AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I—uh—don't see why not. Although we'd have to get Dr. Sandberg's approval.” She glanced away, wishing Austin wasn't so appealing. He looked great even wearing nothing more than a casual T-shirt and well-worn denim jeans. He smelled amazing, too. For a moment she remembered how he'd stood at her side throughout Sam's funeral. It had taken every ounce of willpower she'd possessed not to lean on his rugged strength. To keep him at a safe distance.
She wasn't a pathetic widow who needed a man to get by. Sam hadn't deserved to die, but she'd already planned to live her life without him. Jumping into a relationship with another man wasn't part of the plan. No matter how difficult things were, she wasn't about to follow in her mother’s footsteps, leaping headfirst into a new relationship the moment the previous one ended. Lindsey had suffered through three stepfathers, not to mention several boyfriends in between.
None of the men her mother had hooked up with had been a contender for father of the year.
“Here, let me help.” He crossed over and pitched in, picking up a shirt and folding it. She subtly edged sideways, trying to give him more room. The muscles of his arms rippled with the simple movement, and she remembered the day Austin had come to help Sam fix the leaky roof. He'd stripped off his shirt, displaying the bronze muscles of his shoulders and chest to full advantage.
Not that Sam had been a wimp, but for all Austin's strength there had always been a gentleness about him, as well. A soft caring side that her husband had seemed to lose somewhere along the ten-year course of their marriage.
Stop dwelling on the worst, she told herself sternly. Sam wasn't a bad guy, there had just been something... missing. Sam was gone, there was no reason to dwell on what had failed in their marriage.
Austin looked good, whether he was doing housework or repairing the roof. Yet she knew it wasn't fair to compare Austin to Sam. She needed to focus on Josh, not her inappropriate response to her husband's best friend.
Besides, even if she had been in the market for a man, Austin wasn't her type. She knew Austin never lacked female company. Even Sam had mentioned how single women flocked to his friend. He'd claimed Austin never dated the same woman twice. She'd often suspected Sam had been jealous because Austin had been single and Sam wasn't.
Thank heavens she wasn't looking for a relationship, or she might have been come obsessed with Austin too.
Annoyed with herself, she finished folding the laundry and stepped back. “We should probably consider an easy dinner, as Josh has his appointment at five.”
“Lindsey—” he began, but then halted when his phone rang. He lifted the device to his ear. “Hi Mark. Tell me what you found.”
She listened, belatedly realizing Austin was talking to the contractor about her house. He'd mentioned being there earlier, but she'd been so upset over Josh that it really hadn't registered in her brain.
The serious expression settling over Austin's features was not reassuring.
“Thanks Mark. I'll discuss the situation with the owner and get back to you.” He lowered his phone and glanced at her.
“What's wrong?”
“Did you buy the house from a realtor?” He asked.
“No, I bought it directly from the owner. Why?”
“The electrical wiring isn't up to code. And the water damage from your neighbor’s fire means you also need to replace the drywall in the living room, and likely replace some of the insulation in the attic.” His expression was grim. “It's going to take a few weeks to get your house into shape before you and Josh can move back in.”
Stunned, she dropped into the closest kitchen chair, her knees weak. Surely, he was exaggerating. “Weeks?” She echoed.
“Yes. I’m sorry. Lindsey, I'd like to help. I don't want to steal your independence, but I need to know you and Josh are safe. Plus, I think Josh could really use a male role model right now to help keep him in school.” He dropped to his knees beside her chair and caught her hands, his gaze imploring. “Will you please consider moving in with me temporarily? Just until your house repairs are complete.”
Chapter Four
“Move in with you?” Lindsey stared at him, hardly able to comprehend what he was saying. Move in with Austin? So that two of them would be together all the time? Did he have any idea what he was asking of her? She pulled out of his grip, reining in her turbulent emotions. “No. I'm sorry, but I can't.”
“Why not?” He didn't get angry or upset but looked truly puzzled. “Are you afraid I'll get in your way? I promise you'll have all the privacy you need.” An odd expression flickered across his face. “Are you seeing someone? Is that it?”
“What?” She almost burst out laughing and quickly covered the strangled sound with a cough. “No. I'm not remotely interested in seeing anyone.” Bad enough that she was attracted to him.
“Then why won't you let me help?” His brows drew together in a frown. “This is what friends are for, to support each other in difficult times.”
She sighed. Friends. Austin had been Sam's friend, not hers. Sure they'd chatted when they bumped into each other at work, but it wasn't as if they'd had deeply personal conversations or anything. How could she think of Austin as a friend, when every moment she was with him she was hyper aware of him as a man? Impossible. She lifted her chin. “If I were a man, you wouldn't be inviting me to move in with you. But because I'm a helpless female with a young son, then I must need your support, right?”
Austin was quiet for a long moment. “Lindsay, you couldn't be further from the truth. I don't see you as a helpless female at all. You're a wonderful, smart, caring emergency nurse. I respect you more than I can say. But think about Josh for a minute. He's obviously going through some difficult times. I got him to open up a little just now, and he is having trouble coping with Sam's death. Don't you think staying here for a little while might be better for him?”
She opened her mouth to argue then closed it again without uttering a word. He'd effectively pointed out the one concern she couldn't argue against. Josh would always come first. And she was thrilled he'd opened up to Austin. Maybe her son did need a male role model right now. If she were honest, she'd admit there wasn't a better guy for the job than, Austin.
Still, she wavered. Hadn’t her mother often used the same excuse? We need to move in with Richard because we can't afford to pay our rent. I'm doing this for you, Lindsey. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.
“No strings, Lindsey,” Austin was saying as if reading her thoughts. “I promise I only want to help. Why don't you try staying here, just for a week or so, and see how it goes? A trial run, if that helps. That way, if this arrangement it doesn't work out, you aren’t obligated to stay. I'll help you move into a hotel.”
