Page 137 of Clara Knows Best

Now he smiled, like whatever her dad had said made him pretty happy. “Colonel gave me the green light.”

“I told you he’s a softie!”

“He’s definitely not a softie, Clara.”

“Hey, I guess I need to move back to Austin,” she realized. “If you think I’m going to do the long-distance thing, think again. It sucks.”

“I don’t like it, either, but you don’t have to move. I’m moving here.”

She was stunned. “For real?”

“For real,” he said with great patience.

“But you can’t be a small-town GP,” she protested. “You’re a gifted trauma surgeon.”

“My old colleagues will fly me to Austin when they need my help. But I don’t want to do that all the time anymore. I want to be around.”

She looked up into his dark, beautiful eyes. “But are you sure you’ll be okay living way out here?”

He smiled as he set his hat back in its proper place on his forehead. “Yeah, I’m sure. Enough feelings talk. Come on, let’s go back in.”

“Inside? Why?”

“I want to dance with my little lady, that’s why.”

“Oh,” she said. Her heart felt lighter than air. “Dancing sounds great!”

“Gonna tell our grandkids I picked you up in a karaoke bar,” he added smugly.

“You are not!”

Three Months Later

“Whatever you think,” Jesse said seriously, turning his gaze from the wallpaper samples to the designer who had brought them. He’d come upstairs after work at her request to look at some options, but he didn’t want the burden of actually choosing one. “I’m fine with any of them, except the sunflowers. I trust your judgment.”

The apartment above Romeo Family Health was coming along. Over the last few months, Helio’s crew had framed the new walls, updated the plumbing and wiring throughout, hung drywall and installed most of the kitchen, master bathroom, and powder room. Then Jesse and the Colonel had patched, sanded and refinished the ancient floors.

It felt good to do some of the work himself, even if he didn’t have a lot of free time. But decorating was out of Jesse’s wheelhouse, and he couldn’t risk getting it wrong. It had to be perfect.

So he’d brought in a professional to obsess over the details.

“In that case, I’d recommend going with the cream colored toile. It’s thicker paper and the design is subtle and timeless. In an apartment you’re planning to rent out later on, you have to think about mass appeal and durability.”

“Sounds great.”

“Of course, it comes with a slightly higher price tag.”

“Of course,” he agreed. “Mass appeal is one thing, but remember, the real goal is to lure my unsuspecting girlfriend into marrying me.”

“Yes, I remember you saying that,” she said politely. She looked almost severe in her black dress and with her hair pulled back so tight and sleek, but her giant glasses were kind of working for him.

He took a step closer. “Do you think cream colored toile wallpaper will do it?”

“I think she’lllikeit. I don’t know that I would—” She broke off as he stroked her cheek.

“What are you doing tonight?” he asked, his voice low. “You want to get a drink with me?”

“Sir!” she gasped. “I am not that kind of interior designer!”

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