“Well, you haven’t had the supreme pleasure of dating Tobias Fitzgerald Jackson Junior. He’s in a whole other league from all other men you’ve had the misfortune of knowing.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “And he speaks of himself in the third person, because that’s so attractive.”

A rakish grin lit up his face. “You know it, baby.” He put his coffee cup on the counter. “I’m going to grab my bag out of the car and then borrow your shower, if you don’t mind.”

“A daily shower is part of the lighthouse bed-and-breakfast package.”

“Oh yum, what’s for breakfast?”

Erin groaned. “Aw, jeez, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

“You don’t have to cook,” he said, chuckling at her comment. “I could take you out somewhere.”

“No need. I have stuff here. I’ll scrounge up something edible.”

“You sure about this, sweetheart? If you’re having second thoughts about your spontaneous offer, I can get out of your hair for now and come back later. Totally up to you.”

Erin loved that he called her sweetheart and appreciated that he’d given her an out, but she didn’t want out. She wanted him to stay. She wanted to spend every minute of the next twelve days with him, not waiting for him to come back. That didn’t mean she wasn’t scared senseless of how attached to him she might be when it came time for him to leave again.

“I’m not having second thoughts about you staying,” she said.

“Then what?” He touched the furrow between her brows that she hadn’t realized was there.

“I’m concerned about what happens when the twelve days are up.”

“That’s easy. You come back to Florida with me and hang out for the rest of the winter.”

Erin wondered if her shock registered on her face. “I’m not going to Florida with you.”

“Why not? What’ve you got to do here that would be more fun than hanging out in the warm sunshine with me?”

Nothing. There was nothing here that would be better than spending the rest of the winter with him in Florida. But she couldn’t do that. “I do have a life here, you know, and a job.”

“That takes five minutes a day, and Jenny could do it for you since the landscaping business is shut down for the winter.”

“They’re not completely shut down. They’re still plowing snow and selling Christmas trees.”

“She would do it for you, Erin. You know she would.”

Yes, Jenny would do it for her, but running the lighthouse wasn’t the only reason she couldn’t go.