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He pulled the guitar over his head and set it down against the wall beside him. Without the instrument between them, he felt closer. She could reach out and touch his chest with the tips of her fingers if she wanted. She remembered how he’d brushed by her last week, the feel of his clothes tickling against her skin, the heat of his body like a palpable force firing up her blood.
“I should have smelled the gas. You were right to be upset about that,” Sully said. “I’m still kicking myself that we were in danger and I didn’t realize it.”
“That was an accident,” Alanna said. No way would she allow him to play his good guy routine and let her off the hook. “I was an ass.”
“It was the arbitration, wasn’t it?” He asked gently with sympathy in his eyes.
Alanna’s spine stiffened. He was treating her like a fragile thing, like she might shatter into a thousand pieces. Alanna hated the vulnerability she felt. The embarrassment. Most of all, she hated the fact that she wanted to melt into his arms and tell him everything.
“What are you going to do about it?” he asked.
Alanna took a step back and straightened her shoulders. “What I’m going to do is pay you for your work with a bonus. Consider it hazardous bitch pay.”
Sully chuckled. “You don’t have to pay me.”
This response didn’t surprise her at all. The man was out of work, owned a car old enough to get a license and drive itself, and lived in the neighborhood creepy house. Yet, he still wouldn’t take her money. Was it kindness or pride? Probably a bit of both.
“Come on, you provided a service,” she insisted. “You deserve compensation. This is a simple business transaction. Do you take Venmo, Zelle, PayPal? I’ve got some cash, too.”
Sully shook his head. “Not a business transaction. It was a favor.”
“You didn’t know me when you took the job. It couldn’t have been a favor.”
“I know you now.” His brown eyes were playful. “Plus, it wasn’t a favor for you. It was a favor for Dede. And she made me a lovely cup of tea, so we’re even.”
“You don’t even like tea,” she said through gritted teeth. Stubborn, foolish man!
“It’s growing on me,” he replied.
Alanna was flummoxed. She very much did not enjoy the sensation. “Well, then, fine,” she managed. Maybe she’d mail an envelope of cash to him anonymously or perform a drive-by shrubbery planting for his seriously sad front lawn.
“Then, I guess, just… sorry again. And thank you,” she said. There. Apology done. Transaction complete. One thing to cross off her list. Didn’t matter that she longed to stay. That she wanted to ask him about the half-done projects inside the house, or that she longed to tell him all about the arbitration and her lost cat.
He’s just a handyman,she reminded herself. The last thing he wanted to hear was a cataloged list of all the shits the universe had recently dropped on her head.
Alanna turned and took one step off the porch.
“Dinner,” he said.
She turned back to look at him.
Sully seemed a little startled, as if he hadn’t quite expected the word to come out of his mouth. He took a breath. Focused on her. “If you want to pay back my favor, go out to dinner with me.”
Well, well, well,Guy Next Door had some moves after all.A slow simmer of excitement grew in her chest.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” she asked, adding a little silk to her voice.
He didn’t know what to do with his hands. He put them on his hips, then wiped them down his sides, then adjusted his glasses. “It doesn’t have to be a date,” he said. “Not unless you want it to be.”
She was surprised by how much she liked his shy routine. Everything about him was achingly authentic. No airs. No inflated, undeserved ego. Just a cute guy trying to ask out a girl.
And that was trouble, right there. Sully wasn’t someone she could use as an easy distraction with no regrets or expectations the next morning. If she said yes, it would mean something to him… and to her.
She didn’t have time for this, not with her entire world crumbling around her. And, if she was being honest, her heart couldn’t take another loss when they inevitably parted.
No.
“Yes,” she said, then hurriedly added, “just so we’re even. I hate being in someone’s debt.”
