He was quiet for a moment, then gave his head a shake. He rose. “I think I’ll take a look at the boiler.” He wandered away and disappeared into the darkness.

I blew out a slow breath and flexed my fingers. They were still tingling from touching him and my lips felt swollen.

“It looks prehistoric.” His disembodied voice drifted back to me.

“It still works. It’s solid.”

“It’s on its last legs,” he called out of the shadows.

“Mr. Clarence wasn’t interested in spending money on it. But it is something that should go on the list.”

Ro grunted and returned to the crate. He swiped an arm across his face. That’s when I realized it was getting quite warm down here. I chewed on my lip. Crap, with the power off, there was no ventilation in here.

Soon, he slipped his suit jacket off. I felt a trickle of sweat down the back of my neck. I watched him roll up the sleeves of his white shirt.

“You’ll get dirty.”

“Won’t kill me.” He looked at me. “Ditch the jacket, Tessa, before you overheat.”

I slipped it off and laid it carefully beside me. My gray dress would hide most of the damage, but I could already see dirty streaks on it. I sighed. Luckily, I kept a change of clothes in my locker. I’d learned that lesson the hard way, after a kid had vomited on me when I’d first started working at the Windward.

“So, did you always want to work at the Windward Resort?” he asked.

“Yes. I never wanted to work anywhere else. That probably seems silly to you. A man who travels all around the world.”

“Explain it to me.”

“I grew up here. I lost my parents, and my aunt raised me. My mom and Emily were ten years apart, but really close. It wasn’t easy for a twenty-year-old to inherit an eight-year-old. We sort of grew up together. She’s like an aunt, mom, and sister all rolled into one.” I loved Emily completely. “She got married a few years later to an amazing man, and I have four cousins.”

“Four?”

I smiled at the thought of the rugrats. “They’re crazy, but I love them.” I sighed. “Unfortunately, Uncle Max died a few years ago.”

“God, I’m sorry. That’s a lot.”

I smiled again. “I pitch in. We’re family and I adore my cousins. Do you have any?”

“One cousin on my mother’s side. She’s older.”

I got the impression they didn’t see each other much. “Siblings?”

“No, thank God.”

I stayed silent.

He blew out a breath. “Neither of my parents’ subsequent marriages have lasted long, or been particularly healthy. Not the ideal environment for children.”