Chapter Eight #2
Wait, was Talia actually batting her eyelashes? Isabella’s mood unexpectedly soured.
“Sorry.” Danny smiled, flashing white teeth. “Force of habit, Miss…?”
“Collins, Talia Collins.” Her gaze swept Danny’s damp outfit, then Isabella’s, curiosity lighting her eyes. “What did I miss?”
“Trip got out and found his way to the pond where he took a swim.” Isabella motioned her friend inside.
Talia tilted her head. “How did he get out?” She dropped to one knee to greet the dog. “What did you do, naughty boy?”
“Isabella’s front door was open when she got home,” Danny said.
Talia’s head snapped up. “Did someone break in?”
Danny’s mouth tightened. “Her alarm wasn’t set. I was about to check her cameras to see if they recorded anything.”
“Cameras.” The word dragged over Isabella’s tongue.
Oops. “I switched internet providers right before I went to Greece. The name of my network changed, and—”
“It’s my fault,” Talia cut in. “I was supposed to help her fix it.”
“And all the security cameras went offline,” Danny finished grimly. “We need to fix this. Now.”
He extended his hand to Isabella. “Is the app on your phone? I can get your system up and running again.”
Isabella’s stomach twisted. Open doors. Alarms. Cameras.
Her fingers pressed into her thigh. You are in control.
She made her reply as nonchalant as possible. “Sure.” Unlocking her phone, she handed it to Danny.
“I can help,” Talia offered. She gave Danny a shrug. “I helped her set it up the first time—it will go faster if you handle the device resets and I set up the pairing on Izzy’s phone.”
As Danny and Talia set about getting her cameras back online, Isabella moved around the kitchen on autopilot, throwing together a quick meal of pasta and bagged salad. The air in her home felt tainted somehow, as if a stranger had exhaled in her personal space. And yet, nothing was amiss.
She was letting her imagination get away from her.
“So, Danny…” Talia’s voice carried into the kitchen as she and Danny stood at the front door. “Izzy tells me you two knew each other in high school in California and that you left to become a Navy SEAL?”
Isabella’s head jerked up.
Danny’s eyes found hers across the expanse of the living room. “Bella and my sister Jaynie were best friends.”
“I understand she passed away from cancer,” Talia said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.” Even from where Isabella stood in the kitchen, she could see the tension invade his body.
Her heart twinged. Jaynie had never been an easy topic for him. That, apparently, hadn’t changed.
When Talia went to follow Danny outside, Isabella motioned her over. “Don’t get too nosy,” she whispered.
“What?” Talia gave her a wide-eyed look that Isabella knew was fake. “I’m just making polite small talk.”
Isabella let out a defeated sigh as Talia hurried to catch up to Danny. By the time they returned from resetting the exterior cameras, she had dinner ready.
“I’ll leave you ladies to it.” Danny flashed a grin that set her on edge. Even after all these years, she knew when he’d retreated behind a friendly, casual facade that he wasn’t feeling.
“Do you want to stay for dinner?” There was just enough pasta to accommodate a third person.
He shook his head. “Thanks. I already ate. Set your alarm after Talia leaves.”
Something was off. “I’ll walk you out.”
Talia grabbed Isabella’s hand as she went to follow Danny outside. “Don’t let memories cloud your judgement.”
“I won’t.”
Talia gave her a knowing look before letting go.
By the time Isabella caught up, Danny was leaning against his Mustang, arms folded.
“Your friend doesn’t trust me.”
“What makes you say that?” Isabella hedged. “She doesn’t know you.”
“She knows whatever you told her about me.” His expression turned grim. “Which probably wasn’t flattering, was it?”
“Danny—”
A few quick steps and he stood in front of her, his body heat sending prickles of sensation over her skin. “Bella, I was nineteen and grieving my sister, and I handled everything wrong. I never should have touched—”
“That!” She jabbed him in the chest. “That is what I hate.” Heat and moisture blurred her vision. “I wanted you to touch me. And after what I thought was an amazing experience, despite how sad the day had been, all you did was call it a mistake and run away.”
Danny’s jaw went slack. He stared down at her, disbelief and confusion warring in his eyes.
Maybe the earth would open up beneath her and swallow her whole. She had a dog named after him, and now she’d blurted out how he’d ruined her teenage fantasy.
Her muscles coiled, ready to bolt for the safety of her house.
“Bella.” His grip on her arm was gentle but firm. His voice low, her name on his lips brushing over her skin like velvet. “We need to find a way past all this so we can work together.”
He hesitated. “I want us to be friends.”
Friends. The word settled like vinegar on her tongue.
“So I’ll be compliant?” she snapped.
He dropped her arm and stepped back, his expression unreadable. “Whatever you think of me, know this—that night meant something to me, too.”
His jaw flexed. “But you need someone I don’t know how to be.”
Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again like a fish trying to breathe air.
He drove off, leaving her standing there.
Looking and feeling like a fool.