Miranda stood on Jordan's front porch, trying her hardest to fight off the nerves that were threatening to get the best of her. Even though meeting at his house had been her idea, at this moment she wasn't sure how she felt about it. To be sure, his house was quieter. It definitely had more privacy. No worries of Tommy walking in, or a lost guest mistakenly making their way into the family wing.
More chance of an intimate encounter, too. Which is what she wanted. Wasn't it? Her fingers absently toyed with the strap of her dress where Drew had so recently touched her. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should have worn something else. Maybe she wasn't ready for this at all.
But, she had felt so alive when Drew had kissed her in the kitchen. Sexy. Needing more. Drew could never be the man for her, but he had awakened in her the desire to be with a man in that special way again. Jordan could be that man. She was only nervous because it had been such a long time. She just had to jump in and get it over with.
She took a few calming breaths, knocked briefly at the door, then turned the knob and went inside. It never failed to amaze her to see the beauty Jordan had managed to create from the old carriage house that had lain dormant for so many years. From the gleaming hard wood floors, to the towering stone fireplace—even down to the antique door knobs he had found at a flea market, it was perfect. And Jordan had done it all with his own skilled hands.
He was in the living room, arranging some bowls of pretzels and chips on the coffee table. His smile was warm and welcoming with just a touch of anxiety wrapped around the edges. She smiled and walked toward him. It was ridiculous for either of them to feel awkward. They had been friends nearly their entire lives.
She pulled him close and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry for the last-minute change in plans," she said. "But, I didn't think you wanted Drew and Tommy for company tonight."
"Tommy is welcome anytime," Jordan said, "but Drew, I could do without. For tonight, anyway." His eyes met hers and shone with appreciation. "You look beautiful, Miranda."
"Thank you," she said. Much different than the "you look hot, Mandy' she had gotten from Drew, but nice just the same. She didn't feel the same electrifying spark she had felt with Drew, but that had probably been due to her irritation with him, more than anything else.
"Listen," Jordan said, "I don't want this to be awkward between us. We've had movie night a thousand times before, right? Let's just watch the movie and see what happens."
"You're right." Miranda laughed. They were both being silly. Why should a kiss make them feel so awkward? If they were going to move forward, and explore the possibility of a relationship, they had to stop acting this way. She walked to Jordan and placed her hands on either side of his face. No sense in putting this off any longer. They'd get the first kiss of the night out of the way, then they could put their nervousness behind them.
He pulled her to him. She felt safe and comfortable in his arms. None of that scary, on the edge of insanity, squirmy feeling she got whenever Drew came around. This was better. This was loyalty. This was stability. This was—the phone ringing. An incessant ringing of Jordan's cell phone, just as his lips were about to touch hers.
"Damn." He looked at her, eyes full of apologies, as he struggled to pull his phone out of his pocket. "I'm sorry, but that's the ring tone I have set for the Inn. I have to answer it."
She nodded, in silent disappointment. She probably would have let the phone ring, at least for the few seconds it would have taken for them to kiss. Drew would have. She could hardly be upset, though. She was looking for dependability after all, and Jordan was certainly showing her that quality now.
He looked troubled when he hung up the phone. Actually, he looked quite agitated, which was rare for him.
"What is it, Jordan?" she said.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take a rain check tonight. There's an emergency at the Inn and I have to go check it out."
"An emergency? Is Tommy—?”
"No. Tommy's all right. It's not that kind of problem." He went to the closet to retrieve his work boots and tool belt. "The hot tub in room one-oh-seven has been on the fritz. There weren't supposed to be any reservations in that room until next weekend." He laced up his boots and buckled his tool belt into place. "I just don't understand it," he said. "I asked Sadie not to rent it out, but she said there was some sort of mix-up, and the couple will be here tonight."
"Can't they just take another room? One-oh-seven isn't the only room with a hot tub."
"I know, but they insisted on this room. Apparently, it's the room they had their honeymoon in, or something like that."
"Oh." Miranda tried her best to hide her disappointment. Who knows when they might have another night alone? "Well," she brightened, "I'll just wait for you here, then."
"I love that you would do that for me." He bent to kiss her gently on the cheek. "But, you better not. There's no telling how long this could take. When those lines get clogged, it can be a real mess. I really am sorry, Miranda. Can you lock up when you leave?"