I raised one eyebrow at Cass. “No one. Cass, would you please start re-stocking the asparagus? It’s going fast.”
“Sure.” She headed toward the back, where we kept the extra stock. As soon as she was behind Flynn, out of his line of vision, she turned back to me, and with eyes wide, fanned her face. I stared hard at her, one eyebrow raised, until she finally got the hint.
“Thanks for coming over. I appreciate it.” I hooked my thumbs in the front pockets of my jeans.
“I didn’t mind.” He smiled, and for the first time since he’d come back to Burton, it was all for me. His eyes were warm, and he let them skim down my body in a way that almost left me in a puddle.
Keep it business.I had to be firm with myself. Firm, like the abs that rippled under his black T-shirt. Firm, like the muscles in his arms . . .
No.I swallowed hard and tried to remember why he was here. Bridget. And the party. Yup, that was it. “So I needed your input on something. Bridget was invited to one of her friend’s birthday party. It’s in two weeks, and it’s in Savannah.”
Flynn’s eyebrows drew together. “Savannah? Why? Does the girl live there?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Nope. It’s a pirate-themed party, and they’re the taking the kids to the Pirate House restaurant and then spending the night at a hotel. I think the idea is to let them have fun at the hotel pool and stay up late.”
“Okay. Not sure I love the idea of Bridget going all the way to the city with people I don’t know.” He paused. “Do you know the parents very well?”
“I know them a little. I probably would’ve said no right off the bat, but all Bridge’s friends are going, and she’s desperate not to be left out.” I bit the corner of my lip, mulling over whether or not to share Meghan’s offer with him. In the end, loyalty to my daughter won out. “Meghan and Sam offered to drive her up and stay in the city the whole time. Meg’s got an apartment there, so they’d be close if anything happened.”
“That’s really nice of them.” Flynn shifted his weight, and I thought distractedly that it ought to be illegal for jeans to look that good on any guy.
“Yeah, well, it’s not that altruistic.” I smirked. “They don’t get much alone time, living in a house with a sister and a niece. Sam doesn’t get up to stay with Meghan very often, since he has to be at the farm, so I think this would be as much for them as for us.” My face heated.Damn.“For Bridget, I mean. To make sure we felt okay about Bridget going.”
“Still cool that they’d do that. If they really don’t mind, then I’m all right with Bridget going.” He hastened to add, “If you are, of course. You know more about Bridget’s friends and their parents, so I’ll defer to your wishes.”
“Thanks.” We stood there, not knowing what to say next, and in a moment of weakness, I let myself look at him, really look. For the first time in almost nine years, I saw Flynn without the haze of pain, guilt and regret. Under the new sharper planes of his face, I could still make out the boy who’d loved me. And within the outlines of his broader, more muscled physique, I saw the arms that had once held me as our bodies trembled with passion.
And speaking of trembling . . . my eyelids fluttered as Flynn reached out a hand to brush my hair away from my face.
“You let your hair grow longer.” His fingertips traced my cheekbone. “I like it.”
“I don’t have a lot of time for haircuts these days.” I whispered the words, almost afraid to move too much. Everything around us was still, quiet; no cars passing by, no customers milling around. Vaguely, I registered the noise of Cassie in the back, unloading asparagus.
“Ali.” Flynn slid his palm against my cheek. “I’d forgotten how smooth your skin is.” His chest rose as he breathed deep. “And how good you smell. Like lilacs.”
“What are you doing, Flynn?” I wanted to make myself step backward, but I was afraid if I moved at all, it would be closer, into his arms.
“I’m remembering.” His breath tickled me, and I shivered. Flynn let his hand wander down my arm. “Goosebumps. Do you remember the night—”
“No.” I forced myself back. “Flynn, I can’t do this. I can’t let myself remember that night, or any of our nights together. It hurts too much. It’s easy for you to talk about memories and then walk away. But I can’t walk down that road. It took me too long to get over you last time.”
He frowned. “Ali, I didn’t mean—”
I held up one hand. “It’s fine, Flynn. We have to learn to be together, for Bridget’s sake, without it being awkward.” I paused, staring over his shoulder. “Given our history, it’s natural that there’ll always be a pull between us. But we can’t let that go anywhere.”
“What if it’s more than just history?” Flynn’s voice was rough.
“It’s too risky to test that theory.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “What if we did, and we broke our hearts, again? Bridget was the collateral damage last time. I can’t let that happen again. We have to focus on being parents together.”
“And that’s it? We were friends once. Couldn’t we try that again?”
I considered. “Sure. Friends is good. I can do that.”
Flynn nodded. “Okay, friends. And parents.” He put his hands on his hips. To the casual observer, he seemed loose, relaxed, but I could see the tension in his jaw.
I searched for a change of topic. “So, do you and Bridge have any plans for tonight?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Actually, I’m being kicked out of the house. Mom and the girls are doing a spa night. They told me no boys allowed.”
