’s gaze drifted back to the dark shimmer of the Illinois River.
“It looks so different at night.”
“Yeah, you’d almost think it was safe to swim in.”
“Ew.” She wrinkled her nose. “That poor river.”
“It may be brown and sludgy, but it’s great for summertime boating.”
“I’ll take your word on that.” She leaned her elbows on the counter as he pulled out the schedule for them to review.
“Not a boating fan?”
“Never really tried it.”
“You’re missing out. Trip’s got a boat, and you haven’t lived until you’ve spent an afternoon drinking beer in the sun on the river.”
Maybe not this summer though. Not with Trip’s attitude. A shame too; some of his favorite memories were family time on the boat. He clenched and released his fingers to banish the memories, spreading them flat on the printed sheets in front of him. When he looked up, Thea was staring at his hand where the tips pressed so hard into the countertop that his nails turned white.
“There any shade on that boat?”
His tension vanished at her question, which was obviously designed to distract him. And damn if it didn’t work. “Of course. We’ve got a canopy. We’re not animals.” He smiled at her in gratitude; she had a deft way of pulling him back from the brink.
“I guess that doesn’t sound too bad then.”
“You’ll love it. Just wait until it warms up and I’ll take you out.” If Trip didn’t come around, he’d just have to rent a boat. But nowshewas the one frowning. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze returned to the river. “I mean… summer’s months away. And we’re not gonna be together that long.”
Apparently he wasn’t the only one already thinking about life after their agreement was over. “Yeah, but we’re staying friends when we break up, remember?” He stretched his pinky across the space to brush against hers. “Friends can go boating together.”
