Exasperated with himself, Sean turned away and focused his attention on the work that needed to be done, working at a snail’s pace on the unfinished deck as the sun burned his shoulders.
The doctors in the hospital had told him his grandfather hadn’t been eating much but Élise tempted him with tiny portions of his favorite food and sat with him while he ate it. She coaxed him, mouthful by mouthful, encouraging him to tell her stories about growing up at Snow Crystal. Sean worked with only half an eye on what he was doing, distracted by the tantalizing swing of that mahogany hair so close to that curving mouth.
The dimple was back, dancing in the corner of her mouth, and humor lit up her eyes.
Watching her with his grandfather, Sean saw a different side of her. With him she was always on her guard. With his grandfather she was softer and more open. It was clear she adored him.
And it made him realize even more how little of herself she’d given to him.
Sex, he thought. That was what she’d given him.
And that suited him just fine. That was all he wanted, wasn’t it?
He swore as he almost removed the tip of his finger and caught his grandfather’s eye.
“Don’t worry,” he muttered. “A sawn-off finger is something I can fix, remember?”
The café was a hive of activity as everyone worked to get the place ready for opening.
Poppy walked past carrying a stack of boxes and sent him a dazzling smile. “Good morning, Sean.”
Remembering Jackson’s comments about breaking hearts and wet shirts, Sean kept his response suitably neutral.
After a morning working in the sun he was thirsty and hungry. He was about to offer to drive his grandfather the short distance back to his house, when Tyler turned up to do it.
Fed up with working at a snail’s pace under his grandfather’s scorching glare, Sean sat down in a chair by the water’s edge.
A moment later Élise put a tray in front of him. “Grilled panini, Green Mountain ham and local cheddar. Enjoy.”
He’d expected her to go straight back to work but she sat down opposite him and poured them both glasses of iced water.
“Is Walter always like that with you or is it because of the row?”
He bit into the panini, wondering what had possessed him to mention the row to her when he hadn’t even told Jackson. “Friendly, you mean? Yeah. He adores me, can’t you tell?” He chewed and decided it was worth putting up with a month of his grandfather griping at him to eat Élise’s food.
“He does adore you. When you’re not here, he talks about you constantly.” She was frowning as she tried to work it out. “But for some reason he doesn’t show it. He isn’t a man who shows his affections easily, but still—”
Affection?
Sean almost laughed. “He has expectations. I don’t fit them. Every time he sees me he remembers what a disappointment I am.” He took another bite of the panini. “And the fight didn’t help.”
“So instead of fixing it, you stay away? What sort of twisted logic is that? It makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense to me. It’s easier on everyone if I keep my distance. I thought it might calm things down.”
Her gaze slid to his. “For a while I was worried the reason you stayed away was because of last summer.” Her tone was ultra casual. “I was afraid it might have made you feel awkward.”
“It didn’t.”
“You so rarely came home.”
“What about you?” Why hadn’t that possibility occurred to him? “Did it make you feel awkward?”
“Not at the time, but afterward?” She turned her head and stared across the lake. “Afterward I wondered if it was a mistake. I wouldn’t want to come between you and your family. If I thought that was the case, I would leave right now.”
The remark was so typical of her. All or nothing.
He couldn’t help smiling. “Before the Boathouse opens? Wouldn’t that be letting Jackson down?”