“Can I look at your hand?”

“It’s fine. You can catch up with Milly if you leave now.” Go, go! She started to pull her hand away, but he caught her arm and held her fingers under the water.

“You need to keep it there for a while longer, otherwise you’ll have a nasty burn. I know it feels like overkill, but it’s worth it, believe me. I’m talking from experience. When I’m not burning myself, I’m hammering pieces out of myself.” His smile was so warm and genuine she almost responded, but then she remembered that people could fake warm and genuine. She did it all the time.

Was he expecting her to introduce herself? This was so awkward. And she had no wish to prolong the encounter.

She wondered if he and Milly were involved. The fact that he’d walked in without waiting for an invitation suggested a level of familiarity that went beyond work colleagues. She remembered Milly’s words from the night before. If he left I’d be lost.

If they were together, then Nicole would be relieved because it would prove that Milly had moved on from Richard. And Joel was undeniably attractive. If she was casting him in a role it would be the Sexy Carpenter. His hair was mussed, and he had paint spatters on his jeans. The hand holding hers under the running water had roughened skin and a dark bruise that suggested he’d trapped a finger recently. He was the type of guy who rolled up his sleeves and fixed things himself rather than calling someone else to fix them. And then there was the fact that he had muscles in all the right places and a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

Was he interested in her friend?

If that was the case, then Nicole didn’t want to blow it for her by being frosty or rude.

“This place used to be a splintered spider trap.”

“Yes. I had to rehome a few as I worked.” Still holding her hand under the water, he glanced up at the slope of the ceiling with affection. It was obvious that he loved the building, and she felt a flash kinship.

“Milly and I used to play here as children. It was our den.” She volunteered that information without thinking and then wished she could snatch it back because she never gave out personal information. Not to anyone.

He shifted his gaze to hers. “I didn’t know the two of you were friends.”

Were they? She tugged her hand away from his. “Thanks for your help. I’ll tell Milly you were looking for her.”