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“Don’t be ridiculous.” She had a fear of Cole and small spaces.
“Breathe.”
“I don’t want to suck all of the air out of the room.”
He looked as if he was stifling a laugh. “You won’t. Does this happen often?”
“It comes and goes,” she admitted. “I’m not claustrophobic, but I’m not a big fan of tiny areas, either.”
“Relax.”
She sent up a prayer because she was in sensory overload right now, and his nearness in the closet-like space threatened to short-circuit her. “You’re finding this amusing, aren’t you?”
“Vasovagal syncope, claustrophobia... It keeps getting better and better with you.”
“Very funny.” She’d never put her best foot forward with him. She felt exposed, her vulnerabilities on display.
“You could scream for help,” he suggested. “It might suck all the air out of the room, so think about whether you’re willing to go for broke...”
“The only reason to scream is because you’re making me crazy.”
He stepped toward her, bringing them within brushing distance. “There’s always your cell phone.”
“I left it in your office along with my handbag.” She perked up. “What about your phone?”
“Ditto except for the part about the handbag.”
She lowered her shoulders. “How could you let this happen?”
“I didn’t,” he said with exaggerated patience.
She grasped at any topic she could in order to take her mind off her panic. “Did you ever think that Serenghetti Construction might be your second career after hockey someday?”
“No, but I have a construction background, thanks to working summers at Serenghetti Construction to earn money. I majored in management at Boston College, but I also took community college classes in bid estimating, drafting and blueprint reading that helped at the summer jobs.”
“Because your father always wanted you to succeed him at Serenghetti Construction.”
“Someone had to, but I never committed.”
“And then your hockey dreams were cut short.”
He gave her a droll look. “For a woman who doesn’t like to confront uncomfortable topics, you sure don’t mince words.”
She frowned. “What topics don’t I like to talk about? I’m just wondering whether it may have been hard to come to terms with your new situation.”
He folded his arms. “Like you haven’t come to grips with the past?”
“What do you mean?” He was way too close.
“Us.”
“Some of us weren’t lucky enough to have a Plan B that involved a job in the family business.”
His gaze sharpened. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not letting you avoid the topic. Why did you go to Mr. Hayes with the story that I pulled the prank? Because I came from money and had a Plan B?”
“Please,” she scoffed.
He was too close, too much, too everything.
