Page 19 of Here & Now

She blinked a few times.

“If you’re busy, I can do it another time.”

Busy? “No, I’m not busy.”

“Is six o’clock okay?”

“Sure, yeah, I guess.”

He chuckled. “I’ll bring my tools over.”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Then she turned and hurried out of the store.

As she drove back to the cottage, she realized she was frowning. Why on earth would he want to come over and fix her bike tire on a Saturday night? After what she’d witnessed last night, she was certain he had better things to do.

He must have had an ulterior motive, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be. If he were truly a Casanova and wanted to seduce her, he would have come up with something better than fixing her bike tire!

She was still mulling it over when she entered the cottage, and then her phone rang.

“Hey, sis,” she answered.

“Hey. You never called me back last night.”

“Sorry. I got distracted.”

“By what, your sexy new neighbor?”

“How’d you guess?”

“What happened?”

Bree and her sister told each other everything, and she quickly brought her up to speed.

“How exciting,” Ivy said when she’d finished.

“Exciting? It’s just a bike tire.”

Ivy chuckled. “I doubt he’s coming over just to do a good deed.”

“He’s being neighborly.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.”

“I haven’t given him any indication that I’m interested.”

“Are you?”

“No!”

Ivy laughed again.

“I’m serious. I didn’t come down here for this.”

“I know that, but what’s wrong with having a little fun while you’re there?”

Bree was supposed to be going through her grandmother’s personal effects. She wasn’t there to have fun, and certainly not with a man she’d just met.

“What are you going to wear?” Ivy asked, sounding more enthused by the second.