Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I grunted.
“Gotcha. Anything else?”
“I do shift work. Three days on, four off right now. I’m at the station during my shifts since they’re twenty-four hours. My days off, I like to sleep. Keeping the noise down—” I paused and cleared my throat “—would be appreciated.”
She frowned. “I’ll be working from home, so that isn’t an issue. And I don’t listen to loud music, smoke, or do drugs. Wine on occasion, and not very often.”
“Good to know.”
We stared at each other, not speaking. Her eyes were really incredible. A shade of deep blue with a ring of black, and set off with long lashes. With her dark hair and paler complexion, she was beyond attractive. She was stunning. A lick of fire raced down my spine as the silence stretched between us, and Casey’s pretty eyes widened.
The back door swung open, and Mark called out a greeting. It shattered the intense moment happening. I stepped back, realizing how close we had moved to each other. I pulled her cat off my shoulder, ignoring his protesting meow.
“One more rule. Keep your cat out of my way today.” I paused. “And he’s not welcome in my place.”
“What about me?”
“I told you last night wasn’t going to be a habit.”
She saluted me. “Okay, Thorne.”
I knew now she was laughing at me.
I turned to go.
“Thorne?”
“What?” I snapped.
“Do you need first and last before I unpack my SUV?”
“Tomorrow is fine.”
“Great. Thanks.”
I stomped into the kitchen. Mark was waiting, trying not to grin.
“Let’s get this done.”
I wanted to ignore her. Work and not pay her any attention.
But she kept interrupting. Offering to help. Asking questions.
Mark thought she was great.
I wanted to punch him.
“I can build a cupboard,” she said, coming into the kitchen.
“We got it,” I grunted.
“Would you mind if I painted these once they were up?” she asked.
“That would give them a nice finish,” Mark mused. “Make them less stock-looking. You should upgrade the hardware too.”
“Good idea,” she said, sounding pleased.
“Neutrals,” I muttered.
“Of course.”
She left, and Mark’s gaze followed her. “Eyes up here,” I snapped.
He chuckled. “Sorry. That ass, though.”
“Your wife know about your wandering eye?” I asked.
He snickered, not at all put out. “She knows I appreciate a fine ass. None finer than hers, though.”
“Keep it to yourself,” I hissed.
He looked past me. “Hey, you need help?” he called.
I turned to see Casey carrying a box. I tamped down my instinct to hurry over and take it from her. One, I didn’t want her to think I cared, and two, I liked my nuts where they were.
“No, I’m good,” she replied. “I packed them and carried them to the SUV, so I can carry them in here.”
He noticed my glare. “What now?”
“Cupboards. I got you here to install the cupboards. Not make nice with the tenant.”
“What crawled up your ass this morning?” he asked as we lifted an upper cabinet into place.
“I wanted a few days off of peace. Not doing this.”
Casey’s voice came from behind me. “You can have your days off. I’m not in a rush.”
“No,” I refused. “I’ll get this done.”
“Okay, Thorne.”
Mark chuckled, and I shot him another glare.
We worked in silence for a while, the cupboards going up fast in the small space.
“I need to build the lower ones tomorrow,” I muttered. “I can install those myself. Any chance you can come back later tomorrow afternoon and we’ll put in the counter?”
“Sure,” he agreed easily. “Linda’s working.”
“I’ll buy you lunch if you want,” I offered. “For today’s help.”
“Sounds good.”
Casey came in, holding a small swatch. “Will this be okay for the cupboards?”
I looked at the soft sage color. “It’ll play off nice with the cream you’ve painted,” she offered. “I can finish off the last wall by the window.”
“Fine.”
“Great.”
“The counters are butcher block,” Mark informed her—the kiss-ass he was.
“That’ll look good,” she said, sounding pleased. “Can you tell me where a furniture place is?”
Mark spoke before I could. “King’s on Main is good. My wife works there. Ask for Linda.”
“Awesome. Thanks.”
She left, and Mark leaned on the counter. “She’s pretty. Seems great.”
“Trouble.”
“How so?”
I shrugged. “Instinct.”
“She related to Lou?”
“In some way,” I replied. “I haven’t dug too deep.”
“And I doubt you will,” he said. “She seems nice, though.” He looked at the boxes she had carried in. “Independent. I doubt she’ll cause you much trouble.”
I didn’t know how to tell him she already had. Just not the kind of trouble he was thinking.
“Come on, I’m starving.”
Mark and I finished lunch, and I felt better. He didn’t bring up Casey, and neither did I. After, I drove to the vet, and Miller was pleased to see me, dancing around, panting, his tongue hanging out. I got down on my knee, ruffling his fur and talking to him.
“Who’s the best boy? Did you miss me? Did ya? I missed you.”
Dr. Connelly laughed. “He was a good boy. We found that a small piece of the thorn in his paw was still embedded, and that’s what caused the infection. We got it out, cleaned it well, and he’s doing much better.”