Page 8 of Stars Shine In Your Eyes

The main bedroom contained a double bed with a top-of-the-line mattress, because while he didn’t mind being in close quarters, he insisted on sleeping comfortably. There were built-in wardrobes, built-in bedside tables, and not much else. The linens were cheerful and from the Cornish Drapery Company, one of the first companies he’d franchised.

She laughed and said, “I bet those build-a-house-from-a-box homes are about this size. And yet, it has everything.”

He hadn’t even thought about that and liked her fresh take on his latest venture. “You’re right.” Then he turned to her. “Too small?” He might as well do some market research while he had someone who was about to spend two weeks in a small space.

“It’s the perfect size, and I love it,” she said. “Every last inch of it. Especially the living room. With all those windows, the chair in the corner is the perfect little reading nook. In fact, this whole boat is the perfect reading nook. Now you’ve got me wanting to start reading retreats on boats all over. Wouldn’t it be amazing if people could be floating down a river while reading?”

He nodded. “Sounds good to me.” Then he said, “While I bring in your bags, why don’t you head up to the roof deck, where we’ll finish the grand tour?”

A few minutes later, they were stepping back out and around to the top. He loved the view from his houseboat—you could see Richmond Bridge from nearly every window.

“This is absolutely stunning,” Josie said. “I’m going to want to move here at the end of two weeks.” She took a few more moments to look all around her, doing a quick three-sixty. “Heck, I’ve only been here a few minutes, and I already want to move here.”

“I was lucky to get this boat. The good ones sell really quickly, but fortunately I have a mate who keeps his eye on the market, and I was able to buy it before it officially went on sale, even though it was a wreck. In other words,” he added, “I had to do my own little dance to the gods to get it.”

She smiled. “Let’s see it. I danced—now it’s your turn.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have been so silly, but she was right—since she had already done her dance, he owed her one of his own. He did a not-bad version of a soft-shoe dance.

Her laughter bubbled out and across the water. “That was excellent,” she said in a teasing voice. “Fred Astaire has nothing on you.”

“Ginger Rogers has nothing on you either.”

He found himself unable to look away from her… and he wasn’t positive, but quite a large part of him felt as if she was having just as hard a time looking away from him.

Belatedly realizing that the moment was more loaded than he had intended, he forced his gaze from hers, then gestured to the teak seating. “This is a great place to come out and have morning coffee, or watch the sunset, or just hang out and watch the boats, rowers, stand-up paddleboarders, and kayakers.”

She turned away from the view to look directly at him. “Really, Malcolm, thank you for this.”

“It’s my pleasure, Josie.”

He felt, again, that he should say something about what had happened in high school. But he didn’t know exactly what to say, or how to say it. And he didn’t want to ruin the easy camaraderie they’d found over his houseboat. Plus, she was clearly terribly jet-lagged, and in his pocket, his phone kept buzzing every thirty seconds.

He promised himself that if he saw her again during her trip, he would say something.

“Is Mari expecting you at the store right away? Or do you have time for a nap?”

“And here I thought I had successfully hidden my fatigue.”

“Those transatlantic flights can be rough,” he said. “You might find that an hour of sleep in a proper bed right after you’ve arrived will set you up nicely to get you through until it’s time to actually go to bed.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” she said, “but I don’t think I can wait that long to meet Mari and see the bookstore. Hopefully, the excitement will beat out the jet lag.”

“In that case, why don’t we walk over together?”

“Thank you for offering, but you don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can find my way. I know you’re busy.”

“No, it’s fine. I’d like to stretch my legs a bit more before I get back in the car and fight traffic in the city. And on our way, if you’re hungry, we could pick up a snack at the Elderflower Café. If one of the owners is in, I’ll introduce you. There’s a nice little community here on Elderflower Island.”

“That would be great.” She paused for a moment. “The thing is, I’d love to change out of my traveling clothes and maybe even hop in the shower to refresh myself after the flight. I don’t want to hold you up, but I’d love the company.”

“No problem,” he said. “I’ll wait on the roof deck for you. Take your time.” He held up his phone. “We both know this will keep me busy until you’re ready.”

She grimaced. “Okay, but I’ll still try to make it quick.”

As soon as she disappeared from the roof and he looked at his phone, he saw that in the last thirty minutes, a dozen emails and voicemails had come in. He had two personal assistants, but everybody always tried to reach him directly. His PAs dealt with the bulk of the email and voice messages, but he did like to scan through the messages every now and then, just to make sure nothing was being missed. Sure enough, New Zealand was calling. He had a good feeling that the deal was back on. He returned Kieran’s call.

And yet, for all the work that he had to do, he couldn’t stop thinking about Josie on the deck below, stripping off her clothes and getting into the shower. Seriously, he was like a randy seventeen-year-old all over again today. Except this time he didn’t have the excuse of wanting to kiss her because he was drunk. Nope, this time he simply wanted her.

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