Free Fortune Found by Victoria Pade

she merely faced him.
    Before she had said the good-night she intended to say, however, she found Flint looking into her eyes, smiling a warm, intimate smile that somehow stalled the farewell.
    â€œI know we’re not supposed to let anybody else in on this,” he whispered, “but I had a great time.”
    â€œMe, too,” Jessie whispered back guilelessly, following it with a nod in the direction of Kelsey’s house. “But the roof needs fixing and we have to get everyone to leave us alone,” she reminded.
    â€œRight…” he said, not sounding fully on board with that. “So I guess we say…”
    â€œWe didn’t click,” she repeated with a hint of facetious ness to that last word.
    â€œWe didn’t click,” Flint echoed as if nothing could be further from the truth. “Except that I’m going rock hunting with you tomorrow.”
    â€œOh, that’s right,” Jessie said, making a face when she realized that contradicted the goal of tonight’s outing.
    â€œWe could say,” Flint suggested, “that I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself while Coop and Kelsey were gone to the pediatrician and you took pity on me, invited me to go along—just as friends—to give me something to do.”
    â€œJust as friends—we’ll have to really push that,” Jessie said. “Let’s try it.”
    He grinned. “What’s the worst that can happen? They’ll all still keep putting us together and we’ll justhave to have another pretend date to confirm that we don’t click.”
    Jessie laughed. “Or maybe we could just let them all see that we can be friends and only friends, and leave it at that.”
    â€œFriends…” he repeated without much fondness for that word. But then he seemed to accept it, and said, “As long as I still get to go rock hunting.”
    â€œBecause it’s long been a dream of yours,” she teased.
    â€œIt has,” he insisted, playing along.
    But it was the end of the evening and Jessie knew they should be saying good-night and parting ways.
    Yet she still went on standing where she was, looking up into Flint’s handsome face, letting his eyes delve into hers, trying not to think about the good-night kiss that seemed as if it should come at the conclusion of the kind of evening they’d just shared.
    Then Flint grasped her shoulders, pulled her slightly forward, leaned toward her…
    And kissed her forehead.
    Sure, he stayed there a moment longer than he should have—long enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath in her hair—but only a moment before he pulled back, let go of her and said, “See you tomorrow.”
    â€œSee you tomorrow,” she parroted in barely more than another whisper, remembering only belatedly to actually open her front door and go into the house as he headed across the yards to her sister’s place.
    And although she was telling herself as she went in that not even the kiss on the forehead should have happened, it didn’t change the fact that she was secretly wishing for more.
    And feeling guilty for that wish.
    More guilty still for the craving to feel Flint Fortune’s lips on hers.

Chapter Five
    â€œW e’re supposed to hoist shingles onto the roof before breakfast?” Flint said as he and Coop went out to the garage early Thursday morning at the instruction of Kelsey.
    â€œWe’re supposed to hoist shingles onto the roof while Kelsey makes breakfast,” Coop qualified as he got the wheelbarrow off the garage wall and they began to load packs of shingles into it. “But you know the real reason—she can’t wait for me to find out how your date with Jessie was last night.”
    After only four hours of sleep Flint was not at the top of his game. But even so the mere mention of that date made him want to smile.
    He didn’t. He worked not to