Page 26 of Heating Up (Nugget)
She continued to scan the plans when the food came and paid particular attention to the kitchen. New kitchens added 83 percent of their cost to a home’s value. “Could we make the pantry bigger with those pull-out shelves?”
“Yeah, but it’ll eat into your breakfast nook.”
“Hmm, I see what you mean. Can I take these home and think about them for a few days?”
“Of course you can,” Pat said. “But the sooner we get them through city planning, the sooner we can start.”
“What’s going on with Lucky and Tawny’s house?”
“We’ll be doing the punch-out in a few weeks.” Pat put his napkin in his lap and started digging into his omelet.
“Wow. So I’m going to get a totally new home?”
“Yep.” Colin grinned and, like Pat, began eating his breakfast.
For the next half hour they talked about finishes, flooring, and appliances. By the time Dana made her way across the restaurant to the door, her head was swirling with color schemes, flooring materials, and window treatments. That was when a hand reached out and tugged her over to the bar.
“Those the plans for your rebuild?” Griffin asked and sipped his cup of coffee.
“Oh, hey, Griffin, I didn’t see you sitting there. They are.”
“I saw you, Colin, and Pat looking at ’em. What do you think?”
“I love what I’ve seen so far. They think they can double the square footage of my old house.”
“That’s great.” He sat there for a couple of minutes, looking as gorgeous as he always did. “You know I would make you a deal on any house you wanted in Sierra Heights, right?”
“It’s very generous of you, but I like where I live,” which was just far enough away from him to give her peace of mind.
“How’s it working out with Aidan? Grace told me you two were in the hardware store yesterday.”
Jeez, what was it, national news? “We needed some stuff for Tawny’s house.”
“So it’s going okay?”
“Couldn’t be better.”In fact, we have Tantric sex every night.
“I’m glad. He’s a good guy.”
The gall, Dana thought. She could read Griffin like a book and he was actually hoping she and Aidan were in the beginning stages of a love connection, which they weren’t. Not even close. Couldn’t Griffin at least have the decency to show a modicum of jealousy? He couldn’t because he wasn’t. He had Lina.
“Yes, he is.” She looked at her watch. “I’ve got an appointment.”
“Yeah? A hot buyer for one of my houses?”
“Not this time, I’m afraid, but I really need to run.”
“Hold up a sec.” He pulled a few bills out of his wallet, laid them on the bar, and followed her outside. “Dana, are we okay?”
“Of course.” She was probably smiling a little too brightly, but he’d caught her off guard. “Why wouldn’t we be?” God, could she be any phonier?
“It just seems like you’re avoiding me these days.”
“No. I’ve just got a lot on my mind with the house and all.”
“I get that, but even before the fire you seemed a little distant.”
She blew out a breath. “Honestly, I get the impression Lina isn’t too thrilled about me. I didn’t want to do anything that made the situation uncomfortable for the two of you, especially given our work situation.” Which was completely true. The other part was that it hurt too badly.
