Chapter Ten
JOSIE
I waited, listening to the phone ringing in my ear. “Stupid heater,” I muttered as I tapped a few buttons on the small heater.
“Hey, Josie, long time no see,” Tate teased when he answered his phone.
“The heater’s not working.”
“Oh, well, that’s not good. Be right over,” he replied.
The line went dead, and I stuffed my phone into my pocket. The heat must’ve turned off earlier today after I left because the house was freezing. I curled my arms around my waist and glanced around.
“It has to be something simple,” I mused.
A sharp knock sounded on the door a moment later before it swung open. “It’s me,” Tate called as he stepped inside. “Oh wow. It’s cold in here.”
He crossed over to stand in front of the heater with me. He knelt and tapped a few buttons before opening up the control panel. He ran through several tests, offering commentary as he went, before finally saying, “It’s not out of fuel, and none of these things are getting it going. My best guess is the control panel itself is glitching. I’m pretty handy, but I’m notthathandy. I’mgonna have to call the place that installed this tomorrow and see if they can come out to fix it.”
“Oh.” That was all I could offer to that.
I peered up at him as he straightened. “Unless you want to freeze your ass off tonight, I think you should come stay at my place.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I contemplated my options. I hated being cold, and it was February. In Alaska, specifically in Willow Brook, temperatures could easily dip below zero during the night at this time of year. This was just not something I wanted to deal with.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll cut you a break on rent. I don’t even want to charge you rent, but you’re insisting on it,” he added dryly.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll stay at your place. I love snow, and I love winter, but I don’t like freezing my ass off. Give me a minute, and I’ll walk over with you.”
Tate waited in the living room while I dashed into the bedroom and tossed my clothes into my bag before collecting my toiletries from the bathroom. Within ten minutes, we were at his place. His mom had given me a big hug and told Tate that Kara was sound asleep before announcing she needed to get home.
I eyed the couch, feeling conflicted about the sleeping situation. I knew Tate couldn’t fit on this couch. He was too tall. It was just a small loveseat.
“Did you eat at Wildlands?” he asked, oblivious to my worries.
“Just a little.” As if my stomach needed to protest that point, it offered up an audible rumble.
He chuckled. “I was gonna ask if you wanted anything to eat. Mom left some artichoke dip and fresh bread. I can heat the dip.”
“I’d actually love that.”
I dropped my bag on the floor by the kitchen counter, mentally telling myself we’d figure out the sleeping thing later.
It all seemed so easy to relax and eat, except sitting at the kitchen counter with Tate directly across from me turned out to be a recipe for my hormones to lose their minds. My belly tingled, and I was hot all over by the time we finished our snack.
I leaped up, announcing, “I’ll clean up!” Even my voice sounded ridiculous, some sort of combination between squeaky and breathy.
I fetched our plates to put them in the dishwasher. When I turned around, I realized my mistake. Tate had spun around on his stool, and he was maybe two feet away from me, his eyes colliding with mine. My lungs seized, and I tried to breathe, but I couldn’t.
“Have you been avoiding me?” he asked.
“Of course not,” I said way too quickly.
He didn’t look away. “Should we talk about it?”
“Um, talk about what?” I twisted a dish towel between my hands and nervously stared at him. I reminded myself that his daughter was asleep in her bedroom down the hallway. My naughty mind pointed out that Tate’s bedroom was upstairs.
“The fact that we kissed.”
