‘Well, yes.’
‘Then can’t you accept that perhaps you just happened to be in the right place at the right time?’
I gave a dismissive snort. ‘First time for everything.’
‘There you go, then. Now, let’s see about an office set up for you.’ With that, he toed off his shoes and took the stairs two at a time, Ned at his heels.
I blew out a sigh and followed him up more slowly.
* * *
‘Do you have a laptop?’ Jesse asked as he entered one of the spare guest rooms.
‘I do, but it’s in the house.’
‘Right. Well, we’ll see tomorrow if that’s accessible.’
‘Jesse, it has to be. Even if they need to tear the whole bloody place down, I need some of my things.’
‘Then maybe you should have grabbed that when you ignored my warning and sneaked back in.’
I looked up sharply, ready to engage. His smile took me off guard.
‘That’s a hell of a battle face.’
I tried not to smile back. ‘And don’t you forget it.’
‘Believe me, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.’
For a moment, I wondered if there was another layer to that sentence, a deeper meaning, but then I gave myself a good kick up the arse back into reality. For one, it was obvious this man was still in love with his wife and, secondly, I did not need a man. Every crappy situation I’d ended up in in my life was as a direct result of a man – my father, my ex-fiancé, my ex-boyfriend. From the short time I’d known him, it was clear that Jesse was a way better man than any of those. He wasn’t the type to let someone down, especially not someone he loved. I knew already that he’d walk through fire for his loved ones. The amount he’d done for me, a stranger, was beyond anything any of my so-called friends, and certainly my father, had ever done. But I had a feeling that being let down by this man would be worse than all the others put together.
‘Hey?’ He tilted his head to the left.
‘Sorry, miles away.’ I waved my hand.
‘I know it’s a lot but it’s going to be OK. Anyone who’s ever met you for like five seconds can tell you’re someone who kicks arse. This is a minor setback, that’s all.’
I stared at him for a second and then the laughter exploded, loud, easy and unrestrained.
‘Buying a disaster zone of a house, having a tree total its roof and my car is a minor setback? I’d hate to hear what you call a major one.’
‘Those are all things that can be fixed.’
‘Yes. I suppose so.’ Suddenly, I didn’t feel like laughing any more. ‘Sorry.’
But Jesse had already reached for my hand. ‘No, don’t be.’ His smile was gentle as his fingers wrapped around mine and squeezed the tiniest amount. ‘And now I’m sorry I said anything because it’s so good to hear you laugh. You should do it more often.’
I pulled my hand away as gently as I could and shoved it in my back pocket.
‘I think there’s every chance it was hysteria rather than amusement, now I come to think about it,’ I said.
He turned away and moved an ottoman that was sitting beneath the window to a space at the end of the bed. ‘What do you think about that there?’
‘It looks good. But why have you moved it?’
‘This space would be perfect for a desk.’
‘Jesse.’
