“No, I mean here. At my house.”
Without meaning to, he glanced back at Heidi’s, where the kitchen door remained ajar. Rubbing a hand over his messy hair, he debated how much to tell her.
Apparently, he didn’t need to tell her anything at all.
Eyes widening, Charish slowly looked at the other house, too. “Heidi Ellard lives there.”
Leaning on her van, Colt folded his arms. “Yeah, she does.”
Still looking away, she stiffened her shoulders. “The two of you are...?”
Friends with benefits. Nope, not something he’d say. “Friends.”
Locking her fingers together, she faced him with skepticism. “Heidi is very nice.”
“She is.”
Her attention dipped to his bare chest, then down to his bare feet.
Yeah, it didn’t need a lot of explanation.
He heard himself say anyway, “She was my Realtor when I bought my place.”
Colt saw the wrong conclusions drifting over her expression, but damned if he’d enlighten her on the facts. For one thing, it’d be an insult to Heidi to toss out that they enjoyed casual, uncommitted sex.
For another, it wasn’t any of Charish’s business. Not anymore.
“So...you have your own house now, too?”
“I’m twenty-five. Did you think I’d still live at home?”
Flushing, then frowning, she said, “Not really, though I did until recently.”
Shit. Yeah, she’d been helping with her family. Softening just a bit, Colt explained, “After I graduated, I found a great job locally. Clearbrook is home, you know? Heidi kept an eye out on property for me, and when she found a place on the same street with Dad and Uncle Jason, I took it.”
Grabbing for a change in topic, she said, “How nice that you still live close to them,” as she walked around the other side of the van.
Frustration propelled him forward. Every box she lifted, he took from her. “Diesel likes being close to them.”
A genuine smile curved her mouth. “I’ve missed Diesel. How is he? He still likes to pick and choose where to sleep?”
She’d missed his dog, but not him? Colt shook his head. “He’s older now, a little slower, and yeah, he still spreads around his affection between my house, Dad’s, and Uncle Jason’s.”
“He’s with one of them now?”
Was that censure because he’d spent the night with Heidi? His brows pinched together. “Diesel stayed with Dad, but he and Violet have already gone to work. My backyard is fenced, and there’s a doggy door, but I don’t know if Dad dropped him off at home or let him go to Uncle Jason’s. Our houses are close enough together, it’s no problem for him to go wherever he chooses.”
“Sounds like a nice setup.”
“He’ll probably enjoy seeing you.” Yeah, that got her gaze glued to his, and even put a touch of panic in her expression. Colt pretended not to notice. “You’re here for good?”
She grabbed up a laundry basket filled with more clothes. “Like you said, it’s home.”
“You bought back your family’s place?”
Since that was as obvious as where he’d spent the night, she only shot him an insincere smile. “Yes.” Holding that overflowing basket, she walked past him.
Disgruntled, Colt hefted one of the heavier boxes and followed.
Apparently choosing to ignore him, Charish carried in load after load alongside him without saying a word other than to direct him on where to put them.
When the van was empty, she said, “That’s all of it. Thank you for the help.”
Far as Colt could see, two big things were missing: food and furniture. To be sure, he opened the fridge, but yeah, not even a condiment.
“Sorry, I’d offer you a drink if I had one.”
Would she? Or did she say it because she couldn’t? “I’m fine.” He managed a tight smile. “Heidi has drinks next door.”
Her shoulders stiffened. As if to hurry him on his way, she pulled out her phone to check the time.
Too bad. He wasn’t ready to budge yet. Hell, he had a million questions still. “Got an appointment?”
“Movers should be here soon.”
At least now he understood why she’d wanted all the boxes stacked out of the way. “They have your furniture?”
“Mom moved in with Hank, so I got a lot of her stuff, plus since they remodeled, I got things from him, too.” Hand to her forehead, she looked around. “By the end of the day, I’ll at least have a place to sit.”
“And a bed to sleep on?”
Her gaze collided with his, locking there as color warmed her cheeks.
Pretty. He’d always liked the way she blushed. The longer he stared at her, the pinker she got.
Letting her off the hook, Colt rubbed a hand over his unshaven cheek and asked, “When are they due?”
“Who?”
Amused, he said, “The movers?”
“Oh. Right.” She tried a smile that wasn’t at all how he remembered it. “Within the hour, as long as they didn’t run into any problems.”
“Heavy stuff?”
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll unload it all.” Giving him her back, she strode to the sink and peered out the window. “Thank you so much for the help. I can handle it from here.”
Another dismissal.
The more she tried to push him away, the more determined he was to stay. “You’re different.”
“Six years will do that to a person.”
He accepted that with a nod. “You have a job lined up?”
“I’m a primary care nurse now.” She turned back to him. “I’ll be working with Dr. Fleming at his practice.”
Did he detect a note of pride? She deserved it. “I remember you talking about medicine. So you made it happen, huh?”
Now that was the smile he remembered.
Dropping the reserve, she relaxed her stance. “It wasn’t easy, not with helping to care for Grandma and then Dad, but yeah, I finally got it done.”
“Good for you.” The urge to embrace her throbbed inside him, but he resisted. “Look, I need to run—”
“Of course.” Immediately she was back to mere politeness. “Again, thanks for the help. Take care.”