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“Can I go find Duke, Mr. Zayne?”
Andrea let out a soft sigh of relief as he took off, no longer interested in them.
“The only thing that saves me from his constant questions is his short attention span.” She watched him disappear around the corner of the shop, knowing he wouldn’t go any farther than the barn doors, where Duke liked to nap. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For not ratting me out to my four-year-old, who doesn’t know what a flamingbeyotchaI was.”
Zayne gave her a half smile, rubbing his left thigh with a grimace. “Truth is, I wasn’t exactly a prince back then, either. You were smart to back off.”
“It didn’t feel smart.” She glanced down at his leg. “Is that from your accident?” He gave a quick nod. “I was really sorry to hear about that. You were hurt bad, right?”
He shrugged. “I had a lot of broken bones, but I survived. That’s more than Larry Canfield can say.”
It had been the talk of the town for a while. They’d been speeding down a country road when their car went airborne, flipping multiple times across a cornfield. Larry died instantly. Zayne had been in the hospital for weeks.
“I should have called or...something.” She cringed. “But I didn’t, did I? Sorry.”
“Let’s make a deal,” he answered, looking deep into her eyes, freezing her in place. “One that has nothing to do with the maze. Let’s agree to stop apologizing. What’s done is done.”
“Okay.” She held out her hand and he took it. Instead of shaking, though, they just stood there. A shiver of sensation shot through her the instant his hand engulfed hers. She wasn’t sure what it was, but neither of them seemed to mind. They didn’t release each other until Hudson came bouncing around the corner, Duke on his heels.
Two days later, Andrea was in the college office when her head bobbed so hard that it jolted her awake.
“Almost snapped your neck on that one, didn’t you?” Tani asked from the conference chair she was curled up in, her feet tucked under her. She was trying hard not to laugh. Tani worked part-time at the college as an administrative assistant, which gave her a discount on classes as she pursued the art degree she’d decided she needed.
Andrea’s back straightened. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Tani just snorted. “O-kay. You need to get some sleep before you crack your head on this table. Why don’t you stretch out on the sofa in Pete’s office and take a nap?”
“For one thing, it’s not Pete’s office anymore. And it’s not mine, either.”
“Notyetanyway.” Tani leaned forward, her eyes now full of concern. “You can’t keep going like this. We’re heading into the busiest time of year at the college—students start moving in next week. Why you took on this festival that happens inSeptemberis beyond me. And now you’re revamping Zayne Rutledge’s accounting...for free.”
“It’snotfor free—it’s for the maze, remember?” She crossed her fingers under the table that she could wow Zayne enough to get him to agree. “I can getlotsof sleep after the festival. And after I get this job.” She shuffled the folders in front of her, fanning them out on the table. “And after we make sure these kids have the class schedules and support they need. So...maybe by... Thanksgiving?” Tani wasn’t amused. Andrea sighed. “It’ll be better after this week. Between admissions and cramming in all this work for Zayne, it’s been...a lot. And naturally, my mother has suddenly decided she’s too busy to babysit Hudson.”
She gave Tani a tired smile. “He won’t have to use a rusty old spike to schedule his work anymore. The bookkeeping part will be on the computer too, and I’m making it super easy for him.” Which didn’t mean it had been easy to create. She just hoped it was enough to satisfy him, because she needed to know if the maze was a go or not. If not, she’d have to find a farmer with a cornfield, and she’d have to beg—reallybeg—them to let the festival carve a maze into it somehow. But first, she had one more shot to convince Zayne Rutledge to let her...er...thefestivalsucceed.
That evening, as intriguing as she usually found Zayne’s company, all she wanted was for him toleaveso she could finish setting things up and go home to sleep. Hudson was having a sleepover at Mary Trask’s home. Hudson and Mary’s son Nathan were best pals at preschool. The timing was perfect. She only had to upload the software program and data. Then she could drive home to a quiet house and a comfy bed and sleep for a day.
“You sure you want to stay here on your own?” Zayne was at the door. “If I’d known you were coming this late—”
“I need to get everything ready for tomorrow. And I have a day job, so it’s evenings or nothing.” She gave her head a little shake, trying to clear it so she could focus and just. get. this. done.
“Are you feeling okay?” Zayne’s voice went soft, which totally threw her. She wasn’t prepared for soft, caring Zayne.
“I’m fine,” she said briskly. “I just want to get this done, so, as you like to say, go away.”
“Where’s Hudson?”
“He’s having an overnight with a friend. I wanted to be able to concentrate on this.” She nodded at the computer, hoping Zayne would take the hint and leave.
“Maybe I should cancel this appointment.” He glanced at his watch.
“And do what?” Andrea asked. “Stand around and watch me work? Honestly, you’d just be in my way. Besides, didn’t you tell me this was a client appointment?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“Pleasego. It’ll take me less than an hour to set this up. I promise I’ll turn off the lights and lock the door.” She paused. “Where do you want Duke? He’s welcome to stay out here with me if it’s okay.”
The massive dog was stretched out next to the desk, snoring softly. Duke had scared the daylights out of her at first, just because of his un-doglike size. But he’d proved to be a big old softie. She was okay being here alone, but having a dog that weighed more than she did made her feel extra safe.
