She nodded. “A great concept, when possible.”
“I’m attracted to you.”
Wow. He just dropped that out there and she had no idea what to say. Cheering wasn’t a good idea. “Okay.”Gah, that sounded absurd. “I mean... I don’t know what I mean.”
He wasn’t suffering the same awkwardness. “It’s not because you’re the only woman here, not because you’re convenient, and definitely not because you need a little temporary help. I need you to know that you’re welcome to stay even if you want me to keep my distance.”
“I don’t,” she said so quickly that it brought a blush to her face. “Ryder would be crushed.”Shewould be crushed. If anything, she wanted closer to Hendrix. She’d been wanting that for a year.
“If you catch me watching you, appreciating how attractive you are, just know that I’ve been doing that since the day you showed up here.”
No way. “I never noticed.” And she should have, because she’d watched him a lot, too.
His mouth twisted. “Seriously, Joey, I’m not sure you notice much when it comes to men. Your attention is usually on Ryder, or helping another kid.”
Was that a complaint, or just an observation? “Mothers have to be attentive.”
“I agree. I like that about you. It makes you even more special.”
Even more? How special did he consider her?
“My point is, the offer to stay stands regardless of how you feel about me. When I say no strings, I mean it.”
Seriously, not a single string? She was glad, of course. The last thing she needed was pressure from Hendrix, but... Did he want to hook up? Or did he resent his attraction to her?
“If you’d left when everyone else did, I wouldn’t be getting rent,” he reasoned, “so I wasn’t counting on it anyway.”
After all that, she struggled to get her thoughts sorted enough to argue her case. “Still, we’re using utilities.” Electric, water, and sometimes the fireplace. “After all this, the pizza and your offer of the hot tub, and the toys, there’s no way that I’ll be able–” She peeked out to ensure Ryder wasn’t listening. “–to keep Ryder from begging to see you again. I’d sooner pack up now and sleep in my car than have his feelings hurt.” Not totally true. Her car was so small that she’d have to sleep sitting up, but she hoped he got her point.
The corner of his mouth curled. “So dramatic.”
Of all the... “I amnotdramatic. I’m trying to be responsible so my son doesn’t get hurt.”
“It’s unnecessary, because I’m not an ogre. Recently a loner, yes, but you actually think I’d do anything to make that kid feel bad?”
Recently? So he hadn’t always been a loner? Interesting.
It dawned on her that this time, she’d insulted him. Never had she seen Hendrix look so offended.
His frown, along with the set of his mouth, emphasized his high cheekbones and lean jawline. Those incendiary gray eyes showed a lot of indignation.
“It’s unfair that you can look like that even when you’re irked.”
His expression instantly morphed into confusion. “What?”
She gestured at his face, then at the rest of him. When he started to frown, she gave up trying to explain how mouth-watering he looked, and instead pushed the curls away from her face. “I didn’t mean it that way. Obviously, I think you’re awesome.”
His confusion gained an edge. “Obviously.”
“It’s that my angst makes me defensive.” She went to the chair where she’d left their sweatshirts and hats so she could dig out her note. “I was going to offer you this, to see if it would help compensate for us being here.”
He took the paper, glanced over her ideas, and lifted both brows. “Not bad.”
Flattered that he liked her ideas, she said, “Obviously, I would implement them as a way to show my appreciation for all you’re doing.”
“Not necessary.” He started to say more, but then they heard an odd crash and they both moved at the same time, nearly plowing over each other until they saw Ryder.
He sat there, the plastic truck in hand, Legos all around him and devastation on his face. “It was an accident,” he said in a tiny voice.
