“To say the least.”
“And that’s what’s bothering you?” For some reason, her heart hitched. Was the very idea of them together the thing that put such torment in his eyes?
“Your grandfather and my grandmother both had a sudden craving for croissants at precisely the same time,” he said.
She gave a soft laugh. “They enlisted his help? I don’t know, Declan, it’s kind of sweet.”
“Sweet? Evie, there’s more—”
She put her hand to his lips, the warm shock to her fingertips a small price to pay to end his obvious misery. She got it. He hated the idea.
“Well, don’t worry about that,” she said with false brightness. “It’s nothing but octogenarian foolishness. I’m not interested.”
“You’re not?”
“Of course not, Declan.”
His gaze moved over her face with a questioning look. “You’re…not?”
“You need it in writing?” she asked, but as soon as the words came out, she regretted them. Did he remember—
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “I thought you should know what they’re up to.”
“I knew.”
“And never mentioned it to me?”
She bit back a soft laugh. “We just ran into each other this morning, and we’ve been a little busy with Judah. But jeez, Dec, you don’t have to act like the idea is…toxic.”
“It’s kind of huge, don’t you think?”
She stood still for a moment, torn about how best to respond. Was the idea of them together again so freaking awful that he had to look pained by the idea?
Well, she had to remember the history. It would always be there, like a cloud hanging over them, stealing sunshine.
“I better go check on Judah.” She slipped out of the laundry room before he could stop her again, trying to will her heart to settle.
Which had no place being unsettled. She hadn’t seriously entertained any thoughts of rekindling anything with Declan, had she? Sure, she ogled his muscles and enjoyed his company and spent an extra minute or two studying his sexy lips and thinking about a friendship from long ago.
But did he have to flip out at the idea that people who loved them both wanted them to be happy? Did he have to…shut down? Of course he did. That, apparently, was Declan’s MO.
“Hey, baby.” She folded onto the floor next to Judah, grateful he was still resting, even though his eyes were open. “Those meds making you feel better? I’ll give you more when they wear off. No need for you to freak out about being in a strange place when you get sober.”
“Do you want me to carry him upstairs to your grandfather’s room?” Declan asked as he followed her into the entry hall a minute later.
“If he goes up there, I have to be sure he can navigate the steps,” she said, pushing up. “Let’s see how you handle adversity, Judah.” She couldn’t help sending a little glance at Declan to underscore her point.
If he picked it up, he wasn’t reacting. Instead, he stared up the stairs. “Long way up there for a dog with a compressed spine,” he said.
She put her hand on Judah’s head and guided him toward the stairs. “You decide, Judah. Can you do stairs, big boy?”
He made his way to the bottom, looking up as if he understood exactly what she’d said. Then he lifted one paw, looked at her, then dropped his head and began to climb. After a few steps, she turned him around to be sure he could get back down, which he did quite well.
“He really does speak English,” Declan said.
“And he’s doing great.” She led him back up, letting him stop to sniff at the top. “Probably smells all the Thads of the past,” Evie said, a few steps behind him. “It’s good to have a dog in this house, don’t you think?”
“He won’t be too far from you?” Declan asked, carrying the bed as he joined her.
“Actually, this is ideal,” she said. “Not only can they keep each other company, but there’s a small camera in the room linked to my phone.” She pointed at him. “Do not tell Granddaddy.”
“You spy on him?”
“I make sure he’s breathing in the middle of the night,” she said, ushering the dog down the hall.
“Did you listen before? When I was in there?” He actually sounded worried.
“No, I didn’t.” She headed into the room. Granddaddy was still sound asleep, wiped out from his trip down and up the grand stairs, but they set up Judah not far from the bed and closed the door.
When they were on the way downstairs, Evie resisted the urge to ask Declan to stay again. There was only so much rejection a woman could take in one day.
“I don’t know how to thank you for all this,” he said, a few steps behind her on the stairs.
“Please, I’ve missed hands-on vet work.” She turned at the bottom, watching him come down. “And if you wanted to help me get him to Vestal Valley for the MRI tomorrow, I would appreciate that.”
He stopped on the final step, his large hand landing on the newel, which of course rocked at the touch.
“Whoa.” He pulled back. “Did I break that?”
“No, it was already loose. Like so many things in this house, it needs work. I found crown molding buckling in my bedroom upstairs, and half the windows don’t open and close easily. You heard Granddaddy—that heinous red rug you’re standing on is as old as he is, and the whole house is as wobbly as that dog.”
“I could help you.”
She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“I’m pretty handy,” he said. “I’ve done a ton of work at my grandmother’s Victorian. It’s nothing like this, obviously, but I helped repair the basement stairs that damn near killed my sister-in-law. And I did work on some crown molding there, too. I could fix all the windows easily. I’ve been doing stuff like that for years, thanks to my strange work schedule.”
“Would you want to do that?” Since he was acting so damn weird.
He
