Page 20 of Long Story Short

She nods as she looks around at the yard. “What made you want to buy a house here?”

I sit up straighter at her question, loving that she’s even interested in the first place. “My sister. She and her husband come here for the summer season, and she finally convinced me that I should too.”

“Are you liking it so far?”

I hold her gaze. “I’m really starting to enjoy myself here.”

Her eyes go wide, and her full lips part. If I knew her a little more, this would be the time I lean in and ask if I could kiss her. It’d be the perfect moment under the moonlight after a night that was so enjoyable I never want it to end.

But I’ve only just met her, and I don’t want to rush anything.

Even so, I can’t help but let my stare move to her lips for a few seconds before I meet her gaze once again. Her hazel eyes are still wide and focused solely on me. I let the silence engulf us, dragging the moment out while I wait for her to respond.

Her tongue peeks out to wet her lips before her mouth spreads into the beginning of a smile. “Me too.”

My shoulders relax. “What about you? Do you come to the Hamptons often?”

“No, not really. Not since I was a teenager. I kind of forgot my grandfather owned a house here until he mentioned it.”

I lean forward, propping my chin in my palm as I watch her closely, soaking in every word she says.

“What brought you here this summer, then?” I ask, genuinely curious to know the answer.

Josie pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes dart over my shoulder. Her gaze flitters around some before she meets mine again. “Work,” she answers, her words quieter than they have been. “I turned in a manuscript, and my publisher hated it. I was on the verge of a breakdown when my grandfather offered up the idea that maybe I need a change of scenery.”

“And is the change of scenery helping?”

She smiles as she lifts a shoulder. “I haven’t completely broken down yet, so maybe it’s working. Too soon to tell.”

“What are you planning to do out here when you’re not working? Do you know anyone?”

Her nose scrunches a little as she thinks through my question. “Not really. I know Scarlett’s family is members at Pembroke and visit here, but as far as I’m aware, she doesn’t travel here often, especially since her career took off. As far as my plans for the summer…I kind of just planned on working and hanging out at the house.”

I click my tongue as I lean in a little closer to her. “Unacceptable.”

She quirks an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t come all the way to the Hamptons and work the whole time.”

“I know we don’t know each other well, but you strike me as a man who does exactly that.”

I can’t help but laugh because she’s right. The entire reason I bought the house down here in the first place was to try and force myself not to work. Now, after talking to her, I think I’ve found something that could take my mind away from my job.

“Okay, well, we’re both workaholics, and I say we change that this summer.”

“I can’t change that. I have to turn a book in to my publisher in six weeks.”

I let my gaze travel over her face. The soft wind blows stray tendrils of hair in the air. The strands dance across her sharp cheekbones, the stray pieces brushing her skin the way I wish I could. Eventually, my gaze meets hers again. She stares at me expectantly, waiting to hear my response to her excuse.

“That’s fine. I’ll give you time to work. But you can’t spend all your time working. Spend the rest of the time with me.”

Josie stares at me with the whisper of a smile on her lips. It seems like she wants to say yes. I don’t move an inch, hoping that if I’m still and silent as I await her response, it won’t break the moment, and she’ll agree to my offer.

Eventually, she lets out a long sigh. “I’d better get going.”

It feels like my entire body sags in defeat. I swore I had her, but instead, she’s not only not giving me an answer, but she’s leaving.

I want to ask her to stay, but I’ve already made it known that I want to spend more time with her this evening. If she wants to go, I’m not going to try and change her mind.