‘I’ll help you get the house secured and weathertight for now and the insurers should send someone out to assess it. They’ll find you somewhere to stay in the mean…’ His words trailed off as I slowly looked up at him through my lashes. ‘Felicity. Please tell me the house is insured.’
I chewed my lip.
‘Felicity…’
The disappointment in his voice speared through me. ‘I tried!’ I said, standing back from him. ‘Nobody would take on the risk because they said the house wasn’t secure. I was in the process of looking into it more. I didn’t expect a sodding great tree to plonk itself right through the roof the moment I moved in!’ I took a step away towards the stairs. ‘Look. Thanks very much for all you’ve done so far but I can take it from here.’
‘Nope.’
I stopped. ‘I beg your pardon.’
He folded his arms across his broad chest, the strong, muscled forearms bare.
Focus!
‘I said, no.’
‘I’m well aware of what you said. What I don’t understand is why.’
‘Well, for a start, you need a lift back to your house.’
In the short time I’d been here, I’d already realised that even thinking about calling an Uber or a Lyft around here was pointless.
‘Fine. Then if you wouldn’t mind dropping me back to my home, I would appreciate it, but as for?—’
‘Let’s discuss this on the way, shall we?’ He glanced at his watch.
I stopped talking but only out of surprise. Who the hell did he think he was, speaking to me like that? OK, yes, he did come to the rescue last night. But still. People didn’t just cut me off like that and tell me what to do!
And yet there he stood, immoveable and as solid as my nemesis tree.
‘Ugh!’ I spun around and ran up the stairs to the guest room.
Having chosen a pair of jeans and a cute T-shirt from the selection Julie had brought over for me, I pulled a sweatshirt over my head and headed downstairs. I shoved my feet into the trainers she had dropped off. I was a little taller than Jesse’s sister but a similar build and thankfully we had the same-sized feet.
I took a seat on the bottom step to do them up, then stood and grabbed the coat she’d also brought.
‘Ready.’
Jesse didn’t reply, merely called Ned to his side and together, we left the house. As we approached the pick-up, Jesse opened the passenger-side door for me but before I could get in, Ned zipped past, jumped up onto the seat and sat facing forward, ready to go.
‘Ned! That wasn’t opened for you.’
Ned looked round at his owner, his eyebrows rumpling in confusion.
‘Is that where he usually sits?’
‘Yes but?—’
‘Then let him stay there. I’ll sit in the back.’ I reached for the handle to the back seats of the pick-up’s cab, but Jesse was there before me.
‘No way. I’m not driving you around like a bloody chauffeur. Ned, back seat.’
His dog looked at him for a moment then turned and scooted through the gap between the front seats into the back. Jesse opened the back door, clipped the dog’s harness to the seat belt and closed the door.
‘Your chariot awaits.’ He indicated the empty front seat.
I gave him a tight smile and got in, yanking at the seat belt as Jesse closed the door behind me before striding around the front of the vehicle and hoisting himself in behind the wheel.
