What to say to that? Nothing. She rolled onto her side and laid her head against his chest.

He played absently with her hair. “I was lucky she didn’t cut deep enough to do any serious damage. But I quit law. I realized that I was characterless; all I had to say for myself since leaving college was that I was a lawyer who’d slept around. There was nothing more to me than that. I hadn’t looked at a painting in years and had all but forgotten having studied art. So I came to Europe and traveled and gorged on art like I’d always promised myself I’d do but had never made time for. I went back to New York after a year, once I’d realized that, while I was to blame, it wasn’t totally my fault. I talked my way into a job with the agency. They wanted someone who could do the contracts with galleries and all the legal stuff, not necessarily someone who would find work for their clients. And, ever since, I’ve tried to live a slower life where I appreciate things a little bit more. But I’ve realized this week that I haven’t been especially good at that lately; too busy with the office. Like I said, I haven’t even stopped to look at the art on the walls in there for months.”

She knew as he finished speaking that the man he’d told her about was someone completely removed from who he was now—other than the consequences had made him an unusual and, she had to admit, rather beguiling man. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll stop behaving like a teenager who’s just discovered sex,” she said apologetically.

He propped himself on his elbow so he could look at her. “You shouldn’t change anything. You’re candid and unafraid and happy to ask for what you want and that’s great. I’m pretty sure I’ve never talked about sex with anyone as much as I’ve talked about it with you in just two days.”

It was a gamble, asking the next question. But, as she’d said to Josh, life generally worked better when spiced with a little risk. “Is that why you’re so abrupt on first encounters? Not wanting to lead anyone on? Not wanting to be who you used to be?”

Josh’s cheeks pinked. “Was I abrupt?” He glanced across at her. “What? You’re staring at me.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I was actually thinking you were rather gorgeous.” He blushed even more and D’Arcy added, “You were probably no more abrupt than I was tired and grumpy.”

“But we still had the best debate about photography that I’ve had in ages.”

“We did,” she said, smiling.

“See?” He returned the smile. “You be you and I’ll be me and, I don’t know, maybe we’ll—”

D’Arcy’s phone rang, startling them both. It was her mother. She frowned.

“Your mom?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He reached over and pressed the call answer button for her. “You should talk to her.” He stood up. “I’m going back to the house. I’ll collect everything when you’re finished.”