Chapter 2
Chapter Two
IAN
The woman standing in front of me gave me an imperious look with her hand resting on her hip and her chin lifted. She arched one brow, her lips twisting to the side. I definitely didn't remember her at a glance. Although, a memory pinged. I tried to grasp it, but I couldn't quite place her.
“Maybe I do,” I said smoothly, not willing to admit she might be right.
“What's my name then?” she prompted, her gaze cool as her eyes swept up and down.
Although she was giving off a good impression of not being rattled, I didn't miss the flush high on her cheekbones and the rapid beat of her pulse, visible at the base of her throat.
Her honey-blond hair was twisted into a knot on top of her head with loose tendrils framing her face.
She wore a pair of bright blue glasses. Her eyes were a unique hazel, almost iridescent, the blue and green changing with the light.
I was tired, too fucking tired, to try to play it cool. I shrugged. “I'm sorry I don't know your name. You, apparently, know mine, so I'm assuming you also know this home belongs to my family.”
She blinked at me behind those glasses, her hand dropping from her hip. “Yes, I know this is your family's home. Thea told me I could stay here for three weeks. She gave me a key. Since you don't seem to remember, I'm Jane, Jane Matthews. Thea and I were friends growing up.”
The minute she said her name, the memory clicked into place. Jane was Thea’s pretty friend who almost always had her nose buried in a book. She wasn't a huge fan of eye contact back then. She didn't seem to have a problem with it now as she steadily held my gaze.
“Did she now?” I returned. “Well, she forgot to mention that to me. I'll be here through January.”
Jane blinked again, her nose wrinkling as she considered my reply. “Well, it looks like I'll have to find somewhere else to stay then. Thea obviously didn't know you would be here.”
I shook my head. “No, she didn't. Shocking as it may sound, I don't keep my little sister apprised of everything I do.”
She rolled her eyes as she turned, crossing the kitchen to close the pantry. “I was just about to make some chicken soup because I'm starving. I'll have to call around and see where else I can stay.”
I was replying before I thought better of it. “It's terrible out. You can't do that. Plus, this is Haven’s Bay in the middle of winter. It's not like there are tons of places to stay. Most places are closed.”
Jane spun around to face me. “Tell me something I don't know,” she snapped.
“Look, you're Thea’s friend, and this is a big house. We'll figure it out. I'm not gonna let you drive out in that snow. Trust me, it's only getting worse.”
“Really?” she asked as she crossed over to the windows to peer out into the snowy darkness.
She turned on the light outside on the corner of the house, her eyes widening.
The light illuminated nothing but blowing snow.
It was wet, thick, and heavy now. I called this kind of snow “snot” snow.
It made the roads slick, and tires tended to smear over the surface of it.
I’d driven on winter roads for most of my life.
Short of black ice, this was the worst kind of snow for driving.
Add in the poor visibility and questionable traction along with the wind and it created dangerous conditions.
There was no way I would let Jane go out in this weather at this hour.
She turned back toward me, pursing her lips as she contemplated. “It's probably not a good idea for me to go out.”
“It's definitely not a good idea for you to go out. I'm starving too,” I added. “I'll get my bags. Which bedroom did you take?”
She glanced back at me. “The one toward the front. Is that okay?”
“Of course, it's okay. There are five bedrooms up there.”
“Are you sure?”
“I'm sure, Jane.”
I didn't wait for her reply and walked back down the hallway, my footsteps echoing through the downstairs.
A few minutes later, I dropped my bags in the master bedroom, changed into something more comfortable, and made my way back downstairs.
When I walked into the kitchen, Jane had a drawer open and was perusing the pots and pans.
“Is chicken soup all we have?” I asked as I crossed over to peer into the pantry myself.
“That’s the only quick option.”
“I'm going to check the freezer in the basement. Maybe we have something there.”
“Is that okay?” she asked.
I paused in the doorway. “I don't see why not.”
Jane’s cheeks went pink, sending a sizzle down my spine as I looked at her. Wow, that was interesting. “I'll be right back.”
Ignoring my body’s reaction to her, I jogged down into the basement, flicking on the lights and crossing over to the new chest freezer I’d purchased last summer when I was here with my two brothers and my sister.
I was pleased to find a few options, including a pan of pre-made lasagna.
Maybe it wasn't homemade, but I was fucking starving, and it was freezing outside—perfect weather for lasagna.
There was even a loaf of frozen French bread and some butter.
I jogged back upstairs with the items in hand, calling, “We've got frozen lasagna and bread. Let’s have an actual meal.”
Jane's eyes widened as she looked over. “Are you serious?”
“Sure am. Crank that oven on.”
Jane crossed over and turned on the oven.
In short order, we had wrapped the frozen bread in foil, and Jane put it in the oven, explaining it would thaw while the oven heated.
I discovered her to be efficient and found we worked easily together.
After the lasagna was in the oven, Jane melted butter and seasoned it with parsley and a dash of garlic powder to pour on the bread.
I peered into the cabinet where we kept the wine, smiling when I discovered several bottles of good red wine waiting for us. “Would you like some wine?”
“There's wine too?” she asked, a hint of surprise in her tone.
“Absolutely,” I said as I chose a bottle. “Will this work for you?” I held up a bottle of Merlot from a local winery.
Her eyes widened as a slow smile stretched across her face, sending electricity through me in a fiery shimmer. Jesus. I knew I'd been overworked and overstressed, and honestly, so busy that I hadn't even had a casual date in over six months. But still, this reaction was out of place for me.
