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No. Not without telling Iris everything.
Iris bounded out of the vehicle before he could stop her, and she gaped up at the sky in sudden realization as the rain pelted down. He rounded the truck and pulled off his jacket, lifting it above her head. She didn’t argue; instead, they raced around the house together, as the front porch was still roped off from the work earlier. Both of them were drenched despite his best efforts by the time they came in through the mudroom behind the kitchen.
Eli kicked off his sneakers while Iris toed off her heels, tugging at her damp dress in little flutters. She was beautiful, even bedraggled like this, with water spangled on her skin like silvery sequins. He had a powerful urge to touch her, but he made himself step back instead of yielding to it, giving her a clear path into the house. But she didn’t move. She stared up at him with an expression that tugged at his heartstrings, an inexorable pull.
“I made hot tea,” Sally called.
Iris quickly shook her head, as if dismissing some strange thought, and her smile didn’t look as it usually did when she brushed past. “You’re a lifesaver!”
After hanging up his coat, Eli followed.
Sally smiled at him. “What would you like, my dear? The water is hot, and we’ve got apple cinnamon, lemon ginger, chamomile, and English breakfast.”
“Chamomile.” Lord knew he could use a calming drink right about then. “I’ll be right back. I need to put on some dry clothes.”
That wasn’t a lie, but the real truth was he needed a solitary moment to get his head in order.You’renotallowed to fall for her. That would be ridiculous under the circumstances.And yet she had so many endearing facets, so much that made it difficult not to—
He cut the thought with the sharpest of mental shears and continued onward up the stairs, ignoring the rise and fall of feminine voices as Iris and Sally chatted over tea. He pulled on warm socks, athletic pants, and a gray hoodie. Warm, comfortable clothing that should have felt like being enfolded in a hug, but the clothes didn’t do the trick. Truth was, he’d wanted to kiss Iris in the mudroom.
He still wanted that.
Oh hell. I’m insomuch trouble.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
For once iris woke feelingenergized and excited.
Business was picking up at the store—twelve orders today—and she was making friends. Even if Hazel was older, she still counted, not to mention Sally, Henry Dale, and Eli. Eh, bestnotto focus on Eli. He was altogether too sweet and hot for her own peace of mind.
The bathroom was free when she went down, so she took a quick shower and continued to the kitchen in her robe. She could hear Eli and Henry Dale working outside on the front porch, and Sally seemed to be gone already. Iris made toast for breakfast and took it upstairs along with her coffee. Today was overcast, just as yesterday had been, so it was cozy tucked beneath the eaves of the roof as she got to work sketching new designs.
She didn’t break focus until she got a message from Olive, much later in the day.
Olive: Just checking in. You doing okay?
Iris: Probably tough to believe, but I am. What about you?
Olive: I’m not the one who’s recovering from a bombshell.
Iris: That reads like deflection.
Olive: If you must know, I might have…fallen for someone here. But there are barriers.
Iris: Oh. I feel like I should say something pithy like, “All you need is love,” or “Love finds a way,” but those might just be old song titles. Whatever you decide, I’m rooting for you.
Olive: That helps, more than you know.
Iris: I’m glad I didn’t lose you in the family lotto.
Olive: You’ll never lose me.
After the text convo ended, Iris felt warm and fuzzy, but she also realized how stiff she was.I have to get a better chair.That was thefirstthing she’d spend money on once her store was earning more. Tomorrow, she’d make a few new necklaces since the old ones were almost sold out.Now there’s a problem I couldn’t have imagined, even a month ago.
Iris went downstairs in time to see Eli and Henry Dale hauling in boxes.Wow. I should have expected this.These cartons had been stored at Delphine and Roger’s place since college. There was no correspondence, just a delivery from the freight company. She glared at the boxes and nudged one with her foot, fighting the urge to kick it.
This is my stuff anyway.
“Are you okay?” Eli asked.
