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“Oh, I wouldn’t want to put you out,” Ismay replied.
Honey scowled at this response. “You won’t be putting me out. It’ll be my pleasure.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Ismay turned to Bo. “Can you make it for lunch?”
“I don’t know. I’ve a lot to get done, so I—” he started to say, but Honey broke in almost immediately.
“We all have to eat, Bo,” she said. “And you know I can cook.”
“I do know that,” he agreed. “I guess I’ll be able to take an hour or so.”
She put her cat down and nudged it to go back into the house. “You’re always doing things for me. It’s nice that I can do a little something for you.”
“I appreciate it,” he said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’m already looking forward to it.” She winked at Bo. “And you were right, you know. Sheisspecial.”
Bo looked as if she’d just punched him in the face, which made Honey chuckle as she went back inside and closed the door.
“You told her I’m special?” Ismay teased as they walked back.
“I was exaggerating,” he muttered, and she started to laugh.
It was difficult to finish patching the roof knowing Ismay was inside the house. Bo had told her she should go to town or head to the beach—enjoy herself while she was on vacation—but she’d insisted on staying to help clean up, even though she’d already done so much. He was grateful to her, but he was also concerned that Bastian might come looking for her again. Where was Remy’s twin today?
Once he finished and could go inside, he was intent on telling her he’d take it from there. But it’d been four hours, and he couldn’t see much more to do. She’d used the wet/dry vac he’d provided to suck up what remained of the water and mopped all the floors. It looked as if she’d also scrubbed down the baseboards.
When he found her, she was making food in the kitchen.
“The floors look great,” he said.
She peered around the corner at the hardwood in the living room. “I did my best. The rest will be up to the restoration company.”
“They’ve been slammed but promised me they’d at least drop off some bigger fans.” He checked the time. “They claimed it’d be today, but it’s nearly five, so...maybe it’s not going to happen.”
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
He grinned. “What do you think?”
She indicated the table. “Sit down. I’ve almost finished a salad made of quinoa, spinach, and avocado with a fried egg on top. It’s delicious, especially if you add some sriracha.”
“Sounds good.”
She piled two plates high and brought them over before getting silverware and napkins.
He got up and selected a bottle of wine from a small rack he’d built himself. “This okay?”
“Looks good to me.”
He poured them each a glass and sat down with her. Eating together was becoming a habit. On the one hand, it made him uncomfortable. He knew Remy wouldn’t like it. On the other...it was difficult to stay away from Ismay. They’d fallen into this situation that made it all too easy to hang out together.
“What do you think Honey will decide?” she asked while they ate.
“I think she’ll go to Pennsylvania. The question is when. But Jack can stay here until then. I’ve got an extra room. I just need to move my weights out of it.”
“I don’t expectyouto take him in,” she said. “I feel bad that I’ve leaned on you as much as I have.”
“You’ve helped me, too,” he pointed out.
