and what felt like an indecent amount of his pelvis.
“’Fraid not,” he said draping his damp T-shirt around the back of his neck. “The coil’s toast and you might as well buy a whole new unit for what it’ll cost to replace it.”
“Oh dear. I was afraid of that,” Birdie said.
Wyatt strode to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. “The good news is, I found you a good deal on a replacement. But it’s in Austin, so I won’t be able to pick it up until tomorrow.”
Mia finally recovered the power of speech. “Tomorrow?” What was she supposed to do in the meantime? Die of heatstroke?
“Drat.” Birdie looked at Mia. “You’ll just have to sleep here tonight.”
“Oh no,” Mia said. “I couldn’t do that.” Maybe Birdie could loan her a fan. She might be able to tough it out for one night.
“You’ll have to.” Birdie’s tone left no room for argument. “I certainly can’t let you sleep up there.”
“It’s ninety-two degrees in that apartment right now.” Wyatt leaned in next to Mia and grabbed a dinner roll off the table, putting his glistening nipples directly in her eyeline. A tiny bead of sweat slid down his pec and over the rippled muscles along his rib cage. “And don’t expect it to cool off much overnight.”
Mia exhaled as Wyatt straightened, but he stayed where he was, casually resting a hand on the back of her chair as he bit into his roll.
“You can sleep in my spare room tonight,” Birdie said. “It’s not the Ritz, but it’ll have to do.”
All Mia could do was nod numbly as Wyatt’s cologne mingled with the heady scent of his sweat-soaked skin, fogging her senses.
Birdie clapped her hands with pleasure and pushed her chair back. “Who wants dessert?”
“I do,” Wyatt said, letting his gaze fall heavily on Mia.
Chapter Nine
Wyatt inhaled two bowls of Birdie’s banana pudding before bidding them good night. Mia couldn’t decide if she was more relieved or disappointed to see him go.
He certainly made things more interesting. But did she actually want more complexity in her life? She was supposed to be avoiding distractions, and Wyatt was someone who oozed distraction out of his pores. Flattering as it was to be the focus of his attention, she felt drained after half an hour in his presence.
After Wyatt had left, Mia went up to her apartment and packed an overnight bag, hastily grabbing pajamas, toiletries, and a change of clothes before fleeing the sweltering apartment. It had been foolish, she realized, to think she could tough it out up there overnight.
Living in New York and LA, Mia had considered air-conditioning a luxury rather than a necessity. None of her last few apartments had it, and she hadn’t missed it except for a few weeks in the summer when temperatures became truly intemperate. But even during a heat wave it cooled off enough overnight to offer a temporary reprieve.
Not here. The temperature outside had barely dropped at all since the sun had dipped below the horizon. Mia blamed the humidity, which hung in the air like a miasma, trapping the heat under its oppressive weight. There was no breeze to speak of either. The air here was brutally still. How did anyone survive a Texas summer without air-conditioning?
Birdie was still clearing off the bed in the spare room when Mia came back. Like many a guest bedroom, it mostly seemed to be used for storage, and Mia helped her move the last few boxes onto the floor.
Underneath the clutter, the twin-size mattress was covered with a patchwork quilt and sheets dotted with tiny pink roses. There was a ruffled mint green bed skirt to match the ruffled gingham valance above the window. It was a little like standing in the cottagecore Holy Land.
Birdie surveyed the room with a faint look of distaste. “This was my bedroom, once upon a time.”
Mia could easily picture a teenaged Birdie in here listening to records on the dusty old stereo in the corner as a precursor to her Lilith Fair groupie days. Several of Mia’s friends back home would kill to get their hands on a vintage record player like that. Eighties throwbacks were all the rage right now.
Birdie pulled the chain on the ceiling fan to switch it on. “Bathroom’s right across the hall. I set out fresh towels for you. Just let me know if you need anything at all.”
After Mia bid her good night, she took her bag across the hall and got ready