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“If cooking frozen lasagna and bread is a major project, I suppose we do work well together,” she offered as she waved a hand airily.
I grinned. “You can just ignore me while we’re here.”
Her brows hitched up. “I can’t ignore you. That would be weird and rude. This isyourfamily's home,” she insisted.
“And you're a guest. Consider it yours while you're here.”
“Well, I'll look into my options tomorrow.”
“Jane,” I warned. “Don't get me in trouble with Thea.”
She chuckled again, sending another sizzle through me. “Okay, okay, you're right. She'll give you hell, won't she?”
I nodded. “Have you two stayed in touch all this time?”
“Sporadically. I was living in Seattle for a while. I had a position at a university there, but I was offered a tenure track position in Boston, so I jumped at it. I'll be closer to my parents. It’s nice to be back East, and it’ll be good to stay in better contact with Thea. She told me Dallas and Noah are also living there. So, you're the only sibling who's not in Boston?” she prompted.
“For now,” I replied, thinking that moving there had been on my long-term plan for years now, but I’d only been seriously looking into it recently.
“Are you thinking of moving there?”
“I don't know. I don't have to stay in DC for work, but I'll figure it out when the timing’s right.” I left a lot unsaid with that.
DC was filled with politicians, and politicians could be knee-deep in trouble, or so I had learned.
Oblivious to my thoughts, she leaned back in her chair and turned to look out the windows. She took a swallow of wine, and her tongue darted out to swipe across her bottom lip when a drop escaped. My cells tightened again. She was staring out at the blowing snow, which was still illuminated by the light on the corner of the house.
“I haven't been through a nor'easter since we moved away,” I offered.
“Me neither.”
“Welcome to Haven’s Bay,” I teased.
She grinned just as the oven buzzer went off. She stood to go check on the bread and reset the timer.
“Bread’s ready,” she called over. “Want some?”
“Of course, I do. I'm over here starving,” I teased.
She fetched two small plates out of a cabinet before crossing over with the bread. As she handed me one of those plates, her fingertips brushed mine, and it felt as if sparks shot from that glancing contact. Although I was being perfectly honest when I told her Thea would be pissed if I expected Jane to make other arrangements, I was doubting the wisdom of having her stay here. My reaction to her was powerful and confusing. If needed, I could always change my own plans. Truthfully, though, I really wanted the time here. I craved being far removed from my life.
A while later, we had finished eating and put the leftovers away. Jane turned toward me in the archway of the kitchen, sliding her hands into her back pockets. That motion had the unintended effect of pushing her breasts forward and stretching her long-sleeve T-shirt across them.
“Thanks for not telling me I had to leave. It looks like we're going to get plenty of snow from this storm,” she commented.
“No doubt,” I replied as I glanced out the windows.
“Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning.”
It felt as if tension was vibrating on a string between us. I willed myself to keep my demeanor cool. “That you will.”
Her lips curled in a quick smile as she turned and headed down the hallway. I stood by the windows and stared out into the swirling snow, wondering again if it was a mistake for me to stay. I went to sleep not much later, deciding I would figure it out tomorrow. The end of the snowstorm and a little sunshine might help me think more clearly.
ChapterThree
Jane
“So much for sunshine,” I muttered to myself as I looked out my bedroom window at the blowing snow. This storm was a genuine nor'easter and hadn’t let up, not even a little, during the night.
