Not knowing what else to do, she sank into it, then wished she hadn’t when he settled next to her.
Not that she objected to the proximity or the view. He was, as always, totally gorgeous. But she was tired and therefore less able to fight her attraction. Maybe she should try an energy drink before her next encounter with Josh.
“How’d you get roped into this?” he asked, leaning toward her.
Her gaze seemed to focus on his mouth—the mouth that had kissed hers so deliberately just a few days before. It was a kiss she’d been trying to forget, only to realize that spending all her time not thinking about it was the same as spending all her time thinking about it.
“Crystal asked me to take her place.”
His expression tightened. “Poor kid. She’s had it hard.”
“I don’t know her very well, but she seems really sweet. She said she wasn’t feeling well enough to continue.”
Charity returned her attention to Pia and tried not to notice when Josh leaned back in his chair. The movement brought his forearm perilously close to her own, which made her wonder if she should simply leave things as they were or casually shift away from him.
Talk about having it bad, she thought with a sigh.
“The race is a one-day event,” Pia was saying. “Which means minimal heads in bed. You all know how I hate that. We need the heads in beds, people.”
“We could make the race longer,” one guy yelled.
“Not helpful.” But Pia was smiling as she spoke.
“What’s heads in beds?” Josh asked Charity.
“People spending the night in town or nearby. An overnight event. Like a weekend festival. The race is just part of a day.”
“Aah. Thanks.”
Pia went through her list. Charity found herself agreeing to work on the advertising committee, as well.
“I’m on advertising, too,” Josh told her when the meeting wrapped up. “It’s easy. Just get a few businesses to sponsor.”
“Don’t you own several businesses in town?” she asked.
“Uh huh, and I promise to be generous.”
“Lucky me.”
“I’d say so.” He walked out with her. “You started looking for your own place yet?” he asked.
“I’m going to a few open houses this weekend to get a feel for the real estate market. I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for.”
“More of a ‘I’ll know it when I find it’ shopper?”
“Something like that. I’ve never actually owned my own home before,” she admitted. “When I got out of college, I was focused on paying off my student loans and saving money. I moved to Henderson right at the peak of the real estate bubble, so I couldn’t afford anything I wanted. Then the market started to flatten and I wanted to wait until it was closer to the bottom. By then…”
Why had she started this detailed discussion of real estate?
Josh stood, waiting, looking at her. She could feel the intensity of his gaze and while she was sure he didn’t mean it to be smoldering, it felt hot to her.
“By then I was involved with someone,” she admitted, hoping she didn’t blush, despite feeling foolish.
“You wanted to wait and see if the two of you would be buying a place together,” he finished. “Makes sense. I’ll guess that you being here means it wasn’t a slam dunk?”
Despite the faint warmth on her cheeks, she laughed. “You men do love a good sports metaphor.”
“It’s in our blood.”
“No, it wasn’t a slam dunk. We broke up a few months ago. I found out about the job here and made the move. So this will be the first house I buy myself.”
“You were born to own a home.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re responsible, you want to be settled and you’d look great on a porch swing.” His gaze wandered down her body before returning to her eyes. “In shorts.”
The warmth in her cheeks deepened. “If that was a compliment, then thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Not that you don’t look great tonight. I like the red.”
He put his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the room. She tried not to notice the contact, even when it burned through to her skin.
“By the way, I know of a house coming on the market. It’s in a great part of town. Built around 1910, but fully remodeled. The electrical and plumbing have been brought up to code. It’s not huge, but I think you’d like it. I, ah, know the owner and could get the key. Want me to show it to you?”
“Sure.”
She told herself she was only interested in the house, but she knew she was lying. What she was hoping was that in the quiet of an empty house, Josh would try to have his way with her. Not that she would give in, but she was sure looking forward to the discussion.
SATURDAY MORNING CHARITY met Josh at the Starbucks on the corner. She ordered her nonfat latte, then splurged with a couple of pumps of mocha flavoring. Josh stood talking to a couple of women who were obviously trying to convince him of something. She waited until the other women walked off before joining him.