Page 145 of The Last Close Call

He gazed down at her, suddenly uneasy with the thought of not seeing her anymore.

“Thank you again,” she said. “I’m glad you came by.”

Bryan nodded, even though he had no idea whether she meant it or was just being polite.

She put her hand on the doorknob. “This probably sounds weird but...” She cleared her throat. “Call me sometime. If you want to, that is.” She smiled up at him, and this time he knew.

She opened the door.

THIRTY-THREE

Rowan stepped outside to get the last of the groceries from the trunk as Jack jogged up the driveway. He’d been gone nearly two hours, and his gray T-shirt was completely soaked through.

He met her at her car and grabbed the two cases of soft drinks.

“How far did you go?” she asked.

“Twelve,” he said, shutting the trunk.

“Really? You made good time.”

“It’s all right.”

Jack had started training for a marathon a month ago, and he was working up to long distances. It seemed to be a good stress reliever for him.

He followed her up the steps and into the house.

“Whoa.” He stopped short. “What happened here?”

When he’d left this morning, the place had looked normal. Now furniture was moved, the rug was rolled back, and a giant heap of sheets and towels covered the sofa.

“I mopped,” she said.

“Why?”

“Just... because. I felt like it.”

He followed her into the kitchen, and she started putting groceries away.

“You said you were going to relax today. Why the sudden cleaning frenzy?”

“Can’t I clean my house if I want to?”

“Sure, but why would you want to?”

She slung a salad kit into the fridge and shut the door. “Because I feel like it, okay? Is that all right with you?”

He looked at her for a long moment. Then he stepped around her and put the soft drinks on the floor of the pantry.

The washer buzzed, and she went into the other room to transfer a load of towels. As she started the dryer, she heard the back door open and close.

Rowan sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She grabbed a warm sweatshirt that had just come out of the dryer and pulled it on. Then she went into the kitchen and filled a Yoda glass with ice water.

She joined Jack by the creek. His shoes and socks were in a pile beside him, and he was soaking his feet.

“Isn’t that freezing?” She handed him the water.

“Feels good.”

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