“You bought the Kestner place?” she asked.
“Yeah, how did you guess?”
“I’m your neighbor.” She tried not to sound annoyed by the discovery. Tried and failed based off the frown on his face.
When Mr. and Mrs. Kestner decided to move to Barcelona and told her they were selling the place, she’d expected another retired couple would move in to the place. Not Andre Kemp. Handsome bachelor and business mogul. Wasn’t living in the country too...well, country for him?
“You are?” His brows raised. “You live in the blue house down the street?”
“How did you know that?”
“It’s the only house on the street that looks like you.”
“Looks like me?” What the heck was that supposed to mean?
“Yeah. It’s the cutest house on the street.” The corner of his mouth lifted in that way that made her heart tumble a little.
This look didn’t seem practiced. Right after he said it, his eyes darted away as if embarrassed. He cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders.
“I’ll get the chain.”
Tamara nodded and watched as he walked toward the back of his truck. Sure enough, he returned with a thick, heavy chain with a hook. After a few minutes he had her car connected to his truck. Once that was settled, he went to the passenger door and opened it for her.
“Thank you,” she said, sliding past him. His truck was taller than her sedan. She reached for the handle near the inner door and placed her foot on the running board.
Andre’s fingers pressed lightly into her back for additional support as she pulled herself into the truck. A shock wave of awareness rippled through her, and she slapped his hand away. She did not want to feel anything related to Andre. They’d been friends as kids, and then in the blink of an eye, he’d turned on her. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve his sudden change of heart when they were younger and she no longer cared. She couldn’t trust him, and because of his project, she damn sure couldn’t afford to be attracted to him. He didn’t meet her eyes as he closed the door and strode to the driver’s side.
Since he knew her house, she didn’t bother giving directions. An awkward silence filled the cab. Andre had always been a guy of few words, so she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t fill the silence with idle chitchat.
“What happened to the side of your house?” Andre asked as he pulled in to her driveway.
Tamara’s eyes scanned her house until she saw what he referred to. “Oh, that. Some of the siding was blown off by a storm a few weeks ago.”
“And you haven’t fixed it? Didn’t you call the insurance company?”
“It’s not that bad, just one piece. My cousin Kenny is coming to fix it.”
“When?” Andre asked, jerking his truck into gear.
“I don’t know. When he gets to it. I’ve already gotten the replacement. It’s in the shed over there.” She pointed to the small storage shed in her backyard. “It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal if that area keeps getting wet. It’ll damage the sheathing underneath and cause your walls to rot.”
He spoke to her as if she were foolish for not realizing the possible issues. She hadn’t, but that didn’t make her foolish. She figured the barrier between the siding and the wood, which was still visible by the way, was protection enough. She didn’t work in building construction, and the storm hadn’t been that long ago.
“Fine, I’ll call Kenny and see if he can come over this weekend.” She opened the door to the truck and got out before he could say more.
The silence that reigned as he unhooked her car and put the chain back in his truck was even more uncomfortable. This time her irritation filled the space. Irritation at his light scolding and the way his apology almost made her body melt. And why had he apologized anyway? The Andre she remembered wouldn’t bother to apologize for anything. Did he really feel bad, or was he just sucking up to the person who could make or break his project? Was he excited about the project? Was that also part of the reason he’d moved back? Was he happy about being back in town?
She shook her head to clear it of those thoughts. Andre had been her childhood friend, but that didn’t mean much of anything. He’d long stopped thinking of her as a friend, and honestly, she hadn’t thought about him in years. His sudden appearance in town didn’t mean anything other than he was there to do a job and she was there to help him. The unexpected attraction was just appreciation for a good-looking man. Nothing more.
He finished with her car and put the chain back in his truck before coming over to where she’d watched him from her open garage.
“You’re going to be able to get your tire fixed before Monday?” Again with theTamara is too silly to get things repairedtone of voice.
“I’m perfectly capable of handling my vehicle. I have managed to make it to thirty-four with no mishaps.”
He grinned. Her testy tone doing nothing to deflate him. “I know that. I was going to say I can take you in to work if something goes wrong and you need a ride. Or I can tow your car into town for the rim and tire change.”
