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He nods. “Yeah. When I bought the house, it was stuck in the seventies and needed some major repairs. My brothers and I did a lot of the rehab ourselves.” He stands with the now-empty plate and rinses it off in the sink.
“Here, come on, I’ll give you the tour.” He unsnaps Audra from the highchair and she snuggles into his shoulder like she’s been doing it all her life.
I follow him to the living room and listen as he says, “We ripped out the shag carpeting and put hard wood floors in, installed the gas fireplace and painted. There’s a half bath down the hall that was a complete gut job — along with the kitchen. Plumbing and the kitchen took the most time.”
He heads toward the stairs, and I run my hand over the wooden railing as I climb.
“The bedrooms up here were the easiest, same hardwood flooring, updated the light fixtures, added fresh paint.”
I count four bedrooms and a beautiful guest bathroom before he comes to a closed door at the end of the hall. “This is the master bedroom.” He pushes open the door, and I accidentally brush against him as I enter. Sparks of awareness tingle down my spine at the innocent contact and I shiver.
A massive king-size bed dominates the back wall, its comforter and sheets pulled up under the pillows, but still slightly rumpled. A fireplace sits against the far wall and is flanked by burly furniture.
“Your brother did these?” I point to the bedroom furniture.
He nods. “Yeah. Most of the furniture came from him.” He’s right behind me. Standing so close if I were to lean back…
Nope. Not going there either.
He pushes open a door, and I gasp at the beauty before me.
“This bathroom,” I whisper in awe.
The master bathroom has a steam shower with one, two, three — four overhead shower nozzles. I’ve never been envious of a bathroom before, but I am now. The kicker is the gleaming bronze clawfoot tub though. Its deep oval shape would be perfect for soaking.
Harlan grins at me. “Yeah. It was a bitch getting the tub up the stairs, but fucking worth it.”
“I bet.” I smile up at him. His hazel eyes dance with delight or satisfaction — I’m not sure which, and I want to ask him why. To understand what he’s thinking, what he might be feeling right now, with the two of us crowded in his master bathroom.
Harlan clears his throat before turning back to me.
“That’s the whole house. I have a few plans for some of the rooms and the backyard, just haven’t gotten to them yet...” He trails off.
He’s so close. I could move my arm slightly and be brushing my hand against his. A small lean to the side and I’d be touching him. How did I not notice the little bit of space between us disappearing?
Without thinking about it too much — because I would absolutely overthink it — I step into Harlan and wrap my hand around his waist and hug him to me. He’s holding Audra so that stops him from fully returning the gesture. But he’s warm — so freaking warm — and I soak in the gesture of touching a man who hasn’t hurt me for the first time in years.
“Your house is beautiful,” I say.
My alarm shrills from my phone in my pocket and makes me jump back.
“Shit. I need to go.” I silence the alarm. I don’t want to be late, especially since this is the first time I’ll be meeting the women that will — fingers crossed — be hiring me for work.
When my gaze finds Harlan’s, there’s heat banked in the endless sea of blue, green and brown. Simmering, barely under the surface, ready to ignite heat, and it’s beautiful, like the house, like the man, like the feelings floating through me.
Chapter 18
Maisie
Brewed Awakening is charming as hell. But that’s expected on the square. All of the businesses play into the small-town charm with warm brick exteriors and gleaming windows the fading sunlight reflects off. Most of the businesses are closed at this hour but warm light glows from the coffee shop windows, and I make out Jem and a few other women inside.
Okay, Maisie. Deep breaths. Be nice and not awkward. Show them what you made and make small talk.
Heh. Small talk. I haven’t small talked in longer than I can remember, and I’m rusty as hell.
I climb out of Harlan’s SUV, and after snagging my laptop bag, I beep the locks before tucking the keys into my bag with a shaking hand.
Some of it is nerves at being here, and some is left over from hugging Harlan in his bathroom while he held my daughter.
