Lia finished cleaning up Huck's pee and then put a chair in front of the dog door, it wouldn't do much to block an escape if Huck really wanted to make one, but it might be enough to deter him. Although he didn't look like he was interested in doing much of anything at the moment, at least not if she was judging by the sound of his snoring.

She left the kitchen and started her tour of the house. It was a four square with a center hall and a massive staircase that led to a landing at the top. The landing ran the circumference of the entry hall with four doors that led into four bedrooms. At the end of the hall, above the front door, there was another door that led out to a second story balcony that looked out over the square. It was a beautiful house, and its saving grace was that it was outdated. The fact that nothing had been done to fix it up meant that many of the original details remained. She heard voices in the parlor, which was to the left of the front door, and she moved in that direction. Ben and Brian were there, looking at the original architectural plans for the house.

"Where did you find those?" Lia asked as she joined them.

"They were in the safe in the semi-basement," Ben answered, looking over at her. His glance lasted a little longer than it needed to, and Lia would be a liar if she said it didn't thrill her just a little. Not that they were going to go down that road, she had already decided that a physical relationship would mess up their friendship, if that was even what they had.

"What else is down there," Lia asked, eager to go see for herself.

"Don't worry, you'll be in charge of cleaning it out, so you'll get to see everything." Ben smiled at her eagerness.

"I suggest we start with the roof," Brain said, butting into their conversation.

"Yes, Ben, the roof," Lia said with a totally serious expression.

"Then we should check your foundation and make sure it is secure. I'm sure it is since it appeared to be brick, but now is the time to fix any issues." Brian looked around the room seeing things in the structure that Lia and Ben couldn't

Lia took the time to look at the man, he was close to fifty, in prime shape, and with a head of silver hair. His eyes were a deep blue. He was a very handsome man, striking really. She looked at his hands as they ran across the plans and she noted a wedding ring. A man like him would probably be married to a beautiful woman.

"I don't see any settling, but I haven't seen the entire house," Brian said as he turned his attention back to the plans. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a few minutes to look at the exterior before touring the interior."

"Sure, do you need a ladder for the roof?" Ben asked, obviously having been through it all before.

"No, I have one on the truck." Brian gave them both a smile of reassurance before he left them to have look around.

"Shouldn't one of us go with him?" Lia asked, watching him leave.

"No, we would only distract him, he likes to work alone," Ben explained, pushing away from the table.

"You've done this type of thing before?" She watched Ben as he moved towards the hallway.

"Yes, Illianna and I fixed up a house after we were married, Brian did the work for us." Ben's voice held no emotion, and she wondered if it brought back memories. Perhaps that was why he never wanted to fix up this house.

"Brian's wife is an interior designer; if you would like her to do that side of things he can arrange it." Ben gave a half-hearted smile.

"If this is going to bother you, we don't have to do it," Lia offered.

"No, you're right, it needs to be done, just don't be angry with me if I'm not that involved. It was my grandfather's house, and it sat empty for many years. After Illianna's death, I sold our house and moved in here. It seemed easier."

Lia nodded, she had tons of questions, but she knew he didn't want to answer them. "I take it your grandfather wasn't much on home improvements," Lia joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He looked relieved and smiled back. "No, he wasn't. If you want to take a look around on your own go ahead. I want to call my mom and make sure that Trinity was released from the hospital. She'll also want to know if I'm engaged."

Lia rolled her eyes. "Tell her for now you are, until you screw it up again. What about Trinity's husband, has he been released?"

"No, they questioned Trinity at the hospital, and she's pressing charges, but they haven't set bail yet."

Lia nodded watching him leave. His strong back was full of tension, so he must be more worried than he appeared.

Lia turned her attention to the house. It was dark, the furniture was a mishmash of all sorts of styles, and the rooms were surprisingly bare. The walls were all white and the floors were scuffed from years of use. Almost everything was original, from the ornate plasterwork to the antique mirrors. The rooms on the bottom floor were separated by large pocket doors, and there were massive fireplaces in all the rooms. The kitchen was at the back of the house at the end of the main hall, half of the back porch had been enclosed and turned into a galley kitchen. Perhaps the kitchen could be moved to the semi-basement and the porch could be restored.

Lia started up the stairs. She knew that Ben used the front room on the right of the house because that was the light that was always on, so she took her time looking in all of the other rooms first. There were fireplaces in everyone and the same beautiful wooden floors, the trunk room at the end of the hall was the only bathroom.

There was a small set of steps that were tucked behind one of the rooms and she guessed that they led to the attic. That was something she would explore later, like the basement. She walked towards Ben's room and peeked around the door. He was staring at the window, looking out at the square.

His room was sparse, there was a wooden desk covered with paper and a laptop, a fancy desk chair, a beautiful wardrobe and chest of drawers, and an old bed with a beautiful brass headboard and footboard. It was covered in white bedding and it looked as if he had only just got out of it. She knew that wasn't the case, but there was still a divot in the pillow where his head had rested, and the bedding was a mess. She swallowed hard as her mind pulled forth images of him sleeping in it.

He must have sensed her arrival because he had turned to look at her. "We can try it out after Brian leaves if you like?" he suggested in a low voice.

Lia blushed and looked away from the bed.

"About that and what happened in the kitchen, it was nice-"

"Yes, it was," he agreed. She had his total attention and it was making her nervous.

"But I don't think anything like that should happen again," she finished in a rush.

"I disagree," he stood and walked towards her. "I am curious why you think that though."

Lia took a step back, knowing if he kissed or even touched her again she would be a gonner.

"This is only a temporary arrangement between friends, and anything else would only muddy the water," she licked her lips, unable to look at his heated gaze, she could feel it though, and it was making her nervous. "I know there is a strong attraction. I'm not dumb; I realize that we both feel it."

"Yes, and we could feel so much more," he suggested. taking a step towards her and she took a step back.

"I don't doubt it, but I don't want it, and I need you to respect that."

Lia knew it was self-preservation. She knew enough to know that if they made it personal, she would start to believe that their engagement was real, and when it ended she wouldn't be able to recover. Chance's leaving had devastated her, but if she and Ben became something more and he walked away it just might kill her.

He looked at her, considering her statement, she could tell he had more questions, but just as she had respected his privacy, he was deciding to respect hers. "Alright," he agreed. "I don't agree with you though, and I would like that on the record. I think that we would be good together and that we would have fun, but I will respect your right to say no," he let her absorb that before he threw temptation her way, "I won't try anything physical again, but if you change your mind, let me know. I'm all for picking up where we left off earlier." He let his gaze wander over her curves taking his time, and she was just about to cave when he, thankfully, decided to change the subject. "Where's Huck?"

"I left him passed out in the kitchen," Lia said, glad he had accepted her request, she hadn't caved, and that he had moved on to another subject.

"Was that wise?" he asked.

"I put a chair in front of the dog door." She shrugged. "You could always fix the dog door."

"Then I'll go do that now, Brian can help," he said as he left Lia alone in his room.

Lia didn't doubt what he said. She knew they would be good together and that it would be a lot of fun, at least while it lasted. However, the reason why she was so afraid to let it go that far was that she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to separate the physical from the emotional when it finally did end. She hoped she would be strong enough not to change her mind.

She looked over at the bed one last time, wishing she wasn't such a coward.