She laughed. “I’m pretty sure you’re safe.”
They got out of the car, and he followed her down the path to the small single-level house. She let them into the house, which looked neat and tidy, and was furnished with the bare minimum. A couch and an armchair in the living room, together with a wall-mounted TV and a small coffee table. They went into the kitchen, where Chloe one-handedly filled the carafe on her coffee maker and then tried to measure out the coffee.
“Here, let me do that for you,” Miles said, stepping forward.
Their hands brushed as she passed him the scoop, and his eyes flicked to hers. Her pupils had dilated, and that tiny fact made him more than a little curious. He was definitely attracted to her, and it gave him no small measure of satisfaction to see that attraction reciprocated. He knew right then and there that, one way or another, he would be seeing more of Chloe Fitzgerald.
* * *
Chloe leaned back against the kitchen counter and watched as Miles moved around the compact space while he made their coffee.
“You’re pretty good at this knight in shining armor thing,” she teased as the machine spluttered, signaling the coffee was done.
Miles grabbed the carafe to pour out their coffee. “I try to be good at everything.”
“I’ve had a couple of kids over the years like that.” She looked at him, noting the intent way he concentrated as he did everything. “Challenging kids. Does that make you a challenging adult?”
He barked a short laugh. “You’d have to ask my family about that. Or maybe my staff. I’m sure there’d be any number of them happy to fill you in.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
She accepted the mug he passed her and walked through to the living room. He followed soon after and sat beside her on the couch. Chloe took a sip of her coffee.
“Good coffee, thank you. I’m sure I do exactly the same thing as you and yet mine never tastes as good.”
“Ah, it’s an old Wingate family secret,” he said with a slow wink.
And just like that, the easy camaraderie they’d been building shattered. Chloe forced herself to keep a smile on her face, but it was difficult when she’d just been so soundly reminded of exactly who it was that was sitting here in her house with her. She’d allowed herself to be lulled by his care of her after her fall, but she had to keep her wits about her.
“So, I guess that means you’re not sharing your secrets?”
“I’m an open book. I don’t have any secrets. Seriously, though, it’s all about how you measure the coffee.”
She laughed. “And that’s it? No magical ingredient hidden up your sleeve?”
He held out his arms in his short-sleeved T-shirt. His biceps and forearms were beautifully shaped, and muscles rippled beneath his tan as he turned his hands up then back again to show her he had nothing hidden anywhere.
“As you can see, nothing,” he said.
Oh, there was no way there was “nothing” about Miles Wingate. He certainly was something and, despite her throbbing wrist and sore palms, she was completely and utterly aware of him as a man. A very attractive man at that.
“You mentioned being a teacher,” he said. “Do you work near here?”
“Yes, at a school a few blocks away. It works well living here. I can walk to school during the semester when the weather’s good. A bunch of kids often walk with me.”
“I bet you’re popular.”
She pursed her lips. “Oh, how so?”
“Let’s see. From my first impression of you, you’re warm and friendly and don’t want to cause a bother. You listen well and you’re not demanding or pushy. How’s that for starters?”
“You discerned all that from just this short time?” she queried.
“It’s my job to read people and situations. I know there’s also a lot about you that you’re holding back. You choose your words carefully, as if you don’t want to accidentally give anything away.”
Chloe felt her eyes widen. Did he read her that well? Maybe this whole idea of hers was about to head to hell in a handbasket.
“You’re good,” Chloe admitted non-committally, taking another sip of her coffee.