I could hear myself babbling, and from the corner of my eye I saw Raegan was getting far too much amusement out of my discomfort. I shot her a glare, but she deflected it with an innocent smile.
‘Your business partner very kindly made me a coffee,’ Josh said, nodding towards an almost empty mug on the counter.
‘Employee,’ I corrected, throwing Raegan a meaningful ‘don’t you have something you ought to be getting on with’ look. In response she pulled up a stool and settled herself down at thecounter, with the anticipation of someone about to watch an episode of their favourite show.
‘Do I get a hello hug?’ asked Josh, taking a step towards me and opening his arms in invitation. It was a huge struggle not to launch into them, but I made my feet take it slowly and sedately. I had no such control over my heart, which began beating twice as fast as normal the moment Josh’s arms tightened around me. Mine went around his waist. We both held on for a moment too long for ‘just friends’, but only someone who was studying us intently would have been able to read anything from that. I suspected Raegan was one such person.
‘When did you get down here?’ I asked, stepping out of his hold, which immediately made breathing easier.
‘This morning,’ Josh said, perching casually back on the stool he’d just vacated. ‘I drove through the night.’
‘You must be exhausted,’ I declared, spotting the tell-tale signs of tiredness in the grooved lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes.
‘In a bit of hurry to get here, were you?’ Raegan probed.
‘You could say that,’ Josh replied easily.
‘Don’t you have somewhere else you should be?’ I saw Josh about to reply, but I lifted a hand to silence him. ‘That one was for Raegan.’
‘Nah, I’m good,’ she replied happily.
I twisted, turning my body towards Josh, which deliberately blocked my friend’s view.
‘Where are you staying? With Claire?’ I remembered from conversations we’d had in the forest that was what usually happened when work brought him to the area.
For the first time since I’d walked in, Josh looked slightly awkward. ‘Erm, no, I’m not actually. I’ve got an Airbnb this time.’
Interesting. I didn’t want it to be so, but damn, it was.
Josh gave a yawn that he tried valiantly to stifle and snuck a quick glance at his watch. ‘I came straight here on the off chance you might be free for lunch.’ His eyes went to the carrier bag with the sausage sandwiches that had filled the unit with the most delightful aroma. ‘But it looks like you’ve already got that covered.’
‘Oh no, they’re just elevenses. She’ll still have room for lunch,’ piped up my clearly match-making friend.
‘Sheis standing right here,’ I said, turning once again to Josh, my voice softer now, ‘and as much as I’d really like to catch up, we’ve got a big order that we have to get finished before the courier gets here this afternoon.’
Josh looked satisfyingly disappointed at being turned down, which I knew would play on repeat in my head for the rest of the morning. Another yawn made me remember just how exhausting the drive down must have been in one hit.
‘Besides, what I think you need most right now is to go straight to bed.’
I didn’t even need to turn around to know that Raegan’s eyebrows would be waggling in delight. ‘To sleep,’ I added with emphasis.
Josh got to his feet, unable to suppress a roll of his shoulders. They were probably stiff from so many hours behind the wheel, and if he stayed in the workshop a minute longer, Raegan would likely volunteer my services as a masseuse.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Then how about dinner tonight? If you’re free, that is.’
‘She is.’
This time the look I gave Raegan wasn’t quite so amiable.
‘She is,’ I repeated, turning back to the man I was about to send on his way.
‘Great,’ Josh said, bending to ruffle Fletcher’s ears. My dog’s tail thumped delightedly against the floor tiles in response.
‘I’ll walk you out,’ I said meaningfully, and this time Raegan knew better than to say anything at all.
Josh waited until we were standing just outside the door, in the softly falling rain, and looked at me with the kind of expression that friends simply don’t use with each other.
‘We have a lot to talk about, I think,’ he said hesitantly, dipping his toe into the swirling waters Claire’s visit had muddied up.
