Chapter 20
Jonah would’ve walked across hot coals to put Lauren at ease. Relaying his own history didn’t cost him a thing. He’d mostly
come to grips with his unconventional family long ago. But doing so had seemingly given her the security she sought.
He tried not to stare at her, but it was hard not to when she was so beautiful. And seeing her in his shirt gave him some
kind of primitive thrill. The firelight licked her delicate features, giving her face a golden glow. He knew every curve,
every slope of that face. He’d traced it with his eyes, with his fingertips, with his lips. He knew the softness of her fine
hair, the taste of her perfect mouth, and the sound of her breathy sigh.
And all of that was off-limits to him now.
God help him. He fisted his hands to keep from reaching out and touching her. She’d fly across the room, and the last thing
he wanted was to scare her away when they were finally communicating.
Thunder rumbled through the room, rattling the windowpane. He ran his hand through his wet hair. His cowlick was probably
sticking up. One of the reasons he’d let it grow out was so that he could control it.
“When did you cut your hair and shave your bushy beard?” Lauren asked, as if reading his thoughts.
“Back in June, I guess.” He arched a brow. “Miss it?”
She rolled her eyes. “I was just going to congratulate you on your excellent decision.”
He rubbed his bare jaw. He’d stopped shaving when Monica left. Just didn’t feel like bothering. Okay, maybe he’d been a little
depressed.
She shot him a quick look, eyes teasing. “You did it for me, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely not.”
She laughed. “You did too.”
“Did not.”
“All right, Pinocchio, whatever you say. Tell me who the Joneses are.”
“What?”
“Mr. Jones and his unwife ...?”
He chuckled. “Oh, them. Who told you about that?”
“You mentioned them in one of your notes.”
He dropped his head back. “Ahh.” So along with the dinner napkins, she’d found his notes. He used to leave them on her deck
railing, weighed down with a rock or a coffee. What other keepsakes might she have stumbled upon?
“ Hello? Mr. and Mrs. Jones?”
“They were a couple who came to stay for a few days back in, let’s see, I think it was July. He left behind an expensive pair
of sunglasses—you knew the brand name—and you called to let him know. You were gonna ship them, but for some reason you didn’t
have an address on file.”
She leaned forward, peering at him, and a damp strand of pale blonde hair fell forward.
He resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear. “Anyway, when Mrs. Jones answered his cell phone, you explained what had happened.”
He lifted a brow. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t Mrs. Jones who had accompanied him on the trip.”
Lauren gasped.
“The real Mrs. Jones thought he’d been at a podiatrist convention in Boston.”
“Oh no. What did I do?”
“You apologized profusely and promised to smash the sunglasses to smithereens.”
Lauren laughed. “I did not.”
“You absolutely did. She was pretty upset, but you took the time to talk to her. She’d had her suspicions and it was the last
straw for her. She said she was gonna leave him.”
“I feel so awful.”
“You felt terrible at the time too. But you weren’t the one in the wrong.”
“Did she ask me about the woman?”
“I don’t think so. She probably already knew who it was.”
“Remind me to never call a guest about something they’ve left behind.”
“That’s actually a good takeaway.”
“Did you suspect when they were here that she was his mistress?”
“I wasn’t around much that week.”
An easy silence passed as Lauren warmed her hands in front of the fire. “How did we become a couple?”
He barely stopped himself from rearing back at the question. She’d been pretty careful to avoid the subject. Maybe she was
just tired of not knowing. Or maybe, now that she knew him better, she wondered how in the world she’d ever fallen in love
with him.
Currently she avoided eye contact, as if afraid of engaging too much. “Is it painful to talk about?”
“No.” A smile formed of its own volition. “It was the best summer of my life. I guess it started when I apologized and started
treating you like I should’ve. Your guard was still up for a while, but it slowly came down as you began to trust me. We became
friends, I guess you could say.”
“But you’re my boss.”
“It didn’t take me long to see you as much more than a valuable employee,” he said dryly.
Her throat dipped with a swallow. “Then what?” she asked, almost reluctantly.
He decided to lighten the moment. “Oh, you know. I used my charm and charisma to win you over.”
She snorted.
“You just snorted.”
“I don’t snort .”
“I didn’t think so either, but I know what I heard.”
She laughed. “You need to have your ears checked.”
The lilting sound of her laughter made his heart grow two sizes. “Now who’s lying?”
She went suddenly still. “Hey... listen. The rain stopped.”
She was right. Only the sound of the crackling fire was left.
They both got up and went to peek out the window. The gray clouds had drifted away, and the sun was trying to come out. Water
dripped only from the trees and from the overhang of the roof.
Jonah glanced around the cabin, a little sad to leave their private little nest behind.
“We should put out the fire and be on our way,” she said.
Over the next few minutes they worked together to smolder the flames, playfully nudging each other out of the way. Warmth
unrelated to the fire filled him from the inside out, bringing with it a burgeoning hope he couldn’t have tamped down if he
tried. And he didn’t want to. This time alone with her had meant everything to him. She’d dropped her guard and been willing
to talk about their relationship. It was a huge step forward.
“It’s good to hear you laugh again,” he said before he could stop himself.
She tossed a smile his way as they sat to put on their shoes. “You’re not half bad to be around when you’re not barking out
orders.”
When her shoes were on, she grabbed her damp shirt and headed for the door while he set the screen in front of the smoldering logs.
“Hey, Wentworth,” he called.
On the threshold she turned with an expectant look.
“I did cut my hair for you.”
She beamed as she slapped the doorframe. “I knew it!”
Jonah’s easy laugher echoed through the cabin.