Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (9 page)

Patting the woman’s arm, he replied, “You never give up, do you?” He turned to Aubrey. “I want you to meet Lucy Kilgore, keeper of the lighthouse. Lucy, this is my assistant, Aubrey Sommers.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Aubrey.” The woman’s eyes were alight with unconcealed curiosity. Everyone had heard about Corbin’s new employee. “You came at just the right time. You’ve got the place to yourselves.”

Aubrey smiled uncertainly. “Oh, that will be nice.”

Corbin saved them further embarrassment by steering her toward the narrow, winding staircase. “It will be better if you go first. If you fall into me, I’ll hardly feel it. But if I happen to lose my footing and fall into you, we’ll both have to be hospitalized.”

The climb was more arduous than Aubrey realized. She was out of breath by the time they reached the top. She noticed with some irritation that her companion hadn’t been similarly affected. As they leaned over the guard rail, Corbin said nothing as she took deep breaths of fresh air, though a smile played around his lips. After a few moments, she turned to him.

“You can see the entire island from up here. Where’s your house?”

He put his arm around her waist and turned her to the right. “See the red pickup. My house is the one across the street.”

“Oh, there it is. How did I not see that?” Though she tried to sound normal, every nerve in her body was aware of Corbin’s arm.
Why was she so on edge?
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t touched her before.

“It’s not easy to get your bearings from such a different perspective.”

Aubrey heard the familiar chime of Corbin’s phone. His arm fell away as he moved to answer it. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to stop being silly. She was letting her experience with Richard color her relationship with Corbin.

As Corbin listened to his mother’s remarks about his absence from his sister-in-law’s birthday dinner, his eyes strayed to Aubrey. Why did he never tire of watching her or spending time with her? Was it her indifference to him or her unawareness of the interest she stirred in him? His need to know the answer to these questions was in itself a surprise. Such thoughts indicated a level of involvement he couldn’t afford to indulge.

A furtive smile touched her lips, and Corbin felt the quickening of his pulse. It was a sensation that happened more and more often these days. He forced his gaze away from her, but the damage was done. He didn’t need to see Aubrey to be aware of her.

After offering his apologies to his mother, he joined Aubrey at the railing. When she turned to him, her eyes shone with happiness. Corbin was reminded of their first meeting when those same eyes had been heavy with sadness. Maybe in some way he’d helped Aubrey move past her grief – if only for the space of a few hours. That didn’t make up for the way he’d treated her at the beginning of their acquaintance. He regretted those early days when he’d allowed his prejudice about women to influence his opinion of her.

Her words interrupted his thoughts. “We can go now. I’ve kept you here long enough.”

“Are you sure? Lucy will be disappointed if we leave too soon.”

She laughed. “Like you care about that.”

“You’re right; I learned a long time ago that you can’t control what people think.”

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

He shrugged. “Most things in life have the potential to hurt.”

“That’s a pessimistic view of life.”

“I like to think it’s a realistic one.”

She sighed deeply. “I want to believe that the pain we experience serves some purpose.”

“It does, Aubrey. It gives us a deeper appreciation for everything else.” He noticed the goose bumps on her arm. “You’re cold. We better go.”

“Thanks for bringing me.”

He was silent on the return trip, disappearing almost immediately once they were inside the house. Accustomed to his varying moods, Aubrey went into the laundry room to release Horace from his confinement. Carrying him into the kitchen, she proceeded to tell him about her afternoon.

Corbin couldn’t help but hear this highly entertaining, albeit, one-sided conversation. A reluctant smile came and went on his face. He had never met anyone like her. Entering his office, he attempted to rationalize the tense moments at the top of the lighthouse. He was always stressed when he had too many big projects going on at the same time. In a few weeks, everything would settle down and return to normal.

* * * *

When Aubrey joined him there later, he was busy at his drafting table. Wads of crumbled blueprint lay on the ground at his feet.

“I came to get a book; I won’t be a minute,” she whispered.

Without turning his head, he asked, “Why are you whispering?”

“I’m not sure.”

He laughed. “You can read in here if you want. It’s not like I’m having much success by myself.”

“I wish I could help, but I know nothing about designing houses.”

He swung around to face her. “This is one of those projects I should have passed on. The owner wants to double the size of his dining room and add two more guestrooms on a piece of property the size of a postage stamp.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to make it happen.”

Her confidence in him drew a faint smile. “I hope so. The plans are due tomorrow.”

“Won’t it bother you to have me in here?”

Of course she would bother him. He wouldn’t get anything done with her so close by.
“No, as long as you don’t read out loud.”

Aubrey moved toward the bookshelves. “I love the smell of books, don’t you?”

With some amusement, Corbin admitted he did. “I also like the feel of them in my hands.” He observed her efforts to reach the top shelf, but resisted the urge to help her. “There’s a stool around here somewhere.”

“For who? You don’t need it.”

Corbin determinedly turned his attention to the house plans in front of him, trying to ignore the sound of her ascending the steps of the stool. He heard her select a book and flip it open. The temptation to watch her was more than he could bear, and he didn’t attempt to fight it. His gaze moved slowly from her bare feet to the small hands holding the book and lastly to her face.

She was motionless except for her lips which moved fleetingly as she read. Thanks to that kiss in the bathroom, he knew how soft those lips felt against his own. Hardly a day went by when he didn’t want to taste them again. He grinned ruefully at her probable reaction should he actually do such a ridiculous thing as kiss her every day. At that moment, Aubrey glanced up and met his eyes.

“I
am
bothering you, aren’t I?”

Corbin perjured himself without a qualm. “No, I was just thinking.”

She stepped down from the stool and made herself comfortable in one of the chairs. Fortunately for Corbin’s peace of mind, she was out of his line of vision. With an inward sigh, he resumed his work. Neither of them spoke another word until Horace pushed his way through the partially closed door.

