Free Baby, Come Home by Stephanie Bond Page A

maintained for the boardinghouse and knew Amy’s room was just a few steps away. She was probably still downstairs, he told himself as he made his way to her door, so she probably wouldn’t answer. He knocked, then waited. And if she did answer, he’d make up something about—
    The door swung open and Amy stood there, still dressed in the clothes she’d worn to dinner, save for the strappy shoes, which were next to her bed where she’d kicked them off. His heart jumped to his throat. Her deep red hair had partially succumbed to the kinky waves he was more familiar with, but he knew she hated. She stood in stocking feet, her hazel eyes questioning. “Yes?”
    His mind raced for an explanation as to why he was standing there. “I just wanted to…make sure you got settled in.”
    “Yes,” she said simply, “I did.”
    “And your room is comfortable?”
    She looked him over and seemed to stiffen. “Yes, very.”
    He swallowed. “Marcus told me about the conference call tomorrow afternoon with the Preservation Society. I was wondering if you’d like to get together before the call to get our ducks in a row.”
    She gave him a flat smile. “I told Marcus I’d be there an hour beforehand. We can talk then.”
    He shifted. “Do you have plans for the morning?”
    “Yes, I’m going to survey the site.”
    “What time?”
    “Early,” she said vaguely. “But you don’t have to be there.”
    At the slight, anger sparked in his stomach. “We’re working on this project together.”
    “While I’m working on the design, I assumed you’d be getting a crew together. We’ll need someone who knows how to pour concrete in this weather, and a good mason if you have one. And I assume you have some talented welders and carpenters at your disposal.”
    He nodded. “No problem.”
    “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” She started to close the door.
    Desperation emboldened him. He caught the door with his hand. “Baby—” He stopped, surprised that he had so easily fallen back into calling her his pet name. And he could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t appreciate the slip one little bit. “Sorry…Amy. I know things didn’t end well between us, but I’m hoping we can start fresh.”
    She pursed her mouth and nodded. “I don’t see why we can’t be friends.”
    He wanted to be more than just friends with Amy, but he acknowledged he had a long way to go to win back her affection. He was counting on the amazing chemistry they’d once shared to rekindle that affection. He leaned in and gave her a smile that had always softened her. “You have chocolate on your mouth.”
    She angled her head. “And you have pink lipstick on yours. Good night, Kendall.”
    He pulled back just in time to protect his nose from the slamming door. He swiped at his mouth, feeling like a fool, then frowned at the smear of bright pink on his hand. Now Amy was probably convinced he and Rachel were an item. He puffed out his cheeks in an exhale, then stared at her door. Did he dare knock again to correct her assumption?

    Amy leaned against the closed door and closed her eyes. He’d called her “baby,” just like old times. Her heart pounded and her mind swirled with confusion. She’d hoped everything would be clear when she got to Sweetness and saw Kendall again, but it had only clouded things more. And instead of being glad he was involved with someone else, she was— Amy groaned in dismay—jealous.
    She pushed away from the door and padded over to her phone to see if Tony had called, bitterly disappointed to see he hadn’t. Feeling a little desperate, she dialed his number again. While Tony’s phone rang, Amy opened her wallet to his picture and ran her finger over his handsome face for reassurance. After three rings, he picked up.
    “Hello?”
    “Hi, sweetie, it’s me,” she said, almost weak with relief to hear his voice. “Did you get my message earlier?”
    He sighed. “No, I haven’t