She glanced out the back window at the guesthouse but all the lights were off. He’s still sleeping, she thought, and went into the family room.
He was sitting in one of the big chairs, his long legs stretched out, holding a newspaper open in front of him. For a moment she stared at his profile and couldn’t help the little flutter that happened to her heart. Forget that he was brilliant at his career; as a man he was a gorgeous specimen.
When he turned and saw her, there was a flash of light in his eyes, as though he saw her as a woman. But then he changed and he looked at her as … well, as her father did.
Should have worn the peach shirt, she thought.
“Good morning,” he said. “Sleep well?”
“All right,” she answered.
He folded the newspaper, put it on a table, and picked up a bouquet of little pink roses. “These are for you.”
She stepped forward to take them, but when her hand came near to touching his, he jerked back. She turned away to hide her frown. “I’ll get a vase and put these in it.” Okay, she thought. Last night he’d made it clear that there was to be no talking about architecture, and now it seemed there was to be no touching.
“I’m sorry about lying to you about my job,” he said from behind her. He’d followed her into the kitchen. “I just thought …”
“That I’d try to make you into my teacher?” She almost smiled at the way he’d called what he did a “job.”
“Actually, yes.” He gave a little half smile.
Alix did her best to not look at his lower lip and the way it curved across his teeth. She turned her back on him so he wouldn’t see what she was sure was in her eyes.
“How about if I take you to Downyflake for breakfast?”
There was something in the way he said it that put her off. It was as if he thought he had to apologize, had to take her out. Did he think that because she was living in his house that they had to spend time together—even if he didn’t want to?
She looked back at him and gave a big smile. That the smile didn’t reach her eyes wasn’t her fault. “Actually, I have some schoolwork to do, so I think I’ll stay here. There are some bagels in the fridge.”
“I ate them,” he said, and there was annoyance in his tone.
I bet he’s not used to women refusing anything from him, Alix thought. “I’ll go out and get some more.”
“You can’t live on bagels.” There was the beginning of a frown on his face.
Alix couldn’t help it as her smile started to become genuine. “I bet Nantucket sells food besides bagels. I could probably even find a restaurant in the downtown area.”
“Downyflake has doughnuts. Made fresh every morning.”
“Oh,” Alix said, as that did sound good.
“How much of the island have you seen?” he asked. “From the ferry to here? That’s just a small part of it.”
Alix just stood there looking at him. Something about what he was saying wasn’t ringing true. What had made him change? Last night he’d refused to tell anything about himself, and he’d said he was leaving the island. Today he was handing her flowers and apologies. Why? “I’ll rent a car and—”
Jared rolled his eyes skyward. “I’m sorry I lied. All right? Nantucket is my home. The place where I get away from people asking me how I come up with my ideas, or what I plan for the future. And students are the worst! I had one of them ask me if I had any words of wisdom for him. Wisdom? What am I? Some Old Testament prophet? And female students—” He broke off and took a breath. “I apologize. Last night you caught me off guard. I had a horrible vision of having to answer questions and … and other things.”
Alix stood there blinking at him. He’d just said everything she’d planned to do, up to and including the “other things.” While she’d been making the model of the chapel she’d imagined how he’d tell her it was great, then they’d … Well, she’d finally get to taste that lower lip of his.
Of course she couldn’t tell him any of that. “I need time away from work too,” she said, and knew that now she was doing the lying. She’d planned to double her workload while she was on Nantucket.
“So how about if we go to breakfast and make plans for your stay here? I’ll show you where the grocery is and Marine Home and some other essential places.”
“Okay,” she said. “And I promise to ask you no questions about architecture.”
“Ask me anything you want,” he said.
His words didn’t fit his tone. He sounded like he was saying she could hit him with a baseball bat whenever she wanted to. “All right,” she said seriously, “if you could pass on one bit of wisdom to a student, what would it be?”