The Missing Heir(47)
“Do you miss her?”
“Not really. She’s my accountant, so I see her every week. She’s great. And so, it turns out, is her husband, Mike.”
“You’re saying you’re over the heartbreak?”
“I went off to flight school and had a series of short but satisfying relationships. Turns out, women can’t resist a pilot.”
“How short?”
“Hours, sometimes days.”
“That’s appalling.”
“I was recovering from heartbreak. I was young and vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable isn’t the word I’d use.”
He grinned. “You’d be right.”
“And now?” she asked, brandishing her nearly empty mug.
“A few dates here and there, nothing that’s ever turned into anything but a friendship. I’m pretty busy with Aviation 58, and Juneau’s population is not that huge. A lot of the women my age have moved on.”
“You ever think about moving on?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I love it there. And given how much Aviation 58 has grown, my roots are pretty deep.”
“Maybe you can find a nice girl in Atlanta and take her home with you.” There was a glow in her blue eyes that seemed to reach right down to his soul.
“Good idea. You doing anything for the next thirty or forty years?”
She set down the empty mug. “I know you’re joking, but that’s a pretty good line.”
He wished he was certain it was a line. He pointed to her mug. “You want another?”
“I need to get home so Isabel can leave.”
Six
As Isabel left the penthouse, Amber made her way down the hall to where Cole had gone in search of Otis. The dog had apparently plunked himself down in Zachary’s open doorway and gone to sleep.
She found Otis there, with Cole inside the bedroom, tucking a blanket over the sleeping Zachary. Cole rubbed a gentle hand across Zachary’s forehead before turning away from the crib. In the doorway, Amber stood to one side, her chest strangely warm.
“Sound asleep,” Cole whispered as he stepped over Otis.
The dog opened one eye but didn’t lift his head.
“Isabel said he slept right through,” Amber whispered in return.
“Good for him.” Cole stopped right in front of her.
He was close, too close, but she didn’t want to move. Instead, she inhaled deeply, letting his fresh, masculine scent fill her lungs. It was a fight to keep from reaching out to touch him.
“Hi,” he breathed.
She lifted her chin to gaze up at him, wishing he would kiss her, but knowing any more intimacy was a very bad idea. Her life was complicated, and he was leaving, and she needed to keep her focus on the court case. But the temptation to lean into his arms and forget everything for just a little while was almost overwhelming.