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There he went again with the wife thing. Technically she was still his wife but that’s all it was, a technicality. A fact that could be easily remedied,wouldbe easily remedied if he’d stop smiling at her for two seconds so she could steady her resolve to not let him back into her life again.
Feigning nonchalance she didn’t feel, she shrugged. “Same diff.”
Taking a sip, he sighed his appreciation. “You’re splitting hairs. Or should that be coffee beans?”
Trying to hide her smile behind her cup and failing, she sipped her doppio, savoring the strong, hot rush of caffeine.
“Fine. I’ll swing by your place.”
“Nothing sexier than a gallant woman.”
He smiled, the same intimate smile he used to reserve for her, and her heart turned over, beating a hundred miles a minute while she took another gulp of coffee to cover her nerves.
He thought she was sexy.
He was flirting with her in a light, non-pressured, appealing kind of way.
He was throwing everything at her defences, weakening her determination to hold him at bay with every seductive smile, with every twinkle in his gorgeous eyes.
It would be so easy to give in, so tempting to see how good they could be together now they were older, wiser, more mature. But was she willing to take the risk? For there was nothing surer than the more time she spent with Blane the easier it would be to fall for him all over again.
She couldn’t tread down the marriage road again. Not when it would involve baring her soul about the one thing she’d buried deep, her gut-wrenching sorrow at not being able to have kidskilling the yearning for a baby she never knew she had until the option was ripped away.
“Now we’ve got that worked out, is it safe to bring up the topic of your project manager?”
“No need. It’s sorted.”
She dropped her gaze to her doppio before he could read her desperation. Yet another builder had walked away this week, leaving her with a half finished apartment and a permit that ran out shortly. But she couldn’t hire Blane, not when she wanted him out of her life, and once she’d paid her dues with this dinner that was it. No more meetings, no more pseudo dates, no more sharing coffees and chocolate.
The thought saddened her more than she’d anticipated.
“Really?”
“Uh-huh.” She hoped the builder she’d lined up to meet in the morning would be exactly what she needed, because she couldn’t afford any more delays on the renovations, and having Blane so ready, willing, and able to help wasn’t conducive to her getting him out of her life for good.
“Fair enough, but remember, the offer still stands. If you need some help, I’m your man.”
He had been for those all-too-short three months when they’d laughed and teased and played like they were the only romantic couple on the planet.
A time when he’d been her fabled knight in shining armor and she would’ve happily followed him to the ends of the earth, secure in their love.
A time for long leisurely strolls on sultry summer evenings, hand in hand, idly exchanging hopes and dreams.
A time for sharing hot fudge sundaes, play fighting over who’d get the cherry on top and kissing the drips of chocolate from each other’s lips.
A time for newly awakened passion under starry nights, for eager caresses and soft sighs as they explored each other in intimate detail while snuggled under a picnic blanket down by the river.
But those times were long gone, faded into oblivion along with her dreams for a family, and he wasn’t her man any longer, despite every cell in her body screaming to get reacquainted with her husband.
Needing to get rid of him before she did something stupider than agree to have dinner with him as some silly payback for services rendered, she cast a pointed glance at her watch.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Now, I need to lock up and get some shut-eye. I’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
“No worries.”
After downing his iced coffee in a few thirsty gulps he placed the glass in the sink behind the bar and ran the tap. “You said you lived nearby. Want me to walk you home? I’ve heard there’s been some trouble around here lately.”
She jerked a thumb over her left shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not walking anywhere. I’m sleeping out the back while my apartment’s being renovated.”
