But it was true. Though in recent months he had grown almost accustomed to letting everyone down, somehow in the past few days he had come to feel he would spontaneously combust if that happened with Dolly. Her innocence was nearly palpable in those deep eyes that ranged in color from hazel, when she was happy, to dark brown, when she was sad or mad. They could swing from one to the other in a second, and JJ liked it better when they were bright and hazel. Inexplicably, keeping her eyes bright had started to mean something to him. He had been worried, yesterday, that he had made her mad, passed out on the couch when she arrived, refusing to discuss the past. He had tried to apologize, when she was on her way out, but when he’d asked her if she would come back, she had answered with a snippy “probably.”

The thing was: He was drawing the line at revisiting the past. He really didn’t agree that it would do any good. Besides, it was better to keep things simple with her, and make her believe that he looked nowhere but straight ahead. If she found out the truth about the past—his past—he knew she would be gone.

The thing was: She was cute as hell. He liked just watching her, her mouth, her legs, the swishing of her hips when she walked. He promised himself he wouldn’t touch her, of course; he had that rule about married girls.

Unlucky in love; any way you look at it.

“Well, if it isn’t my little housekeeper,” he said, when from the fourth step down he saw her. She was polishing the oak frame around the front door, and turned to face him.

“Hello,” she said. “Are you all right? It’s past noon.”

He was relieved that she didn’t seem angry with him. He winked at her, continuing down the stairs. He held on tightly to the banister, determined not to fall and make an idiot of himself. “I’m fine,” he said.

“Were you comfortable upstairs?”

“Yes, thanks.”

She nodded, and, after watching him a moment, turned back to her dusting. “Are you hungry?” she said. “I brought you some doughnuts I picked up at the bakery. And some meat and bread and cheese and things from the store.”

He felt his heart twist. “Thanks,” he said. “Thanks, I am a little hungry.”

He convinced her to come out on the front porch with him, though she objected that she had only just started her work. “Come on, Dolly, I won’t tell,” he teased her.