Page 21 of Come to Me

Michaela gaped at him, and he flinched, wondering what he said that was so wrong.

"Are you one of those people that think the South is still stuck in the olden days? Let me tell you something, Dr. Andres, my parents don't have any say about who I kiss or don't kiss."

Patrick put his hands up in surrender. "I'm not saying you're not a thoroughly modern woman, Michaela. But even in the modern world, parents have opinions, sometimes very strong ones, about who their kids spend time with." Patrick knew for certain his mother's head would explode if she knew he was attracted to Michaela. He wasn't conceited enough to think Michaela's parents would think he was a good catch since he came from a prominent family, had lots of money, and had a good job. In fact, he suspected it worked against him.

"Yeah, well, like I said, my parents don't have any say. If they did, they might have tried to prevent Logan from marrying Tania." She shook her head. "Except then we wouldn't have Tate. I take that all back." She looked at Patrick again. "The point is, I'm the boss of myself. What I do or don't do is by my choice."

Patrick gave a quick nod. "Good to know."

"And just in case you're wondering, I don't go around kissing our guests."

That pleased him more than it should.

"If it bothers you so much, it won't happen again."

Patrick's brains scrambled to decipher if there was any extra meaning behind her words. Was she fishing for his thoughts on the matter? Was she signaling that she wasn't interested in kissing anymore?

She slanted her gaze at him. "For guy who makes his living having people talk about their feelings, you're not very good sharing your own."

He nodded. "I know."

She turned her body toward him, her gaze scrutinizing him.

He arched a brow. "What is it about me you're wanting to know? Perhaps my thought on kissing?"

She smirked. "I already know your thoughts on kissing, Dr. Andres."

His natural instinct was to pull away and disengage from highly charged talk with the woman he hardly knew who had the parents who didn't think much of him. But something held him in place, pulled him closer, like a piece of steel drawn to a magnet.

His gaze drifted to her red lips and then back to the bright blue eyes. "And what is that?"

"You liked it."

He held her gaze but didn't respond.

Michaela let out a sigh and then sat back, disengaging from the electricity zapping between him. Disappointment filled him, but he mimicked her response and leaned away from her as well.

"I don't know how people interact up there in the Big Apple, but down here in the South, communication needs to be reciprocated."

Patrick tried to figure out what he was supposed to have done. Should he have said something? Or should he have kissed her?

"What would've been the appropriate response?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "That's for you to figure out." She stood, brushing the dirt and leaves from her shorts, and then walking toward the house. Patrick watched her, admiring the view until he realized that her parents might be able to see him ogling her from the house.

CHAPTER 7

For the rest of the afternoon, Micki chastised herself for rebuking Patrick. The guy came down here for rest and relaxation, and instead he’d been recruited to skip stones with Tate, moved lumber for her father, and then was called out for not telling her he liked the kiss. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she grew.

She did her usual chores made more challenging by having Tate in tow. Logan hadn’t sent him to day care or summer camp worried he wasn’t ready after his mother’s death. She and her parents agreed, but Micki was beginning to wonder if they were all wrong about that. Keeping Tate out of mischief common for a seven-year-old was a full-time job, which took away from her already demanding tasks of keeping the resort up and running.

Logan arrived at six that evening, turning down a home-cooked meal from their mom saying he wanted to take Tate out. That likely meant ice cream for dinner, but it was clear that Logan was unsettled by Tate’s behavior that morning, especially when he was told that Tate had broken Patrick’s car window.

After dinner, once the dishes were done, Micki and her parents sat down as they did most nights to discuss the status of the resort.

“The dock still needs repair,” her father said, with a knowing glance at Micki.

“I can look at it tomorrow.” She knew not to mention Patrick’s help as it would bother her mother.

---