Jamie rose as Grace approached, trying to hide the jolt that shook through him at seeing her again. Was that how it was going to be from now on? Grace appearing and his every atom firing to life?
He lifted his coffee. ‘Want one of these?’
‘No thanks, I’ve had my morning quota.’
She ambled across the lawn with that long-legged hip sway that’d always had the ability to undo him. He buried his face in his mug, reminding himself of Dana’s infidelity, and recalling her father’s damning words to him. Those were the things he needed to focus on.
When he resurfaced, he found Grace eyeing his shirt, her lips twitching. Which reminded him… Fishing out his phone, he handed it to her. ‘Would you snap a pic? I need to send one to Tom.’
‘What’s the deal with that?’ She gestured to his shirt as she took the photo.
‘Tom’s idea of a joke. When I was here…before.’ He scrubbed a hand through his hair. ‘Well, I was often late to dinner.’
Comprehension dawned in her amber eyes. ‘Because you’d been hanging out with me.’
He let out a careful breath. ‘I’d always tell him I’d gotten lost, that it’d taken me longer to get back than expected.’
‘So the gaudy shirts are for the benefit of the search party if you do get lost.’
‘They’re supposed to make me easy to see, but I’m now having visions of a slide show on my fortieth birthday.’
She laughed and it felt as if he’d managed some great feat—like pulling off a million-dollar deal or scaling Everest.
She perched on the step, motioning him back to his seat. ‘Fitz said you wanted to ride while you were here, maybe do a spot of fishing…stuff like that.’
‘Correct.’
‘Want to start off with a ride this morning?’
‘I’d love to.’
‘Have you ridden since you were last here?’
He hadn’t. There’d been no time for fun. He stiffened. Maybe he had turned into his father—an inflexible and joyless workaholic.
Fifteen years ago, he’d been sent to Kings Reach while his parents negotiated the details of their divorce. Things, though, had turned ugly between them—with him at the centre of their battles. At eighteen, though, he’d focussed instead on becoming a financial success. He’d wanted to place himself out of their reach and never be at the mercy of anyone’s whims again.
But where was the fun? Where was the joy?
‘You always had a good seat. You’ll pick it up again in no time.’ She frowned at whatever she saw in his face. ‘Jamie, I know there’s history between us, but we were friends too.’
No, they’d been lovers. There’d been nothing platonic about it. But in this instance, she wasn’t responsible for his turmoil.
‘If you’re uncomfortable with this, Fitz will be able to find a replacement like that.’ She snapped her fingers.
‘Not uncomfortable.’ No way would he make her look bad to Fitz.
She planted her hands on her hips. ‘Then maybe we could be friends again now?’
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