I forced a smile to my face. “Yes. My mother—well, no, I take that back. I think it was Gilda Rossi who claimed men answer rental ads in the guise of…”
“Ravishing women?” Jacob supplied.
I closed my eyes. “Something like that.”
Daniel laughed. “That sounds like her. Okay, it also sounds like something Mimi Stiles would say, too.”
Kieran grinned. “Of course, now that I see you’venotbeen ravished and are indeed okay, I’ve done my duty. I can now have a glass of wine.”
“We’ll leave you two ladies to your wine,” Jacob said. “And Daniel and I will finish unloading.”
Kieran and I watched them walk toward the truck and then I went to retrieve another wine glass from the outdoor kitchen buffet, Kieran giving me the big eyes the whole way.
“Um, what’s going on?” she whispered as I handed her the glass.
“Nothing.”
“That boy is so hot he almost melted my cold, dead heart,” Kieran said. “Don’t tell me nothing.”
I scoffed. “He’s just renting the cottage. That’s all.”
Kieran took a drink of her wine and watched as Jacob and Daniel carried in a mattress. “Maybe you should be rethinking that then. Because I’m looking at perfection right now. And I’m an artist, I know perfection.”
I laughed and took the salmon and veggies off the grill.
“You want some?”
“No,” she said. “The wine and live show are enough.”
Rolling my eyes, I set the plate down and began to eat. “Stop staring at them.”
“I can’t help it,” she said. “It should be against the law for men to look like that.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Thirty minutes later, Kieran had finished her wine, and she and Daniel waved goodbye. I poured the last of the wine in my glass and settled back onto the chaise. I was drifting when I felt someone next to me.
My eyes flew open and Jacob smiled, then gestured to the covered pool. “Do you swim a lot?”
“Yes.” I pointed to the base that held the pool cover. “There’s a switch on the side that allows you to open and close the cover automatically. You’re welcome to swim whenever you want.”
“Thank you.” Jacob reached out and helped me stand when I pushed off the chaise. Once again, his touch electrified my skin.
“Well, I think I’ll turn in,” I said. “I like to read on Sunday nights.”
“Sweet dreams, Monica. And thanks again for renting to me.”
Chapter 4
“Holy smokes!” Mimi Stiles fanned herself with her hand as she and the rest of the senior ladies watched Jacob swim his morning laps. “That boy is seriously living here with you?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s notlivinghere in the house with me, and he’snota boy. He’s just a few years younger than me.”
Gilda snorted and took a drink of her coffee. “That boy ain’t nowhere near your age.”
I bit down hard on my lip to keep from telling her off. I had no idea why Mom and the girls had stopped by on a Monday morning. That wasn’t their usual routine.
“What’s he do all day?” Mimi asked. “Swim in your pool and look hunky?”
