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“Hand me the hammer,” he says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I glance over at him. “A please and thank you would be a nice touch.”

He keeps his hand extended, looking so cold and distant that my skin feels like it’s about to break out in hives.

“Please.”

I hand him the hammer without so much as a smile.

“Thank you.”

But when his eyes meet mine, there’s none of the warmth I’m so used to seeing there. None of that softness that used to make me feel like I was the only person in the world worth looking at.

Then he turns away and gets to work. And so do I.

For the next few hours, we barely speak. Milo asks for nails, shingles, or whatever tool he needs, and I hand them over. He does most of the actual repairs while I follow his instructions and try not to think about how strange it feels to have him beside me again.

Almost like old times.

Except it isn’t.

Nothing about this feels right.

By the time the afternoon sun is beating down on our backs, the leak is fixed. My roof is no longer falling apart.

And I have Milo to thank for it.

Which might turn out to be a much bigger problem than the leak ever was.

He packs up the leftover shingles and most of the tools, carrying everything down before coming back for me.

By the time he reaches the top of the ladder again, I’m already scooting toward the edge of the roof.

“Give me your hand.”

“I’m perfectly capable of climbing down a ladder by myself.”

“Humor me.”

I roll my eyes but slip my hand into his anyway, only for the simple contact to send my heart into a ridiculous frenzy.

God, it’s pathetic how easily he can still do that to me.

I quickly avert my gaze, pretending to take a sudden interest in the yard below, but when I glance back at him, I catch the unmistakable tick of his jaw.

I swallow hard, wondering if he’s feeling even a fraction of what I am.

He doesn’t say a word, simply guides me toward the ladder and waits until both my feet are planted firmly on a rung before starting down ahead of me.

“Easy,” he says. “I’ve got you.”

“I know how ladders work, Milo.”

“And yet I’m still not letting you fall off one.”

I’m about to make some smart-ass comment when his hand closes around my waist.

Every thought in my head disappears.