“Shit.” Did he always have to look so good? Maybe he should grow the scraggly recluse beard. For her own protection. As a damn public service.
He raised a hand in silent greeting. Liv climbed out of the car and lifted the six-pack of Shiner Bock in response.
He smiled and swept his arm toward the house. “You have brought the proper sacrifice to gain entry.”
She gave an exaggerated curtsy. “I wouldn’t dare enter without it.”
He laughed and sidled down the walk, his gait casual. He was comfortable here. He swiped his hands on the back of his jeans and took the beer from her, saving her the awkward decision of to hug or not to hug.
“Damn, it’s good to see you,” he said, his voice genuine. “I’d greet you in a more appropriate way than stealing your beer, but I’m filthy.”
“Yes, I know. You’ve been texting me.”
He grinned, dimple appearing. “Different kind of filthy. I’m helping my friend get this place back in shape so he can sell it. I decided to rebuild the fire pit down by the shore, but it took longer than I thought. Or my skills are rusty. Probably both. I haven’t worked with my hands in a while.”
She bit the inside of her lip, remembering what other things he hadn’t done in a while. Although based on their kiss at the restaurant, those skills weren’t rusty at all. “No worries.”
“I’ll need to grab a shower before dinner, but I’ve got your room all ready.” He cocked his head toward the property beyond. “Where’s your stuff? We can get you settled in before dinner.”
“Suitcase in the back seat. Camera gear in the trunk. I can get the equipment if you can grab my bag.”
“Got it.” Finn set the beer on the roof of her car, then pulled Liv’s suitcase and backpack from the back seat. “I ordered the pizza. And wings, of course.”
“Excellent.”
Finn hoisted her backpack over his shoulder. “I’m glad you were able to get away. You sounded slammed.”
Liv busied herself with her stuff and avoided his gaze, trying to ignore the pang of guilt she felt for bailing on work. “Yep. But I’m always crazy busy. The work will still be there on Tuesday.”
“True. I’ve learned that’s a well that never runs dry. Work always fills whatever space you give it.”
“So it seems.”
He jabbed a thumb behind him. “This way to the pool house.”
Finn took most of the heavy stuff, leaving Liv with a shoulder bag, her precious camera, and the beer. She followed him up the drive, past a wrought-iron gate, and when she turned the corner, all her breath whooshed out of her. A small, dark-blue swimming pool sparkled in the middle of the backyard, but beyond that was the wide expanse of the lake reflecting back the orange-pink sky.
And the sound. She wanted to wrap herself up in the sounds. Gently lapping water, a breeze whispering through the trees, a few birds twittering happy songs. It was all so different from her normal soundtrack of passing cars and city noise. She’d forgotten how quiet the lake could be.
“Wow, this is gorgeous.”
Finn looked back over his shoulder at her. “This is my favorite time of the day. The water looks like it’s on fire.” He squinted at the lake. “I remember sitting out here in summers, fishing off the pier, and watching the sun dip below the tree line as everything went dark. I always felt like I was in another time when I came out here. Someplace that real life couldn’t touch.”
Protected from real life. She could use a big heaping dose of that right now. “Is that why you wanted to be out here now?”
She followed him up a set of wooden steps that led to the room above the windowed pool house and set her bags on the small landing. He shrugged, keeping his back to her as he dug out a key. “Maybe. It’s definitely better than a random apartment in Virginia.”
He swung open the door and flipped on a light, illuminating a one-room studio with whitewashed plank walls. She stepped inside behind him and looked around. There was a small living area with a navy-blue couch, an efficiency kitchen to the right, and the bed against the far back wall, made up with white sheets, a soft-looking quilt, and a big pile of pink Starbursts on top. A lamp glowed on the table beside the bed, painting the room in warm light.
“I know it’s small but—”
“It’s adorable,” she finished. And it was. Cozy and welcoming. Like him—the man who’d picked out all the pink candies for her. She set her things down and walked over to the window across from the couch. It looked out on the south side of the lake, giving her a fantastic view of the hills on the other side. “And you can’t beat the view.”
“No, you can’t,” he said quietly.
She turned and found him watching her. She rubbed her lips together. “Bathroom?”
He pointed toward the bed area. “Pocket door in the back corner. No bathtub, but a shower and all the other necessities. If you prefer a bath, there’s a jetted one in the main house you can use.”