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the family never came up again. Not even Eva and her parents. He wondered why, but didn’t ask.
    The coffee pot gurgled to a halt, pulling her from her memories back into the present with him. She got up to pour two cups.
    “Sugar or cream?”
    “Just sugar.”
    She lifted on tiptoe to the top shelf for the bag of sugar, exposing, he could not help but notice, one smooth curvy hip and a dainty indentation of waistline. Before he knew it, he was beside her, one hand on her skin, the other effortlessly snagging the sugar that had been just out of her reach.

Chapter Five
    “I don’t have a sugar bowl.” Of all the things she could have said, this was about the stupidest. But she couldn’t help it. His hand on her naked midriff made her an instant idiot.
    “I bought all kinds of dishes and treasures for the cottages at the antique store in town,” she babbled.
    “But not a single sugar bowl,” he added.
    “Or a creamer.”
    They stood there at her kitchen counter talking about coffee condiments, and she swore it was turning into the sexiest conversation she’d ever had.
    He was so close she could smell the beach on his skin. They moved at the same time, sat across from each other at the little table, sipping coffee. Even though she was famished, the cookies sat on a pretty plate between them untouched. She wasn’t hungry for cookies.
    “Here’s what I was thinking,” Daniel said. He had a great voice. He could be on the radio. But what was he talking about? A museum?
    “…and we could do a barter. I’ll fix your wood, the steps and the registration counter and the window sashes, if you find and furnish period pieces, set up displays in my museum. All on my dime of course. I want the best.”
    “While you’re in Georgia?”
    He nodded enthusiastically, a young man ready to set out in search of new horizons. She understood why he would want to spread his wings. She just didn’t like it. And if she was honest—the truth embarrassed her—she might not like his bossy attitude when it came to Bryman, but she was attracted to every other single thing about him.
    “Sounds like a perfect plan.” She injected more happiness into her voice than she felt. “For me.”
    “Winters up here are brutal. Just leaving your house to check on my places will make it worth my while.”
    “Okay.” Having Daniel do woodwork would save her a bundle. “But it still doesn’t seem fair.”
    “I have more ideas about what you can do for me.”
    Whoa. Her face turned pink. He couldn’t mean what she thought he did.
    “Let me document the work we do here at Blue Heaven. Take before and after photos that I can add to my museum collection. I have some old pictures, too. Maybe you do as well? From when your family came up summers?”
    “I think so. Well, my mom does. But she can send them to me.”
    Daniel took a breath. Things were beginning to go his way. “I have a friend at Discovery Architect. He knows Bryman, knows me. I’m betting the Blue Heaven restoration will be the thing that finally gets him to write us up. A summer resort on a Great Lake. Perfect.”
    An illogical tiny corner of disappointment wedged into her heart. He was way more interested in her property than he was in her. But hey, he trusted her with his money. That said something.
    ****
    Daniel’s earnestness was winning her over. He’d grabbed her hand across the Formica table and rubbed her palm with his thumb. Did he realize that what he was doing ramped up her attraction to him? She didn’t care. His skin against hers felt good. She didn’t pull away.
    Car doors slammed and engines revved to life. Then within seconds, the air around them was still. Really? Five o’clock already? They’d been talking for hours, but it had seemed like minutes.
    “When can I see the rest of the house?”
    What was left were the bedrooms, two of which were crammed with boxes of antique store finds for the cottages, and the empty laundry room. Of course he probably