Jewel blinked against the early dawn light that slid between the slats in the vertical blinds. Languidly she stretched and turned on her side, expecting to see Craig. The spot next to her was empty, the sheet already cooling. She pushed herself to a sitting position and pulled the sheet up to her chin, drawing her knees to her chest. Her eyes, accustomed now to the light, moved slowly around the space. The only indication that she hadn’t slept alone was the faint scent of Craig that still lingered on her skin.
She blew out a breath. Why should she have expected more? Wine and great sex. There was no reason to think that he thought any more of their encounter than that. No explanation needed, although it would have been nice, the decent thing to do.
For a moment she shut her eyes, and her mind flooded with the night they’d shared, the way her body had responded to his every touch, the power she felt in what she was able to do to him. Her body still throbbed.
Jewel tossed the sheet aside and swung her feet to the floor. No point in lying there. She had a full day in front of her. She quickly got dressed and attempted to ease back into the main house without running into Minerva. That little maneuver didn’t go over very well. Minerva walked into the kitchen as Jewel inched through the front door. She felt like an errant teen coming home after curfew when Minerva’s censoring gaze collided with hers.
“Good morning,” Minerva said with a quick once-over. “You’re up early.” Her slippers whispered across the floor with her footfalls. “Breakfast?”
“Um, sure.” She followed Minerva into the kitchen and took a seat at the counter.
“Coffee?” Minerva asked over her shoulder.
“Yes, thanks.”
Minerva put on the coffeemaker. Jewel rooted around in the fridge for the bag of cinnamon and raisin bagels and put two in the toaster. She had a feeling the inevitable conversation would need more than coffee. She plopped down on the stool at the counter and waited. But she didn’t have to wait long.
“I saw Mr. Lawson’s car outside last night,” she said casually, while keeping her back to Jewel.
“Mmm-hmm, stopped by to drop off the new contract.”
“Took a while.”
Jewel bit back a smile. “Really?”
“I couldn’t sleep, and I noticed the lights on in the cottage. Had to be after one in the morning. When I got up to get some warm milk about four, the lights were off, but his car was still parked.”
The bagels popped up and so did Jewel. She plucked them from the double toaster and put them on plates. “Butter, jelly, cream cheese?” she asked sweetly.
Minerva swung around with her hands planted on her hips. Her eyes narrowed. “Are you going to tell me or are you going to make me beg?”
Jewel sputtered a laugh. “Fine. He spent the night. Happy?”
A slow smile spread across Minerva’s mouth. “Well, it’s about damned time!”
“Minerva!”
“What? It’s true. You’re a young woman, and he’s a handsome man. And I think he likes you.”
Jewel sat up straighter. “Really?”
“Of course. I can tell these kinds of things.”
“Well, it’s only temporary. He’ll go back to London or LA when all of this is done.”
“Never heard of long-distance relationship?”
“Minerva. I’m not thinking that far ahead. And I’ve been down the long-distance-relationship road,” she said, thinking of her time with Simon. “I know how difficult it can be, especially when work comes first.” She lathered her bagel with cream cheese.
“Make the most of the time you have,” she said sagely. “You deserve some happiness in your life. And I like the glow.”
“Glow?”
“Yes,” she teased, “the glow in your eyes. I haven’t seen it in a very long time. It looks good on you.”
Jewel lowered her head. She did feel different. Alive. Her body still strummed from her night with Craig. But the reality was, it was just sex, and the fact that he was gone when she awoke spoke volumes.
* * *
Craig stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He padded into his bedroom and went straight for his cell phone. He should have left a note for Jewel. But to be honest, his emotions were scrambled. He hadn’t expected to feel the way he did—connected. And at first he didn’t know how he wanted to handle it. They’d more or less agreed that this was a commitment-free thing. As far as he knew, Jewel still felt the same way. Now, he wasn’t so sure that he did. What he did know for sure was that he wanted to see her again.
He picked up his cell phone and searched for her name in his contacts and tapped the dial icon. The phone rang and rang then went to voice mail. He started to hang up. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe she saw his name and decided not to answer. Maybe he should leave a message anyway. He pushed out a breath.
“Good morning. It’s Craig. Um, sorry I didn’t say anything before I left. Needed to get an early start, and you were sleeping so peacefully. Didn’t want to wake you.” He paused. “Uh, listen, Norm will be by later this afternoon, but, uh, I was wondering if you weren’t busy this evening, maybe we could have dinner.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “So, when you get a minute, give me a call and let me know. Enjoy your day. And... I enjoyed last night,” he added softly. “Take care.” He disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the bed. “What are you doing?” he chastised himself before walking off to get dressed.
* * *
After her counseling session with Minerva, Jewel finished her breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. She had some baking orders to fill. The order details were in her phone. It was then that she realized that she didn’t have it. She went to look for it and found it on the table in the hall. She must have left it there when Craig arrived last night.
When she tapped in her pass code, she saw that she had a message. Her pulse quickened. She went to her messages. It was from Craig. Holding her breath she listened to his message once, then again. Her beaming smile could have lit up a dark room. He wanted to see her again—tonight, for dinner. A date.
A wave of giddy delight rushed through her veins, and she practically skipped across the room and plopped down on the couch. Her hand shook ever so slightly as she tapped Return Call on her phone. He picked up on the third ring.
“Jewel,” His voice dropped an octave. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Her stomach fluttered with warmth. “I got your message. Thanks for being so considerate and letting me sleep.”
“I watched you for a while,” he admitted.
“And?”
“And I started to crawl back in bed with you.”
“You could have...”
“I’ll remember that for next time.”
Next time! She allowed herself to breathe. “Um, about tonight...”
“Yes?”
“What time were you thinking?”
“How’s seven?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll see you at seven.”
“Okay.”
“And this time I’ll be sure I have a place in mind.”
They both laughed.
“See you then,” she said.
“See you.”
Jewel put the phone down and rested her head back against the cushions of the couch. She closed her eyes, and a smile moved across her mouth. What are you doing, girl? Whatever it was, it felt good, and for now, that’s all that mattered.