He sighed. “I’m attracted to you, Rosie. I don’t see any point in trying to pretend I’m not. You’re a lovely woman and you’ve been everything kind to me and my children.”
Except for that unfortunate moment in the bookstore when she didn’t know he was eavesdropping, but this wasn’t the time to mention that.
“I’m attracted to you. More importantly, I like you. Very much.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she looked both surprised and flattered by his words. “I like you, too,” she said. “And I’m obviously attracted to you as well. I don’t go around kissing every guy who helps me clean up after a party.”
“Good to know.” Some of his discomfort seemed to ease, replaced by amusement. She seemed as unnerved by their kiss as he was.
“But we have to work together for the next few months, especially since you’ve taken over as project manager for Stormhaven. I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was... inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate,” she repeated slowly.
“I would hate for things to be awkward between us now. Could we backtrack a bit and pretend that kiss never happened?”
She said nothing for several beats, as if trying to gather her thoughts. Finally she nodded. “Yes. You’re right. A hard rewind would be better all around.”
Perversely, hearing her agree with him made him rethink the suggestion. He didn’t want her to forget the kiss. He knew he certainly wouldn’t.
“I should probably take off.”
“Right,” she said again. “Thank you again for helping me clean up. It was very... neighborly of you.”
He didn’t want to be neighborly with her. Nor did he want a business relationship. He wanted to go on kissing her here on her porch steps while the ocean murmured below them.
“Will this make things weird between us?”
“Not if we don’t let it,” she answered in that matter-of-fact voice he was beginning to recognize as sheer determination.
“Right.”
“I plan to spend the rest of the weekend going over the Stormhaven project and reaching out to all your subcontractors to check their status. I will try to do everything I can to fast-track the project for you.”
Not only did he want to be done with the renovation for his and his children’s sake, now he wanted it to be done so that he might have the chance of kissing her again.
“Sounds good,” he said. “Have a good evening.”
“Same to you.”
As he trotted down her steps, the rain misted in his hair and pearled on his exposed skin. Andrew didn’t mind. He welcomed the cooling effect as he walked the short distance between her house and Stormhaven.
When was the last time he had reacted so instantly to a woman?
He certainly hadn’t to Willow Voss, despite the media firestorm that had erupted after they went out a few times.
He’d liked Willow but she had mostly been interested in picking his brain about her character and the direction he intended to take it in the remainder of the series.
He suspected she had also loved the publicity they invariably generated when they were seen in public together.
Sighing, Andrew ran a hand through his hair, trying to clear his thoughts. As much as he wanted to pursue this connection with Rosie, he knew the timing wasn’t right. His lifewas in flux, with the house renovations still ongoing and his career at a critical juncture. Maybe when his house was finished and his life more settled, he would be ready to explore a relationship with her.
For now, though, he had to put any romantic notions about Rosie out of his, which might be a more Herculean task than anything he threw at his characters.
Chapter Nineteen
Emma
Emma looked out at the gray day through the window of the bookstore where rain pattered relentlessly down the glass.
