“Thanks, Paige. I really appreciate it.” He gave her a resigned smile. “I’ll probably get to go through everything as early as tomorrow since I expect the crew to still be out sick.” Over lunch, Cole had told her about his workers suffering from food poisoning and that they might not be able to work for the next couple of days.
“Well, when they recover we’ll be ready for them to get started on my studio.” When she looked inside the boxes on the closet shelves, she frowned. “That’s odd.”
“What?” he asked.
“Why on earth did Craig keep this closet locked?” she asked, not really expecting Cole to know any more about his brother’s reasoning than she did. “Yours and your father’s things are all that’s in here. I expected important documents or something else that would require a little more security.”
“To tell you the truth, I never did understand why Craig did a lot of things,” Cole muttered, reaching to lift one of the boxes.
As she watched him carry the carton out of the room, she had to admit that most of the time she hadn’t understood her husband, either. She was sure it made sense to Craig, but he never went out of his way to explain what he was thinking, and if she asked, nine times out of ten he would tell her not to worry about it.
Deciding there was no way of knowing how Craig’s mind had worked, she picked up the phone to make arrangements for the thrift shop run by one of the TCC charities to pick up the office furniture. By the time she ended the call, Cole had finished taking the rest of the boxes from the closet to the den.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said, smiling as she surveyed the almost empty room.
“You did all the work.” He grinned. “All I did was supply the muscle.”
Forcing a smile, she nodded. She’d done her best not to notice how the sleeves of his T-shirt stretched over his bulging biceps each time he picked up a box. Most of the time she had failed miserably.
“I hope you don’t mind something quick for dinner,” she said as they started toward the door. “I didn’t realize it was getting so late.”
“I’m fine with whatever,” he said, following her into the kitchen. “Why don’t we have a frozen pizza or sandwiches?”
“Pizza and salad sounds good,” she agreed.
Going into the pantry, she removed a thick-crust self-rising pizza from the freezer. When she returned, Cole had already gathered the makings for a salad from the refrigerator and started tearing up lettuce into a couple of bowls.
Paige put the pizza in the oven, then helped Cole finish making the salad. She enjoyed the relaxed camaraderie as they worked side by side to prepare the meal and felt more confident than ever that they would be able to dismiss their attraction and might even become good friends.
Forty-five minutes later, as they cleaned up from dinner, Cole asked, “Are you ready for coffee out on the porch swing?”
Paige closed the dishwasher and turned it on before she looked directly at him. Considering that she still found him extremely tempting, she wasn’t entirely certain it would be a good idea to put themselves in the same situation.
“Do you think that’s wise?” she asked.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. But I don’t want you to stop doing the things you enjoy because of me.” His slow smile caused her heart to flutter. “Besides, I gave you my word that nothing else would happen. That hasn’t changed, Paige. The only way I’ll break that promise is if you ask me to.”
She could tell he was completely sincere. But he wasn’t the one she was worried about.
“I’ll make coffee,” she said, determined to prove to herself once and for all that she could control the temptation he represented.
But the more she thought about it, the more Paige realized her apprehension was silly. They had worked together most of the day clearing out Craig’s office and nothing had happened. But the real test would be whether they could be together in a more intimate setting without anything happening. Once she was convinced they could do that, then she was certain they would be able to move forward with renewed confidence and build a solid friendship.
When she poured them each a cup of coffee, Cole draped her jacket over her shoulders. His hand didn’t linger as it had the night before, and Paige silently chastised herself for feeling a little disappointed. This was the way she wanted it to be between them— companionable without complications.
Once they were seated on the swing, she listened to the rain falling softly on the new spring leaves of the live oak trees surrounding the house and tried to remind herself to relax and enjoy the moment. “I think this is one of the things I love the most about the Double R,” she said softly. “It’s so peaceful out here.”