That wasn't me.
And as long as I was keeping quiet, I also didn't mention that I was seeing Drake the very next morningorthat I now had a plan – anewplan that I'd formed only within the past few minutes.
If I played my cards just right, maybe Drake would be fixing more than the stroller.
Chapter 15
Drake
When Gwen answered the front door, I almost did a double-take. She looked different –a lotdifferent.
Her pale blonde hair was long and loose, and I saw no sign of her eyeglasses. She wore hip-hugging jeans and a form-fitting red sweater along with subtle eye makeup that made her smoke-colored eyes look even smokier as she gave me a look that felt warm enough to melt butter.
Wow.After a long moment, I found my voice. "Hey."
She cocked a hip. "Hey what?"
"You look, um, really nice."Smooth, huh?I hadn't beenthistongue-tied since high school. Near my right heel, Cash gave a little yip as if to second my opinion.
Good dog.
This made Gwen smile. "Thanks."
Whether she was talking to me or the dog, I liked the sound of her voice and the fact that she was still smiling. I'd already known she had a nice smile, but today something was different about thewayshe smiled, like she knew something I didn't.
Last night, when we'd made plans for me to stop by and repair the stroller, she'd surprised me by inviting Cash along too, probably as another peace-offering after yesterday's drama with Harper.
As Gwen led me into the house and shut the door behind us, I glanced around. "So where's your cousin?"
"Working." Gwen stopped and turned back to face me. "They both are, which means…" She cleared her throat. "We have the whole house to ourselves. Alone. Well, except for Cash and all of the cats, but they're napping, so anyway…" She gave a shaky laugh. "It's just us."
I reached up to rub the back of my neck.Was that a hint?
Itfeltlike a hint.
Hell, Ihopedit was a hint.I liked this girl.
I gave a slow nod. "Good to know."
Her smile faltered. "Is it?"
"Sure," I chuckled. "If nothing else, it'll cut down on the fighting."
Her face fell. "Oh. Right." She blew out a long, trembling breath. "Anyway, I put the stroller in the kitchen. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Beer?" She gave a little wince. "Eggnog?"
She was nervous.
Because of me?
I asked, "Is everything alright?"
"Sure. Definitely. I mean, it's really nice of you to repair the stroller. And I'm guessing you're mostly doing it because…" She paused before asking, "You're a good neighbor?"
"Forgetthat," I laughed. "I'm doing it for you."
"Really? But why me?"
She was obviously fishing.And I was more than willing to bite. I looked into her smoky eyes and told her the simple truth. "Because I like you."
