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Lukas nodded. “Then we’ll be there.”
Henry grinned, seemingly delighted with this result, and Sarai was hardly any less happy about it.
As Lukas left, Sarai looked between us.
“I don’t think he knew I was going to be here,” I blurted out, answering a question she never asked.
“Well, I’ve got to make a few phone calls, but then we should take a look at what you brought in. Feel free to talk to Lukas if you want for a bit. Or get on with anything else you have to do. I’ll message you when I’m done.”
Gratitude swept through me as she headed to the small desk she had set up for herself in the temporary site office. I rushed straight out the door, letting it swing shut behind me. It banged against the frame and drew the attention of everyone around.
Lukas was standing beside the foreman and Henry near the almost finished first hut. All three of them were staring at me, but I hurried closer, my brain trying to process what I was doing and why before I’d really thought about it properly.
Seeming to understand I intended to talk to him, Lukas sent the others away from him and waited for me. I slowed as I got closer, my mind going blank.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Lukas
As Kit hurried out of the site office, her cheeks flushed and the patterned blouse flowing out behind her, my heart skipped a beat. She looked amazing in the afternoon light, and if anything, in normal work clothes, I could see how much better she looked when she was more herself.
I’d already noticed a few paint splatters on her pants, but they were in places that made it look like it might be deliberate. Of course, I suspected they weren’t, given her profession.
I encouraged Henry and George to go ahead of me and waited for her to come closer, sure she had come out of the site office specifically to talk to me. Although I was willing to wait for her, I was nervous about what she might have to say.
Despite the way I had spoken to her, I wanted her to like me. And I had tried to talk to her with as much respect and care as I could muster while we had been in the meeting with Sarai. She had thought of a viewpoint none of the rest of us had, and as Henry had suggested, she had been very professional.
It made me like her all the more, but that only made me feel like I was even more of an idiot. I didn’t deserve her attention. I’d prided myself on being a good person. Protective and caring.I was used to being in charge, but with that came a great responsibility. And with her, I had already screwed up.
“I’m sorry,” she said as soon as she reached me.
I blinked and opened my mouth to ask her what for, but she looked away and wrung her hands together as she carried on.
“I really didn’t know you were going to be on this project until I’d already agreed to do it. I didn’t mean to ambush you and definitely didn’t think I’d run into you so soon. If you want me to, I can stay out of your way.”
Her words made me wince. “You think I want you out of my way?”
She finally looked at me, her body almost freezing before she tipped her head up and down once.
“I don’t want you to avoid me. Not at all. I think it should be me who is apologizing. Not you. I was very rude to you that last evening. And there’s absolutely no excuse. Will you forgive me?”
“In a heartbeat.” As she spoke, her whole face seemed to light up, and I felt the floor drop out of my stomach. If I had thought she was beautiful before, she was even more stunning now. She stood near the shade of the almost-finished hut, and the sun caught her just right to make her hair shine.
“Thank you. I normally pride myself on taking care of others. I know Sarai has already shown you some of the area. When you have some free time, I would love to take you to some of my favorite parts of the city and buy you a drink or dinner or something to make up for my prior behavior.”
“I would like that. I wouldreallylike that.”
There was no stopping the grin as it spread across my face. After all my fears and worries, here was Kit, wanting to make sure I wasn’t upset and more than willing to hang out. Daniel and Henry’s advice was everything it needed to be.
“I usually finish up here at eight, and I think Sarai wants to go for dinner today, but shall we figure out a possible date andtime we could meet up off-site?” I asked, beginning to get into business mode. I needed to make sure I wasn’t holding George and Henry up. And we were going to see each other again later.
Immediately, she was flustered again.
“Uhhh…sure. Later. I should get back to helping Sarai and going over the designs for the first few huts.”
“And whatever was in that heavy box. Seemed exciting and important. I’m sure Sarai will love to look at it now that the crisis is averted.” Again, I smiled at her, but this time I forced myself to walk away.
I wanted to look back, but I had Henry a hundred yards or so down the freshly made path between the huts waiting. As I came into view and he looked up from his phone, he grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.
