Page 80 of The Treasure House

“Jake’s our neighbor,” Flo told her dad. “He runs the hardware store and makes the lobsta rowls.” Flo tugged on Jake’s arm. “My dad’s a tech bro,” she told Jake.

“Flo,” Tim protested, “don’t say it that way. I work for a technology company that investigates energy alternatives.”

Jake nodded. “Cool.” He glanced at me. He had his surly face on again. “I’d best get to work. There’s some weather coming in and it would be good to have your screens up.” He disappeared out to the porch.

“Friendly guy,” Tim observed, amused.

“He is,” Flo assured him. “He’s just a slightly grumpy, friendly guy.”

Leaving the two of them in the kitchen, I followed Jake out to the porch. “Jake?”

He grunted, already bent over his toolbox.

“I was wondering if I could leave the fire lit in the kitchen when I take them to the airport—is that okay? Will you be here for a couple of hours? If not, it’s fine, I’ll put it out.” Although I dreaded coming home to a frigid house.

“I’ll be here,” he said, glancing up. His blue-green eyes were kind.

“Thank you.” My relief was palpable. Not just because the house wouldn’t be as cold when I got home, but because someone would be here. I wouldn’t come home to an empty house.

“You okay?” he asked with studied casualness, his voice gentle.

I half-laughed, half-groaned. “Yes. No? I don’t know.” I braced myself to go back into the kitchen. “It’s hard to send her off, you know?”

He nodded. “I’ll keep that fire lit, I promise.” He gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s always better to come home to a fire burning than an empty grate.”

“Thank you,” I said again, my throat tight. “For everything.” I gestured at his toolbox and the porch.

“My pleasure.” Something in the rough warmth of his voice made my breath catch. “How long is Flo gone for?” he asked.

“The week.” I flushed.

“You’ll be lonely,” he said softly.

For some reason, I broke out in goosebumps. “I have a lot to do,” I said, backing away. “I’ll try and get through the junk in the parlor. It will be a good opportunity…”

“Yeah, well,” he said as he rose to his feet. “If you get lonely, you know where to find me.”

Was it me or was there a load of meaning in that sentence? My flush became an outright blush. His light blue-green gaze was steady, clear. There was definitely no mistaking what he meant.

“You’d best get to the airport.”

Yes. The airport.

My heart was thudding as I went back inside and rounded Flo up.

Had that been an invitation, I wondered? My mind whirred as I drove Flo and Tim inland, back to Augusta. I’d caught Jake’s steady blue-green stare on me a few times this past week and it made my blood run fast.

Jake was possibly the sexiest man I’d seen in real life. From his tumbled, sun-streaked hair to his wildly expressive eyebrows, to that double dimple and those lips…

Not to mention his big muscular hands, and his shoulders, and his abs and his all of him. I mean, I’d have to be dead not to have thought about it.

But he was my neighbor. It would get super awkward if it didn’t work out, wouldn’t it?

I shook my head to clear it. There was no way I could hook up with my neighbor. Especially when he was doing renovations for me. I’d end up an awkward mess every time I ran into him in town. Not to mention my house might not get renovated.

By the time we got to the airport, I’d managed to banish thoughts of Jake and was falling into a blue hole thinking about saying goodbye to Flo for a week. On one hand, it would be nice to have some alone time and not have to do the school runs. On the other, no Flo.

She’d never gone to stay with Tim like this before. This would be the longest we’d ever been apart. I felt like I was pulling my own heart out of my chest and putting it on a plane to send it across the country.