She sets the box on the kitchen island and takes out a slice, biting into the crispy crust as she wanders around the cabin. “Holy shit. This place is even nicer than I thought it’d be. You’re seriously talented. Are these custom shelves?” Her small hand runs over the edge of the woodwork at the back of the cabin before she makes her way into the kitchen. “And this… where did you get this stone?”
“It’s granite from the mountain right over there.” I nod out the patio doors toward the peak that’s too dark to see. “Everything is local, and hand-built by me.”
“Okay,” she says, taking another bite. This time there’s a soft moan that wakes me up in places that should stay sleeping. “You’re officially number one on my list of most talented contractors.”
“You have a list?”
Her eyes widen and she nods before wandering back to the bookshelf, gliding her finger over the bindings. “Sure do… and you’re number one! What about these books? Please tell me you’re reading George Orwell, Dean Koontz, and Poe all at once.”
“No. I haven’t touched those books in ages. Like I said, most everything I read is on audio these days. They look great though, don’t they?”
Her body arches back in the leather chair by the stone fireplace. A long hard sigh releases as she kicks her feet up. “Oh my God. You have no idea how good this feels.” She pops the last bite of pizza into her mouth then rocks back and forth as though she’s going to stand already.
“Woah, woah, woah. Where are you going?”
“To get a drink. I didn’t realize how dry my mouth was. It was a full day at the shop. I didn’t stop once for—”
I hand her a bottle of water from the fridge. “From now on, you ask me for things. You’re not straining yourself… understood?”
She grips the bottle and stares toward me with big blue eyes that rival the clearest ocean in the world. “Why are you doing this?”
“You need help, and I like helping.”
“Ah, so we’re back to this again. I’m a charity case. The dirty little stripper you can fix.”
My shoulders tighten. Her mood has shifted. This is the part where I fail with women. I should know what to say next, but I don’t. I’m a deer in headlights. I know two directions, avoidance and domination. I’m not sure either work right now. “You’re a person, Ash. That’s all. You needed help and I’m helping you. And you’re helping me too, remember?”
“Right,” she quips like she suddenly doesn’t believe me. This has to be a blood sugar issue or something.Does that happen to pregnant women?If she gives me a second, I can Google it.
“Look, I know you probably think that I’m some poor little girl, and you’re this rich old man who’s going to help me out before I fall in love with you… but I’m not.”
“Okay… who said anything about falling in love?”
“No one!” she barks and stands from the chair, struggling to steady her balance. I consider helping her, but I don’t want to upset her more.
“Ashley,” I bark back too aggressively, “what the hell is going on? You were fine a second ago.”
She continues to walk, completely ignoring me.
I realize a nice guy would stay back. He’d give her space. He wouldn’t chase her down the hall and demand a response.
I guess I’m not as nice as I thought.
“Woah.” I grip her arm and hold her back until we’re eye to eye again. “You don’t get to do that.”
She tears her arm away from my grip and stares toward me. “Do what?” Her face is red like she’s wiped away tears.
Fuck.
“Don’t play dumb, Ash. You know what you’re doing right now.”
Her head tilts to the side, and she sighs heavily, pushing away another tear before it hits her cheek.
My hand lands back on her shoulder. “You don’t have to put up these walls. You can relax here. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She huffs out a heavy sigh and rolls her eyes. “You’re so full of it. Do you even listen to yourself talk? You kissed me at camp. That was almost a year ago. You promised you’d call. I never heard from you again. And now, you run into me, and you feel sorry, so you invite me here to your nice house, feed me good food, and all I have to do is read to you?Really?You’re a liar, Dodge, just like every other man. Coming here was stupid. It’s only going to confuse me. I should leave first thing tomorrow.”
“Ash, I told you the truth. I didn’t contact you because you’re young. Look at me. Really look at me. I’m an old fucking man, and I have no business messing around with you.”