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“How is Kate?”
“Her mom texted a few hours ago. The surgery went well. Now she needs to heal and, in a few weeks, start physical therapy.”
“That’s great. Well, good luck with the wedding. I love you. Call us on Christmas.”
“I will. Safe travels, sis. I love you too!” I end the call.
Once I have parked near the manor house, I get out and stretch my back. I walk around the car. I must have held my spine rigid the entire time I was driving. I smile. I did survive, however. The sky today is cloudless. Hopefully, I’ll get a fire going in the main living room, and things will begin to come together.
As I’m taking the groceries out of the backseat, I see a black Range Rover come into view, and my heart plummets. I’m not ready to greet Lorimer, Alex, or whatever he calls himself today. I barely slept last night. Instead, I kept replaying our many conversations in my head. I told him way too much. And then I practically begged him to kiss me.
I head to the front door to unlock it. After a few attempts, the key works. Pushing open the door, I step into the cold, cavernous house.
Glancing outside, Alex takes the remaining supplies out of the back seat.
Coming onto the porch, he says, “Good morning. I stopped at your hotel, and they said you left before seven.”
I meet his gaze. “Are you checking up on me?”
He nods. “I am. This rental needs to be transformed into a wedding venue in less than forty-eight hours.”
I turn away from him and walk to the back of the house, stepping into the commercial kitchen. I place the shopping bags on the island and remove various items.
“If you make coffee, I’ll get the heat going,” he says.
Instead of saying anything, I nod. It’s infuriating that he can’t give me a tiny amount of space to manage things. I reviewed the planning documents that Kate sent me last night and have a basic plan. The caterer is arriving this afternoon, along with the housekeeping service. I’ll have a staff of fifteen people to get the place ready.
After putting away some of the supplies, I turn on the kettle. I bought a French press so I wouldn’t have to use the commercial coffee station for one cup.
When I’m about to pour coffee into two mugs, I hear the central heating system kick on.Well, that’s good, at least.
I need to wipe Alex from my thoughts and concentrate on the tasks ahead of me. Once I find my leather carryall, I pull out the pages I printed this morning at the hotel and spread them over the table. Kate compiled a guest list, room assignments, menus, and an event schedule. I sent an email this morning asking for a vendor list. I know she hired a florist, along with the caterer and housekeeping. But what about music?
Alex comes into the kitchen smiling. “I set the heat to seventy and started two fireplaces.”
I hand him a mug of black coffee. “I don’t even know what to call you.”
“Alex works. Or stick with Lorimer if that is easier.”
I can feel my lips pinching together. Turning away, I pick up my coffee and take a sip. “It’s uncomfortable because I told you things last night that I would never have if I had known you were Alex Stern.”
He says, “There is a silver lining.”
I turn and meet his gaze. He shaved this morning and is wearing a black cashmere sweater with black jeans. His green eyes search my expression. I can’t hide anything from him.
“Really? I removed my sweater and begged you to kiss me. After telling you some of my deepest fears and emotional baggage.”
A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “I removed your jumper if I recall the evening correctly. And we both told each other hidden truths. The silver lining is that you didn’t prevaricate or shield your thoughts. You’ll need to keep working on that skill if you plan on leading adventure tours.”
I inhale sharply. “You barely know me.”
Alex takes a sip of coffee. “That’s not exactly true. My advice to you is to keep honing that skill. Resist hiding your true thoughts or sugar-coating things. Out in nature, those tendencies can become dangerous.”
I put my coffee down on the counter. While I gaze out the window, I remind myself not to let him get in my head.
As he steps behind me, his hands span my shoulders and squeeze. “You turned away. What were you thinking?”
A flash of heat spreads down my spine. I can’t think with his hands touching me. Moving away from him, I turn and say, “That you shouldn’t be touching me.”
