Page 56 of Even Ground

“You’re not too bad.” She leans back “Especially at kissing.”

“I’ve been told I’m pretty good at that.”

She drops her gaze, and I suck in a breath. What a dumb thing to say when I don’t want to spar with her right now. “I didn’t m—”

“What are you two doing, hiding out here?” Delaney places her glass on the nearby table and flops into a chair.

“Just talking. Amelia asleep?” I ask.

She nods. “Josh will be down in a minute. He’s just having a shower.”

Pania pulls her feet out of the pool and walks over to the table, taking a seat next to Delaney. After a moment, I follow suit.

Delaney grips Pania’s arm and shakes her. “I’m going to miss you.”

Pania frowns. “I’ll miss you too.”

“I’m going to talk to Josh about a trip home. He never got to meet your mum or see where I grew up. That, and I really want to spend some time in our house there and cook in that beautiful kitchen.”

I laugh. “You and your kitchens.”

Pania meets my gaze again. “She’s got it bad for shiny cooktops. It’s really the way to her heart.”

We all laugh as Josh appears at the back door, beer in hand, his skin looking decidedly red after our day in the sun.

“You need to learn how to use sunscreen,” I say.

“He does.” Delaney nods. “I’ve been extra careful after my last visit. The last thing I need is sunstroke again.”

Josh sits at the table. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’ll be me picking you up from the hospital if you’re not careful.” Delaney purses her lips, and he leans over and kisses her.

“I’ll be more careful tomorrow. Promise.”

I look across the table at Pania. She meets my gaze, and gives me a small smile.

At least I’ll get one more chance to talk to her before she leaves tomorrow.

* * *

I wish I came here more.

My schedule has been crazy for years, so I employed people to run the estate and just visited when I could. But every time I come here, I wish I’d stayed longer.

Maybe that’s one of the changes I can make to my life.

Things will slow down for the next few months anyway. Josh and I aren’t racing to get this movie of ours finished. We’re taking our time and learning new parts of the industry as we go. It’s been a huge undertaking, but one that will hopefully pay off for us big time.

I yawn as I make my way downstairs for breakfast. Pania leaves in a few hours, so once I’ve eaten, I’ll have to find a way to take her aside, and we’ll talk. About what yet, I don’t know, but I’d like to continue our interrupted conversation from last night.

Sitting alone at the dining room table when I enter the room is Josh. He takes a sip of coffee while poring over the newspaper.

“Morning.”

He looks up. “Hey.”

“Where is everyone?”

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