I wanted to talk to you about that.”
She ducked her head, as if chagrined. “Of course. I’ll be sure to tell Marie that someone needs to head down and paint the eggshell white over the castle. Free of charge, obviously. I’d do it myself but—”
Jordan cut her off with a shake of his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
Her gaze narrowed on him when she looked back up. “It’s not?”
“No. In fact, you mentioned that night that the castle wasn’t quite finished. I’d very much like it if you would complete whatever else you meant to add. And this time, you’ll be paid for your work. It’s only fair.”
“Wow, I definitely did not see that coming,” she stammered, clearly shocked at his proposal.
The truth was, so was he.
IF SOMEONE HAD told her forty-eight hours ago that she’d be back in this house at the request of the new owner to finish her painting, Jess would have asked them if they had a bridge they wanted to sell her. But here she was, outlining in charcoal pencil the rest of the scene she’d had in mind when she’d first imagined it in her head.
Jordan was in the mansion somewhere and she felt his presence fully, kept looking over her shoulder to the hallway in case he walked past. So far he hadn’t. She had absolutely no reason to feel disappointed by that. It pained her but she had to admit to never before being quite so aware of a man. Not even Gary when she’d first met him. It had taken time for her feelings for her former fiancé to develop. Her only other relationship after Gary could only be described as a summer fling, though she’d been woefully naive in believing it might have led to more. That particular gentleman had simply taken off without so much as a goodbye at the end of the vineyard’s tourist season. All the more reason to squash her current attraction to Jordan Paydan with haste.
Jess returned her focus to her artwork. She was simply here to do a job. Once she got lost in a project, the rest of the world would often disappear. She needed that phenomenon to happen right now. Regardless of the fact that a man she felt more aware of than she ever had anyone else happened to be under the same roof.
The sound of footsteps approaching in the hallway broke into her thoughts. She sensed him behind her and her heart did a small leap in her chest.
“So the moat, then. That’s what you needed to complete,” he said in a smooth, low voice that sent waves of electricity over her skin.
“And the drawbridge,” she told him. “That’s next.”
He walked into the room to stand beside her. A tremble suddenly developed in her hand and she had to force herself to steady it or her lines would be shot. She couldn’t even put her finger on why her attraction to him was just so notable, and there was no denying that was what she felt right now—pure, animalistic attraction. But this time was different, much stronger.
And what did that say about her previous long-term relationship? Had she ever actually felt a quake in her center when Gary had walked into the room? If so, she couldn’t recall. No, she’d admitted to herself long ago that Gary had simply been a grasp at some sort of stability. After the constant upheavals that defined her childhood, she’d been more than impatient to find a grounded life with some semblance of a routine and a steady anchor. So she’d rushed into a relationship that was doomed to fail.
Studying Jordan now, she realized the two men really couldn’t be compared. There really was no comparison. First of all, Jordan had apologized for being rude to her, even if he had done it in a somewhat overblown way by ordering half the flower selection at Bower’s Flowers.
Gary had never once uttered the word sorry, no matter how much in the wrong he’d been during their arguments. Arguments that had only grown more and more frequent after she’d made her decision to leave grad school.
Not to mention Jordan had been trying to protect his little sister when he’d confronted her. Jess couldn’t really take his reaction personally.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Jordan said. “You can’t have a moat without a drawbridge.”
“True.”
He stepped closer to examine her work and the scent of him reached her, a subtle woodsy scent that well suited him.
It was settled. She was way too distracted to keep trying to draw. She tucked her pencil above her left ear and turned to face him. He had on an ocean-blue T-shirt that brought out the dark hue of his eyes and fit him just well enough to see a hardened, muscular chest underneath.
“Do you mind my asking what made you change your mind? About the diorama?” she asked. A disquieting thought had been nagging at her about the whole turnaround since he’d asked and she’d accepted the other day.
He shrugged. “It’s quite a simple answer, really.”
“Which is?”
“You were right. She did like it. Her reaction upon first entering the room was one of pure joy and awe.”
The thought of that made her heart tingle in her chest. Yes! That was exactly why she felt such a calling to do such things, for the joy it would bring to others. Particularly when it came to little children.
“I’m so glad to hear that. And a little relieved.”
“Relieved?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I thought maybe you were just trying to make amends. Like with the flowers.”
He laughed. “No, the flowers were an apology. This was more of a mea culpa. To admit that you were spot-on that day. Sonya did love it when she saw it, exactly as you said. Sonya will be thrilled to see the artwork has been extended.”
“She’s not here?”
He shook his head. “No, Elise took her out to do some shopping.”
Elise. So she’d been right. There was a girlfriend, after all. Maybe she was even more than that. For all she knew, he could actually be married. Hardly surprising given the man in question. Handsome, successful, charming. Men like Jordan weren’t often single. Not for long anyway.
Not that it was any of her business.
“In any case,” Jordan continued. “Thank you for giving up your Saturday to finish up. I know it has to be an inconvenience.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Jess responded, somewhat disheartened now that she knew another woman would be returning to the house soon. A woman that shared his house and his ward. And most likely, his bed. “I’m glad I got a chance to finish.” The best thing to do for her now would be to just finish up and then be on her way. Back to her ordinary, staid life where she had to pretend Jordan Paydan did not exist. She pulled her pencil back out. The sooner she made progress on the painting, the better. Then she could start the process of licking her proverbial wounds.
“You’ll have to tell me what Sonya thinks when she sees it,” she said as she went back to work.
“I’m sure she’ll love it. In fact, she’ll be thrilled. She’s a very exuberant little girl.”
Jess couldn’t help but laugh. That was certainly the impression she’d gotten of Sonya during their brief encounter the other day. “It definitely shows just by the sparkle she seems to have in her eyes.”
“I’d say that’s a perfect way to describe my sister. You’re very observant, Ms. Raffi.
“It’s why I thought to ask her about being in the school play.” Jess wanted to kick herself as soon as the words left her mouth. She wished she hadn’t brought the topic up again. Here they were finally enjoying some cordiality. Leave it to her to ruin it.
“Jess,”