Chapter 4

Nine weeks?

He had just two weeks before he had to be back in the Bay Area. Since his birthday fell toward the end of those two weeks—and since the thought of spending his first birthday since the divorce alone depressed him even more than the divorce had-he'd hoped to spend those weeks with Jess.

He hadn't seen her enough in the past couple of years, and he didn't like the thought of the one family member he actually cared about drifting out of his life. Besides, he wanted her perspective on his divorce. He wanted to know if he was really an asshole Ginger said he was.

Almost as if she'd read his mind, Mattie chimed in. "Look, Brad, she told me you need advice about women." As she spoke, she started moving toward the front door. "And don't worry. I've got you covered on that front. Just not today. Come back tomorrow. We'll talk about it then."

She opened the door to show him out, but he didn't move. Something in her expression brought to mind the first time he'd seen her. It was the summer he was about thirteen if he remembered right. He'd been walking home from a friend's house. He turned the corner onto his block to find a U-Haul truck in front of one of the houses and this frail little girl sitting out on the curb, hands fisted on her knees, cheek resting on her hands, watching him as he walked toward her. She looked lost and broken. She'd flinched when he'd said hello as he walked by.

The instinct to protect her had been so strong, that night after dinner he'd pulled his sister aside and ordered her to go down the block and introduce herself to the girl. He'd wanted to help her, and giving her a friend was the only way he'd known how.

Until today, he'd never seen Mattie without thinking of that frail child, and it didn't matter that the frail child had quickly grown into a spunky tomboy with a sassy mouth.

But she was no longer the frail child or the spunky tomboy. She was all woman, with a woman's body and, if the interesting spark in her eyes was any indication, a woman's appetites as well.

Surely there was a statute of limitations on warnings issued by overprotective fathers. He was surprised to feel a smile forming on his face. The glint of suspicion in Mattie's eye only added to his amusement.

"Come back tomorrow?" he asked. "Actually, I was hoping to say here."

"YOU'RE NOT STAYING HERE!"

"Why not?" He crossed to the kitchen sink and rinsed his hands. "Jess invited me months ago." Jess invited me months ago."

From the corner of her eye, Mattie saw Brad's dog plod back into the room. Nose to the ground, the dog worked her way across the carpet toward the kitchen. Jessica would have a fit if she saw the paw prints Madison had already left. All the more reason to boot Brad out.

"She may have invited you," Mattie pointed out, "but she's in Sweden now."

"Then I guess I'm staying with you." Brad's mouth twitched upward in the barest hint of a smile.

He might as well sucker-punch her. At eighteen, he'd been handsome—focused and intense. But, dear God, at thirty-two he was devastating. He'd grown into his features. His square jaw and jutting chin had always seemed too big for the rest of his face. Now he'd filled it out. It softened him, just enough to lend his smile with the force of a professional kickboxer.

As if he knew he'd weakened her with the first blow and was now moving in for the last strike, he sauntered back to the living room, stopping mere inches from where she stood.

"What do you say? Wanna be roommates?" Brad asked.

Her stomach clenched in response, either to his smile or his words, she wasn't quite sure which. And, frankly, it didn't matter. Spending a couple of hours being sympathetic over dinner was one thing. This was something else entirely. The last thing she needed right now was for Brad to trample her heart like a herd of stampeding elephants.

Not that she was planning on letting him within stampeding range of her heart. Nope, not even for a minute.

But, just to be on the safe side, it was probably best if she kept him out of range of her body as well as her heart.

"No." Her response came out weaker than she'd hoped, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "Absolutely not. You can't stay with me."

"Come on, Mattie. Where else am I going to stay?"

"I don't care. Get a hotel room as anyone else would." Madison made another pass of the living room floor and, as she neared Brad, he reached out and snagged her collar. "There aren't any hotels in town that'll take Maddie. I checked."

"This is a resort town. You can't throw a cell phone without hitting an inn or a B and B. Surely one of them takes dogs."

"Not over fifty pounds."

"Well, you're rich. Bribe someone."

"I tried that. It earned me a half-hour lecture about how my generation has no respect for the past."

"Mrs. Higgins at the Cliff house?"

"How'd you guess?"

Mattie threw up her hands in exasperation. "I said bribe, someone, I didn't say bribe the president of the Historical Preservation Society." She reached for Maddie's collar and began pulling the dog toward the door. To her surprise, Brad let himself be pulled along with her. "Go try someone else—someone who doesn't run the most exclusive inn in the country."

"Mattie, just let me stay here. It's only a week. Two at most. Madison and I won't get in your way. We promise. "

"Won't get in my way, huh? "She pointed to the paw prints marring the cream carpet. "We both know Jessica's going to freak out when she sees these muddy prints. "

"I'll pay to have the carpet cleaned. "

"The best steam cleaner in the world may not get out of this mess."

"Then I'll buy new carpets." A slow, broad smile spread across his face. "I promise we'll behave."

Her stomach flipped over. He'd behave? If only she could get her hormones to make the same promise. Besides, she knew that smile. That was his charming smile. He never smiled like that unless he wanted something.

"No. And that's final. "

"It's just a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks? I thought it was one week."

He ducked his head, seemingly reluctant to continue. "Look, the house Ginger and I lived in just sold. I had to be out of there by this morning, but I can't move into the new condo for a couple of weeks. If I stay with you, I can work from here until then and I won't have to board Maddie."

He raised his head, pinning her with a serious look. Then he said the one thing sure to rip out her heart. "Come on, Mattie. I need you."

As if sensing her imminent surrender, he continued pleading. "Come on, Sprout, let us stay. You know you're not going to turn away someone I need." Her hand clenched on the doorknob. He'd called her Sprout again. No one called her Sprout anymore. That had to stop.

She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering her promise to Jessica. She'd said she would help him. She couldn't let Jess down. More importantly, she couldn't let herself down. Brad had the power to hurt that lovesick girl, but she wasn't that girl anymore.

Besides, how hard could it be? As long as she kept things light and playful, he'd never know he still turned her insides to absolute mush. As long as she held him at arm's length, she would prove to herself---once and for all---that he held no power over her.

"One night. You can stay here tonight, but first thing in the morning, I want you looking for another place." The smile he flashed her sent a rush of heat pounding through her body. Damn him.

Light and playful, she ordered herself. Keep it light and playful. "Oh, and while you're here, stop calling the dog Maddie." For a second he stared at her in confusion--as if he couldn't imagine why she wouldn't want to share names with a dog---then he smiled. "Whatever you say, Sprout."

"And stop calling me that," she growled. Okay, so she needed a little more work on the light and playful thing. Make that a lot more work.