Page 17 of In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes

“Turn them into reality.”

She glanced out the window overlooking Main Street, considering my counter.

“I told her I’d help her renovate,” I admitted.

Her gaze snapped back to mine, confused. “What do you mean?”

Regret clawed at me. “I said I’d help her fix the place up and we never got around to it.”

She watched me, and I wish I knew what she was thinking. She gave me a quick nod. “Okay.”

“One more thing.”

“Oh god.” Her gaze flared. “Are you into something kinky? Like I have to find you someone who also drinks blood?”

The corner of my mouth quirked but I cleared my throat. “I don’t drink blood.” I ran my thumb over the arm of my chair. “I want this done in six months.”

Her eyes bugged out of her head. “You want to marry someone insix months? Even Blow-Up Belinda would think that was sketchy.”

I held back a snort. “I want to meet her in six months. I don’t need to get married within six months.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “That,I can work with. Deal.”

“We can’t tell anyone about this.”

She snorted. “Obviously. ‘Man looking for a wife’ screams murderer.” She held her hand out. Her nails sparkled. “Holden Rhodes, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

When I shook her hand, it was warm and fit perfectly in mine, and for a split second, I didn’t want to let go.

She stood and I dropped her hand.

“Holden Rhodes, it has beenfantasticdoing business with you.” She winked and slid the door open. “And we didn’t even need to buy you a sex doll,” she said for everyone to hear.

Zara gave me a strange look from her desk.

“Bye, Zara,” Sadie called, striding away.

My gaze dropped to her ass. Those jeans fit her perfectly.

“I love her,” Zara murmured.

My stomach dipped like I was on a roller coaster.

What the fuck did I agree to?

8

Sadie

That afternoon,I unpacked the rest of my suitcase at the inn.

The cash I had from pawning my engagement ring was dwindling fast, and I was spending on credit cards. I could make it another three or four weeks, depending on how much rice and lentils I ate.

Even if I wanted to start my own design firm all by myself, I needed clients, which took weeks, sometimes months. I didn’t have that kind of time.

Until I found Holden Rhodes his dream date, I needed a job.

I lugged the last of my stuff from the car. Bringing my painting supplies seemed like a dumb idea back in Toronto, especially since I only used them for client work these days, but I couldn’t bear to leave them behind. Katherine had bought some of these brushes for me that summer. I still remembered how thrilled she was when I chose to do a fine arts degree before completing my interior design program.

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