She wasn't a girl anymore, but there was a softness to her, a vulnerability that made her seem younger than before. Maybe that was because he'd grown and matured, and the five-year gap between them didn't seem as big as before. They were both adults now, both single, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her.
"No horse feed in your sandwich, right?" Hannah tilted her head at him.
"Huh?"
"Alfalfa sprouts. You always hated them."
"Oh. Yeah, but I eat 'em now."
"You do?" She raised her eyebrows. "Wow, you've changed. You used to think they were disgusting."
"Hey, I even drink wheatgrass these days."
"That's L.A. for you. Okay, I'm putting horse feed in yours." A minute later she set the sandwich before him. "Here you go."
"Thanks."
She placed a tall glass of milk next to his plate and turned away. Christ. Milk? Didn't she realize he'd been legal to drink for years now? But then he saw her sitting down with her own sandwich and matching glass of milk.
"I'm starving," she said. "I just got off my day shift at the nursing home."
He bit into his sandwich. It was stuffed full of turkey, avocado, lettuce, alfalfa-all the trimmings that made Hannah's sandwiches so memorable.
"I didn't realize you were back," he said around his mouthful. "The last time I spoke to Caleb, he said you were still in Florida."
She concentrated on her plate, dabbing at the crumbs. "Yeah, I had to take care of a few things before coming back."
He was treading in a minefield, he knew, but how could he ignore the facts? "The divorce?" he asked, keeping his expression neutral, though she wasn't even looking at him.
"No, that went through a few months ago." She frowned at her sandwich, and all the light in her face seemed to go out.
A knot formed in his gut. "I'm sorry about you and Rick." He was only saying what was expected of him. He was glad they'd split up, because Rick had always been a selfish jerk, and he was only sorry it had taken her this long to realize it.
She licked a stray crumb off her fingers, her expression growing defiant. "I'll get over him."
He relaxed at her upbeat tone. "Yeah, that's for sure."
But then her bottom lip wobbled, and suddenly his throat closed up in panic. Was Hannah going to cry? One look at her woebegone face had him longing to wrap her in a great big bear hug. But if he got her in his arms, what would he do next? It was one thing to be a teenager fantasizing about his best friend's older sister, but he'd never expected a situation like this.
He'd never opened up to anyone about his crush on Hannah. When he was eighteen, she'd gotten married and moved thousands of miles away. Derek had left for Los Angeles and started a successful furniture-making business, and now he had a TV career too. Their lives had diverged, and their visits to Pine Falls had never coincided. Six long and eventful years had passed.
Now, he wanted to touch her so badly. Wanted her to see-really see-him for the grown man he'd become. He stretched an arm across the table, reaching for Hannah-
The back door swung open, and a tall, fair-haired man sauntered in.
"Caleb!" Hannah called out.
Derek pulled his hand away from Hannah. Her younger brother-his best friend-had just walked in.
"Hey, Derek! Great to see you, dude!"
"You too, man."
Hannah watched as Caleb and Derek did that bro-hug thing.
She was kind of glad that her younger brother had interrupted. It had felt so strange to be alone with Derek. Of course she'd been alone with him lots of times in the past, but after not seeing or hearing from him in six years, he'd surprised her by appearing out of nowhere outside the house with a cop in tow.
God, he'd changed so much since she'd last seen him. She watched him surreptitiously as he stood next to Caleb, topping her younger brother by a couple of inches.
Derek was a man now. His lanky adolescent frame had filled out, and his shoulders were broad, his chest was muscled, and his jaw was square and evenly covered in stubble. The soft gray T-shirt he wore, that looked like one of those simple but expensive brands, clung to his firm torso, revealing developed biceps and forearms dusted with fine, dark hairs. His hands were large and blunt and rough-hardworking carpenter's hands. His dark brown hair, which used to flop across his forehead, was now slickly cropped, revealing eyes that had changed over the years, still crystalline blue and intelligent, but shrewder, more experienced and direct.
