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“I thought you and Paige …”
“Hmm. Maybe way back. Not anymore. Paige is like a sister.”
A line creased between Jesse’s brows. “You guys are always together …”
“Because she’s my PA … and a darn good one. She reads my mind, anticipates what I need. Nothing else to it.”
“And Paige knows that?” Jesse didn’t sound convinced.
“I assume she does. No weird vibes … we’re friends …” Rory finally caught Jesse’s drift. “I’ve never kissed Paige—on the lips,” he clarified.
Jesse’s jaw relaxed. “Okay, then.” He rocked for a bit. “Maybe you need to start from the beginning about Vi.”
The perfect opening to launch into his favorite subject of late.
Two cups of coffee later, Rory wrapped up the conversation with an impression he’d had earlier in the evening. “Jess, it was the strangest thing. I watched Vi interact with that silly goose at her lake. She stood there with her hands in her pockets. God seemed to whisper in my ear it was how I need to handle her. Keep my hands to myself until she trusts me.”
“And your lips.” Jesse’s tone could have dried a wet towel.
“The I-won’t-initiate-anymore-kisses meant the same thing. And, yeah, it made her mad, but a guy’s gotta have hope.”
Jesse choked on a swallow of coffee. “As if Vi’s the one who’s going to have a hard time refraining from kissing?”
Rory shrugged and picked up his empty cup. He’d had enough caffeine to howl at the moon.
“Vi has always had a strong ‘no trespassing’ vibe, but her profession requires it. Can’t be a cupcake around men who want massages.” Jesse laced his fingers together. “Hard edge or no, members adore Vi. Someone’s always singing her praises in the comment cards.”
“Yeah, she mentioned giving me a massage once.” He hastily added, “She saw the limp and said a massage would help.”
“Good for her.”
Rory shot him the stink eye. “I’m not putting up with a woman who feels sorry for me.”
Jesse’s forehead wrinkled. “For Pete’s sake, Ro, there’s a big difference between pity and honest assessment. She’s trained to relieve pain. I doubt she’s feeling sorry for you.”
Rory’s gut sloshed with too much coffee.
Checking his phone, Jesse said, “It’s close to midnight. I gotta hit the sack. A wise person once told me, ‘You better take it slow and easy.’ When I first dated Brenna, nuts as I was about her, I managed to do everything wrong and scared her so bad, it’s only by God’s grace we didn’t crash and burn.” He rose, stretching his arms toward the ceiling.
Rory stood as well. His leg ached abominably, but he couldn’t resist. “You crashed all right. More than once.”
Jesse popped him on the arm. “So learn from my mistakes. Take your own advice and be careful.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Vi dragged herself from her car and focused on climbing the veranda steps. One normal step, then heave the boot. Things she normally took for granted had become hurdles. Her last two massages had lasted to infinity and beyond. While her hands worked, she’d used the time to pray about selling the house or continuing with the remodel. Still no direction. Maybe a talk with Rory would help. At the project’s start, they’d fallen into late-night phone calls or texts when she’d had a million and one remodeling questions. A tingle zinged up her spine. It had been a few days since they’d communicated. He probably wondered if she’d come to a decision.
Truth be told, she’d missed him. His zest for living in the here and now appealed to her. He didn’t hold regrets in a death grip the way she did. Vi’s head shook sideways of its own volition. If Rory knew what she’d done, he’d run in the other direction. She couldn’t even forgive herself—no use wishing for a relationship that could never happen.
Vi opened the heavy wooden door. Christmas decorations winked from every corner of the living room. Thunder scrabbled to his feet, woofing. A half-grown cat slipped between gifts under a tree. Carols played, courtesy of Alexa. An odor she couldn’t identify floated from the kitchen. Brenna’s night to cook.
Dropping her purse and bag beside the cushy brown chair, she headed to the kitchen. Brenna stared into a red skillet on a stove burner.
“Do I have time for a shower?”
“Probably. Jesse’s coming.” Brenna attended to the skillet.
“Okay. If y’all want to eat, don’t wait on me.” Vi hobbled out of the room. She couldn’t wait to get the boot off tonight. Did Rory feel this way? Maybe when they talked, she’d ask. The bathroom was empty for once, so she showered and dressed quickly. Her stomach yowled with hunger. She hopped back to the kitchen, the heavy boot under one arm.
