Sweeter Than Candy (The Davenports 1)

I shake my head. “Making sure you were okay.”

“I’m not that bad.” She ducks her head bashfully.

I force my gaze back to the screen. Thinking too hard has a headache creeping up on the edge of my skull. I won’t be figuring it out tonight. Damn you, Micah.

Chapter Four

Clara

“Have a seat, stranger,” Austen teases.

“Stop. You see me plenty.” I plop down in the seat across from her and pour myself a glass of iced tea. It’s mid-June and the summer season is in full swing. We watch as Darcy swings on the wooden playset a few yards away from the porch.

“Sure, at work. Not so much outside of it. I see Mr. Candyman has been keeping you busy.” She leans closer. “I want details.”

“There’s nothing to tell.” I take a long draw of the sweet tea and hum my approval. I lift the glass. “I swear, if you sold this, you’d be rich.”

“Thank you. Don’t try to worm your way out of the hot seat.”

I laugh. “I’m not. We enjoy the same things, so we go out together. Mostly it’s movies and some of the more obscure places we’ve always meant to go to in town. It’s been fun,” I admit with a shrug.

Austen’s dark brown eyes become slits as she studies me like a slide under a microscope. “Are you telling me nothing has ever happened between the two of you?”

“Yes, I am.”

Refusing to give up she changes her tactics. “Okay. What about almost?”

I remember the day in the vet’s office when his lips nearly touched mine. I can still

feel his heated breath on me. Licking my lips, I avert my eyes.

“Oh, you are so busted,” Austen crows.

“So, we almost kissed once. We were riding high on emotions after finding Rook. It’s nothing to read into.” I wave my hand dismissively, wishing I could believe my own words.

“You light up when you talk about him, Clar-bear. There’s serious potential for more here. I wouldn’t be pushing you otherwise. I know the attraction is there. Why are you in a holding pattern? It’s not because of Ian, is it?”

The thought of my ex makes me sneer. Mr. Control Freak had pulled a Jekyll and Hyde act that left me reeling for a long time. “Because it takes two to tango. He backed off after the vet’s office, and we’ve never gotten anywhere near that close again.” I shake my head remembering the way he shut me out. “It was clearly a line he didn’t want to cross. I recognize that Ian and Asher are two completely different people. It’s why I took my time getting to know him. ”

“So you plan on indefinitely ignoring the pull you feel toward him?” she asks skeptically.

“Other than some light flirting? Yes. We both seem to be happy that way.”

“This is me you’re talking to, babe. Be honest. Are you content to leave it as is?”

I bite the inside of my lip. I’ve been lying to myself for months. It’s time to ’fess up. “No,” I sigh.

Beaming, she claps her hands. “I knew it.”

“He’s been hurt in the past. I can see it in his eyes. I’ve tried to broach the topic. He dodges deep conversation about meaningful relationships. I backed off to keep our friendship intact. He’s amazing. Funny, intelligent, sexy, and polite. Not in the cold, impersonal way, in a mannerly way I thought I would only read about in books. His mother was from a very upper-crust family in England, who boasted a bit of royal blood. I think it rubbed off on them in a big way.”

“You’re practically swooning,” Austen whispers.

“It’s so easy with Ash. I don’t have to try or pretend. He gets me. It’s so rare to find a person I can say that about. If I thought he wanted more, I’d be open to trying.” The words are hard to speak. For so long, I was determined to remain single and focus on myself.

Austen frowns. “I sense a but coming.”

“I won’t jeopardize what we’re building. I’d rather have him in my life as a friend than not at all.”