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Authors: Catherine West
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time to talk?” He sat back, totally at ease with the suggestion.
Years ago she would have agreed without a second thought. But now . . . spending time with Nick Cooper was not a great idea. Because she’d enjoy it too much, and, if she was honest, she wasn’t altogether sure she’d gotten over the childhood crush she’d carried for longer than she cared to admit. She couldn’t afford that kind of distraction. “No, really, I . . .” Lynette floundered for a quick refusal but her brain wouldn’t work with her tongue.
“Well, if you’d rather we send smoke signals the next time we’re out on our second-floor patios, I could do that.”
If it was possible to die from utter embarrassment, she was about to find out. She pushed her chair back and got to her feet. Her legs threatened mutiny, and she took a moment to make sure she could stand. “I wasn’t spying on you, if that’s what you think.”
“I never thought that.” Nick paid the bill and stood up, his laughter rising above the noise in the restaurant.
He insisted on walking her to her car. “Thanks again for lunch, Nick,” she mumbled, hurrying to find her keys before he brought it up again.
He leaned against the side of her old Toyota, his sparkling eyes matching the color of his blue shirt. “Next time you’re outside alone, give me a shout. Sometimes company is nice. Don’t you think?”
Lynette hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Maybe. Bye, Nick.” She opened her door and he moved off the vehicle. Once she’d pulled onto the street and he was out of sight, she gave a sigh of frustration.
Nick Cooper’s company was more than nice. But she had enough to worry about.
She wasn’t about to fall in love with the boy next door.
Not again.
Chapter Six
G ray Carlisle stretched out on the wooden bench in the park and watched the children on the swings. A guy with a hot dog cart sporting Montreal Canadien pennants pushed past him, the aroma a reminder of childhood, almost tempting enough to make him get one. Not that he’d be able to keep it down. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and shivered in the wind. If this was a Canadian spring, he definitely didn’t want to be here in winter.
Happy shouts and childish squeals distracted him from the cold.
Sitting here was self-inflicted punishment.
His eyes followed the little girl in the pink boots, with blond curls and a big smile. Last night’s rain left its mark, and she was making a great show of jumping from puddle to puddle across the playground. He figured she was about three, maybe four.
“Daddy, watch! Watch me jump!”
Gray squeezed his eyes tight.
Laughter floated around him and he looked in time to see a burly man swing her around, high up in the air and down again.
Gray lit a cigarette and kicked a pebble across the grass, scaring a few pigeons.
“There you are.” Marshall Gerome strode toward him with a grim glare that could have crumbled Mont Tremblant. Victoria followed close behind, carrying a cardboard cup tray from Starbucks. Gray was glad to see one of them.
“Here I am.” He coughed, tried to get a handle on the wheeze that followed. “Hope one of those is for me.” He smiled at Tori’s scowl. Victoria Montgomery had been his manager since his career began. She knew practically everything about him, including how he liked his java.
“You’re lucky I’m still talking to you,” she said.
Gray remembered why Marshall was here and shot his lawyer a sidelong glance. “All sorted out?”
“We wrote them a check,” Marshall told him. “You don’t have much left in your account. But I guess you know that.” The tall man’s caramel cheeks got a shade darker. He sank onto the bench and took the coffee Victoria offered. He’d happened to be on business in Quebec this week. But he wasn’t happy that Victoria had called him to sort out Gray’s latest infraction. Not happy at all.
“Here.” Victoria nudged Gray.
Years ago she would have agreed without a second thought. But now . . . spending time with Nick Cooper was not a great idea. Because she’d enjoy it too much, and, if she was honest, she wasn’t altogether sure she’d gotten over the childhood crush she’d carried for longer than she cared to admit. She couldn’t afford that kind of distraction. “No, really, I . . .” Lynette floundered for a quick refusal but her brain wouldn’t work with her tongue.
“Well, if you’d rather we send smoke signals the next time we’re out on our second-floor patios, I could do that.”
If it was possible to die from utter embarrassment, she was about to find out. She pushed her chair back and got to her feet. Her legs threatened mutiny, and she took a moment to make sure she could stand. “I wasn’t spying on you, if that’s what you think.”
“I never thought that.” Nick paid the bill and stood up, his laughter rising above the noise in the restaurant.
He insisted on walking her to her car. “Thanks again for lunch, Nick,” she mumbled, hurrying to find her keys before he brought it up again.
He leaned against the side of her old Toyota, his sparkling eyes matching the color of his blue shirt. “Next time you’re outside alone, give me a shout. Sometimes company is nice. Don’t you think?”
Lynette hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Maybe. Bye, Nick.” She opened her door and he moved off the vehicle. Once she’d pulled onto the street and he was out of sight, she gave a sigh of frustration.
Nick Cooper’s company was more than nice. But she had enough to worry about.
She wasn’t about to fall in love with the boy next door.
Not again.
Chapter Six
G ray Carlisle stretched out on the wooden bench in the park and watched the children on the swings. A guy with a hot dog cart sporting Montreal Canadien pennants pushed past him, the aroma a reminder of childhood, almost tempting enough to make him get one. Not that he’d be able to keep it down. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and shivered in the wind. If this was a Canadian spring, he definitely didn’t want to be here in winter.
Happy shouts and childish squeals distracted him from the cold.
Sitting here was self-inflicted punishment.
His eyes followed the little girl in the pink boots, with blond curls and a big smile. Last night’s rain left its mark, and she was making a great show of jumping from puddle to puddle across the playground. He figured she was about three, maybe four.
“Daddy, watch! Watch me jump!”
Gray squeezed his eyes tight.
Laughter floated around him and he looked in time to see a burly man swing her around, high up in the air and down again.
Gray lit a cigarette and kicked a pebble across the grass, scaring a few pigeons.
“There you are.” Marshall Gerome strode toward him with a grim glare that could have crumbled Mont Tremblant. Victoria followed close behind, carrying a cardboard cup tray from Starbucks. Gray was glad to see one of them.
“Here I am.” He coughed, tried to get a handle on the wheeze that followed. “Hope one of those is for me.” He smiled at Tori’s scowl. Victoria Montgomery had been his manager since his career began. She knew practically everything about him, including how he liked his java.
“You’re lucky I’m still talking to you,” she said.
Gray remembered why Marshall was here and shot his lawyer a sidelong glance. “All sorted out?”
“We wrote them a check,” Marshall told him. “You don’t have much left in your account. But I guess you know that.” The tall man’s caramel cheeks got a shade darker. He sank onto the bench and took the coffee Victoria offered. He’d happened to be on business in Quebec this week. But he wasn’t happy that Victoria had called him to sort out Gray’s latest infraction. Not happy at all.
“Here.” Victoria nudged Gray.
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