And now in the harsh light of day, all the things left unsaid—her doubts, whatever it was he was hiding—well, they were there front and center.
It was enough for Wyatt to bolt. She shouldn’t be surprised.
She quickly got dressed, pulling on dark gray slacks and a soft green sweater. She wrapped a scarf around her neck, grabbed her wool coat, and headed for her car. She’d be early for work, but the quiet and alone time would give her the opportunity to get her shit together.
The sun was coming up when she pulled into the parking lot of her office. Mr. Parker the cleaner was just leaving and let her in with a smile.
“You’re early. I don’t usually see your pretty face, so this is nice.”
He was a sweetheart. “I’ve got some work to catch on, so I thought I’d get a head start.”
“Well, you have a good day. I hear it’s going to be another cold one.”
“I know. It is only the beginning of February.” She winked.
“It is,” he said with a grin. “Florida is looking mighty fine right about now.”
She flipped on the lights and headed to the back of the building, unloading her winter gear and pulling out her work shoes. Regan waited for her computer to boot up and was just thinking she should make a pot of coffee, when a loud rapping on the front door had her heading from the kitchen area to reception. She checked her watch, but it was at least an hour before Lynn or anyone else was due in. Maybe Mr. Parker forgot something?
She took exactly three steps before coming to a full-on stop.
Wyatt was on the other side of the glass door, a brown paper bag in one hand, a tray of coffee in the other. He’d pulled on a black knit hat, which only emphasized the cut of his jaw, the dark hair that shadowed it, and that mouth that had brought her so much pleasure the night before.
Regan’s heart did a weird little flip, and she did her best to push that aside as she crossed reception and unlocked the door.
“I was going to make breakfast while you were in the shower, but your fridge made that kind of impossible.”
“Sorry.”
“No worries.” He walked past and headed to the back, leaving her to lock the door behind him and follow. She found him in her office, and he handed her a coffee when she walked in.
“Black, just the way you like it.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, moving to her desk. Things were easier with a barrier between them. She felt safe—which was silly—but there you have it.
He took the seat across from her and set down his coffee so that he could empty out the bags. Her stomach rumbled as she accepted a bagel with egg, cheese, and bacon.
“This smells amazing.”
“I swung by Coffee Corner. That place hasn’t changed at all. I know the Nelsons don’t own it anymore, but the new people seem real nice.”
“They are. Milo and Angie are very sweet.”
“From LA, she said.” Wyatt hadn’t touched his bagel. Instead, he stared at her from over the top of his coffee cup.
“Yes. They moved here a few years ago. Right around the time I came back and took over this practice.”
“Harry Anderson was in there. Motorcycle accident, wasn’t it?”
Again, Regan smiled politely and nodded. “He likes to help out. I think keeping busy calms his mind.”
“I know Hudson’s helping him out with some work.”
“Your brother is a good guy.”
“Yep. He is.”
Abruptly, Wyatt sat forward and placed his coffee on her desk. The air suddenly changed. It became heated, charged with something she couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t anger, really, but it wasn’t exactly rainbows and unicorns either.