She backed an inch or so away from him, which brought her right up against the kitchen counter behind her. “Of course I am. Didn’t we spend all day together?”
“Yes.” And she had seemed relaxed enough as long as they were focused on something else, like touring houses or discussing the merits of each. And when they’d worked together to free Waldo from the fence, she’d seemed completely at ease, though worried about the dog. It was only when the focus had shifted to the two of them, alone in a quiet, darkened house, that suddenly her manner had become stilted and self-conscious.
She half turned away from him. “I’ll make the coffee.”
He reached out to catch her arm, his touch light, making no effort to hold her if she chose to draw back. She didn’t immediately pull away, but he sensed that she was poised to do so immediately. “Jacqui.”
She looked up at him with that shuttered expression he had no chance to read. “What?”
“The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable in any way,” he assured her. “But—well, I just think I should tell you I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you this past week.”
He simply couldn’t help but believe the attraction he felt for her was not entirely one-sided. There had been too many instances when he’d almost felt the exchange of sparks between them. He had been sure he’d seen an answering awareness in her dark eyes occasionally when she looked at him.
“I’m glad you’ve enjoyed your stay here,” she responded in her best housekeeper voice.
“Don’t do that,” he said with a slight frown. “You know full well I’m not speaking as an unexpected houseguest.”
“Mitch—”
“As least you call me by name now,” he mused, his frown tilting into a half smile. “We’re making some progress.”
“Progress?” she asked suspiciously.
“Progress toward having dinner together without running errands to justify it. Toward talking about things other than our jobs. Toward getting to know each other on a more personal basis than as acquaintances with mutual connections to my family.”
She was shaking her head even before he finished speaking. “It wouldn’t work, Mitch. There’s no need to even think about starting something that has zero chance of going anywhere. Let’s just keep things the way they are between us, okay? Friendly. Casual. Semi-professional.”
Semi-professional? He might have been wryly amused by the description if he hadn’t been so baffled by a fleeting expression he saw in her eyes. Granted, her emotions were hard to read, but he thought he’d nailed that one. Why would Jacqui panic in response to his blatant hints that he wanted to ask her out?
He dropped his hand immediately from her arm, taking a step backward to give her plenty of room. “Like I said, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I just thought you realized that I’m attracted to you. That I like spending time with you and would like to continue to do so. But if you’re not interested, enough said. I won’t mention it again and you won’t have to give it another thought.”
“It isn’t that I don’t like you,” she assured him quickly, as if worried that maybe she’d hurt his pride or his feelings. “It’s just that it’s all too awkward.”
“Because you work for my sister, you mean?”
“That’s certainly part of it.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What’s the other part?”
“Well, you know—” Frowning, she drew a sharp breath. “I’m not interested in playing Vivian to your Edward, Mitch.”
“I have no idea what that means,” he said with a puzzled laugh.
“Pretty Woman.”
“Ah. Another movie allusion.”
She shrugged. “I spent a lot of time watching movies on fuzzy motel TVs when I was growing up.”
He would definitely like to hear more about her past, but this wasn’t the time to ask the questions that buzzed in his mind. Instead, he shook his head. “I saw that movie a few years back. Hardly a suitable comparison. Vivian was no housekeeper.”
“Okay, fine,” she said with an impatient wave of her hand. “Then let’s just say I’m not interested in playing the role of Cinderella.”
“And I wouldn’t have a clue how to play Prince Charming,” he replied evenly. “I’m just Mitch. And I’d like to get to know Jacqui better.”
“There’s not that much to know. I moved around a lot, have a distantly polite relationship with my parents, clean and cook for a living and do a little knitting in my spare time.”
That was how she summed up her life? “You forgot to add that you are intelligent and competent—not to mention strikingly attractive. Or that you do more than clean and cook for this family—you keep them on schedule and reassured that their precious daughter is well cared for while they’re pursuing their careers. They trust you with their home and her welfare. That says a great deal about your character.”