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She pushed a button, and her window went up. The yellow bug picked up speed and crunched through the dry leaves.
Once again, Rory stood with his hands in his pockets, staring as Vi ran away. From him. It seemed to be his lot in life. Only this time, he couldn’t go after her. If he did, he sensed it would drive her farther away.
He kicked the ground with his good foot. Mentally, he ticked off the things he had to do tomorrow before he boarded a plane. A meeting with Paige topped the list. Time to find out why their close friends considered them an item.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Vi’s conscience was killing her. Rude and insensitive hardly tapped the surface of her behavior this evening. She smacked the pillow, tossing restlessly. Receiving the comfort of Rory’s arms one minute, over the moon when he proposed a walk around the lake, then a horrid knee-jerk reaction when he asked her out. As if she hadn’t suspected or even hoped he might.
Back home, Vi had disappeared into her room, not wanting to talk to anyone. Certainly not Paige. Exhaustion wired her tight enough to trip an alarm. Flipping her pillow to the cool side, she breathed in the fresh cotton fragrance. Strains of music from the movie White Christmas floated under her door. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 11:07 p.m. She grabbed her phone, and thumbed a text.
Are you awake?
She hit SEND before she could change her mind.
Barely.
Her fingers flew.
Forgive me for acting so rude? Delete. Sorry I left you standing in the cold. Delete. A date would be fun. Delete. She sighed with frustration, then thumbed again.
I want to proceed with the remodel.
She stared at the screen and pressed SEND.
Are you sure?
Rory’s hesitation bounced through the text into her room.
Yes. Are we still friends?
Funny how a month ago, she wouldn’t have cared or wanted it. Now she couldn’t imagine her life without him. Friends were important.
Rory texted Paige at 6:32 a.m.
Meet me for breakfast?
Paige was an early riser. Declared she could accomplish half a day’s work before Rory arrived and changed everything.
At home in his townhouse, he rocked in the glider. Well, home before Stella destroyed it. Now it had become a place to crash. He cast a jaundiced eye around the room. A professional designer would help him start over, but he hadn’t found the mojo to make it happen. A real home needed a woman’s touch. The right woman.
Bible in his lap, Rory took another sip of coffee. Reading Psalms soothed his restless mind. When he tried to pray, however, the heavens were as closed as Vi’s face last night when he’d asked her out. After her text about the remodel, he’d called. They’d both been careful to stick to business. Her decision to move forward brought him a level of joy he didn’t understand. But he didn’t know what to do with her “Are we still friends” question. Only friends with Vi sounded next to impossible. The insane level of attraction arcing between them shredded the notion. He hadn’t answered because anything he said would have been a half-truth. She would run from the whole truth.
His phone chimed with Paige asking when and where. Once they’d decided, he drained his coffee mug, mulling over how to approach the dilemma he found himself in.
Why their close friends thought he and Paige were a couple remained a mystery. He leaned forward in the glider, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers intertwined, thumbs on his forehead. “Lord, you know Paige and I work together, so please give me an extra measure of tact. Help us talk this through with no hard feelings on either side. You alone have the insight I need.”
“So, boss, what’s on your mind?” Paige sat across from him in a booth at a pancake shop. They’d already talked through her to-do list for the days he’d be gone, including the hefty number of calls and appointments to get the ball rolling on Vi’s project. Breakfast finished, they drank more coffee as Rory figured out how to broach the subject of their relationship—a delicate blend of work versus friendship. Until now, he’d believed they’d pulled it off.
The aroma of fruity pancakes and salty bacon peppered the air. Hands wrapped around his mug, Rory idly watched a young boy scarf down pancakes, his mouth ringed with a purple line of blueberry syrup.
“Boss?” Paige nudged.
She wore a cherry-colored coat over slacks and a white frilly blouse. Her shiny ebony hair sported a low bun. Silver hoops adorned her ears. Her classic beauty was as familiar to him as his own beard. They were friends with not one iota of romantic chemistry between them. Rory had wanted to take it to the next level more than once, but his mind and body reacted the same way every time. Any measure of peace became a lone grain of sand on a windy day. Right now, Paige’s almond-shaped eyes held a note of amusement. The slight smile confirmed it.
Rory gazed at her. “Sorry. I need you to be straight with me.” He inwardly winced at her open and trusting brown eyes. Sucking a deep breath, he plunged in. “I’ve had two people recently ask me about—” The word stuck in his throat. “—us.”
“And …?” Her knowing look sent him into a frantic backpedal.
