AllFreeNovel
Share Us
19
Tiptoeinginto the living room so as not to wake Sterling, Kat looked over at the sofa, where she’d left him sleeping. She needed to think about what to do next. She’d found herself in an unusual situation, and she struggled to stay objective when he was awake. He was too adept at seducing her with sweet sentiment delivered in an awkward parcel.
But he wasn’t on the sofa. A wool blanket was folded on the arm, and there was no sign of him. She glanced around to see if his shoes were there, or if the bathroom door was closed. Huh. It looked like he’d left. How the heck was she supposed to mull things over properly when he wasn’t cooperating?
She poured coffee, went to her room to dress, and padded out into the hall, taking her mug with her. Sanctuary was quiet this time of morning—with the exception of the foyer—where, if she wasn’t mistaken, the yoga class would be in session. She opened the hall door and slipped in. The class was busy, with at least ten guests and a couple of locals present. There, on a mat in the center, was Sterling, battling to hold warrior two pose while the elderly lady next to him peppered him with encouragements. He followed her directions, and his legs stopped shaking. He thanked her. Then he looked straight over at Kat and smiled.
Bam!
That smile hit her like a smack in the heart, zapping through all of her defenses and making her fizz on the inside. Thankfully, he became absorbed in the yoga once again, and she leaned on the door frame to watch. The change in him was unreal. She could scarcely believe that the laid-back guy with scruffy blonde whiskers was the same businessman who’d had an iron rod up his spine when he arrived in the bay.
For the first time since she’d woken, she smiled. Sterling looked comfortable in his own skin and she liked to think she was partially responsible for that. With one last glance at him, she headed to breakfast. The dining hall was empty, so she went straight to the kitchen.
“Hey, Tione,” she said, edging inside in case a pan or other metal object flew at her head. Sometimes her friend didn’t take her unscheduled vacations well. “Thanks for holding down the fort while I was away.”
He was standing at the oven, in front of an omelet, and didn’t turn when she spoke. He grabbed the pan handle, flipped the omelet in the air, and caught it neatly.
“It wasn’t a problem,” he said in a neutral tone that made her nervous. “Everyone behaved. No large groups turned up unexpectedly. We were fine.”
“Okay, that’s good.” She waited for the other shoe to drop.
“How was your camping trip?”
She set her cup down and crossed her arms over her chest, bracing for whatever shitstorm was about to come her way. “Same as usual. I walked, I cried, and now I’m better.”
“Your city boy was worried about you.”
And there it was. Her stomach dropped. She didn’t want to consider that Sterling might have feelings for her beyond attraction and friendly affection. That only complicated an already complex situation.
“He’s not my city boy.”
Tione looked over his shoulder and raised a brow. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah.” She sounded surer than she felt.
Tione dumped the omelet on a plate, then poured another batch of mixture into the pan and came over to her while it cooked. “Then I suggest you let him down now. You don’t want to lead him on. He cares for you, Kat. Wouldn’t have thought it was possible with how far he had that stick shoved up his ass, but he’s a decent guy and he’s into you. I don’t want to see him make a fool of himself or get hurt.”
Her shoulders slumped. Tione was right, and she knew it. She just didn’t want to accept that she needed to pull the rip cord on the beautiful thing growing between them. “I’ll say something to him today.”
“Good.” Tione handed her an omelet. “Eat up. You’ll need your strength.”
* * *
When they finished savasana,or corpse pose, Sterling blinked slowly and rubbed his eyes.
“You did so well,” Christine, the lady beside him, said, tidying her short white hair with one hand. “I could see how much you improved during the session.”
“Thank you. It was all because of your help.”
She flushed with pleasure. “How are you enjoying your stay?”
“It’s been life-changing,” he told her. “I might just stay forever.”
He was completely serious, but she laughed anyway. “Me, too. The atmosphere is lovely, and the sea air is doing wonders for my sister.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Emmaline had cancer, but she’s in remission. It’s the second time, and she seems to be recovering. I’m cautiously optimistic.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad for you and Emmaline.” He stretched toward the ceiling, then released a contented sigh. “Sanctuary is pretty great.”
“It really is.”
