At first Will thought she was joking, then he let the feeling settle and a spike of panic rose in him as he second-guessed what he was reading on her face.

"Are you being serious?" he asked her carefully, taking a step toward her so he could lower his voice, but he didn't touch her, in case she really didn't want him near her. It was a strangely conflicted feeling, not knowing how she felt, how uncertain it made him feel for the first time since the moment they met.