Derek was … seriously hot.
And that made her very uncomfortable. This handsome, sexy guy had once been the smooth-cheeked teenager she saw in her kitchen every day. The Derek she had mothered along with her own kid brother. Sheesh, that was a weird thought.
"I can't stay long," Caleb was saying. "I just stopped by to pick up Dad's fancy spanner set. A friend of mine needs help changing a tire."
"Have you had dinner yet?" Hannah asked automatically. "I can fix you a sandwich to go if you like."
"That'd be great, sis." Caleb took a seat at the table. "Ah, just like old times, huh?" he said to Derek. "You, me, and Hannah. Eating here at my old man's table."
Hannah smiled as she got up and reached for the loaf of bread. "Elbows off the table, and mind those muddy shoes of yours." Yes, she'd missed this, the three of them hanging out doing nothing in particular. Marrying Rick had taken this and much more from her yet given her so little in return. She'd felt off kilter alone with Derek, but Caleb's presence seemed to restore the balance.
"Hannah's sandwiches are the best," Derek said. "I've never tasted any better."
Why did that sound vaguely sexual? Hannah squirmed and tried to push the thought away. She was reading too much into Derek's comment. He's just complimenting my food, nothing else, dope.
"Are you okay, Hannah?" Caleb peered at her. "What's with that face you're making?"
Oh no. Could Caleb sense her newfound awareness of Derek? That would be seriously awkward for all of them. She wasn't used to seeing a grown-up Derek, that was all, nothing to do with finding him hot or anything. Of course not. She really had to be more careful around these two.
"Just the onion getting to me," she said, quickly averting her face.
"How long are you staying in Pine Falls?" Caleb asked Derek.
"Not long. I'm leaving on Saturday. Filming starts up next week."
"Ah, the glamorous life of a TV star," Caleb teased. "So what's up with you and Marla Beaudry? Are you two still an item?"
Hannah, busy with Caleb's sandwich, couldn't help noticing Derek's shoulders stiffening. "Marla Beaudry?" she asked. "You know her?" Hannah might not have a lot of spare time, but even she knew of the sultry singing sensation known for her provocative music videos.
Caleb answered her. "She was a celebrity guest on Derek's show. He built her a shoe closet and since then they've been like this." Caleb held up two fingers twined together.
Derek drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "We're just friends now."
"Just friends? Dude, Marla Beaudry is seriously hot, and I've seen those pictures of you two hanging out in clubs. How can you be just friends?"
Derek's gaze shifted to Hannah. Was it her imagination or did he seem embarrassed? We're just friends now, he'd said. Which meant that he and Marla had been more than friends initially. She didn't know why that bothered her. Could it be that she felt a tiny bit … jealous? God, no, how ridiculous.
"Didn't realize you were into entertainment gossip," Derek said lightly.
"Only when it involves you. I saw that footage of you and Marla when she got arrested for assaulting a photographer." Caleb sobered up a little. "You're not being dragged into that, are you?"
"I wasn't arrested. I try to stay on the right side of the law these days." Derek's eyes met Hannah's, and she knew he was thinking of the cop who'd pulled him over just half an hour ago.
She placed the wrapped sandwich in front of Caleb. "Here you go. Ham and Swiss cheese, your favorite."
"You're a star. Damn, I have to go. I still need to get that spanner set from the garage." Caleb rose to kiss her on the cheek. He turned to Derek. "Will you be home tomorrow? I can swing by for a visit."
"I'll be home, though my grandpa will probably be in a foul mood."
"So what's new?" Caleb laughed as he scooped up his sandwich and left.
Alone with Hannah, Derek wondered if she wished he would leave too. He didn't want to at all, he realized.
"So, Marla Beaudry, huh?" Her smile seemed a bit indulgent, like she was humoring him.
Crap. She still viewed him as a kid, hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting into trouble. But he wasn't a kid anymore. Couldn't she see that?
"Like I said, we're just friends."
"Yeah. Now."