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Maybe they could be friends

Warmth entered Tanner’s voice when he said, “I don’t know if I said it but thanks for co with me this weekend”

“I didn’t know that I had a choice”

He held the door as they stepped inside “I’ht about that But I do hope it isn’t too awful for you”

Tanner was pleased with Whitney’s reception by his colleagues They had seemed to like her and she’d handled herself well, even with Charlotte She had easily read the tension between Charlotte and hied to uffaw of laughter everyone had looked To the themselves

In the house again they passed Kevin going to the front door and he told them what rooht and down the hallway to a door at the end He opened it wide in order to allow her to enter first When she hesitated he looked back to find her staring at the opening

“I’htly

“The weekend, the roo with me?”

“How about all of it?”

Tanner glanced down the hall Thank goodness no one was around “At least come in to talk about it”

He reached for her but she stepped away His hand fell to his side After a moment she entered He joined her and closed the door Unsure what to do to make her feel more comfortable, he simply waited near the door

Whitney’s attention appeared fixated on the queen-size four-poster bed against the far wall Thankfully there was a s spot for the next three nights Not that he was looking forward to it

“Why don’t we have a seat?” He pointed toward the sofa

She e of the cushion, looking as if she would run at any moment Finally she said, “I’ to all these people”

A little charm and persuasion was needed here “Have we lied? I introduced you as a girlfriend I don’t think that’s such a stretch”

“We’re really h”

Whitney wouldn’t be an easy sale “Okay, colleagues Still we can be friends”

“Those usually know more about each other than we do I know little about you and you know nothing about me”

“Sure I do You’re a businesswoman with the ability to read people You understand what helps people relax You kno to put thereat back there, by the way” Why was she all of a sudden so antsy? She’d seemed confident at the pool Was she afraid to be alone with him? Did she sense his physical reaction to her?

When he’d initially placed his hand on her waist it had been for show, but as they’d made their way around the pool, and especially in front of Charlotte, it had beco in hi

She scooted back on the sofa, resting more easily in the cushions “If you don’t o to the pool I’ll just stay here and unpack”

He wouldn’t push her For now he’d just let her get used to the idea of being here with him “That’s fine I’ll see what Marie has planned for this evening and coet you”

“Okay”

“Is there anything special you would like to do while we’re in Napa? We don’t have to be underfoot here all the ti she enjoyed she would settle down so back to San Francisco

“I don’t know” She pursed her lips “Maybe a tour of the winery?”

“Sounds good to me If one isn’t planned then we’ll take one ourselves”

She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes

“I’ll leave you to unpack” He headed for the door “I’ll see you in a little while”

Tanner returned an hour later to find Whitney asleep in the middle of the bed It was early for a nap Had she been up the night before, worrying about cos she’d proved herself intelligent and a wouff from people, or at least him So ouldn’t she take the weekend at face value? Was she that distrustful of men or just him? She didn’t strike him as insecure