Page 70 of Maple Mountain
“You admit it, then.That I made you weak in the knees?”
“You were there,” I snapped.“No use lying about it.”
“Then why are you lying about the reason you’re quitting?”
“You don’t think Lenni getting attached to the nanny—the nanny that hasn’t even been in your house for a week—is a good enough reason for me to quit?”
“I think you’re terrified that it’s been less than a week and you can’t keep your hands off me.”
“Keep my hands off you?!Right now I’m ready to strangle you!You arrogant?—”
“You want to do more than that.”His grin was feral.“But I know what you’re really afraid of.”
I popped a hip.“Enlighten me, savant of women.”
“You like me,” he stated.“A lot.And whatever you think is going on between us, you know it’s more than just hormones.Hormones you can ignore.And that scares the ever-loving shit out of you.So I don’t accept your resignation.You’re not quitting.”
“Yes, I am,” I declared with a toss of my head.
Archer reached out and gently clasped my wrist.
“Archer—”
“No.”His dark eyes were earnest, his tone emphatic.“You don’t get to walk away when things get complicated.”
“Archer, the longer I stay ...the longer I live in that house with you, the longer I ...”
“What?”he demanded.
His thumb stroked my skin, and it was so tender that tears filled my eyes.
I couldn’t get in any deeper.
Because when I was with them, I felt?—
Archer’s cell rang, dissolving the moment between us.
He didn’t release me; using his free hand, he pulled out his phone from his apron pocket.He looked at the screen and frowned.
Archer pressed a button and put the cell to his ear.“Hello?”
I turned to leave, attempting to pull from his grasp.But he shook his head.I stayed put.
“Yes, I’m Lenni Murphy’s father.”He paused and closed his eyes.“Yeah, okay, I’ll be right there.Thank you.”
He hung up the phone and dropped my wrist.“That was the school.Lenni’s been in a fight.”
My eyes widened.“Is she okay?”
He rubbed the back of his neck.“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“Why did she get into a fight?”
“Not sure.Guess we’ll find out.”He untied his apron.
“We?”I asked.
“Yes, we.You’re coming to the school with me.”