“Your roommate has come for you,” he commented dryly.

Aubrey glanced at her watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” She stood up and moved to the door. “You’ll be glad to get rid of me.”

As he watched her go, Corbin knew the opposite was closer to the truth. With an impatient gesture, he threw down the pencil in his hand. He had to get a grip on what was happening. How had Aubrey progressed from being a nuisance to being tolerable to being someone he couldn’t stop thinking about?
And what was he going to do about it?

He couldn’t even remember when he’d begun to like her nor could he find an acceptable reason for why he’d allowed himself to do so. His overconfidence had been his downfall. He’d been so certain it wouldn’t happen that he hadn’t taken any of the usual precautions. Had he lost all control over his thoughts and feelings?

* * * *

After taking a shower, Aubrey offered Horace a ball of yarn and settled on the bed to read. It wasn’t long before her eyes closed.

Flames shot from the plane, the rescue personnel just visible through the haze of dust and smoke, going in and out of the burning aircraft in a desperate search for survivors. Feeling helpless, knowing her parents were inside, Aubrey broke through the barricades, staggering through the crowds, and entered the burnt out fuselage. Inside, the heat was intense, singeing her clothes and burning her skin. Billowing smoke filled her lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Unknown hands began urging her away, but she refused to leave her parents in the plane to die. She had to find them and get them out.

A scream of frustration broke from her throat. Aubrey groped in the dark for the lamp, finally managing to turn the switch. As she wiped a film of moisture from her forehead, her bedroom door flew open and Corbin came in, his stride bringing him to her side quickly.

“I heard you scream. Are you all right?”

“I’m sorry for scaring you like that. I had a nightmare.” She noticed he was fully dressed. “Were you burning the midnight oil again?”

“I just finished the plans for that house.” He hesitated a moment before going on. “If you’re sure you’re okay, I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

Aubrey threw back the duvet and stood up. “I can’t sleep now. I’m going to fix some hot chocolate. Would you like some?”

As she reached for her robe, Corbin’s glance slid to the hair cascading to her waist. He turned hastily toward the door.
He needed to get out of here.
“Sure, lead the way.”

As he followed Aubrey down the stairs, he hoped she wouldn’t have any more nightmares. For his own peace of mind, he never wanted to enter her bedroom again. It was a bad idea no matter how he looked at it. He busied himself heating the water, anything to keep his eyes away from her. It had been foolish to accompany her down here. He should have gone to his room even if he knew he wouldn’t sleep.

“You’re very quiet,” Aubrey observed as she measured out chocolate and spooned it into cups. “Are you thinking about your next project?”

Corbin laughed softly; if he told her what he was thinking, she’d leave tomorrow. “No. I’m trying to remember the last time I drank hot chocolate.”

“I got addicted to drinking it in college.”

“There are worse habits,” he added in an amused voice. “I think the water is ready.”

He poured it into the cups and then watched as she loaded the entire surface with marshmallows. “We’re going to be up all night with all that sugar.”

She giggled and his heart skipped a beat. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he was going to end up kissing her again.
Not a good thing to do considering he was still recovering from the last one.

“Not me. This will get me sleeping like a baby.”

Corbin hoped it might work for him, but doubted it. He would be forever getting this scene out of his mind.

When they left the kitchen, the irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him. From the beginning, he’d been determined to keep Aubrey firmly in her place, not wanting her to get any ideas about him. That part had been successful. The problem facing him now was keeping his own thoughts in check. Since he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of her, there was only one other thing to do.

* * * *

Aubrey noticed a subtle change in Corbin over the next few days. Engrossed in his various projects, he had nothing that wasn’t work-related to say to her. Puzzled and trying not to feel disappointed, she plunged into her work with new fervor. When she wasn’t chained to her desk, she escaped the atmosphere of the house for the tranquility of the beach. It was inevitable she would run into the one person she had no desire to meet.

A long shadow blotted out the sun. Aubrey’s smile quickly turned to a scowl when she saw who it was.

“Hello, Aubrey. Are we speaking?”

“You tell me,” she retorted coldly. “I’m not the one who slammed out of the house.”

To her annoyance, Richard didn’t leave, but instead sat down beside her. “I was angry. It seemed best to go.”

“Do you always get angry when you don’t get your way?”

“Not always, but I hate being wrong.”

“What were you wrong about?”

He sent her a quick glance. “Everything, I guess. When you came to the Christmas shop, I’d just found out that the girl I’d hoped to hook up with had to leave town unexpectedly. It left me with time on my hands and when I’m bored, I do stupid things. I knew what kind of girl you were from our first couple of meetings. Looking back, I should have left you alone.”

“I wish you had. It would have saved us a wasted afternoon. The sad thing is I thought you liked me.”

“I cured you of that at least. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about what happened, not only for what I did, but what I said.”

“I appreciate that. I never expected you to apologize, especially after the way you left.”

Richard stood up, dusting the sand from his shorts. “It didn’t come easy, believe me. Worse than being wrong, I hate admitting it.”

Aubrey shoved her book into her tote bag. “I guess we have one thing in common.”

He laughed. “Are you leaving?”

“I need to get back.”

“Can I carry that bag for you? I’m going your way.”

“That’s okay. It’s not that heavy.”

“There’s no ulterior motive behind my offer.”

This time Aubrey laughed. “I know that.” She handed him the bag. “I should have left sooner. I just remembered it’s my turn to cook dinner.”

“I heard something about Paul not coming back. The rumors are flying around already.”

“Feel free to set the record straight.”

“The truth is boring. It’s much more interesting to believe that a romance is brewing. And it’s not so far-fetched. When two people are alone together for long periods of time, anything can happen.”