“What are you doing here?” Her heart squeezed tightly as though the burst of joy at seeing him was too much for her. It was all she could do not to throw her arms around his neck and hug him. It was disconcerting as hell.

“The contractors put in the bar this morning, and I wanted a little break from the wood dust.” Then he pointed to the laptop case he held in one hand. “And I really need to work on the restaurant’s website.”

How was this happening? Her chance to offer him her help just fell onto her lap. Hiding her glee, she asked casually, “How’s that going?”

“It’s going,” he said a bit glumly. “I’ve been more focused on getting the photographs ready.”

Time to make her move. “Did Aubrey mention that I have a degree in graphic design?”

“Do you, now? Well, isn’t that handy.” His eyes lit up. “Are you volunteering to help me on Landon’s website?”

“Actually, Aubrey asked me to help out if I can. I’ve just been so busy.” She was lying through her teeth, but this was about saving face. He mustn’t know how much she wanted to spend time with him.

“I would love it if you could lend a hand,” he said with puppy-dog eyes as if she’d say no.

“Well, you’re in luck. I have some time before I need to go back to the brewery.”

“Oh, thank God.” His shoulders sagged in relief. “I really appreciate your help.”

Muahahahaha. She had him.

But her excitement turned to self-consciousness when he slid into her side of the booth and stopped a hand’s width away from her. She only had to shift her leg a tiny bit for her thigh to press against his. The bakery turned sweltering hot.

“Um. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable on the other side of the booth?” She cursed her pale skin as heat spread on her face.

“No, I’m perfectly comfortable here,” he said with a knowing grin.

Damn him. She caved and inched away from the warmth of his body, mumbling something about personal space.

“I need to sit beside you so we can share my laptop,” he explained, his eyes still sparkling with humor.

“You’re right. This is much more practical,” Tara agreed in a no-nonsense voice. She refused to let him see how much she wanted to jump on his lap and call him Santa baby.

Shit. I need my head examined.

Seth failed to mention that he came to Comfort Zone on the off chance that Tara might be there. There was no need to weird her out. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her all day. So he’d packed up his laptop and come to the bakery with the intent of camping out as long as he could. That sounded desperate even to his own ears.

But he wasn’t really desperate. He just wanted to spend more time with her, because he’d had such a good time when they hung out. With her to distract him, he wouldn’t be impatiently counting down the days until he could finally go to Paris. That was why he’d celebrated with a mental fist pump when she offered to help him with the website.