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I opened my mouth, looking shocked before I finally caved and broke into a laugh. “Seriously?”
“Welcome to Ocracoke. I’m pretty sure I know the layout of every house on the island for one reason or another.”
I guessed that explained why having him here felt so natural. He had a connection to my house.
To the house, I reminded myself.
Not you.
“So, what’s up first?” He quirked a brow.
“What? Oh, right.”How could I forget about that?“The to-do list.”
“That is why I’m here on my only day off this week.”
My brow lifted. “You only get one day off a week? That’s not right.”
“We’re down a deputy, so Deputy Lucas and I are covering the extra shifts while the sheriff finds a replacement. It’s taking longer than usual.”
That brow of his rose again, and I realized I hadn’t answered his question yet.
“Oh, right. The list.” I looked around, trying to remember where I’d put it. As I scanned the room, I caught him looking at me.
Not just looking, but staring, like he couldn’t help himself.
“Um,” I said in a flustered tone, remembering I’d done some panic cleaning last night when I realized he’d be in my house. “I think it’s in this drawer.”
I took a step forward, which put me right next to him. I could feel his body heat, and his arm brushed against mine. I quickly pulled open the drawer and rifled around until I found the list.
It wasn’t the only thing I found.
Hidden in the back, just out of view, was a certain emerald-green box.
I’d had it in my purse for a while, but then I got scared I’d lose it, so I put it in my dresser drawer, but then I’d realized I couldn’t look at it without an immense amount of guilt.
The kind of guilt I was feeling now.
Seeing it sitting there was like a punch to the gut, and I felt ashamed for every lewd thought I’d had since I’d collided with Macon.
This is not why you’re here.
I quickly pulled out the list and slammed the drawer closed.
“Here it is,” I said sort of abruptly. “Up here are the things that don’t work, and down here, I’ve listed the things that work, but not well.”
He took the list and scanned it over quickly. “This shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Seriously?” I blurted out, taking a step back. I needed some space. Standing that close to him felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. “That list is, like, a mile long.”
He shrugged. “It will probably be a matter of finding replacement parts, which will require a trip off the island.”
I gulped.
Oh, good. Another trip on the ferry.
As if sensing my uneasiness, he added, “But we can worry about that later. I’ll just check things out today and let you know what I find out.”
I let out an audible breath and nodded. He took that as a cue to start looking around, but not before filling up a large mug of coffee first.
