Page 24 of Escape to the Sun

Heather shook her head. “I should get him to put a shirt on.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“What?”

The friends yelled at the same time, drawing attention from the object of their conversation. Ash waved, and for a moment Heather was sure the ladies were going to swoon right off the dock and into the water. Although, that might not be a bad thing; they both clearly needed to cool down. Heather made a mental note to make the next batch of drinks virgin.

“Okay, okay.” She held up her hands in surrender. “No shirt. I promise. But I should go talk to him and see what’s going on.” She laughed along with their whoops of approval before she excused herself. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

“With drinks!”

“Of course.” She winked before she made her retreat.

Yes. The next batch was definitely going to be non-alcoholic.

Ash watched her with his signature sexy smile as she walked down the dock toward him.

“Looks like you have quite a party going on down there.” He waved a hand toward the women, who burst into a fit of giggles at the attention.

Heather shook her head, but she absolutely loved it. As far as she was concerned, if her guests were having fun, she was doing her job. Especially with Sherri gone, she felt an increased sense of responsibility. Not that she was gone. But for as far up the hill as her treehouse was, she might as well be.

She wanted to ask Ash what was going on and whether Sherri was okay. She wanted to ask him what it meant for her and her job. What if she had questions? What if she didn’t know what to do with a guest? Or had a problem? Or—

“You look worried.” The concern in his eyes was genuine, and there was something else in his gaze. Sadness, maybe?

“I am,” she admitted. “I mean, is it normal for Sherri to go up to the treehouse? It looked like she was moving up there permanently and I know I haven’t been here long, but it just seems to me that she is this place. The life-force, you know what I mean?”

“I do.” He leaned back against the counter and stared out to the ocean. “And you’re right. Sherri built Casa del Sol with her own two hands. Did you know that?”

Heather shook her head. She hadn’t.

“She had some help, of course. But everything in this place is her doing. She designed it, hammered nails, supervised it, poured her heart into it. No matter what happens, her spirit is always going to be here.”

The hair on her arms stood and ice pricked at the back of her neck. “What do you mean, no matter what happens? What’s going on?”

Ash immediately realized his mistake. In a flash, the look of concern was replaced by his smile. He ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing’s going on. Sherri just needed a little time on her own. Besides, I think she knows that Casa del Sol is in good hands with you. She’s not worried about a thing with you around.”

He made it sound like more than a professional compliment, but a personal one as well, and Heather felt the blush from the roots of her hair.

“I love it here.”

“I love having you here.”

Her head snapped up and she stared at him. Had he really just said that?

She laughed it off. “I’ve barely even spoken to you.” She moved to the side, needing space from him in order to think clearly.

Yes. Space was good. Space would keep her from jumping into his arms again. Whenever he was near, all she wanted to do was feel his lips pressed on hers again. Whatever space she’d been trying to give herself was becoming less and less important by the minute. “You probably just love having someone else to do some of the work around here.” She grabbed a rag and wiped down the bar.

“It’s not by choice.” He stilled her hand with his own and Heather had to fight to keep her legs from buckling under her, his touch had such a strong effect on her. “You’ve been avoiding me, Heather.”

She started to shake her head but there was no point in denying anything.

“You don’t have to avoid me.”

She laughed involuntarily. It came out as a bizarre chuckle. “I’m not.”

He raised an eyebrow.

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