Page 51 of Winter at Wishington Bay
‘No. That’s not the reason.’
I looked up at him, wondering what the reason was. Suddenly, Bryan dancing about near the door caught my eye. ‘I think someone needs a visit outside.’
‘Oh, Christ. Sorry mate!’ Nate scooted down the stairs, Bryan doing his best to trip him up in his own haste and shortly after I heard the door to the beachside open and close. Turning back to the room, I snapped another shot as a sunbeam lit the interior softly through the gauzy curtains, then tucked the phone back into my pocket and headed downstairs to clean there.
I dusted and cleaned to the gentle accompaniment of Nate’s keyboard tapping rhythmically, and surprisingly speedily.
‘Do you mind if I vacuum now?’ I asked, reluctant to disturb his concentration.
‘Not at all,’ he said through a yawn as he stretched, leaning back and reaching his arms to the ceiling.
‘Sounds like it’s going well,’ I said, glancing back as I checked the charge in the cordless appliance.
Nate grinned at me. ‘Like I said, you seem to be my lucky charm. Do you think you could come here every day?’
‘I don’t think you make enough mess for me to come and clean every day.’
‘I could try. But it wouldn’t have to be for that.’
I looked up at him and he suddenly looked awkward. ‘I think that might have come out wrong.’
Grinning, I tilted the handle back on the vacuum. ‘You might want to be careful going around making offers like that. Corinne would certainly be interpreting them differently.’
Nate swallowed and gave an eyebrow raise. ‘Are things OK between you two? I didn’t mean to cause any problems or make things difficult for you at work.’
I gave a dismissive wave. ‘It’s fine. She’s never taken to me anyway so it’s no great loss. She’s a bit more frosty than usual but the wonderful thing about youth is its confidence. In her eyes, there is no way you could possibly be more interested in anyone than her, so she’s certainly not considering me any sort of threat.’
‘Am I supposed to do something tomorrow night? I mean, what she said about going to see the lights together.’
I shrugged and tried to ignore the uncomfortable twist my stomach gave at the thought of Corinne draping herself all over Nate. ‘That’s up to you, I guess.’
‘Sophia, I never asked her out.’ His tone was earnest. ‘At least, I don’t think I did.’
I looked up. ‘You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Nate. What you do, and who you do it with, is entirely up to you. I’m just here to make sure the house is comfortable for you, not report back on your activities.’
‘That’s not what I meant. Gabe would probably be quite happy for me to see someone else.’
‘Then what are you worried about?’
He gave me a patient look. ‘What do you think?’
My eyes widened a little in surprise. ‘Me? Why?’
He gave his shadowed chin a quick scratch. ‘Because I… value your opinion.’
‘Oh.’ Disappointment sagged inside me like a deflating balloon. The more I’d got to know Nate, the more I liked him. It was ridiculous, I knew. I lived here. He lived on the other side of the world and both of us were mired in the process of getting divorced. But I couldn’t help it. I liked him. And frankly, it had been such a long time since I’d felt that way, it was novel and exciting. And utterly pointless. Nate might not be interested in Corinne, not that she had any plans to give up on that particular conquest yet, but he clearly wasn’t interested in me either.
I stole a glance as he took his seat back in front of the laptop. As if sensing me watching, his gaze flicked up, catching me in the act. If I looked away now, I may as well have just hung a sign round my neck that said, ‘Why yes, I was staring at you.’ Instead I smiled in what I hoped was a casual manner, before stepping on the vacuum switch, filling the room – and hopefully my mind – with a distracting roar.
By the time I’d finished downstairs, I had got my thoughts, and libido, back in check. Nate was gorgeous, yes, but keeping it just friends was perfect. That way we got to enjoy each other’s company without all the hassle that taking it further could bring. By keeping it just friends we could chat and have a meal together without me worrying whether I’d shaved my legs that morning, or deal with the bother of Nate’s large, strong hands exploring my body as that sensuous mouth pressed down on mine, his body close to me as he – oh, bugger. I definitely needed to work on this.
‘You done?’ he asked, closing the lid of his laptop.
‘Uh-huh,’ I said, yanking my runaway imagination back into line and giving it a good talking to as I busied myself tidying away the cleaning gear.
‘Still up for that walk to the post office?’
‘Yes.’ I cleared my throat and took a couple of deep breaths before turning to face him. ‘Absolutely. I just need to sign the papers and write that envelope.’
