Page 96 of Your Place or Mine

Callum

I hadn’t even flipped the damn sign to OPEN yet when the front door creaked open like it owned the place.

It wasn’t unlocked, technically, but no one ever tested it this early. Most folks in Reckless River respected boundaries, especially before coffee. But not Lydia.

Of course not Lydia.

She stepped inside like she was storming a castle she already claimed as hers. Sunlight streamed in behind her, catching on the flyaway strands of her hair, and she paused just long enough to find me behind the bar.

“We’re not even open,” I said flatly.

“Door wasn’t locked.” Her tone was cheery. Dangerous. “That’s on you.”

She was wearing jeans that made my mouth dry and a loose gray tee knotted at her waist that I’m sure she didn’t realize was exposing just enough skin to ruin a man’s peace of mind. I didn’t move. Just wiped down the bar even though it was already clean.

“Most people knock.”

“Most people aren’t your landlord.”

There it was.

I lifted a brow. “You looking to renegotiate the rent at the crack of dawn?”

She strode right up to the bar and leaned on her elbows like she owned it. “I’m just here to give you a heads-up.”

“Oh?” I said, already bracing for it.

She gave me a slow, sugar-sweet smile that set every alarm bell in my head off.

“I’ve finalized my priority list for the building,” she said. “Starting next week, the team I hired will begin replacing the broken ceiling tiles in the coffee shop, patching the plaster upstairs, and installing dimmer switches in the hallway sconces so no one feels like they’re walking through a horror film set.”

I stared at her, jaw ticking. “Uh huh.”

“And—” she went on, holding up a finger, “—I’m coordinating with a painter to redo the laundromat layout to fit a couple more machines in. You know, the place that looks like it was used in a low-budget zombie movie?”

“Got character.”

“Got mildew,” she shot back. “And I’m not stopping there.”

Here we go.

“I’ll be replacing the rubber baseboards in the main hallway with stained wood trim. Freshening up the shared entryway with new lighting. Adding a plant or two…don’t roll your eyes…and I’m upgrading the fire extinguishers because the current ones are prehistoric.”

I crossed my arms. “That it?”

She grinned. “Oh, Callum, I haven’t even gotten toyourdomain yet.”

My pulse spiked. “You want to change the bar?”

“Well, not really,” she said breezily, like it was no big deal. “But I figured I’d make you squirm for a second.”

I scowled. “Cute.”

She leaned in, her face far too close for comfort. “I plan on power washing the alley wall—”

“That’s not part of the bar.”

“—installing new motion-sensor lights for safety.”

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