The air stilled, and she held his gaze, considering, the eye contact lasting a bit too long as the snap and sizzle of chemistry between them sparked palpably. A thin, invisible thread tugging them in the same direction like marionettes.
His eyes sparkled. They did not need that small enhancement because they were already stunning without that additional glimmer.
She shook off the moment and, since shaping wasn’t happening for her, Em reached into the dough with her spoon. The puppet strings might push them together, but they’d already made the choice to clip the strings and move forward on their own when this was done.
She lifted the spoon to her lips. Gave it a test. “Oh my hell, this is divine.”
She dipped the second spoon in and loaded it right up.
“I’d cook for you again just to get that same reaction,” he said, way huskier than she’d expected.
They definitely needed to put a damper on that. No husky talk allowed. And no talk about anything that could be construed as remotely sexy.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked.
“Ask away.” He radiated the confident charm of a friendly neighbor. Not the guy with the husky undertone to his words.
She set the spoon down. “Okay.”
“Okay,” he replied, giving her his full attention.
“Why didn’t you just pay someone to do this?” She gestured to herself. “The girlfriend schtick.”
“Simple. Because finding someone willing to play along without attachment was harder than one would expect.” He paused. “Also, I don’t want Annie getting attached to someone she can’t have.” He pursed his lips, paused with the two spoons still in his hands. “I figure you’re just up the street. She and Fiona are best mates. If she gets attached, she won’t loseyou.” He gave her a deliciously warm look that rivaled the melted chocolate chips in his cookies. “We probably shoulda talked about that.”
Uh-huh. “Yes. You should’ve mentioned that.” She sighed a deep sigh, ready to clip any extra invisible strings. “We can’t let this get any deeper thanthis.” She gestured to the cookies. “We’ll get the pictures. I’ll definitely get a cookie. Then Fiona and I will head home.”
“Mom,” Fiona called, running from the living room, her cheeks flushed. The desperate way she called for Em made her words a splash of ice water. “I dropped my new bracelet in the gutter with all the yuck. I can’t reach it.” She heaved a huge breath. “Annie’s still trying, but her arm’s too short.”
“Annie put her hand in the gutter?” Ethan stopped making the cookie dough balls. Dropped the spoons on the counter.
“Her whole arm!” Fiona said, nodding. “Hers are longer than mine.”
Crud. Crud. Cruddy. Em headed out to the sidewalk, double time.
Chapter Eleven
EMMALINE
The summer sunhad pelted Denver after the morning’s rain, so while it had once been wet, the asphalt was now freaking hot against the soles of Emmaline’s shoes. She still hustled with Fiona to where Annie had her arm shoved into the grate, right up to her armpit. Emmaline flinched because that didn’t look very comfortable.
“Don’t put your hand in there,” Emmaline said using her best you-have-to-listen-to-me-because-I’m-a-mom tone, and hoping it would work, as she hurried to the drain.
“Annie,” Ethan called from beside Em. “Get it outta there.”
“It’s my favorite bracelet.” Fiona threw her hands up like Emmaline should know this information.
“I made it special for her,” Annie added. Thankfully, she’d pulled her hand from the gutter.
“It’s getting ruined,” Fiona practically wailed.
Emmaline knelt beside the drain like a mom on a mission and stared into the depths of the gutter grate thing where the muddy sprinkler and rainwater went. She’d never given much thought to these things, other than being grateful for their ability to ensure the water that came from the sky had a place to go. Never needed to think past that.
“I should call Grandpa. He’ll know how to help me save it.” Either Fiona was genuinely distraught, or she was seriously playing this up. A little tingle along Emmaline’s spine had her questioning the authenticity of Fiona’s distress.
Also, they didn’t need her dad. They didn’t. She was perfectly capable herself of dealing with this situation.
“Let’s not bother Grandpa,” Em said. Honestly, the last thing she needed was her parents involved in this fiasco. They’d bring along their opinions and—she, uh, hadn’t mentioned the Ethan thing yet. She would, of course. But it hadn’t come up and she didn’t want to make a fuss.
