Hope laced her fingers together. “What do you think he’ll make of it?”
There was no way for her to know for sure. She had a guess, based on what she knew of Lang so far, but you couldn’t always trust assumptions. Plus, as was evident from Hope’s family, siblings were sometimes very different. Where one might be honest and caring, another could be selfish and mean.
Ivey pasted on an encouraging smile. “I’ll talk to Corbin and we’ll go from there. Okay?”
Looking both excited and concerned, Hope agreed. “Please make it clear that I’m not expecting anything, not even interest.”
“Of course.”
“And if he laughs it off, that’s that. Promise you won’t press.”
“I wouldn’t.” It was so refreshing to see Hope’s anticipation. “Look at it this way. If he isn’t interested, then he’ll stop flirting, and you’ll be able to be around him without worrying.”
Hope let out a big breath. “Thank you, Ivey. You’re the absolute best.”
Such a shame that kindness from a friend earned so much gratitude. In so many ways, Hope still judged others by a four-year distant incident. “I’ll secure the garage door when I leave, then text you so you can rest easy. Enjoy your first night here, and remember, if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
* * *
As promised, Ivey locked the garage’s side door, tugged on it twice to be sure and then texted Hope. Already her friend had turned on the outside lights so that the entire area glowed like midday. The only sign of nightfall was the deep shadows beyond the reach of the floodlights and the stars twinkling to life overhead on a deep indigo sky.
Once she got confirmation from Hope, Ivey rounded the garage and found Corbin leaning against a post, long legs crossed at the ankles, his expression thoughtful. Very quietly, she stood there gazing at him. He hadn’t yet noticed her as he stared off in the distance, likely pondering the million and one things he had on his mind now that he was a father.
She’d never thought too much about children, other than how they acted with their pets. Some kids disturbed her, those who were allowed to use their cats and dogs like dolls, stuffing them into baby clothes whether the animal liked it or not. Kids who ignored their pets, or worse, took enjoyment in annoying them. It was times like that where she didn’t care if she talked too much or if she overstepped. Kids needed to respect animals, period.
Then there were the children like Justin, who instinctively empathized with animals. Some kids were that way. Others had parents who supervised them and taught them how to properly care for pets. She was sure Corbin was that type of parent.
Was there anything at all not to like about him? If so, she hadn’t found it yet.
Before meeting him, she would have said her preferences leaned more toward messy blond hair, bleached by time in the lake, tanned muscles and blue eyes. Yup, she’d seen a few guys like that playing volleyball on the beach, using their paddleboards or kayaks, some of them fishing off docks—tourists, she had assumed, since she didn’t recognize them. She’d even considered them when deciding she was done with relationships. What better way to indulge an easy, meaningless fling than with a hunky guy who wouldn’t be around long? Ideal situation, right?
Yet none of them had instantly excited her the way Corbin had.
Now she much preferred light brown eyes and warm brown hair. And those shoulders, those long muscular arms, that—
“Hey.”
Busted, Ivey realized he’d caught her cataloguing all the intriguing aspects of his awesome bod. Mentally, she shrugged. He shouldn’t look so good if he didn’t want her to notice. “Sorry,” she said with a grin, starting toward him. “You look good standing there framed in the light like that.”
His mouth curled in a very masculine smile. “One of these days, you’re going to make me blush.”
“But not today?”
“No,” he said, his voice gentle. “Not today.”
Whoa. When was the last time a man had looked at her with so much heat?
That’d be a great big never.
He nodded up at Hope’s windows. “Is she okay?”
Yup, Corbin definitely appeared to be the whole package, irresistible inside and out. “She is, for now.” Ivey tamped down the urge to jump his bones. “Do you think we could talk about that?”
“About Hope?”
She nodded. “If you have time?”
“If I know Lang, he packed enough for a lengthy visit. He’ll keep Justin busy helping him move in.”
“For good?”
He shook his head. “No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed with me for the summer.”
“You won’t mind that?” She couldn’t imagine anyone moving in on her, but then, she and Maurice were pretty set in their ways.
“He’s my brother,” Corbin said.
It must be nice to have close family like that. The thought led her right back to Hope.
“So let’s talk first, and then if you still have a few minutes, maybe we can do a little kissing, too?” Thinking that might need explanation, she added, “That kiss in your kitchen sort of rocked my world. I need to try it again to see if it was an anomaly or if you’re really that good.”
The promise was as much in his eyes as from his mouth when he murmured, “I have time.”
Oh goodie. Glancing around, Ivey wondered how far voices might carry. She took Corbin’s hand. “Let’s get in my car. If we stand out here, we’ll get chigger bites.”
“Wouldn’t want that.”
When she reached for the driver’s door, he opened the back door instead. “We’ll have more room here.”
In her little car, they’d still be crowded, but at least the console wouldn’t be in the way. “Good idea.” She climbed in first, but quickly scooted over so he wouldn’t have to walk around to the other side.
Once he closed the door, they were cocooned in deep shadows. He gazed at her. “Now, about Hope?”
Shame on her for nearly forgetting, but with him sitting there taking up so much space, his eyes glimmering in the darkness, the scent of him surrounding her... Well, forgetting to breathe would be understandable.
Ivey cleared her throat. “Lang was flirting with Hope.”
“Yes. I think she has him confused. He’s used to women actively reciprocating, but Hope seemed very skittish about his interest.”
“She’s not!” The last thing she wanted to do was discourage Lang, except... “That is, she is skittish, pretty much with everyone. But it doesn’t mean she’s not interested in him.”