Page 35 of I'll Carry You
“I went for a run and locked myself out of my cabin.”
Oh.She tried not to feel deflated. Of course, he was a runner, though. He looked as though he hit the gym hard on the regular. The lights were on in the guest lodge. “Isn’t anyone here?”
He nodded at a small sign on the glass door front. Laura had written her phone number on a piece of paper with the message, “Be Back Soon!”
Jason cleared his throat. “I left my phone charging in my cabin, so I couldn’t call the number.”
Well, that was something. Maybe it explained why he hadn’t bothered to text her. The keys on her key ring jangled as she unlocked the front door of the guest lodge. “Sorry about that. Have you been waiting here long?”
Colby pushed into the cabin and bounded toward the back room right away. Jen smirked. As he got older, it never ceased to amaze her how he had his own agenda and plans for everything. She set their bags down behind the counter and then unlocked the cabinet where they kept the keys.
Jason came up to the counter slowly, his eyes unreadable. He watched her silently. Did he not know what to say? Had they made things awkward?
She fished one of the spare keys for cabin four out of the cabinet. She held it out to him, and his fingers brushed against hers as he took it. A sizzling, electric feeling rose in her skin, goose bumps the aftershocks of his touch. She met his gaze, pulling her hand back, then gave a quick glance to the room where Colby was busy setting up the train set from the box he’d pulled out from under the bed.
Moistening her lips, she gave him a taut smile.What did you do today? Nice day?Nothing seemed to be an apt question.
“So what do you have going on tomorrow?” Jason dropped the key into his pocket and broke the silence.
“Actually, I’m not sure. I work at the café, but”—she looked back at Colby and lowered her voice—“I don’t have anyone to watch Colby. I’m trying to figure it out.”
His eyes, fringed with dark, long lashes, narrowed. “Don’t they have apps for babysitters these days?”
She raised a brow. His inexperience with children and parenthood was showing through. “You’d think.” Then she shook her head and added, “But even if they did, I’m not comfortable leaving Colby with just anyone. Especially because I left him with a friend last winter for a few hours, and he got lost in the woods during a snowstorm. It was terrifying. That’s when his night terrors started.”
“That sounds awful.” A thoughtful look crossed his face as though her words had a deeper impact. He leaned forward on the counter on his forearms. “Can you call out?”
“Only if I really want to leave my boss scrambling and upset with me. But I don’t know if I have much choice.”Crap.With her having to do the baking, she’d have to get to the café extra early. That made the logistics of childcare even more difficult.
He hesitated, his eyes flickering over at Colby. “Do you need a hand? I mean, not that you know me well enough to watch your kid, but I can try to help in some capacity. Maybe sit and entertain him in the café if he doesn’t mind watching cartoons on my laptop? If it helps you.”
This definitely broke the rules of casual hookups, didn’t it? She hadn’t expected that level of thoughtfulness or problem-solving from him. And shereallyshouldn’t take the offer to mean something more than it did. She did her best to keep her expression completely even. “Don’t you have work or something?”
“I’m working remotely.” Jason shrugged. “Besides, I’m taking leave. The only reason I’m logging in hours on this trip is that it’s my family's business, so I like to keep my head in the game.”
“So you’re a compulsive workaholic who works on vacation?” She leaned forward on the counter on her forearms and elbows, closer toward him, clasping her hands. “The list of things I know about you is getting a little long for comfort.”
“And those include?”
“Let’s see. You’re from Chicago, drive a nice car, go on vacation by yourself in small towns off the beaten path—presumably because you have family nearby—and have terrible taste in coffee.”
He guffawed. “What’s wrong with my coffee?”
“It’s black.” She rolled her eyes. “Which everyone knows is the quintessential drink of choice of a workaholic, by the way. All the caffeine, none of the fun.”
“It’s healthier,” he defended wryly.
“Ah, yes, you’re also a runner—and probably a health nut, from the sounds of it—and you like your women commitment-free.”
He set his hands down on the counter and straightened. “And you claim not to be stalking me.”
They shared a laugh, and she bit her lip, smiling.
She didn’t need to know much about him to know she was extremely attracted to him, which wasn’t a great thing. He was leaving sooner rather than later, but she didn’t want to put the brakes on whatever pulled her toward him, either, because he had somehow made her feel so alive. Desired.
His offer to help her with Colby was intriguing, and if she was honest, a bit of a relief. Even if she didn’t accept it, he’d been sweet to offer.
And Jason isn’t the sort of guy who comes off as sweet.