Page 6 of The Summer Arrangement
“Dis, is Iz. She gonna watch me when Gammy goes.”
Oh shit.
My heart thunders in my chest.
All I can do is stare into my beautiful daughter’s eyes as she silently pleads with me to make her request come true. Clearly, this woman has made an impression on her.
You and me both, kid.
Fuck… what the hell am I supposed to do?
Glancing at the resumé still in my hand, I read the name once more. Slowly, a question rolls off my tongue, “You’reElizabeth Lancaster?”
As I stare into the eyes of the sexiest man I’ve ever seen, I remain frozen in place. My ears pulse with the sound of my racing heart, and my legs feel like they might buckle at any moment.
I know from personal experience, under that white button-down shirt is a chest with pecs for days. I’ve freaking kissed every muscle along his happy trail, had my hands roam along his sculpted body, and I’ve experienced what it feels like to have this glorious man fill me from the inside out.
How the hell isheof all people standing in front of me?
The one who’s starred inallmy recent fantasies.
The one I was instantly attracted to the moment we met.
The one I broke all my rules for and had my first one-night stand with because I didn’t want to regretnotbeing with him.
Our chemistry was off the charts. Sure, he’s a bit older than the guys I typically date, but when we were together, none ofthat mattered. He made me feel as if I was the only one in the universe. Our attraction was more than physical though. He was charming, and fate had a way of making our paths continually cross when we least expected it.
With both of us leaving town, we couldn’t commit to anything. But I couldn’t walk away without knowing what it was like to be with him. Our chemistry was so combustible, and I willneverregret the hottest experience of my lifetime.
To protect my heart, I did make some mental boundaries. I purposely made a point in not exchanging numbers or revealing much about my personal life—once I realized our time was limited. I knew there wouldn’t be any point. It couldn’t go anywhere.
Has it really only been three weeks?
His unreadable expression fills me with unease as he glances to the paper in his hand, then back to me. “You’reElizabeth Lancaster?”
“Yes, but everyone calls me Lizzy.”
Clearly, he knows that. It’s the name the barista called at the coffee shop by the university each time we ran into one another. I frequent there because it’s just far enough away from the college crowd, I was able to focus on my studies—that is until he stole my attention.
Squeezing my hand, Emilia adorably draws my attention to her as she obliviously states, “Iz is my friend.”
Looking to the daughter I never knew he had, Cameron asks, “Is that so?”
Emilia nods fervently. “Ya. She reads my favorite books.” (Though she pronounces the v in favorite with a b instead, making her even more adorable.)
Cameron’s body shifts, and he leans in and bops his daughter on the nose. “Is that right?” Turning to me, he grumbles, “She’s a sucker for anyone who reads to her nonstop. It’salsohowshe always stays upwaypast her bedtime, if I’m not paying attention.”
Emilia grins widely, but it’s her grandmother who says, “Who can blame her? A girl and her books are nothing to be messed with.”
When Emilia shrugs as if saying,yeah, what Gammy said, the room fills with laughter.
Blood still courses through my veins, and every nerve ending in my body remains on high alert, but as the laughter dies down, it feels as if some tension in the room has been released.
“Has she been to the library yet?” I ask with curiosity. I loved going to our local library as a kid.
Cameron’s expression is still unreadable as his head cocks to the side. “No, we haven’t been there. We’ve spent the last few weeks getting settled, as we just moved out here.”
“They’re from Portland,” his mother adds for my benefit. “The two of you may have crossed paths without even knowing it. Cameron works not far from the University of Portland.”
