Archer was silent for long enough that I was afraid that I’d once again said something I shouldn’t. “I don’t know, Killian. It’s not that I feel sorry for you, because I don’t.”
“Then why?”
The other man let out a low breath. “Because maybe I need a friend. And I think you do, too. Silly. I know.”
“I’m not good at this, Archer.”
“I’m not good at this either. Whatever the fuck this is.”
My lips twitched. “I don’t know what’s going on. Other than yes, I could use help with the windows.”
“This place deserves fantastic work. So I’ll help you make them perfect, and hopefully we can figure out exactly what happened to them.”
“I don’t know if we will. But I don’t like seeing them boarded up like this.”
“Then we’ll fix them. We’re good at what we do.”
I looked around the area, something light on my chest, not as heavy as usual. “So, your reviews online say—”
“You looked me up?” he asked, teasing.
Somehow I smiled. I didn’t mean to. My cheeks hurt, and I rubbed them, wondering why on earth this felt so awkward, beyond the obvious.
Archer looked at me then as if he were following my thoughts, and his smile went a little sad for a moment before he continued asking questions about the house.
I wanted him to see this, to see what I was working on and how much effort I was putting into it, even if it was for only myself.
It should feel wrong, shouldn’t it? That I was showing a place that wasn’t for him. That had been for Danielle and Cassidy. And Cora. But Cora was asleep in her doggy bed in the house, and I was standing here with Archer as if he belonged here.
Maybe it was just because Archer saw this place as something he could work on, so why did I want to kiss him again?
“If you keep looking at my lips like that, we’re going to have a problem,” Archer whispered.
I pulled my gaze away from his mouth, unaware I’d even been doing it.
“Should I say I’m sorry?”
And then Archer was moving forward, tracing his fingers along my jaw.
“You don’t have to be sorry. But I also don’t want to hurt you by being here.”
“There’s not much left of me to hurt, Archer,” I muttered, surprising myself with the honesty.
“I think it’s okay if you want a moment. I don’t want to be the person that makes you do something you regret.”
I didn’t want him to feel that, and fuck, I didn’t want to feel that way either. “I already told you that I don’t regret kissing you.”
“No. You said you weren’t going to say you’re sorry. I don’t think that’s the same thing.”
“Okay. So, what should I do now?”
“That’s not something I can answer.”
“I don’t know. Honestly, there’s just something about you. And that should worry me.”
“Same here. I’m not up here looking for anything like this. Whatever this is.”
I looked at the other man, considered his words, and ran my hands through my hair. “I’m not up here for anything. Just solitude. But then Cora barks and reminds me that I’m not alone, and Penny shows up, and now you. I’m never alone.”