covered it last night anyway."
He didn't look convinced. "Then there's nothing more you think we need to say?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said staunchly.
He looked as if he wanted to debate the point, but he finally nodded. "Okay, I can ignore it, if you can." He turned away from her, hands shoved in his pockets. "I'm going to spend another hour working on the porch and then we can go over to the house I was telling you about. Will you be ready?"
She hated the sudden distance in his voice, as if they were little more than colleagues.. .or strangers. But she was the one who'd insisted it be this way, so how could she complain?
"I'll be ready," she told him. "I just need to hunt down my shoes and socks."
He left the kitchen, taking the life from the room when he went. She sagged into a chair and absentmind-edly picked up another doughnut. After one bite, though, she realized that she wasn't really tasting it and put it aside. Why waste something so delicious?
She sipped her coffee, but it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Acknowledging that her conversation with Pete had pretty much ruined a morning that had started out brightly, she scowled in the direction of the porch where he was hammering away again.
She didn't want it to be like this. Last night, things had felt natural, comfortable. Today, the air was filled with tension, and it was all her fault. What had she been thinking with her stupid ground rules? She was smart enough to know that as soon as a topic or a person was
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FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
declared off-limits, it became huge, far more important than it otherwise might have been. Now the past and their old feelings for each other loomed between them.
She noticed that Pete had left his cup of coffee on the table and made a decision. She freshened it up, then carried it outside and handed it to him silently.
He watched her warily. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."
"For?"
"Being a first-class idiot."
He grinned and the tension vanished. "You? Never. You were always the smartest girl I knew."
"Maybe I grew into being dumb," she said, not entirely in jest. "I know we can't pretend that the past never happened. Last night we promised to concentrate on laughing again. Can we still do that?"
"Fine with me." He studied her over the rim of the cup, waiting. Finally, he said, "So, know any good jokes?"
She grinned. "Not a one."
"Me, either?at least none I can tell to a lady."
She shrugged. "Just as well. I'm freezing. I'll go back inside. I just wanted to, you know, settle things, make them okay again."
He tucked a finger under her chin. "Things are fine."
She felt the smile build from somewhere deep inside. "Good to know."
"Skedaddle, woman. You're distracting me."
She gave him one last look before she went back inside. He winked at her, and her heart did a predictable somersault.
Inside, she asked herself why it was so important to
101 101
her that she and Pete be friends again. It was only opening the door to more potential heartache. She knew it wasn't because he'd offered her work. She could have managed for a bit without those two jobs he'd discussed with her. Nor was it because she didn't like being on the outs with anyone.
No, this was very personal. It was about her relationship with Pete?the one they'd had and the one she had a terrifying hunch that she wanted again.
102
r ete was still feeling completely off-kilter when he stopped work on the porch and told Jo it was time to drive over to the job site. He'd come damn close to dragging her into his arms after that kiss earlier, but he'd known he wouldn't be content with a few more kisses. Better to keep some distance between them. Jo needed to get used to the idea of being around him again, and rattling her was no way to accomplish that.
Of course, it was fairly difficult to get too much distance between them in the cab of a pickup. He could smell that familiar, old-fashioned scent she'd always worn,
He didn't look convinced. "Then there's nothing more you think we need to say?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said staunchly.
He looked as if he wanted to debate the point, but he finally nodded. "Okay, I can ignore it, if you can." He turned away from her, hands shoved in his pockets. "I'm going to spend another hour working on the porch and then we can go over to the house I was telling you about. Will you be ready?"
She hated the sudden distance in his voice, as if they were little more than colleagues.. .or strangers. But she was the one who'd insisted it be this way, so how could she complain?
"I'll be ready," she told him. "I just need to hunt down my shoes and socks."
He left the kitchen, taking the life from the room when he went. She sagged into a chair and absentmind-edly picked up another doughnut. After one bite, though, she realized that she wasn't really tasting it and put it aside. Why waste something so delicious?
She sipped her coffee, but it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Acknowledging that her conversation with Pete had pretty much ruined a morning that had started out brightly, she scowled in the direction of the porch where he was hammering away again.
She didn't want it to be like this. Last night, things had felt natural, comfortable. Today, the air was filled with tension, and it was all her fault. What had she been thinking with her stupid ground rules? She was smart enough to know that as soon as a topic or a person was
100
FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
declared off-limits, it became huge, far more important than it otherwise might have been. Now the past and their old feelings for each other loomed between them.
She noticed that Pete had left his cup of coffee on the table and made a decision. She freshened it up, then carried it outside and handed it to him silently.
He watched her warily. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."
"For?"
"Being a first-class idiot."
He grinned and the tension vanished. "You? Never. You were always the smartest girl I knew."
"Maybe I grew into being dumb," she said, not entirely in jest. "I know we can't pretend that the past never happened. Last night we promised to concentrate on laughing again. Can we still do that?"
"Fine with me." He studied her over the rim of the cup, waiting. Finally, he said, "So, know any good jokes?"
She grinned. "Not a one."
"Me, either?at least none I can tell to a lady."
She shrugged. "Just as well. I'm freezing. I'll go back inside. I just wanted to, you know, settle things, make them okay again."
He tucked a finger under her chin. "Things are fine."
She felt the smile build from somewhere deep inside. "Good to know."
"Skedaddle, woman. You're distracting me."
She gave him one last look before she went back inside. He winked at her, and her heart did a predictable somersault.
Inside, she asked herself why it was so important to
101 101
her that she and Pete be friends again. It was only opening the door to more potential heartache. She knew it wasn't because he'd offered her work. She could have managed for a bit without those two jobs he'd discussed with her. Nor was it because she didn't like being on the outs with anyone.
No, this was very personal. It was about her relationship with Pete?the one they'd had and the one she had a terrifying hunch that she wanted again.
102
r ete was still feeling completely off-kilter when he stopped work on the porch and told Jo it was time to drive over to the job site. He'd come damn close to dragging her into his arms after that kiss earlier, but he'd known he wouldn't be content with a few more kisses. Better to keep some distance between them. Jo needed to get used to the idea of being around him again, and rattling her was no way to accomplish that.
Of course, it was fairly difficult to get too much distance between them in the cab of a pickup. He could smell that familiar, old-fashioned scent she'd always worn,
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