Page 52 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
He ended the call and grinned. “He’ll send a repair tech out tomorrow, but I suspect you’re getting a new furnace.”
“Thank you!” She tossed her arms around him. “I shouldn’t be so happy my landlord is a sexist old jerk who won’t listen to a woman but thank you.”
“With great penis comes great responsibility.”
She rolled her eyes. Honestly. “I cannot believe you just said that, ya massive nerd.”
Was he flirting? It felt like he was flirting.
“How about you stay over at my place tonight?” he said, his voice low and tempting.
Yeah, he was flirting.
“Oh, spending the night at a boy’s house.” Dang if she wasn’t blushing.
“I have heat.” He waggled his eyebrows, ruining any chance of seduction.
Odessa snorted in amusement. “Such a man of the world. Do you have electricity and indoor plumbing too?”
“Don’t get carried away. You wouldn’t want to get spoiled by all this luxury.”
“Let me get my jim-jams. Can you carry over the groceries?”
“Are you cooking?” He peered into the paper bag.
“Stop peeking. Now carry heavy items for me, man.”
“Alas, it is all I’m good for,” he said with a dramatic sigh.
Odessa tossed together an overnight bag with pajamas, fresh clothes for the morning, and a toothbrush. She hesitated at the package of condoms; a fresh box recently purchased as the last box flew past the expiration date years ago.
Did she want to have sex tonight? Yes. Would she? Maybe. She shaved her legs that morning, so some part of her was prepared to be naked. She wasn’t sure if sex was on the table or not. Heck, she wasn’t even sure if Mads was her boyfriend now.
God, that awful term again.
She threw the condoms in the bag. If she needed them, great. If not, no worries. Better safe than sorry.
“Ready?” She shouldered the bag and double-checked that the oven had been turned off.
Despite living adjacent to the rental cabin for five years, she had never actually been inside. The vacationers who could afford lakefront property with a private dock didn’t exactly make friends with the townies. They stayed in their high-priced luxury cabin and she stayed in her dumpy little mid-century house with peeling paint and no view of the lake.
Trees obscured the expensive rental property. From her front porch, the glow from the house peeked through the trees. In the summer, she could hear the music and laughter from cookouts.
They cut through the trees, crossed the road that separated the million-dollar houses from the humble shacks, and entered through the front door. The front opened directly into a central great room with an open ceiling and the entire back wall composed entirely of glass, for maximum view of the lake. Heavy timber trim gave the glass the impression of craftsman-style windows. Double doors opened directly onto a stone patio and the path that led to the water and dock.
The interior of the house was sleek and modern and so different from the rustic hominess of her own house that she didn’t want to touch anything. A large leather sectional surrounded the fieldstone fireplace. The mantle, a heavy timber, matched the beams arching above the room. She hesitated to call it the living room because fancy houses had sitting areas, conversation zones, and entertainment rooms.
A gigantic artificial tree dominated the open space. It twinkled with pre-installed lights and golden ornaments. A garland of poinsettias twisted up the tree in a thick scarlet ribbon. The tree was gorgeous, like something right out of a magazine. A matching poinsettia garland made graceful swoops over the windows and twisted up the banister.
“Did you do that?” she asked, pointing to the tree.
He barely looked. “The property manager put it up a few weeks ago.”
She held up her bag. “Can I borrow your shower? I got gross and sweaty at work today.”
“Absolutely.” He showed her where to find towels in the master bathroom. The shower was the glass enclosure kind with a rain-style showerhead, totally fancier than her pink tile bathroom.
The heat and steam of the shower washed away the stress of the day. She no longer smelled of sweat, the coffee she spilled at breakfast, and the onions, because she always stank of onions after handling them.
