He hadn’t shaved again, and those light russet eyes danced with some emotion she didn’t have a name for. There was heat there, too, a carefully banked fire that stoked her own. “Red,” he said. Low. Gruff.

An odd feeling swept through her chest. She would have sworn it was hope.

“Hello?” the new customer called out and waved to her. He was an elderly gentleman with a sweet, kindly smile. “I need some help picking out a birthday gift for my wife.”

“Yes, of course.” She looked at Joe.

He let go of her wrist, then began to walk away. His long legs ate up the distance of the shop, then suddenly he stopped. Muttered to himself. Eyes fierce and hot, he strode back and nudged her around a wall partition. Actually, not so much nudged as shoved. “What—” she started, but he put both hands on her arms, hauled her up and kissed her.

When he pulled back, he was breathing hard. “Jesus.” He let go of her and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “You’re screwing with my head.”

Her own head was spinning, her body throbbing, and she stood there wobbling on her feet. “What was that?”

“I don’t know but it’s your fault.” He plowed his fingers in his hair, leaving it standing straight up. “You gave me that taste last night, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Excuse me?” The customer was apparently looking for her. “Miss?”

Summer’s knees wobbled through the sale. By the time she’d rung up the man’s purchase, Joe was busy interviewing Braden and Chloe, both of whom had been at the warehouse in the past month.

An interview with Summer wasn’t necessary, seeing as she hadn’t been in town at the time of the fire, and that she hadn’t been in or around the property for twelve solid years.

Unneeded. Unwanted…

When Joe and Kenny were done with their interviews, Joe came back into the main room and shot her one long look that seemed to scorch her from the inside out, leaving her achy and needy all over again.

“Meow,” Socks said from the counter.

“No kidding,” Summer murmured as Joe left without another word, needing a fan for her hot face.

Or a kiss.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Summer waited with bated breath for Joe to show up at her cottage that night. He didn’t.

Then she decided that waiting for him was ridiculous, and over the next few days dedicated herself to becoming part of her family again. She had dinner with her mother. Lunch with Tina. She dragged Chloe a quarter of the way up the mountain before Chloe cried uncle and begged off.

For Diana and Madeline, Summer lowered her expectations and took them into the wilds of the local mall, where they tried on five-hundred-dollar Nordstrom shoes for the fun of it and ate pizza at the food court.