But she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve spent almost all day in the kitchen, and I’m beat. You young people have fun and tell me all about it when you get home. Or better yet, at breakfast tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll be sound asleep long before you return.”

He swallowed his sigh and managed another smile. Turned in a hurry lest she glimpse the disappointment he tried to hide.

But only halfway down the hall, Sydney’s voice called after him. “Neil, wait.” She caught up to him at the base of the staircase. “Can I show you something real quick?”

“Sure you don’t want to wait ’til later? Lilian says I smell like a barn.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t know. My whole day has been blueberries—pies and pastries and jams and I don’t even know what all. It’s literally all I can smell.” She tugged on his sleeve. “Come on. This’ll only take a minute.”

He followed her into the dining room and then the office, his least favorite room of the house. Because it’s where the computer was. And the computer was where his budget spreadsheets were. And his budget spreadsheets never failed to give him a headache.

But Sydney didn’t even notice him pausing at the doorframe. She hurried forward, rounding the desk and dropping into the swivel chair behind it. She clicked on the mouse and typed a few words, the light of the monitor dancing over her face. “By the way, why haven’t you asked me to come help at the treehouse at all? You always sneak out of the house when I’m not around. Wasn’t I a good help with the painting?” She finished typing and hit Enter. “Come look.”

He shuffled toward her. “Of course you were a good help. And I don’t sneak out.”

Her smirk told him she didn’t believe that for a moment. Fine, maybe he did sneak. Force of habit, that was all. He’d been keeping his secret from Maggie and the girls for so long it was simply second nature.

Except that’s not the reason and you know it.

But he wasn’t in the mood for that kind of honesty at the moment. Really didn’t want to dwell on the fact that it wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted Sydney’s help the past few nights. It was that he feared he wanted it too much.

Might enjoy it too much. Working alongside her. The close quarters . . .

“This is what I wanted to show you.” Sydney nudged the monitor so it faced him over her shoulder.