“Aren't you glad I showed up? You would have made chicken soup and probably not touched anything else here,” I teased as I fetched two wine glasses out of the cabinet.
She shrugged as she sat down at the table. “I was planning to go to the store tomorrow, but I also wasn't anticipating all the snow tonight.”
I filled our glasses, watching while she took a swallow.
She was beautiful. She had tip-tilted eyes behind her glasses and graceful, sleek cheekbones.
Her mouth was a little lopsided, and her lips pink and full.
She seemed taller than I recalled, now that I remembered her.
She and Thea had been a few years behind me in high school, so it made sense she’d be taller now.
After I took my own sip of wine, I asked, “So, how far was your drive?”
“I drove up from Boston, so three and a half hours, or thereabouts. Where did you come from?”
“Washington, DC.”
“You drove all the way up today?” Her eyes widened as she rested an elbow on the table and leaned forward.
I shrugged. “I did. Tell me what you do now.”
Jane took a sip of wine before replying, “I'm a science professor.”
“Oh, what kind of science?”
“Biology and environmental sciences. Even though I drove up from Boston, I just moved there.
When I called Thea and told her I had a whole month before I started my new position, she suggested I stay here.
I'm getting my parents’ house ready to sell.
They haven't been there in years, and everything's turned off, so when Thea offered to let me stay here, I took her up on it.
What do you do? You're in finance, right?”
“Yup. Investments. In a way, I followed in my father's footsteps, but I'm not all about the fraud.”
Jane cast a quick glance at me. “I heard about everything that went down with your dad. I'm really sorry about that.”
I took a gulp of wine, shrugging. “It is what it is.”
While I wasn't all about the fraud, I'd unintentionally stumbled into it, which was the reason for my vacation or, rather, my need to get away. But I really didn’t want to think about that right now, and I certainly wasn't going to get into it with Jane.
“After the storm passes, I'll see what I can figure out about where to stay.”
I shook my head quickly. “No need. You’re Thea’s friend. Even if I didn't expect you here, you don’t need to leave, and you don't have many options as it is.”
Jane caught a lock of hair that had fallen loose along her neck, spinning it around her forefinger as she eyed me. “Are you sure?”
“I'm positive. It's a big house. Plus, we work well together. We just made lasagna.”
Her low chuckle was throaty, and my body tightened instantly in response. Fuck me. I was seriously overworked, and it was addling my hormones. Jane was beautiful, but I wasn't used to reacting to women like this. My dry spell was muddling my brain.
“If cooking frozen lasagna and bread is a major project, I suppose we do work well together,” she offered as she waved a hand airily.
I grinned. “You can just ignore me while we’re here.”
Her brows hitched up. “I can’t ignore you. That would be weird and rude. This is your family's home,” she insisted.
“And you're a guest. Consider it yours while you're here.”
“Well, I'll look into my options tomorrow.”
“Jane,” I warned. “Don't get me in trouble with Thea.”
She chuckled again, sending another sizzle through me. “Okay, okay, you're right. She'll give you hell, won't she?”
I nodded. “Have you two stayed in touch all this time?”
“Sporadically. I was living in Seattle for a while. I had a position at a university there, but I was offered a tenure track position in Boston, so I jumped at it. I'll be closer to my parents. It’s nice to be back East, and it’ll be good to stay in better contact with Thea.
She told me Dallas and Noah are also living there.
So, you're the only sibling who's not in Boston?” she prompted.
“For now,” I replied, thinking that moving there had been on my long-term plan for years now, but I’d only been seriously looking into it recently.
“Are you thinking of moving there?”
“I don't know. I don't have to stay in DC for work, but I'll figure it out when the timing’s right.” I left a lot unsaid with that.
DC was filled with politicians, and politicians could be knee-deep in trouble, or so I had learned.
Oblivious to my thoughts, she leaned back in her chair and turned to look out the windows.
She took a swallow of wine, and her tongue darted out to swipe across her bottom lip when a drop escaped.
My cells tightened again. She was staring out at the blowing snow, which was still illuminated by the light on the corner of the house.
“I haven't been through a nor'easter since we moved away,” I offered.
“Me neither.”
“Welcome to Haven’s Bay,” I teased.
She grinned just as the oven buzzer went off. She stood to go check on the bread and reset the timer.
“Bread’s ready,” she called over. “Want some?”
“Of course, I do. I'm over here starving,” I teased.
She fetched two small plates out of a cabinet before crossing over with the bread.
As she handed me one of those plates, her fingertips brushed mine, and it felt as if sparks shot from that glancing contact.
Although I was being perfectly honest when I told her Thea would be pissed if I expected Jane to make other arrangements, I was doubting the wisdom of having her stay here.
My reaction to her was powerful and confusing.
If needed, I could always change my own plans.
Truthfully, though, I really wanted the time here.
I craved being far removed from my life.
A while later, we had finished eating and put the leftovers away. Jane turned toward me in the archway of the kitchen, sliding her hands into her back pockets. That motion had the unintended effect of pushing her breasts forward and stretching her long-sleeve T-shirt across them.
“Thanks for not telling me I had to leave. It looks like we're going to get plenty of snow from this storm,” she commented.
“No doubt,” I replied as I glanced out the windows.
“Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning.”
It felt as if tension was vibrating on a string between us. I willed myself to keep my demeanor cool. “That you will.”
Her lips curled in a quick smile as she turned and headed down the hallway.
I stood by the windows and stared out into the swirling snow, wondering again if it was a mistake for me to stay.
I went to sleep not much later, deciding I would figure it out tomorrow.
The end of the snowstorm and a little sunshine might help me think more clearly.