Roman took some of the gear and the bait box to the back of the boat to set up, leaving Lacey and Tessa on the bow.
Tessa pulled her sunglasses down to get a good look at her young friend and protégé, who still seemed like she could snap at any moment.
“You okay?”
“I’m good,” Lacey said, fidgeting with some threads of her cut-off shorts.
“You’re really freaking out, aren’t you?” Tessa whispered.
“No.” Lacey shot her a glare. “I’m not freaking out.”
“You totally are. You’ve got the new-boyfriend jitters. Classic.”
Lacey groaned. “Can you not?”
Roman, clearly catching the tail end of their exchange as he came back, slung an arm around Lacey’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’m super low maintenance.”
Tessa grinned and pulled out the bait box. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll see how low maintenance you are once you have to get a hook from the mouth of a flounder.”
“I should be so lucky.” He handed Lacey a rod. “This one’s perfect for you, Lace. Let me show you my lucky cast.”
A minute later, the two of them were side by side, laughing and talking while Roman guided her through the process…exactly as Artie Wylie had guided little Tessa. He actually cast with the very same hitch at the halfway point, and lifted his chin like it would help the bait and hook go farther.
It was like her dear departed father had come back from heaven to be with her for the day.
Which was the silliest, stupidest thing Tessa had ever thought, but for some reason, the very idea comforted her. He wasn’t Artie reincarnated, but he was a great guy and all Tessa could do was hope he kept that promise and didn’t break Lacey’s heart.
Vivien spread the last of the wallpaper samples across the floor in Danny’s upstairs loft, then stepped back to make a final selection. Pale sea-glass green textured grasscloth, a bold navy-and-white geometric, or a sandy linen weave that caught the late afternoon sun just right?
Any one of them would be perfect in this light. Or maybe she was just in a good mood, doing what she loved to do and getting paid well for it.
Glancing around, she gazed out onto Four Prong Lake, its glassy surface now glowing with gold and lavender reflections from the setting sun. Which made her realize she’d been up here working for a long time.
She glanced at her watch and blinked. Nearly seven. Not late afternoon—early evening. No wonder her stomach was growling.
Danny had been downstairs most of the day, holed up in his home office, leaving her to work in peace as she tested colors and wallpapers, and used interior design software to virtually create the space she wanted. She’d met with the window treatment company and had a few video calls with furniture vendors to make final selections.
But she had to be done now, so she gathered her swatches and samples into her tote and headed downstairs to find the shoes she’d left at the door and say goodbye to her client.
At the bottom, she stopped to inhale something…amazing. Something rich and buttery and irresistible.
And, oh—her gaze moved to the kitchen and landed on someonewho kind of fit those descriptions, too.
Danny stood at the stove, sleeves rolled, wine glass in hand, lobster tails sizzling in a pan.
“That smells…unbelievable,” she said, unable to hide the amusement or fascination from her voice.
He turned and grinned. “A man keeps his promises. I said I owed you dinner. Stay.”
The command—not a question—sent an unfamiliar reaction right down to her toes. Well, maybe not so unfamiliar. He frequently had that effect on her.
Vivien opened her mouth to protest and come up with an excuse to turn him down, but…couldn’t think of a thing.
“Come on, you’ve been working up there for hours.” He notched his chin toward the stove, a divine smell of sizzling seafood filling the air.
“And I have several finished renderings so you can make a final decision on the built-ins and furniture.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I trust your judgment, and you need to eat.” He used a fork to lift a tender piece of lobster. “You need to eat this.”
