“One day I unexpectedly come face-to-face with a bunch of pretty girls as I’m leaving the library loaded down with books, and I’m sweating it big-time, and suddenly the prettiest one in the pack—Colleen Kavanaugh—smiles at me. I’m surprised I didn’t do a header on the pavement.”
She snorted with laughter. “You are so full of it.”
His gaze narrowed on her smile. “I meant every word,” he murmured. “Your smile still gets me, Colleen.”
Her lips trembled in anticipation when he leaned forward and placed his mouth on them. He caressed her firmly…sweetly. Somehow, his tender kiss stirred her just as deeply as his ravishing ones. Something swelled inside her, warm and golden. Disappointment flooded her when he leaned back a moment later and studied her with smoldering eyes.
“Maybe we better go inside before I do something we both might regret,” he muttered.
“I’m not one hundred percent positive I’d regret it,” she whispered.
“If you keep staring at me like that, you’re going to find out quick enough.”
She smiled. He smiled back, even though the hard glint of arousal remained in his eyes.
Colleen hadn’t realized how warm the interior of her car had become until she stepped into the frigid Lake Michigan wind a moment later. Eric held out his hand and led her up the walk. She slid her gloved hand into his.
“You must be freezing,” she said apologetically, referring to his coatless state.
He shrugged and hurried her up the stairs and through the front door. Colleen stepped into an attractive, high-ceilinged entryway that included a marble-tiled floor and a rustic, elegant chandelier. He stepped in front of her when she curiously tried to peer farther into the house.
“You’re sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, placing his hands on her upper arms.
“Seeing your house?” she asked doubtfully. Something about the intensity of his question made her wonder if he’d been asking about something more serious.
A smile tilted his mouth. “For starters.”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
“Excellent,” he murmured. He dipped his head and kissed her again. She could tell he’d meant it to be a chaste kiss, just like in the car. When he felt her step into him, however, seeking out his hardness, his heat, he groaned and deepened the kiss.
So Colleen had no one to blame but herself for the fact that when she greeted her mom and children several minutes later, her cheeks were flushed pink and her pulse throbbed, fast and furious.
Three and a half hours later, Colleen sat on the plush carpet in Eric’s family room before a large coffee table littered with the various pieces from a board game, several soda cans and a few candy wrappers, mostly distributed in front of Brendan.
Like the rest of the house, the room where they sat was luxurious, spacious and yet comfortable all at once, a place where it was just as easy to entertain as it was to cuddle up with a book and blanket. Colleen had asked him if he’d hired an interior designer earlier, and he’d said Natalie had orchestrated the decor. Colleen had seen Natalie’s darling town house and knew her plans for the beachside cottage she’d soon share with Liam, so she’d not been surprised to hear she was behind the tasteful decor in Eric’s home.
A fire crackled cozily in the large fireplace. Eric, Colleen, Brendan and Brigit each sat one side of the coffee table, engaged in a
heated contest of Trivial Pursuit. Brendan and Eric were beating Colleen and her mother hands down, but the ladies were not accepting defeat easily. During the commercials of her favorite television show, Jenny came over to ask about the score and join temporary forces with the female contingent.
They’d all worked on the boat for several hours together. Eric had already done the strenuous task of stripping the old varnish, so Brigit, Colleen and Jenny had laid on the first new coat of varnish. Meanwhile, Brendan had helped Eric with the task of affixing some of the new brass railings and hardware.
Lucy was looking very pretty indeed by the time they all trooped tiredly into Eric’s house for pizza. It’d been fun during dinner, talking about the work they’d accomplished and speculating on how Liam and Natalie would respond when they were presented with the priceless antique boat. The hard work and camaraderie had invested them all in Lucy’s makeover.
Colleen fiddled with her empty diet soda can and watched as Eric and Brendan conferred over their question from the Science & Nature category. She was quite sure Eric knew the answer, but as he had for most of the questions, he encouraged Brendan to come to an educated guess on the correct one. It was surprising how much a sixth grader had learned already about science, and even more amazing how well he could divine the correct answer when guided to it by a sharp, brilliant mind like Eric’s.
Brendan flushed in pleasure a moment later when his reply to the question won them the game. Colleen smiled broadly as she watched the opposing team celebrate with a fist pump and many self-congratulations. She glanced aside and saw her mother watching her with pointed interest.
She ducked her head, hiding her embarrassment. She and her mother were close. Colleen had been the only Kavanaugh child to choose Harbor Town as her permanent home after she’d married. She’d never admitted it to anyone, but part of her longing to settle in the quaint lakeside community had been her concern for Brigit, living all alone in the large, rambling house in a town where citizens were still known to look down their noses at her due to Derry’s actions. Her mother had played a vital role in raising Brendan and Jenny. Colleen didn’t know what she would have done without her.
And of course, her mother was a sharp, observant woman. It was no wonder she’d noticed her daughter’s admiring glances at Eric.
Brigit stood from the caramel leather couch and stretched. “I’m beat—in more ways that one,” she said, winking at her grandson. “I’d better get home and rest, or else we might have pizza for Thanksgiving dinner, too.”
Colleen also stood from her position on the floor. “I’ll be over in the morning just as soon as I can rouse this crew out of bed,” she said, nodding toward the kids. She always went over in the morning to help prepare the Thanksgiving feast.
Brigit nodded. “No hurry. Marc said they wouldn’t get there until around noon.”