Page 25 of Colton On Guard
To her surprise, Parker followed her. “When all this is done, how about we go out and grab dinner together?” he asked.
Surprised, she looked up at him. When she saw the heat in his eyes, she sucked in her breath. “As friends?” Her answer came out a bit shakier than she would have liked.
“Sure. Why not?” But the hint of mischief in his smile said otherwise.
She almost turned him down. Almost. But the part of her that had made her kiss him had her deciding to go. After all, she could either spend the rest of her life attempting to ignore theattraction between them and keep things on a friendly level, or she could go along with the flow. Judging by the way her luck with men and relationships went, it wouldn’t take much to make Parker realize they’d be better off as simply coworkers. Possibly even friends. But nothing more.
“Sure,” she answered, looking down so he couldn’t see the conflicted emotions in her expression. “As long as it’s not too late.”
She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the leftover bottle of wine they’d shared during the storm. “Do you want a glass?” she asked. “I’m about to pour myself one and go sit out on the back porch. You’re welcome to join me.”
Since her yard was enclosed by a six-foot-tall cedar fence, she figured she’d be safe enough alone for a few minutes. Even if she wasn’t, this was her home. She refused to spend every waking moment inside her house quaking in fear.
“I’ll be out there in a few,” he said, evidently reaching the same conclusion. “After I check on both contractors to see how much longer they’ve got.”
“Let me know,” she replied, pouring a generous glass. “And help yourself if you want wine.”
Taking a small sip, she made her way outside. Already, she’d begun to reconsider agreeing to go out to eat with him. But then again, doing so seemed like the least she could do after all he’d done to help her.
She shook her head. She’d never been in the habit of lying to herself and didn’t intend to start now. If she ever intended to regard Parker as nothing more than a friend, she had to get whatever this was out of her system. Starting tonight.
CHAPTER 6
When Genna agreed to have dinner with him, Parker felt like he’d won the lottery. He couldn’t help but be glad she’d looked away, because he didn’t want her to realize how stoked he was.
Actually, he hadn’t really thought she’d say yes.
But since she had, he didn’t want to take a chance he’d inadvertently give her any reason to change her mind.
The front door guy was nearly finished. He’d removed the splintered door frame and installed a new one. “It’ll need to be painted,” he told Parker. “She can also paint the new door. It’s white. Most people like some color.”
Since Parker had no idea what Genna would like, he simply nodded.
“It’s a shame another body was found,” the guy said, continuing to work. “I hate the way this serial killer has everyone in town on edge.”
“Me, too.” Parker replied. “And they haven’t been able to identify that fourth body yet. Now there’s been a fifth.”
“Yeah, it’s awful.” Finishing with the bottom hinge, the worker started on the middle one. “I should be done in just a few minutes. Then I just have to write up the invoice.”
Parker wondered how Genna would react if he simply paid for the door. Not well, he suspected. “I’ll go get her when you’re done,” he said.
Then he went to see how the alarm installation was going.
“I’m just about done with the window sensors,” the installer said as soon as he saw Parker. “Obviously, I can’t do the front door until it’s in place. But I can work on getting the control box set up.”
“How long will that take?” Though Parker didn’t want to seem impatient, he couldn’t wait to take Genna out to dinner. Even though neither had called it a date, just spending time with her in a nonwork setting sounded amazing. They could get to know each other, without pressure.
“Maybe thirty minutes.”
Satisfied with the answer, Parker left to check on Genna outside. He found her kicked back in a wicker chair, feet up on an ottoman, sipping on a glass of wine.
The sky had barely started to darken, the setting sun coloring the western horizon in vivid shades of pink and orange. He walked to the porch railing and looked out over Genna’s large, fenced backyard. A raised bed for vegetable took up one corner and strategically planted evergreens gave the space a balanced ambience.
“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog,” Genna said. “Partly for companionship, but also as an added layer of protection. A dog would alert me if someone was skulking around outside.”
Surprised, he turned to look at her. “Have you ever owned a dog before?”
“Growing up, we had Binx. My dad got him from the city animal shelter in Fairbanks. No one knew for sure what combination of breeds he was, but he was big and lovable. He lived to be nearly fifteen.” She sighed. “We all missed him so much. My mom said she never wanted to feel that kind of pain again, so they didn’t get another dog.”