“Oh,” she said.
Her mind went blank. Jace put the truck in Park and got out, and her tongue was suddenly as dry as a patch of scrub brush. “I didn’t... I didn’t realize that you were coming,” she said.
“Of course. I just figured... You know, it’s my investment. I thought I’d come by and look.”
Except he hadn’t known that she was meeting with the contractor today, because they hadn’t talked. So she wondered what had really compelled him to come by here.
Yeah. She really did.
“Good to have you,” said Mike. Who, to his credit, did not immediately start deferring to Jace, which made her feel even better about choosing him to be the contractor.
Except suddenly she was resentful. Resentful that she was in the middle of the contractor meeting. Because she wondered why Jace had come to find her. She wondered why he was really here. And she wondered what he was thinking.
She went around to the back, where the lockbox was, and popped it open, taking the key out from the inside. “Here,” she said. “I’ll show you the inside.”
They walked in, and Mike started explaining about the good bones and all kinds of other things that construction types said.
“It’s nice,” she said. “It just needs some updating.”
“Yeah. If you don’t mind, I’ll take a walk through, and I’ll let you know what I think.”
“Yeah. Just, you let me know what you think homeowners are always asking you for. I need to make sure that I have all the amenities that I could possibly want for guests.”
“I’m betting it’s going to focus a lot on the bathrooms,” he said. “That can get expensive. But believe me, it’s always worth the investment.”
“She can afford it,” said Jace.
Mike smiled, then started to walk through the room, clipboard in hand, making notes.
She turned to face Jace, the minute they were alone. “How did you know that I would be here?”
“I didn’t. I happened to be driving to the bar. I saw your truck parked out front.”
“Oh.”
“I was looking for you.”
“You were?”
“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you. Because...” He stopped talking. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up against his body, full-length, and then he kissed her. Kissed her the way she wished he would’ve done this morning. Kissed her the way she wanted so desperately to be kissed.
“Oh,” she breathed.
“Cara...”
“Sorry,” said Mike, clearing his throat. “I just wanted to show you something concerning.”
“It’s already concerning,” said Jace.
“Is it a hole where raccoons could get in?” Cara asked.
Mike frowned. “No. Am I looking for one of those?”
“Yes,” said Jace and Cara at the same time.
Mike’s eyebrows shot up. “Look, as long as you’re realistic about the place.”
“I think we’re pretty realistic,” she said.
