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They hadn't even made it to his vehicle yet.

It was going to be a long night.

Or, if things went the way he'd been imagining for the past few hours, it might not be long enough.

The drive to his house didn't take long. When they arrived, he led her inside through the front door instead of the garage, suddenly seeing the place through someone else's eyes despite the ridiculous amount of time he'd spent making sure there wasn't much for her to see.

He'd had a few hours to kill before picking her up, and apparently, the possibility of bringing a woman home for the first time in longer than he cared to think about had turned him into a cleaning fanatic. He'd dusted, vacuumed, cleared away the clutter, and wiped down the kitchen and bathrooms.

And changed the sheets on his bed.

That last one had required a little more honesty with himself than he'd been prepared for.

He wasn't assuming anything would happen tonight. Dinner might be nothing more than dinner, and if that was all she wanted, he was fine with it.

But he'd be a damn liar if he claimed he didn't crave the alternative.

She slipped the purse from her shoulder and started to shrug out of her jacket.

“I've got it.” He helped her out of it, then removed his own and hung both on the coat rack beside the front door.

“Thanks.”

She wandered farther into the living room, taking in the furniture, the photos on the walls, and the shelves filled with pieces of his and Rissa's lives. He watched her survey the room and tried not to wonder what she thought.

She'd built an entire career around design, decorating, and finding clever ways to improve people's homes. She had books and a television show devoted to the subject, while most of what surrounded them had been chosen because he or Rissa liked it, needed it, or there'd been an empty spot that required filling.

Until now, he'd never given a damn whether any of it went together.

“This is nice.”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Sounds like you were expecting a cave.”

“I wasn't sure what to expect.”

“Disappointed?”

“Not at all.” Her gaze came back to him. “I like it.”

For some reason, hearing that pleased him more than it should have.

“Well, it's not much, but it's functional and feels like home.” He gestured around the room. “Honestly, very little has changed since my wife passed away. I never gave it much thought before, but now that I've got someone with an eye for interior design standing here, maybe you can give me a few pointers. The place is long overdue for an update.”

“I'd be more than happy to give you some ideas.” Her mouth curved. “For the price of dinner, of course.”

“That all you're charging?”

“For now.”

Something about the way she said it had his thoughts threatening to head straight back to where they'd been on Edith's porch.

“Come on.” He gestured toward the kitchen. “Let me feed you before your rates go up.”

She followed him into the kitchen and set her purse on a stool at the island as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out the ingredients he'd gotten ready before leaving to pick her up.

“What are we having?”

“You wanted to be surprised, remember?” He glanced over his shoulder to find her trying to see around him.