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“Yes. We are off to a really great start.”
“I would really like it if you were my friend. And more,” she added, a blush brightening her soft cheeks.
“I look forward to you thinking of me as your friend and us becoming much, much more.” Maybe that had been the problem all along. He’d never let any other woman that close after Amy. He’d tried so hard to connect with her and it didn’t work. Now, with Summer, it felt so easy to open up and ask for what he wanted. Because it mattered to him.
Yeah, he wanted Summer. But he really liked the idea of being friends and lovers.
Nate and Miranda were like that with each other. He admired them as a couple. He thought what they shared was special. Now, he realized the reason they worked so well together was that they were truly friends. And more.
Summer had it exactly right.
So as much as he wanted to kiss her right here, right now, and seal the deal that they were together, he didn’t.
He simply decided to spend the next few days getting to know her better and letting her get to know him. “I’d really like to hang out with you today.”
She gave a half smile. “But you need to get to work.”
He frowned. “I do.”
“I’m going to go for my run, then ask my dad to lunch, so maybe I’ll see you later.”
“I look forward to it.” He looked out toward the ocean. The mist had thinned as the sun rose higher in the sky. It would be another beautiful day. “Once you get to the path along the cliff side, goright. You can follow it for several miles until it branches off into a regional park. From there, it goes on for several more miles on different trails. There are maps along the way.”
She held up her phone. “Thanks. I found a map and plotted a course.”
“Good. Then I won’t worry about you getting lost.” He stood and held his hand out to her.
She took it and stood next to him.
He held on for a long moment as they stared at each other. He wanted to wrap his arm over her shoulders and draw her close to him. It took a great deal of effort to simply enjoy the feel of her hand in his.
Something drew her attention away from him and up to the second floor of Nate’s side of the house.
He followed her gaze to the upstairs windows and spotted Natalie staring out at them from her room.
Summer held up her free hand and waved.
Natalie whipped around, turned her back on them, and stormed off.
Cody’s gut tightened with a warning. “I don’t understand why she’s so upset about you.”
“She thinks I’m taking something away from her.”
“Nate is your dad, too.”
“I think she doesn’t want to shareyouwith me.”
Cody snapped his gaze back to her. “Natalie and I are close. As in sister and brother. We practically grew up together. I look out for her. She looks out for me. After the breakup with Amy, I was torn up and angry. She tries to protect me because of it.”
“She doesn’t want to see another woman do that to you again.”
“I don’t want that, either,” he admitted.
“I completely understand. It sucks to have someone treat you so callously.”
“You’re not like that.”
“I hope Natalie sees that soon and she and I can be friends, too. But I think you need to be aware that her feelings for you may run deeper than yours do for her.”
