that.”
“You’re already doing so much.” She held up the ring finger of her left hand. “I hate to ask more of you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Honestly, I mean that.”
“Thank you.” Gia put down her cleaning towel, wiped her palms against the seat of her yoga pants.
His smile was so reassuring that her heart skipped a beat. “To be honest, I don’t know how I’m going to keep the kite store running during all this, even if Darynda does work for free. I’ll have no time to create more inventory and I’ve promised my current inventory”—she flapped a hand at the smoothie-splattered kites—“to the pop-up store. I don’t resent it, but I just got the business off the ground. I don’t know if the store can survive me taking six weeks off to save the inn. I signed a year’s lease on this kiosk and at this rate, I won’t be able to make the monthly rent.”
Mike moved to wrap an arm around her waist. His touch felt so nice, so reassuring. She longed to drop her head on his shoulders and let him make it all better.
“Things seem bleak now, but it’ll dovetail. Give it time,” he said.
“I’m being whiny, aren’t I? I’m sorry. I don’t mean to whine.”
“You’re not whining.” His gentle smile sent her hopes flying. “You’re going through some big rite-of-passage stuff.”
“This adulting thing sucks.”
“Sometimes, yeah it does.”
“Hang on a minute,” she said. “This is bugging me.”
“Huh?”
She reached up and brushed the sawdust from his hair. Instantly, her body burned hot as if she’d been standing too close to a stove. She dropped her hand. Backed off.
He stared at her, his mouth partially opened as if he was stunned and wondering what had just happened.
Believe me, I feel the same way. It was weird and kind of wonderful, this curious new chemistry.
“You had . . .” She rubbed two fingers together. “Sawdust.”
“Ah,” he said, his smile as hot as August. “Casualty of being a carpenter. I just came from my workshop.”
“What are you making?”
“A wedding arch for a beach wedding next month.” His gaze found hers, held it for a moment too long.
Gia gulped. “Nice.”
“About your problem. May I offer a solution?”
“Please do. I’m barely keeping my head above green goo here.”
“Sublet your kiosk to me.”
She shook her head. “I can’t let you bail me out. You’re already doing enough pretending to be my fiancé.”
“It’s not charity. I was already thinking about opening my own shop. I’m outgrowing my space at the art gallery.”
“Good effort, but you’re not fooling me.” Gia shook her head. “There’s not enough space in this kiosk, either.”
“Hear me out.” Mike held up a big palm thick with calluses, nicks, and scars. “I’d keep the big pieces at the gallery and use the kiosk to display my smaller projects.”
“Like what?”
“Shelves, scroll trim, wood boxes, stepstools, wall racks. If it hits, that’ll be my cue to rent a bigger space when the time comes. If not . . .” He shrugged. “I’ll square it up as a worthy experiment . . . and a nice tax deduction.”
She wanted to say yes. Having Mike take over her kiosk lease would save her fanny, but was it fair to him? She’d already asked so much. “I don’t know if that’s such a hot idea.”
He seemed puzzled. “Why not?”
“You don’t owe me anything, Mike. In fact, I owe you.”
“No, you don’t.”
She twirled his ring on her finger. “I do.”
“Oops,” he said.
“What?”
“More goo.” He polished the underside of the counter with a paper towel, but she saw him cut his eyes at her butt.
Grinning, she turned slightly, giving him a better view of her backside, but casually, like she wasn’t doing it on purpose. “I need to take down every kite, so we can make sure we get all the green stuff. It exploded everywhere.”
“See? You gotta take the kites down anyway, might as well move out and let me assume your lease. I’ll help you pack up and haul the kites back to the inn.”
“So we’re doing this?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Was it? She glanced around the kiosk. Gnawed her thumbnail. It had taken so much work to get the place up and running and now she was walking away. It felt like failure. You’re not doing it by choice. Grammy needed her. Her sisters needed her. Family came first.
“I’ve got my van parked in the boardwalk lot if you want to go ahead and start moving now.”
Wow, this was happening so fast. Her life was moving at