‘You know you can’t believe a word he says, right?’
‘I’ll tell him you said that.’
He laughed. ‘Right, come on. Let’s do this.’
At the front door he hesitated. He looked down at me, his eyes conflicted. They seemed to soften when he stared at me. ‘I’m glad you’re here with me,’ he said. ‘I feel less inclined to run away with you standing by my side.’
I smiled up at him and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. ‘I’m glad I’m here too. Although when you say things like that, itdoesn’t help my nerves. Why do you dread coming here so much?’
‘You’ll see,’ he replied cryptically, and opened the door.
Instinctively, I started to turn left, towards the hallway off the large entranceway we had walked into, which led towards the bedroom Gray had been residing in since his stroke. It was a guest bedroom, he’d told me, when I’d pondered aloud the lack of personal touches. One of three in the left wing on the bottom floor of the house. He’d explained that normally he slept in a master suite upstairs.
‘It’s very decorated, although a bit over the top, if I’m honest,’ he’d admitted. ‘Eleanor likes to be surrounded by attractive things.’ He’d grinned and ran a hand over his hair. ‘Luckily for me. It’s the only reason she’s kept me around as long as she has.’
I’d laughed along with him. It was obvious he’d been a very good-looking man when he was younger. He wasstillgood-looking, but time and an indulgent lifestyle had taken a toll. Jonah had his eyes and sharp jawline.
‘This way.’ Jonah corrected my path with a gentle hand on my elbow, nodding towards an archway to the right. Following him through a large lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the ocean, he led me to the kitchen, where he headed straight for the refrigerator and opened it, leaning inside.
‘Drink?’ he asked, his voice muffled.
‘No, I’m fine. I have a feeling I might need to keep my senses about me tonight.’
His head popped around the door. ‘Are you sure? I find it easier to deal with my mother with a bit of Dutch courage underneath my belt. Or in my stomach, in this case.’
I smiled. ‘Fine. I’ll have a beer then.’
‘Excellent choice.’ He closed the door with his foot, two beers in his hand. Using one to pop the top off the other bottle, hepassed it to me. His fingers lightly grazed mine and I jumped as if I’d touched an electric fence. From the curious look that passed over his face, I could tell he’d noticed. ‘Here you go, ma’am.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Did you just curtsey?’
‘I believe so,’ I admitted.
‘Why?’
‘It’s this place. It’s so grand.’
He took a swig of his beer then shrugged. ‘It’s just a house.’
I gave him a look. ‘Yeah, OK.Justa house.’
‘It has four walls and a roof. Isn’t that the definition of a house?’
‘This place has more like fifty walls.’
‘That’s an exaggeration.’
‘Is it?’
He looked thoughtful. He was very cute when he was thoughtful. A little crease appeared between his eyebrows, and one tooth chewed the corner of his bottom lip. The memory of our kiss the day of the hike flashed through my mind, as it had roughly one hundred times a day since it happened.
‘You know, you’re really cute when you’re deep in thought,’ I blurted out without thinking.
He smiled. ‘Only then? I’ll have to try and think more often.’
‘No, not only then.’ I meant to sound lighthearted to match his cheeky tone, but whether it was because of the two mouthfuls of beer I’d already had or the memory of that kiss, I failed. Sounded breathless and husky instead.
