Page 49 of Love Notes & Lifelines
He closes his eyes and his nostrils flare. His behavior is out of character, even with all the upheaval in his life right now.
“Are you nervous to go home?”
He finally opens one eye and glares. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Okay, hotshot. Well, I did some research on SailportBay. It’s not what I was expecting. What do people do there in the winter?”
This question has him showcasing his crooked and highly addictive smile. “The townsfolk,” he teases, leaning over to pull a piece of teething biscuit off my sleeve, “get all up in your business. All day. Every day.”
His little touches are as maddening as they are comforting, and it takes me a moment to register what he’s saying. Thank God he avoided me in the office for so long. I would have had to pack extra panties every day.
Wait. What did he say?
They’ll get in my business? No, no. I like privacy. I’ve spent the last year trying to hide in plain sight. I don’t know if I can handle a small-town circus right now. I lift my gaze to his, and whatever my face is doing right now has his interest, because his eyes turn molten as he studies me.
“Does that scare you?” he asks.
I gulp. “I just…I have a lot happening in my life right now, too. There’s a reason I don’t have many friends. There’s a reason I work so much. My life does not belong to me.”
His thick brows pinch together as he scrutinizes me with such determination that I’m sure he can read every note of my heart. “Someone stole your trust,” he says quietly.
His hands twitch at his sides, and he lifts them as though he’s reaching for me before dropping them to his sides again.
Touch me, I want to scream. Instead, I straighten my spine, prepared to defend myself, but his expression turns contemplative. Why do we keep standing so close?
“Well, Stella Jane,” he murmurs, leaning into my personal space, “that makes two of us—but you’re a step ahead because I don’t trust anyone.”
“That’s not true,” I say and lift Ruby from the bouncer seat to put some space between us. She shares her happiness with a loud babble that demands attention. I tickle her belly and fit my nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply before turning back to her uncle.
There’s just something so soothing about the scent of a baby.
Embarrassment washes over me when I realize he caught me sniffing the little girl—again.
“There’s something about the way she smells, huh? I thought it was just me being weird.”
I don’t quite laugh, but it’s there, bubbling in my chest. I move to sort through the ridiculous amount of stuff he piled here while Ruby attempts to rip everything out of my free hand.
“Why do you think I trust people?” he asks.
I stand up straight with a bath visor that’s supposed to keep soap out of their eyes. “Look at Elijah—even Caleb. And just yesterday what you did with Teddy. You placed so much trust in that kid, based on what? What some random nanny you barely know told you? Maybe you’re too trusting.”
“Are we keeping this?” He removes the visor from my hand. I nod and wade through more stuff.
“That’s not trust, Stella. That’s business. You cannot run a business as large as mine without placing some responsibility on other people. Responsibility does not equal trust.”
“Elijah is your friend though. You trust him.”
He shrugs. “I’ve known him since I was ten years old.”
“And you trust him,” I say with an epic eye roll.
“Fine,” he sighs. “Yes, I trust him.”
“And for some reason you trust me.”
He doesn’t reply, and when I face him, his expression is haunted.
“At least on some level, you must trust me, right? With your nieces?”
