Suddenly Last Summer (O'Neil Brothers 3)

Left alone with that dispiriting thought, Élise made coffee for herself but even her new coffee machine couldn’t cheer her up. She ground the beans fresh, tamped the coffee and then timed the pour, taking comfort from the familiarity of the routine. Unfortunately it didn’t take her mind off the fact that she’d failed Jackson. Nor did it take her mind off Sean.

It was a good job her friends hadn’t chosen to go for a late-night run or they might have witnessed more than the flight of an owl.

And no doubt they would have read things into it that weren’t there.

People did that, didn’t they? To most people a kiss was never just a kiss, but always the prelude to something more.

Not for her.

Never for her.

With the sun shining and the aroma of fresh coffee rising from the cup, she started to relax.

She’d make the calls. Get it done.

There really wasn’t a problem.

She’d reached the point of almost believing that when she turned her head and saw Sean standing on her almost finished deck.

* * *

HE’D BEEN WATCHING her for a full minute, standing in the quiet of the morning, breathing in the scent of lake and forest, tinged with the tantalizing aroma of freshly ground coffee.

After the fright he’d given her the night before he’d intended to make his presence known, but he’d been distracted first by the length of her legs in running shorts and then by his first proper look at the project he’d viewed in the dark the previous evening.

Bathed in sunlight, he could see just how much had been done and it took a minute for him to reconcile the sleek lines of the renovated boathouse with the wreck that had been his sanctuary growing up.

Before he could announce himself she’d turned, her hair swinging softly around her face and brushing her jaw. “Are you going to make a habit of showing up behind me without warning?”

“Sorry. I was just wondering what happened to all the splintered planks and spiders.” Pushing aside the past in favor of the present, he stared at the cup in her hand. “I don’t suppose you need more practice using that fancy new machine?”

“No, but if you’d like coffee I’ll make you one. Jackson and Kayla not treating you well?”

“The only coffee I could find was instant. And they definitely need you to stock their kitchen.” Sean walked across the half-finished deck, scanning the work that needed to be done. “So do you run every morning?”

“Yes. With Brenna and Kayla. You just missed them. We do a circuit of the lake.” She reached for another cup. “Espresso? I don’t have milk here yet. You’ll have to drink it black.”

“Black works for me. Double please. So this is how the place looks in daylight.”

“We’re expecting delivery of the tables today. Apart from that, the interior is almost finished.”

“That coffee machine looks as if it could fly to the moon and back on its own.” Polished chrome and levers stood proudly behind the counter that would no doubt stock an array of food once they opened. “Looks complicated.”

“This from a man who operates on complex fractures?”

“Most of the time it’s like doing a jigsaw. There’s a certain rhythm to it.” He watched as the coffee dripped into the cup, the rich, pungent smell mingling with the tang of varnish and fresh paint. The old boathouse was barely recognizable as the place he’d hidden out in his youth. The stained, splintered walls peppered by daylight no longer existed. In their place was creamy paintwork and polished floorboards. The eye was drawn, not to trees waving through gaps in the wood, but to large photographs of the lakes and mountains around Snow Crystal that now hung on the walls. Where cobwebs had once been strung floor to ceiling, there were tall elegant plants. It was stylish, and yet welcoming.

He couldn’t fault it, nor was he sentimental, so it made no sense to feel a sense of loss for what had once been. “You’ve designed this place well. I never would have thought of developing it.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time. Today, I’m not so sure. At some point Kayla and I have to start calling a hundred and twenty people to tell them the party isn’t happening.”

“There’s no way the deck will be finished on time?”

“Not unless the elves come in the night. I am angry with myself for not putting in place a contingency plan.” She handed him the coffee, scooped up her own and took it outside. The half-finished deck was warmed by early morning sunshine. “I am lucky Jackson is too much of a gentleman to shout at me.”

“Maybe he doesn’t think there’s a reason to shout.” He followed her. “Seems to me you’re angry enough without anyone else adding to it. Are you always this hard on yourself?”

“I don’t like letting people down. I’m part of the team here.” Her voice was fierce. “This party is important. We’ve invited people from the tourist office, from local business, Kayla even has journalists coming in from New York. And I’ve messed it up.”