Page 22 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

The moment Rock stood, Mila did the same and moved his way.

“Robberies,” she hissed as she followed him to the front door. “Sounds like I’ll be cutting my teeth on a real case.”

“Yep.” He was tickled to pieces that she seemed in no hurry to say goodbye to him. He watched Johnny Cuba jog out the door ahead of them to catch up with Gil. Their heads were soon bent together in conversation. “I’ll understand, though, if you’d rather take tomorrow off to recover from today’s harrowing events.”

“And let you have all the fun?” Her hazel gaze snapped with excitement. “That’s not happening, boss man! I mean partner,” she corrected hastily.

Gage clapped him on the shoulder as he followed Johnny outside. “Meet you back at the farmhouse in a few?”

“Yep.” Rock’s stomach rumbled with hunger. “I’m ready to call it a day and grab a slice of cold pizza.” He’d purposely made two pizzas earlier, so there’d be leftovers.

However, Gage’s answering head shake told him that Johnny had already polished it off.

Irritation sliced through Rock. “You should charge the guy rent,” he grumbled, knowing it was an uncharitable statement since he wasn’t paying rent either.

Gage’s eyes twinkled. “I might’ve used his appetite for pizza to arm twist him into helping us paint the downstairs. After Christmas, of course.”

Rock raised his voice to make sure Johnny, who was still huddled with Gil, could hear him. “Has he ever painted a room before?” Somehow, he doubted it.

“How hard can it be?” Johnny chortled, not missing a beat. He and Gil fist bumped and parted ways.

“I’ll help,” Mila offered quickly. “Though I’ve never painted a house, either, I’ve painted stage backdrops galore. My superpower is trim work,” she added proudly. “Anything you dream up, I can make it happen. Stencil work, custom edging, border murals, you name it. I’m your gal.”

Rock’s heart thumped a little faster at the realizationthat she was looking at him. Though she wasn’t his gal, his thoughts immediately jumped to what it would look like if she were. For one thing, their forthcoming goodbyes would be accompanied by a kiss — the slow and tender kind.

“You’re hired! Both of you.” Gage slapped Rock on the shoulder again before stepping after Johnny, probably to knock some sense into him over the way he was looking at Mila.

“Did you hear that?” She gave a bounce of excitement as she tipped her face gleefully up to his. “I’m on a roll here!”

Yeah, he’d heard it. It was almost as loud as the sound of his heart falling and landing at her feet. He was going to have to get a grip on his growing attraction to her.

Mila helpedDecker carry the unopened beverages and the near empty charcuterie tray to the kitchen.

“Johnny bulldozed his way through the food,” she snickered. He hadn’t so much as hesitated over downing the gorgeous meat rosettes and star-shaped cheeses.

“Yeah, he’s a bottomless pit.” Decker smirked. “None of us can figure out where he puts it all. You should’ve seen him at the company Christmas party.” He set the unopened beverages inside a drink fridge below the granite countertops. Blue lights illuminated its glass door. “He even sampled the ice sculpture.”

“You had an ice sculpture?” Mila’s eyes felt like they were popping out of her head.

“It was Chanel’s doing.” Her brother’s voice grew warmer and more caressing as his wife breezed into the kitchen.

“Did I hear my name?” Though she’d changed into apair of silk red pajamas, she still looked like she’d stepped off a magazine cover.

“You did.” Decker reached for her. “You weren’t supposed to.”

She shushed him by pressing one dainty fingertip against his lips. “Before you ask, the answer is yes. Gwen is tucked in after no less than three bedtime stories to make up for your absence.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice was slurred from the necessity of speaking around her finger.

“I’m not finished.” She patted his cheek. “After you give our daughter a goodnight kiss, you need to go give the new puppies some love. Naturally, with all the excitement this evening, they’re a little on edge.”

That was putting it mildly. Mila’s heart went out to the two small pups. During their first night in their new home, they’d been forced to listen to a bomb explode, the scream of emergency sirens, and the voices of strangers coming and going for hours. “How about I handle the dogs for you?” It was the least she could do to thank Decker and Chanel for their generous hospitality.

“That would be wonderful,” Chanel sighed. “They’re in the sunroom in the back of the house.” She slid her arms around her husband’s neck. “Looks like you’re off the hook, babe.”

“Their names are Ollie and Daisy,” Decker announced without dropping his wife’s gaze. “Meant to introduce you to them earlier…”

Mila made her escape before things got too mushy between them. Though the massive home was big enough to get lost in, she managed to locate the sunroom without making any wrong turns.

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