He kissed her cheek and pulled away. “Go ahead. It may be important, since you’re famous now.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Thank you for that.” She reached for her phone, but her body stiffened once she read the message.
7:19 P.M… Unknown: It’s Brian. New number. Need 2 talk 2 u? Please
Leah squeezed her eyes shut. They had nothing to talk about. Nothing. Her skin prickled with irritation.
Cole’s eyes squinted. “Anything wrong?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. This raised the stakes. What good could come out of Brian wanting to talk? Head shaking, she replied, “No, nothing’s wrong.”
“In that case…” He reached behind him and pulled out a small camera. “Feel like another photo shoot?”
Leah threw her head back with a laugh. “Are you kidding?”
He got to his feet. “Not at all. You know the drill.” He gestured his head to the other side of the room.
Her mouth hung open.
“Are you coming?” He tapped his wristwatch. “You’re on my time, Ms. Morris.”
She rose to her feet. “I don’t have an appointment.”
“So, you’re a walk in?”
She swayed from side to side. A pleasant hum escaped her throat. “I thought the photographer here would be kind enough to make an exception. We go way back.”
Cole lifted the camera and clicked a photo. “Did he like you back then?”
“You tell me.” She laced her fingers together behind her back.
His body went still, his eyes piercing into hers. “He did.”
She held her breath for a moment. All this time, how did she not know? How did their friendship change to something more? Leah covered her face with her hands. Then Cole’s hands brought hers away from her face. His thumb grazed over her knuckles.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he asked, sounding worried.
“Nothing. It’s…” she met his eyes with hers. “So much has changed, and it’s…”
“Overwhelming?” He raised an eyebrow.
“A little.”
He then released his grip on her fingers and rested his hands on her shoulders. “We can take it slow. There’s no rush.”
Her lips parted in a grin. “Are you sure? Because you’ve already kissed me.”
He chuckled. “I kissed you?”
“If I remember correctly, yes. Thank goodness Mrs. Hartley intervened.”
“As I recall, someone was on the other end of that kiss.” He embraced her waist. “I don’t recall hearing her complaining then.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe she didn’t want to.”
Cole leaned in but paused, bringing their mouths within the same breathing space. “How about now? Does she trust me?”
She whispered, “She’s always trusted you.”