Tyler’s eyes lit with interest. “Really? That is interesting. That kind of place will be a great draw for Wishful.”
“Exactly. High end exec retreats. Bachelor and bachelorette parties. Romantic getaways,” he said. “He’s calling it the Babylon.”
“Babylon, huh? Is that going to include hanging gardens?”
“Now you’re getting the idea. On the roof. It’ll be our own Wonder of the South when we’re through. C’mon.” He grabbed her hand again and pulled her through the ground floor of the space. “Dining room through there with a view opening up to the green and the fountain. Bar here. You can see they’ve already hung the pendant lights. Just waiting for the globes.”
Tyler peeked under the protective contractor paper at the expanse of dark, glossy mahogany that made up the top of the bar. “Yeah, they’ve ordered some really fabulous swanky globes that, all together, amount to two months of mortgage payments. Should be in next week sometime.”
“Front desk will be off to this side here. It’s not been built yet, but you can see where it’s roughed in.” He tugged her up the wide expanse of the stairs. “Under all the paper, these are Cocobolo rosewood. Polished and gorgeous. And he’s got a metalwork artist on tap designing the banisters out of wrought iron. Then up here we’ve got two floors of rooms, all named after Mississippi blues musicians.”
“That’s a nice touch. Let me guess, the swankiest of the swank is the B.B. King Suite?”
“You know it.” Brody pulled her through the door, started gesturing. “A bed the size of an ocean liner will go there. A little sitting room there. Desk by the window. And through here is a tub you could swim laps in.”
The tub itself had already been installed, as had the multi-head, glassed-in shower. It was this that Tyler made a beeline for, slipping through the glass door to turn a circle on the travertine tile. “God, I’ve had fantasies about this shower set up.”
Brody was having one now, his brain more than happy to peel off all her clothes and turn on the water, until all that golden hair was plastered to her head and her curves were tantalizingly softened by billowing steam, such that he had to explore with his hands, his mouth…
She was looking at him, her eyes full of awareness in the dim light.
I could kiss her, he thought. Just step in and back her up against the tiles.
And then what? She wasn’t just an itch to be scratched, no matter what kind of chemistry still flared between them. He was leaving in a matter of weeks.
He cleared his throat and shifted, squashing the fantasy that years hadn’t passed and they weren’t two different people now. “It’s getting late. I should get you to your car.”
Tyler said nothing on their way downstairs. The silence between them felt heavy with unsaid things. It stretched and grew as they made their way from the job site to the parking lot behind Edison Hardware and her truck. He waited quietly while she dug out the keys, opened the door and tossed in her purse.
“G’night then,” he said.
“Good night,” she said.
He started to turn away.
“Brody.”
He shifted back to look at her, his heart beginning to thump.
But she said only, “Thanks for the tour,” then slid into the truck and slammed the door between them.
6 Weeks 'Til Show
Tyler was nervous.
She was never nervous.
But tonight… Tonight was the rehearsal of the cast party engagement scene. Tonight she’d kiss Brody. Kissing Tucker wouldn’t have been a big deal. Like kissing her brother. Just exactly the kind of 1950s TV peck the role called for. She wouldn’t feel anything kissing Tucker.
But Brody... There was too much history, too much chemistry between them. She’d seen it in his face that night at the hotel. Yet he hadn’t acted on it. And part of her had been grateful for the fact that he hadn’t pushed the issue and made her confront this.
Now, however, she’d have to confront it head on. With an audience. Awesome.
It would be fine. She would be fine. It was just a scene in a play. She was just a character. She popped a breath mint and stepped into the auditorium.
As if she were equipped with some kind of Brody-centric GPS system, her gaze zeroed in on him standing to the side of the orchestra pit, chatting with the strings section. Her heart leapt at the sight of him and her palms began to sweat.
I am so, so screwed.