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“I am taking it easy,” Tish protested. “I just let you carry that box over there.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Can I walk you home?”
Tish studied me for several beats. The air around us felt as if it was shimmering with sparks. I had to contain myself, to resist the urge to step closer and run my hands over her, making sure she was safe. Of course, she was safe. It was just this feeling of wanting to take care of her was unfamiliar to me.
She let out a breath, tipping her head to the side. “You’re going to insist, aren’t you? Well, maybe not that, but you’ll worry if I don’t let you.”
When she smiled a little, I felt my own lips curling in response. “Yes. You just fainted.”
“I’m fine now.”
“What if you’d fallen in the harbor and no one was around?” I pointed out.
“Oh, my God,” she muttered under her breath. “You can walk with me. If you insist. Let me get my jacket.”
“Go right ahead.” I gestured toward her desk chair.
She was wearing a fitted skirt with a blouse. I could tell she was feeling mostly back to herself as she strode with purpose past me and around her desk. I tried to ignore the way her blouse pulled tight across her breasts as she pushed her arms back to slide into her jacket in one motion before shrugging it up over her shoulders. She quickly zipped her jacket up, and I ignored the way disappointment shafted through me. She checked to make sure her purse was zipped before looping it over her shoulder and rounding her desk again.
She stopped beside me. “Shall we?”
As I looked down at her, my mind catalogued the way she had a single loose strand of hair falling down along her cheek. I wanted to brush it back and kiss her. Competing with that was the urge to hook my finger through the elastic holding her ponytail in place and slide it loose to watch her hair fall around her shoulders.
I did none of those things. “Yes.”
Our footsteps were quiet in the carpeted hallway. She jogged down the stairs quickly, and I checked the urge to ask her if she was feeling okay again. I held the entrance door as she slipped past me. When it fell shut, she glanced back, making sure it closed fully.
“Do we need to do anything else?” I asked.
Although I knew the combination to get in and out of the building, I didn’t actually know if there were special guidelines for closing up after hours.
Tish shook her head. “Nope. It’s automated. I just always make sure the main door completely closes. Maybe I don’t need to, but…” She shrugged.
“Good habit to have. I would do the same thing.”
The air was cooler than it had been earlier. With it being fall, the temperatures could drop quickly. Tish tipped her face up toward the sky, taking a deep breath as we began walking.
“I love the air here,” she said. “I swear it’s fresher, crisper maybe.”
I slid my gaze to hers. “I think it is. Certainly fresher than Seattle or any city. Do you like it here?” I asked as we continued to walk down the sidewalk.
Tish was moving briskly, but it was easy for me to keep pace.
“I love it. Alaska is beautiful. And honestly, more than I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I knew it would be rural, but a plane ride to Juneau is only twenty minutes and that’s an actual city. Since Fireweed Harbor is a tourist destination, there’s a lot here with plenty of restaurants, some good shopping, and a good grocery store. All of that with an absolutely amazing view and a quieter life even during the busy times of the year.”
“Yup. A lot of people don’t realize how even the smaller towns have lots to offer here.”
It was only a few minutes before we reached her apartment building. She stopped on the sidewalk in front of the entrance. “You don’t need to walk me upstairs,” she said.
“Tish, you just fainted a few minutes ago. Let me walk you in. Please.”
Tish pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes. “Okay.”
“Thank you for humoring me.” I held the door as she walked inside.
