Page 81 of Little Sunshine

He shook his head, but he did it smirking. “You’ve got it bad already.”

I didn’t say anything because he wasn’t wrong. I tossed the light onto the desk and started walking him out.

He kept his voice low. “Let me know if you decide you want the cameras, and I’ll get them together to install when I bring the rest out here.”

I lifted my chin, not wanting to say more in case Mila was around.

I didn’t see her, but that wasn’t a surprise.

I bet she’s hiding out in her room.

I’d have lost that bet.

I opened the front door to find Mila sitting on one of the porch chairs. A book sat open in her lap, but it was only on the third page. Either she’d just started, or she found the mystery book as slow as I had.

There was a reason it’d been the first book to come to mind when Maximo had been punishing Juliet with the most boring shit he could pack her reading app with.

“Nice to meet you again, Mila.” Cole grinned at her, and I was pretty sure it was more than he’d smiled for the previous month combined. I was also pretty sure he was doing it to fuck with me. “If Ash is being a dick, just ask him about the lobsters at Parisian Crescent.”

“What?” she questioned.

But I bit out, “I’ll remember this. Payback is going to be a fucking bitch when your time comes.”

Cole just laughed as he jogged down the steps to his car.

Mila turned to blink up at me. “Do I want to know?”

“Probably, but I’m not telling you. I haven’t been a dick.”

“I’ll give it five minutes then,” she said solemnly.

“You feeling leftover pasta, a sandwich, or a wrap?”

“For what?”

“Lunch.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Don’t remember asking. It’s lunch time.”

“I just ate that big breakfast.”

“Hours ago. Not to mention, I saw the container in the fridge when I grabbed water earlier. You ate less than a quarter of it.”

“You can’t say not to mention, and then proceed to mention it.”

Fuck, she’s cute.

“Lunch, little girl.”

Mila gave a soft but dramatic sigh. “I see five minutes was generous.”

Biting back a smile at the sass, I headed toward the kitchen. Mila followed a minute later.

“What did you decide?” I asked.

“That you and I have very different appetite levels.”

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