Page 27 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“You and I are friends, Dana. I hope good friends. No one, not even Lina, is going to change that.”
It was a nice thought in theory, she supposed. “I hope so.”
“It’s the way it is.” He stood there, more than likely hoping she would assure him how great it had been to be dumped for someone else. “I know, you’ve gotta run. But we’re good, right?”
“We’re fine.” She tried for that bright smile again but somehow couldn’t quite recapture it. Instead, she started to back up, and that was when she slammed into something hard.
Griffin bobbed his head in greeting to whoever was behind her and trotted off. Unfortunately, she knew who the hard body was even before she turned around.
“What was that about?” Aidan asked, close enough to her ear that it tickled.
“Nothing,” she said and faced him. “What brings you to the Ponderosa?”
“Breakfast. You eat yet?”
“Yes. I was just leaving.”
He wrapped an arm around her like a guy would do to steady his drunken buddy. “You okay? It appeared you two were having a difficult conversation.”
“Never been better. Not difficult, just weird.”
He studied her like he was trying to get a read on whether she was upset and settled for “Whaddya got there?”
She followed his eyes to the cardboard tube tucked at her side. “My blueprints. Colin drew them up. I’m planning to fine-tune them over the next couple of days.”
Wearing a smug smile, he said, “I’ll help you. I’m good with house plans. Wanna come sit with me while I eat?”
“I have to get to work,” she said but had to admit she was tempted. He was a charmer and, for some inexplicable reason, made her feel good. She suspected he had that effect on the entire female population. He possessed an innate ability to zoom in on a person as if she were the only one in the room . . . or the world, for that matter. “Appointments.”
He shrugged, as if to saysuit yourself. “See you later.”
In the office, Dana found Carol taping the new listings to the window and glanced at them to see if there was anything she’d missed. Nope, she knew them all.
“How did the meeting go?”
“Really good. Colin drew up plans.”
“Already? That’s amazing. You’re in good hands with those guys. When you’re ready, Vance will do your landscaping.”
“Maybe if you-know-who buys something, and my commission is big enough, I could put in a pool.”
Carol laughed. “You don’t want a pool. Believe me, they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”
But Dana sort of did and, while she was at it, a pool boy who looked like Aidan. Funny that she didn’t want him to look like Griffin.
Through the plate-glass window she saw Harlee drive up. Uh-oh; Dana hoped the reporter hadn’t caught wind of their secret client. The buyer wasn’t even due in until tomorrow afternoon. Dana had gotten her a room at the Lumber Baron, where she planned to stay in disguise so no one could identify her. Dana thought it was crazy. What a way to live.
“Hi.” Harlee breezed into the office in a cute cotton tank dress. Dana wished she had the nerve to wear the trendy kind of stuff Harlee looked so fashionable in. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d pick up next week’s listings.”
“Good timing,” Carol said. “I just finished typing them up. Let me print them out.”
“Perfect.” Harlee walked over to Dana’s desk. “How are you doing? I heard you met with my husband today about your rebuild.”
Dana didn’t know Harlee well, but she was married to Colin. Once or twice Dana and Griffin had socialized with the other couple, as well as Harlee’s best friend Darla and her boyfriend, Wyatt, who was a Nugget police officer. They were all about the same age, early thirties—a rare species in Nugget. But Harlee, a reporter and the owner of theNugget Tribune, was much more outgoing than Dana.
“We did,” she said. “He drew up beautiful plans. How are you?”
“I’m good, but then again, a fire didn’t burn down my house. Colin and Pat will take good care of you.”
