Now,Iwas the one frowning.What did he think? That I'd come to molest him or something?
Talk about arrogant.
I mean, sure, he looked entirely molestable, but he wasn't my type, and his attitude grated.
I was just about to set him straight when he pointed to the vast expanse of floor between us. "Rotten floorboards."
"Oh."Great. Now I felt stupid again.With an awkward laugh, I said, "So that's all?"
But Brody wasn't laughing. "Hey, it's enough. Trust me, you don't want to fall through."
He was right about that.Still, I had to ask, "But aren'tyouworried?"
"Me? Nah. I know where to step." And then, as if to prove his point, he strode toward me, sidestepping several areas along his path.
When he finally reached me, he did the strangest thing. He held out his hand as if offering a handshake.
I glanced down.What was this? A truce?
To my surprise, I discovered that I was willing to go along if he was. So, with a decisive nod, I reached out and shook his hand with enough gusto to prove that I wasn't afraid to set our differences aside – at least for now, while we worked toward a common goal.
I was still shaking it when Brody laughed.
I paused in mid-shake. "What's so funny?"
"You." He glanced down at our hands, still joined. "I was gonna guide you to the window."
"Oh." My face burned with new embarrassment. And yet, for some reason, I was still holding onto his hand. Andhewas still holding onto mine.
His hand felt big and warm, and so very strong, even if his touch was surprisingly gentle. Suddenly, I was finding it just a little hard to breathe.
Whywasthat?
Maybe it was the attic.I glanced around.Probably we had a mold problem.
Yeah. Spores – that had to be it.
When I looked back to Brody, his lips twitched as he said, "Unless you want me to carry you?"
My breath caught.Actually, I'd love to be carried by him.
What?
No,I reminded myself.Not him.But someonelikehim. Or rather, someone wholookedlike him, and maybeactedlike him just a little, but didn't have all the baggage between us.
And yet, to my infinite annoyance, I was still finding it hard to breathe. I gave the attic another wary glance before asking, "Do you think we have a mold problem?"
"Probably."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
Brody's hand flexed around mine. "What?"
"I just mean, it's good to know." Determined to break the spell, I gave my hand a light tug, which proved to be totally useless.Brody wasn't letting go.
I gave our joined hands another quick glance. "You don't have to hang on," I said. "I'll just um, follow you to the window, and walk where you walk."
He didn't budge. "Forget it."
