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“Fine. I’ll show you how to use it and let you try.”
“Really? Cause Dad never lets me around power tools and stuff.” Chris grinned and reached for the orange drill on the board balanced between two sawhorses.
Lucas beat him to it. “Probably with good reason. First, let’s take a break, okay?”
Lucas had caught sight of Aunt Flora emerging from the back of her house balancing a tray with lemonade and what looked to be a plate of cookies. Chris caught sight of food and all thought of drills flew out of his mind. He disappeared faster than beer at Oktoberfest.
Lucas watched as the kids surrounded Aunt Flora. Addy unwound from her seated position and stretched. She’d changed into an old t-shirt with a Mardi Gras 10K run on the front and a pair of jeans that fit her nicely even with the hole in the knee. She pointed her worn tennis shoes toward him and he got a warm feeling that had nothing to do with the sun bearing down.
“You’re making good progress. We’ll finish today,” she said as she wiped perspiration from her forehead. “Whew, it’s warm for a change.”
“That’s New Orleans for you.”
For a moment they stood watching Aunt Flora tease the children and refill their cups. He liked the way she felt beside him. Small enough to fit under his arm, but she had a presence that made her feel so solid. Maybe it was because he now knew what she’d faced, how brave she had to be every day.
“Hey, walk with me a minute,” he said, motioning her toward the back of Ben and Courtney’s house.
She followed. They slipped between the large camellia bushes and walked onto the covered patio scattered with toys and patio furniture that needed a good scrubbing. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking about what you told me earlier, and I want you to know you can trust me.”
Addy made a face. “That’s what you wanted to tell me? You could have done that back there.”
“You seem private, and those kids are nosy. Well, Chris is.”
“He is a little nosy. When I told him I’d pay him for washing my car tomorrow, he asked how much money I had in my checking account.”
“Dear Lord. He’s-”
“Precocious?” she said, lifting her eyebrows in an endearing way. Heck, everything she did was endearing.
“I was going to say cheeky.” Lucas watched the smile playing about her lips and thought about how much he wanted to taste her. He wanted to touch her smooth skin, maybe trace her bottom lip with his thumb as he cradled her head in his hands. He wanted to soak her in, feel her against him, make love in the cool grass out back in the moonlight, take away all her fears with tenderness. This woman stroked the poetry in his soul. She made him feel lighter, younger, and a little horny.
But Addy’s admission hours ago changed things. Oh, he still wanted her, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. Obviously, she was a woman who needed time to trust a man, and that was something he didn’t have. No need to pursue something he couldn’t finish.
“Is that all you wanted?” she asked.
“I needed a break.”Or just wanted you to myself.
“You definitely need a break.” Addy’s gaze lowered to his chest. In those pretty brown eyes he thought he saw interest and it struck something in him.
Maybe.
No.
Even if she were interested, it wasn’t a good idea to start anything. Even flirtation felt as if it could get out of hand quickly. Better to maintain friendship. “I’m seeing single mothers in a whole new light. How do they manage showers or going to the bathroom? Charlotte walked in on me in the shower last night. It was traumatizing.”
Something devilish danced in Addy’s eyes. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I screamed like a little girl.”
Addy gave a snort of laughter. “That’s not what I expected you to say.”
He moved a little closer, not able to resist a smidgeon of flirting. “Oh, what did you expect?”
“Are you flirting?” She tilted her head, a smile hovering around her very kissable lips. “Cause that’s unexpected from a man who looks like he could tangle with the devil and come out unscathed.”
Lucas tucked a strand of hair behind her ear much as he’d done earlier. Addy inhaled. Then the air crackled with the sort of tension that was like a lit match tossed into a pool of diesel fuel.
