He moved his hand to the small of her back and steered her firmly away, and Erin just had time to say, “It was nice to meet you, Mark,” over her shoulder, before they rounded a corner and were out of sight. A few moments later they were at the door to the office, and Jake pushed it open for her.
She half expected to be hustled out of there, too, but Jake leaned back against the counter and looked at her. “How was your date on Friday?”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“Your date. You said you had a date on Friday. How was it?”
It had actually been one of the most boring dates of her life. They’d kissed goodnight outside the restaurant, and when she’d felt absolutely nothing she knew she couldn’t see Evan again.
But that wasn’t any of Jake’s business.
She folded her arms. “I was pretty specific about not wanting to discuss my love life with you. Remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. I guess I was just curious, because you seemed perfectly happy to flirt with Mark back there.”
This was so unfair that her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? I wasn’t flirting with Mark. If anything, he was flirting with me.” She took a deep breath. “Look. If you don’t want me to work on your website, that’s fine. I can recommend some other designers for you. But I won’t work with you if it’s going to be like this.”
“I—” Jake ran a hand over his hair, his expression frustrated. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again his voice was quieter. “Okay, you’re right. I was out of line. Your personal life is none of my business. I just…” He hesitated. “I’ve known you since you were a kid. I guess I feel protective of you.”
So it wasn’t jealousy that had been bugging him—he’d gone into honorary big brother mode. In spite of herself, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
“I’m not a kid anymore.”
He looked down at her with a slight smile on his face. “Believe me, I know that. And I want you to do our website. So…are we still okay?”
When it came to Jake Landry, she had no idea how to answer that question.
She shrugged. “Yes, we’re okay. I’ll call once I have some pages to show you and Mark, all right?”
“Yeah.” He looked at her, and she looked back at him, and when she could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks she knew it was time to go.
“Thanks for the tour,” she said briskly. “I’ll give you a call later this week.”
He held out a hand. “Let’s shake on it,” he said. “So I know we really are okay.”
She hesitated for just a second. Then she took his hand, and the rush of sensation made her stomach clench.
“Goodbye, Jake,” she managed. She pulled her hand away and headed for the door like it was an escape hatch.
Her fingers still tingled from his touch.
Chapter Six
Jake watched Erin through the glass door as she slid behind the wheel of her car, the one that wasn’t any good in the snow. A minute later she drove away.
He wanted to put snow tires on that car. He wanted to buy her a new car—one with all-wheel drive and a five-star safety rating.
He shook his head slowly. When had he started thinking about Erin Shaw like she was his business? She’d made it pretty clear that she wasn’t.
Whatever was going on in his head, he’d get over it. And in the meantime, he had a few things to say to his friend and prospective business partner.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded a minute later, confronting Mark across a disassembled engine.
Mark looked as pissed as Jake felt. “What’s wrong with me? I wasn’t the guy practically dragging our new web designer out of here. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“You were flirting with her.”
“Of course I was. She’s gorgeous.”
“We’re hiring her to do a job for us. Flirting is…unprofessional.”
Mark stared at him. “Are you kidding? You didn’t say anything when I went out with our accountant. What makes this so different? When you first talked about her, you said there wasn’t anything going on between you. Is that the truth?”
“Yeah, it’s the truth.”
“So why is she off limits?”
That was the million dollar question. “I don’t want to see her get hurt. I’ve known Erin since she was a kid.”
“Yeah, well, she’s all grown up now. What do you think I am, some kind of player? I’m not just out for a good time. If I meet the right woman, I’ll get serious with her.”
It was true. Mark wasn’t a player. He was a pretty decent guy, in fact. He dated a lot but he never talked about having a one-night stand with a woman.