“There you go,” he said. “Did you get hurt when you fell?”
With her chin tucked down, she used a curtain of blonde hair to protect her face from her neighbor’s prying eyes, lest he recognize Carlie’s famous features. Rylie’s constant lot in life was to explain to star-struck strangers that she was not her sister. In defense, she’d taken up the habit of wearing glasses and tucking her hair up into a ponytail, both of which were absent at present.
“Nothing hurt but my pride.”
“Need some help cleaning up this mess?”
“No, I’ll take care of it.” Her stomach churned. This guy was determined to be nice. If she acted rude in return, the guilt would kill her. But she didn’t want to spend the next hour with this stranger.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t even introduced myself,” he said. Through her hair, she spied his hand, extended for a shake. “My name’s Jarrett.”
Jarrett? Her breath caught in her throat. He couldn’t be that Jarrett, could he?
She flipped her hair back and gasped, meeting the dark brown eyes that had haunted her dreams for the past nine years. A few days’ growth of beard emphasized the lines of his broad jaw. His t-shirt did nothing to hide the definition in his chest and shoulder muscles. How was it he looked even better than he had nine years ago? Her heart whacked itself against her chest, slamming so hard her ribs were in danger of splintering.
“Carlie?” He froze with his hand in the air, his face blanching like he’d seen a ghost.
“I’m not Carlie.” Her throbbing heart sank, and she ducked her head, hoping he wouldn’t see the color in her cheeks. “I’m Rylie.”
Watching his smile fade in disappointment, she swallowed something the size of Mile High Stadium.
“Oh… hi, Rylie. I should’ve recognized you. I guess we’re neighbors now.” He jammed both hands into his pockets. “Small world.”
She forced her lips into an upward curve that probably looked as awkward as it felt. If only the earth would open up and swallow her.
“Small world,” she repeated. “More like miniscule.”
And cruel.
“How long have you lived here?”
“In the Denver area, for five years. In this house, only a month,” she said. “How about you?”
“I moved back to Denver when I finished my doctorate. My oncologist is here, so I like to stay close.”
He didn’t elaborate on his health, and she felt uncomfortable asking, even though she’d kept him on her prayer list all those years.
“How long have you been in this neighborhood?” She pointed at his house, which was significantly larger than hers. She’d bought the smallest home in the neighborhood, yet it had four bedrooms. In the back of her mind, she still had a vague hope of filling it with a family, someday, though the chances of that happening were diminishing rapidly with each passing year.
“A year or so,” he said. “I’ve also got an apartment in town, but I use it mostly in the winter.”
He had to be making a great salary to afford two nice homes in Denver. “Yeah, me, too. I’ve got four homes… one for each season.”
“Only four?” His dimples winked at her.
“Well, I used to have five, but I sold my Swiss ski chalet.”
“I only have two, but I love this one the most. The privacy is awesome. That, and the view.” He gestured toward the mountains. “Several coworkers have houses out here. The real estate agent for this development must target computer programmers.”
“I think you’re right,” she said. “I saw the brochure at the office. Once I came out here and saw the area, I was hooked. Took every dime I had to buy this place, so I barely have furniture. You could roller skate in my family room.”
“Not me.” Jarrett grinned, lifting the hem of his pants to reveal the prosthesis replacing the leg he’d lost to cancer as a young teen.
She hadn’t forgotten, but she knew he had never let his missing leg slow him down. “I figured if you could run and ski with that thing, you could skate, too.”
“True. But I never learned how to skate.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” she said.
She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed bantering with Jarrett. Since he hadn’t mentioned Carlie again and the conversation was flowing so easily, Rylie wondered if there was a possibility he might be attracted to her. From all appearances, he wasn’t married, but he might be dating someone.
“Who do you work for?” she asked, avoiding the real question she wanted to ask. Do you have a significant other?
Amusement danced in his dark sparkling eyes.
“I’m… uh… I’m with Phantom Enterprises.”
“Wow! I’m impressed. I’d love to work there, but I’ve only got my master’s in computer engineering.” She wanted him to know she had more than a bachelor’s degree. “I heard it’s really hard to get hired with less than a doctorate.”
“You should apply.” An easy grin slid onto his face. “I know the guy in charge of hiring. I could put in a good word for you.”
“Oh, no! I’d never ask you to do that.” She was mortified that he assumed she was asking for favors. “Anyway, my job’s not bad, and I get to do most of my work from home.”
“If you change your mind, the offer still stands. We have remote employees, too. I have team members who don’t even live in Denver.”
He was the most brilliant man she’d ever met. It wasn’t surprising that he’d been promoted to head up an entire team. The idea of applying for Phantom Enterprises was tempting, especially if she could work for Jarrett.
Only about seven years old, the company was a multi-billion-dollar corporation and still growing. The corporation’s outspoken CEO often showed up on the news, wearing a cowboy hat and boots and brandishing his lime-green mechanical hand. If she decided to take Jarrett’s offer seriously, she ought to look up the details online. But even the fact that he’d suggested she apply had to mean he was interested in her, right?
