His shoulders visibly relaxed. “You do?”
“Yeah. I’m not about to go all Carlyn on you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what I thought.”
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re a good kisser and all, but not that good.” It felt such a damn relief to be able to joke about it. “So you can breathe easy. You won’t wake up in the middle of the night to find me standing in the dark beside your bed.”
He grinned. “I won’t?”
She shook her head. “Nope. That’s why I had the cameras installed. So I can watch you from the comfort of my own home.”
This time he laughed, and it was like air had rushed into the room. She felt lighter, as though she could breathe again.
“Damn, I thought I’d messed everything up.” He was so beautiful when he smiled. “And this is why I should never have kissed you. I’m terrible at relationships. Seriously, I should come with a warning sign or something. This guy will ruin your mojo.”
“You have a poor opinion of yourself,” she said lightly.
“I’ve learned it through years of trial and error.”
“Well you can rest safe. I’m a big girl. I’m not going to fall for you after one kiss.” Lies, all lies. But she wanted her friend back, dammit.
“But it was a good kiss, though? That’s what you said.” He ran his finger along his rough jaw.
“It was passable.”
His eyes widened. “Passable? I’m wounded.” He put his hands on his chest and sighed. “I guess I’d better go back to my apartment and look for my self confidence.”
“You do that.” She smiled. “And thank you for clearing the air.”
“I should have done it sooner. I wish I had.” He was still grinning. “Hey, when’s Isla coming home?”
“My dad’s dropping her off on Sunday afternoon.”
“So you’re free tomorrow night?”
She tipped her head to the side. “I have a hot date with a Netflix show.”
“Well I don’t think I can compete with that. But if you get bored, I’m meeting some friends for dinner. You should come along. I think you’ve met Harper. She’s married to my friend from work, James. They’re nice people and they have a daughter, too.” He glanced at her through his thick eyelashes. “As a friend, not as a date or anything.”
“No more barely passable kisses?” she teased. “Now I’m the wounded one.”
“Maybe we should stop talking about that kiss before my feelings get hurt.” He gave her a soft smile.
She grinned. “It’s a deal. And thank you for the invitation. I’d love to meet your friends.”
“Great. Does seven work for tomorrow? Or will you need more time after work?”
“Seven is perfect. I’m looking forward to it.”
16
“Your house is beautiful,” Meghan told Harper as they sat outside on the deck. It had been a surprise when they’d arrived and Meghan realized they’d already met before, at the beach when Isla had hurt her foot. It felt nice, as though she was finally part of the community.
Harper and James lived in a modern, single level house high on the cliffs overlooking Angel Sands. With its floor to ceiling windows, reflecting the pink and orange sunset, it was like something out of a modern fairytale.
“Isn’t it?” Harper grinned. “James lived here for years before we got together.” She took a sip of her wine. They’d finished eating, and the men had shooed them out of the kitchen, telling them to enjoy the sunset while they cleaned up. “He bought it with his first wife.”
“I didn’t realize he was married before.” Harper and James seemed so close, like they had some kind of soul connection.