Page 26 of California Sunsets

She swung her legs out of bed, not bothering to don a robe over the cotton shorts and skimpy T-shirt she wore to sleep. It wasn’t until she got downstairs that she realized she wasn’t alone in the house. The smell of coffee permeated the air and when she entered the kitchen, there was Jay, frothing a jug of milk.

He turned... and gazed at her skimpy nightwear in frank enjoyment.

She felt herself turn a deep shade of pink and half squeaked, “What are you doing here?”

“I got home late last night. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I tried out one of the guest rooms.”

Erin was mortified. Jay must have come to his bedroom first and seen her sprawled out and probably drooling in the middle of his gigantic bed. “You should have woken me. I didn’t mean to sleep in your bed, but Nelson wouldn’t sleep anywhere else.”

Jay grinned at that and bent to pat the dog, who was jumping up and down all over him. “Nelson has good taste. That room does have the best views.”

Erin swallowed. She was trying to act cool even though she wanted to run upstairs and throw every bit of clothing she’d worn on top of her nightclothes. “How was your trip? How come you didn’t stay over?”

“It was so successful I didn’t need to. Besides, I wanted to get back to Nelson as soon as I could. It was harder than I thought to be away from him.” He paused and an intense expression crossed his face. Erin wondered if he was going to say something more, but he just nodded toward the fancy coffee machine. “Coffee?”

She nodded. “Black please. And strong. It’s early for me. Can you let the dogs out while I run upstairs and get dressed?” She held his gaze, refusing to be embarrassed that she was half naked. He’d obviously seen way hotter women in a lot less than she was currently wearing, but she’d feel much better if she covered up.

“No problem,” he said, and then, “Come on, boys.”

He was clearly an early riser and so cheerful in the morning. Erin was more of aDon’t talk to me until the third cup of coffeetype. Still, she scampered upstairs and pulled on underwear, then her faded jeans and a T-shirt. She combed her hair,brushed her teeth and then rubbed some moisturizer across her face.

Feeling much more respectable, she returned to the kitchen, where Jay was busy feeding the dogs. He straightened and then went to the counter and passed her a ceramic mug steaming with hot coffee. She took a sip. It was no surprise to find the man made the best coffee ever. Strong but not overpowering. A bit like him.

She took a seat to enjoy it and watched the dogs eat their breakfast with pleasure.

Jay followed her gaze. “They really seem to like each other.”

She smiled. “They do. You should have seen Nelson last night. When Buzzy wants to go out, he doesn’t scratch at the door, he comes and nudges me with his head. Nelson started doing it too. It was the cutest thing. He’s a smart dog.”

Jay looked proud of his dog’s burgeoning brilliance. “Good to know,” he said. “And thank you. I’d much prefer a little nuzzle than scratching.”

Erin felt a lot calmer now she’d had some coffee and was properly dressed. “So, tell me about your trip.”

“The usual. A clash of monumental egos nearly derailed a film in a way that would have been detrimental to both their careers. I rode to the rescue, got my guy back onside, and then got the director to accept that maybe he’d been a little hard on him. They both agreed to put aside their differences and the movie’s back on track.”

“That’s great.” She suspected there had been a lot of delicate negotiation that he wasn’t telling her about. Having grown up with four brothers, all of whom had very healthy egos and strong opinions, she could only imagine how tactful he’d had to be. Then she laughed. “I was just thinking about my brothers. My mom had the best way of breaking up fights and getting them to be friends again.”

His eyes twinkled. “Oh yeah. I learned everything I know about conflict resolution from your mom. Betsy is one heck of an impressive woman.”

She loved that he admitted this. She loved that he respected her mom. Again, there was that moment of connection between her and Jay that was so strong it scared her.

He was obviously feeling it too, because he turned away, opened a cupboard door, and pulled out a frying pan. “Can I make you breakfast?”.

Something cold arrowed through Erin. His suggestion felt way too intimate. Something about a man cooking her breakfast in his own kitchen made her remember she’d slept in his bed last night—which of course she had, but in the most innocent way imaginable. She needed to get her bearings. She hadn’t expected Jay to be here this morning and her defenses were down. All the way down.

She stood. “I need to get to work pretty early this morning. Thanks, though.” She finished her coffee and went to put the mug in the dishwasher. Jay intercepted her move and took it from her hand. For the split second his fingers touched hers, she felt a desire so overwhelming she had to take a breath.

Jay took a few steps back, set the mug down, and said, “I need to thank you for helping me with Nelson. Why don’t I take you to dinner?”

Dinner. Normally when a man asked her out for dinner, it was a date, but the way he framed it, it was just one friend thanking another for doing them a favor. Although of course she’d loved every minute of staying in his beautiful home with his adorable rescue dog.

“Sure, that would be great. I’d love to.”

Jay grinned, obviously relieved she wasn’t going to try and dodge his offer. “How’s tomorrow night?” he asked.

Erin had to hold back a bemused expression. Tomorrow was Saturday, which was a total date night. And yet she had no plans. Neither, it seemed, did he.

She said she was looking forward to it and then gathered the rest of her things. Dinner with a family friend thanking her for doing them a favor, she told herself as she made her way home. That’s all it was, even though deep down, her feelings for Jay were much more than friendship.

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