“I’m going to take your silence to mean that I’m right,” Lacy concluded again.
Elisa pulled in a breath. “I don’t know,” she answered. “It’s kind of complicated. If I jump into a relationship with him and it doesn’t work out, then that will only confuse Tyler—”
“Why wouldn’t it work out?” Lacy interjected.
“Well.” Elisa chewed her lower lip. “Have you ever been in a relationship where it didn’t work out?”
Lacy laughed. “Okay, you got me there. Judging by the way Brody clammed up, I’d say he likes you.”
“What do you mean by ‘clammed up’?” Maybe Brody didn’t do that with just her?
Lacy paused and ran her tongue along her lower lip. “Brody’s divorce left him pretty scarred. Since then he’s been really selective about the women he gets close to. And when he does find a woman worth spending time with, he becomes very… reserved. It’s like he erects this wall around himself and only shares certain parts of himself with her. I guess gun-shy would be a good way to describe him.”
All this time there had been something about the man Elisa couldn’t put her finger on, almost like a sense of wariness or fear he couldn’t allow himself to overcome. Now she understood his psyche a bit better, thanks to his sister-in-law.
But Elisa still had unanswered questions. Was the reason Brody held himself back because he wanted to explore a further relationship with her?
Duh, he already made that clear the other night when he kissed you.
How could she get him to trust her?
Or, perhaps the better question was, how would she handle this with an impending trip around the world? And what rotten timing too. Just when she’d found a guy, a real man who was a genuine threat to her heart, it just happened to coincide with an opportunity of a lifetime.
But isn’t a potential great love an opportunity of a lifetime also?
How was she supposed to choose between the two? And how could her heart differentiate between two things that she wanted with equal passion? Even more than that, was it possible to have both? Before she’d been so sure that leaving Trouble would be a piece of cake. That she could slap a for-sale sign on her lawn and jet out of town without a backward glance.
Now? A complication had presented itself. A complication named Brody McDermott who’d thrown a pair of steel tethers around her legs and wouldn’t let go.
Lacy placed a warm palm on Elisa’s arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I think Brody genuinely likes you.” She offered Elisa a comforting smile. “I haven’t seen him this clammed up over a woman in a long time. Not even with Kelly.”
Lacy’s words did something funny to Elisa’s insides. Her stomach turned over in uncomfortable knots and her heart did little palpitations.
“Thanks. I should go check on Mason. Can I get you anything?”
Lacy gazed at Elisa, as if sensing there was more Elisa wanted to say. Luckily the other woman didn’t press the issue. Elisa was too confused herself.
“I’m fine, thanks. And I don’t hear any screaming or loud crashing, so I’m sure Mason’s fine too.”
Elisa left the bedroom with an odd sort of comfort, yet she wasn’t sure what to do with the information Lacy had given her. The comforting feeling was odd to say the least, given the flip-flopping her heart continued to do. Whether or not to take the job she’d been waiting years for or stick around and give her budding relationship with Brody a chance. Because hadn’t she been waiting just as long for that?
As a girl, she’d seen the love her parents had for each other and placed that on her list of lifelong goals. To have a life-changing love. What she felt for Brody could easily grow into that. Then again, she’d been living on her own for so long, taking care of herself after her parents had died, that she wouldn’t know the first thing about sharing her life with someone. As much as she wanted—no, craved—that kind of deep connection with Brody, Elisa had only known disappointment in the love department. The two people she’d adored more than anyone had been taken from her in the blink of an eye. Then, with the departure of Marcello, she’d lost the last bit of family she had left—her mother’s parents had both passed on before Elisa had been born. Since then, she’d been so careful to guard herself against potential disappointment. Potential loss. In the process, Elisa had grown accustomed to being alone. And the idea of losing her heart to someone who could just as easily snatch it from her was almost as terrifying as leaving Brody.
As messed up and twisted as that was.
In such a short amount of time, her life had taken a massive twist. Yet she’d never been so conflicted.
For the first time in several weeks, Elisa had some time to herself. Free time had become such a rare occurrence, she almost didn’t know what to do. The idea of completely vegging out with junk food in front of the television almost had her pulling on a pair of comfortable sweats. Plus, didn’t she deserve a little down time? Especially since she’d been contacted that morning by Taste of Home magazine offering her a small job. It wasn’t a huge deal, just some photos for a few featured recipes. An all-expense paid trip to their test kitchen in Iowa would earn her a nice chunk of change. The timing was a bit tight—two weekends before Mongolia—but she’d make it work.
In the meantime, she planned on using today to take some recreational photos. Brody had informed her today was his day off, and he would be picking Tyler up from school. The skies were clear and the wind wasn’t howling—perfect conditions for snapping pictures.
Elisa gathered her photography bag and tossed in all her essentials. Next, she packed a light snack and a bottle of water.
Ten minutes later, with her bag slung over her shoulder and shoes on her feet, Elisa opened the front door. She stopped cold when her eyes landed on Brody strolling up the walkway. Suddenly her peaceful day turned very uncertain. She made a futile attempt to moisten her dry lips. It didn’t work.
Why did she have to react to him like this? Being near him always made her feel out of control. And every time she was around him, she questioned her decision to leave, as though she were walking away from something very important.
“Did I catch you on your way out?” he asked in that deliciously deep timbre of his.
Flashes of the other night, of his mouth caressing hers, wreaked havoc with her once-tranquil mind.
She cleared her throat, so she could have a prayer of sounding like a normal human being. “I was just heading out to take some pictures.” And thinking about you.
He came to a stop just a breath in front of her, so close that his intoxicating Old Spice aroma threatened to make her pass out.
“Want to come?” she blurted out.
Yeah, invite him along. That way you won’t be able to concentrate on anything you’re doing. Superb idea.
Little lines appeared at the corners of his eyes when he smiled. “If you don’t think I’ll be a distraction.”
Oh, I know you will. But I’m willing to make a compromise.
“I’ve managed to take pictures with you there before.”
“We weren’t alone before,” he stated simply.
All the more reason for you not to have him along! Are you insane?
For years, Elisa had kept herself sheltered from men. After being burned numerous times in the past, she’d learned to proceed with caution before jumping into a relationship. Perhaps she’d been too cautious? Had she been her own worst enemy by closing herself off?
She shrugged to feign indifference. “I have nothing to be afraid of.”