If I Didn't Know Better (The Callaways #9)(8)

"Seriously? You're nervous to come down?" he asked in amazement. "You climbed up what was probably a fifty-year-old trellis without a second thought."

"Well, I've had time to have second thoughts," she retorted. "But I can do this. I just have to take the first step. It's going to be fine. I won't fall. It's not like I've never been on a ladder before."

"Hey, I've got a pizza that's getting cold. Are you done with the pep talk?" He wondered how he'd gotten stuck with a woman who wouldn't shut up and a kid who wouldn't say a word—talk about extremes.

"I'm just being careful. I won't fall, will I?" Her worried gaze sought his.

"I just heard you say you won't, and I believe you." He put both of his hands on the ladder. "First step is the hardest."

"Right."

Despite her answer, she didn't move.

He hesitated and then climbed up the ladder until he was close to the roof. "Take my hand." He held out his right hand, happy again that it was his left shoulder that had been ripped apart.

"I might knock us both off the ladder," she said doubtfully.

"You won't."

"Are you sure?"

"You're going to have to trust me."

She took a breath and then put her hand into his. Her fingers were warm and soft, and he felt the strangest sensation in the pit of his stomach as his gaze met hers. He was startled by the blue of her eyes; the kind of blue that mirrored the deepest part of the sea. A man could drown in those eyes, but that man was not going to be him, he told himself firmly. He had enough problems in his life without adding a woman into the mix, especially a woman who seemed a little too impulsive for her own good.

He held onto her hand while she awkwardly climbed onto the ladder, and then he let go so he could get down. When he hit the ground, he kept a careful eye on her as she made her way safely down.

She took the last step with a relieved sigh and a triumphant smile. "Made it."

She acted like she'd just breached the summit of Mount Everest.

"Yes, that was quite the feat," he drawled. "Maybe next time come up with a better plan for coming down before you go up."

"My plan was to open the window, get in the house, and then come downstairs and open the front door. I usually do plan out everything, but I decided when I came to Angel's Bay that I was going to shake things up, be more spontaneous."

"Well, you did that."

"Thanks for your help, Mr…"

"Holt—Jeremy Holt. So what's next? You're still not in the house."

"Right. I'll call a locksmith and see if I can get someone out here before it gets dark."

The sun was falling fast. She had about ten minutes of light left, and he doubted she would find a locksmith to come out quickly at six thirty on a Friday night, but he'd let her deal with that.

While she called the locksmith, he gave Ashlyn a smile. "I'll put the ladder away and then we can go inside and eat. Do you want to get the food out of the car?"

His question brought her to her feet, and she ran toward the car while he moved down the driveway.

When he closed the garage door, he was surprised to see Ashlyn walking toward Mia's house instead of their front door. She paused right in front of Mia, waiting for her to get off the phone, then she lifted up the pizza box with the salad bag on top like an offering to the gods.

"That smells good," Mia said, glancing past Ashlyn to Jeremy. "You should go and have your dinner."

That was his thought exactly, but Ashlyn seemed to be entranced by Mia. He didn't know what was happening with his daughter, but he thought he should go with it.

"Why don't you come next door and have some pizza with us while you wait for the locksmith?" he suggested.

Surprise flashed across her face. "Really? I wouldn't want to impose."

"All evidence to the contrary," he said dryly. "Feeding you will take less effort than getting you off the roof. I think Ashlyn would like you to join us."

Mia looked at Ashlyn. "Do you want to share your pizza with me?"

The little girl nodded.

"Then I'm going to say thank-you," Mia said. "I'm starving. I didn't want to stop on my way down. I got kind of a late start, and I wanted to get here before dark."

He led the way to his house, with Mia and Ashlyn following close behind.

Once inside, he said, "Why don't you wash your hands, Ash? We'll be in the kitchen."

Ashlyn handed the food to him, then ran up the stairs. It was the fastest he'd ever seen her move.

"The locksmith said it would be about an hour," Mia told him, as they walked down the hall and entered the kitchen.

"That should give you enough time to eat."

"Are you sure there's enough?"

"We have plenty. Ashlyn won't eat more than one piece, and even I can't finish off an extra-large pizza by myself." He pulled out the salad and garlic chips and put them on the table along with the pizza. "What do you want to drink?"

"Anything is fine."

"Water, milk, orange juice and apple juice is about all I have."

"Water is good."

She looked around the room while he grabbed a water out of the refrigerator.