The Summer of No Attachments (The Summer Friends #2) - Lori Foster Page 0,11
moved in, and the rumors were that Corbin was made of money. He spent enough to give that impression, buying things that most people collected over time. Kayak, paddleboard, floats, lawn furniture, a wrought iron patio set, fishing gear, sports equipment... It was as if he’d moved in empty-handed and then filled every space for entertainment.
According to Hope, they were now building a tree house, too. From one of her windows, she had been able to see them in the tree, putting up a platform, both of them shirtless.
She’d been very complimentary in her description of Corbin’s chest. Ivey had been imagining that ever since.
When did the man work? And what type of work did he do?
Because Sunset was a small town, she knew that he’d hired landscapers for the lawn and a few locals to expand the dock. And...
Honestly, she spent far too much time thinking about him. So much time, in fact, she hadn’t given any other guys the time of day. Just as Corbin’s presence had gone through the gossip mills, so had her newly acquired status of single. A few locals had tried to engage her in conversation, and one had even offered to buy her coffee.
She’d been carefully polite in turning them down, claiming a busy schedule. After all, she’d die if anyone thought she was still pining for Geoff. The truth was that she only thought of Geoff when he contacted her, and with him, she wasn’t quite so gracious.
When would she see Corbin again? Maybe she could—
Hope stuck her head into the office. “Sorry, but you have company.”
Ivey’s heart leaped and for a single second she thought that Corbin had stopped by to see her. Maybe she’d conjured him with her daydreaming. Quickly tamping down her expectations—and needlessly smoothing her hair—she decided he probably wanted to find out about a pet. She was already smiling when Geoff stepped in and closed the door behind him.
Well, hell. All her expectant joy evaporated.
No way could she block the scowl from her face. “What are you doing here?”
His charming smile never slipped. “You won’t take my calls, so what choice did I have?”
“You could get the message that we’re over.”
“Right.” Moseying in like a man without a care, he propped a hip on the edge of her desk. “And I have. I get it. We’re over.” With false humility, he added, “I screwed up.”
Cleaning her hands on a napkin, then gulping down the last of her herbal tea, Ivey shrugged. “Wonderful. So why are you here?”
The charming smile warmed another watt. “Since our old relationship is over, I thought we might try a new relationship.”
That had to be a joke. She wasn’t known for her diplomacy, so surely she’d gotten her point across. But just in case, she looked him in the eyes and stated, “No,” without a single blink.
“Don’t be so hasty, babe. We’ve known each other a long time, we’re friends, right?”
Hearing the endearment made her mouth flatten.
“Come on, Ivey. You were attracted to me once.”
Once...past tense. Yes, Geoff was a good-looking man. Fit, tall enough so that she didn’t feel gangly beside him, his brown hair neatly trimmed and his blue eyes sparkling.
She didn’t care anymore. Never again would she be romantically involved with him, but something more casual? If he truly meant mere friendship, she could probably handle that.
To make sure, she asked, “Friendship? Certainly. Not yet, but sometime in the future, that would be fine.” She pushed back her chair. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to discuss the finer points another day. I have patients waiting.”
When she started around him, he caught her arm. “Ivey, wait.” His thumb rubbed above her elbow in a not-so benign way. He stepped up close behind her. Too close. “If I have to start as friends, hey, I can work with that.” His voice dropped and his warm breath teased her temple. “But we could be friends with benefits, don’t you think?”
Oh good Lord. His attention now was so ironic, she could laugh. Seriously, she’d given him every opportunity to show interest, to find even a spark of chemistry, and he’d chosen to play games on his phone instead.
Now that she’d ditched him, he wanted convenient sex? Less than a month ago, she’d repeatedly offered convenient sex, and he’d turned it down.
She said with exaggerated humor, “No, I don’t think so. Thanks anyway.”
“We were good together, babe.”
She’d thought so, until he’d lost interest. Whenever she tried to initiate things, it had always been a toss-up whether he’d