Page 69 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

I shook my head. “LikeThe Wedding Planner?”

She gave me an impressed look. “Your sister has taught you well.”

I laughed. “Mom would be upset if she didn’t get some credit.”

“I try to give credit where credit is due,” she said with a laugh. “So if it's not a wedding thing, are you taking me to help you pick out clothes?”

I looked down at my dress shirt and slacks. “Is there something wrong with my clothes?”

“No, not at all,” she said with a calculating gaze. “In fact, your tailor does great work.”

“Who says I have a tailor?” I asked.

Her sultry smile sent blood to all the right places. “Because your clothes fit you way too well not to be made just for you.”

My chest puffed up a bit too much at the compliment, but she was looking out the window again, deep in thought.

“So if it's not clothes, and it’s not a wedding thing, then you must be taking me to run an errand for your mom.”

I snorted. “You’re seeing her tomorrow morning. If she needed something from the store, I’d have Dad pick it up after work or you could grab it on the way there.”

“Well.” She dropped her hands on her lap. “I really have no idea then. What do you even do in your free time besides do taxes?”

I gave an exasperated sigh, having had the same conversation with Tess a million times. “Accountants don't just do taxes.”

“Oh, you're right,” she said. “What do you do besides taxesand bookkeeping?”

I rolled my eyes. “I'll have you know that I do plenty of things, both during and after work.”

She gave me a skeptical look.

“I go to the gym, spend time with my family. I play poker with the guys. I grab beers at Cohen’s bar from time to time. Plus, Dad always has a project or two that he needs help with. And in the spring, Mom has a garden, so there's plenty of work to do there.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I don't picture myself helping you with any of that except for maybe the beer thing. I could definitely go for a cocktail.”

I added that to my mental checklist to grab some drink mixes and maybe ask Cohen for a few tips on how to make a good mojito since that was clearly Mara’s drink of choice.

She still hadn't guessed what we were doing when I pulled in front of the furniture store, and she looked from the sign to me, her eyes lighting up with pure glee. “We're getting rid of your couch?!”

“We're getting rid of my couch,” I confirmed. “And since I'm clearly terrible at picking out furniture, I thought you could help test them out with me.”

She clapped her hands together excitedly. “You haveno ideathe amount of comfort you're going to feel, you know, after the discomfort of the money leaving your checking account.”

I shook my head. “It will be the greatest purchase of my life to have you sleeping on a cozy couch when you don't make it to bed.”

An expression I didn’t quite understand flicked over her face before it was gone and she was smiling at me again. “Let's go inside,” she said. “I can't wait to see what they have.”

We got out of the car and walked through the glass doors of the furniture store. The showroom was completely massive with tall ceilings and chandeliers and way too many couches. Most of them that looked just the same to me.

A sales associate came over and asked us if we needed help, and Mara said, “I think we're good for now.”

As she walked down the aisle, I didn’t doubt her one bit. She looked like a little kid in a candy store having so many options and not knowing which to pick. She was so adorable.

I reached for her fingers and held her hand, half expecting her to stop me. Instead, she squeezed back, rewarding me with another one of those smiles.

I smiled back before looking around the store again. In the distance, I could hear a child wailing and the dull chatter of shoppers, but mostly I just focused on Mara.

“So, what are we looking for?” I asked. “I know you said something comfy, but does that mean we have to sit on every chair in here?”

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