“Ah,” she whispered.
Wait. Had she said that out loud?
Ah what?” Sebastian asked. He could not believe that Leah Montgomery was standing in front of him. He felt like he had the first time he’d seen her inside his wrecked car—dazzled and stupid. His responses to her were much too big. Ridiculous. His heart was pounding, and his senses were rushing.
She’d dressed in a light blue workout top, yoga pants, socks that had pom poms at the back of her ankles above her tennis shoes. She’d pulled the front of her hair to one side and fastened it with a barrette. Exertion had turned her cheeks pink, and she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Ah, isn’t this summer heat wonderful?” she finished in answer to his question.
“Ah, isn’t this mountain air perfect?” he countered.
“It is.”
“Go on any doomed road trips recently, Professor?”
“No.” She sniffed. “I did, however, go on a lovely road trip. Have you repaired any damaged baby hearts lately?”
“A few. Competed in any chess tournaments?”
“Sadly, no. Listened to Sinatra?”
“Happily, yes.”
“Driven off the side of any roads?”
He made a sound of amusement. “Nope. Gone out to dinner with my friend Ben?”
“Not yet, but we’ve scheduled it for Wednesday.”
That information sent a slash of pain through him. After a few moments, he realized he’d been staring at her too long without saying anything. He motioned toward his house. “Would you like to come in?”
“Certainly, though I don’t want to interrupt your mowing.”
“The mowing can wait.”
They walked across overgrown grass he wished he’d had the chance to cut before she’d seen it.
Mowing his lawn was a throwback to the set of foster parents he’d lived with the longest. Jim had taught Sebastian to mow. Once he’d learned how, Sebastian had run the lawnmower over their front and back lawns every two weeks.
Jim’s motto had been “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” By that point in Sebastian’s life, after El Salvador, Sebastian had agreed. He’d found that he liked mowing and mowing well. It relaxed him to do something outdoors with his hands. Back then, many things in his life—mostly the fact that he had no parents—had been a mess. But he’d had the ability to cut the grass perfectly.
Things could and did go wrong with his patients’ health, but to this day, he had this. He could still control his lawn.
“Ben and some of our other friends are coming by any minute,” he said. “They’re going to help me trim the hedges and plant flowers.”
“Sounds like you’ve compiled a whole landscaping team.” She paused in front of the entry to look up at the structure. “Your house is gorgeous.”
Her compliment pleased him more than anything had in weeks. “Thank you.”
“Did you hire an architect to draw up plans?”
“Yes. I was not an easy client. I’m sure she was glad to get rid of me.” He held the front door open for her.
Inside the foyer, he grabbed his T-shirt off the small table next to the door. In one fluid movement, he pulled it over his head.
“May I have a tour?” she asked, then added, “Is that a presumptuous thing to request?” before he could respond to her first question.
“I’d be glad to give you a tour.”
He wanted to take her face in his hands and make out with her. Instead, he led her to the one-story side of his house. While she was distracted, looking at the surroundings, he studied her gentle profile. Her opinion of his place meant something to him. It felt as if he was watching her open a gift he’d given her.
“It’s fabulous the way the ceiling’s vaulted and supported with all those beams,” she said. “And I like how this whole area is just one open space. Kitchen, dining room, sitting area.”
“This is the part of the house I use the least.”
“Oh?”
“If I were married or had a family, it would probably be the part of the house I’d use the most. As it is, I’m usually here alone. I don’t have much use for a dining room table or a sitting area.”
“What about the kitchen? Do you cook?”
“Not really. You?”
“Not really.” They made their way to the two-story wing.
Downstairs, he showed her the half bath and the den where he watched TV. Upstairs, they walked through the guest bedroom, connecting bathroom, and the room that served as his office. Then they stepped into his master bedroom, which thankfully, he kept clean.
He wouldn’t have thought twice about showing anyone else his bedroom. But this was Leah. The fact that he was showing her his bedroom made this seem intimate. Irrational things he’d never say out loud crammed into his head. Marry me. Sleep here with me. Live here with me.
They reached the landing at the top of the stairs. “I love your house,” she told him. “You and the architect who was glad to get rid of you did an excellent job.”
Their eyes held. For a split second his brain blanked, and he couldn’t find words. “Have . . . have you learned anything new about Jonathan and Trina Brookside since I saw you last?”
“Not much. I visited the house where they lived twenty-eight years ago and found pictures of Trina and Sophie online.”
He wanted to say, “Please let me know how I can help.” But he only let himself nod.
He heard the back door open.
Ben, no doubt. He needed to give his friend warning. “Look who was walking down my street,” Sebastian called as he and Leah made their way downstairs.
Right when they reached the foyer, Ben came into view. He hesitated for only a moment before a grin broke across his face. “Leah! Great to see you.”
“You too,” she answered, hugging him.
They stepped apart. “I didn’t think I’d get to see you until Wednesday,” Ben said.
“Same.”
Sebastian’s gut knotted. Ben filled Sebastian in on a lot of aspects of his life, but he no longer spoke about Leah. Until Leah had mentioned her date with Ben earlier, he hadn’t known about it.
“How was your trip?” Ben asked.
While she described a few of the highlights, she pulled out her phone to find some photos to share.
Ben took the opportunity to send Sebastian a look that said, What are you doing with my girl?
When Leah returned her phone to her arm band, Ben’s friendly expression snapped back into place.
“Would you like something to drink?” Sebastian asked.
“Water would be great.”
In his kitchen, he surveyed his pantry. “What about something to eat? I’ve got crackers, sunflower seeds, protein powder, collagen.” He considered the contents of his fridge. “Greek yogurt, leftover chicken and rice, olive tapenade.” He motioned to the bowl on the counter. “Clementines, bananas, sweet potato.”
“Collagen and sweet potato, please.” Leah spoke from her position across the island next to Ben.
Ben bent at the waist, chuckling.
Sebastian arched a brow. He wasn’t above a challenge. “I can make you a collagen shake—”