Page 59 of Four Dates and A Forever
“Like one of those showcase homes they show on television.”
“Exactly.” Only in a magazine. How were people missing the point? “So you see my problem. If they pick me, then this house would need to be ready in a little under three weeks. A delay, even as small as a week, could jeopardize everything.”
Stan looked at her as if she were crazy.
“Are you married?” she asked.
“Divorced. She took the house and the dog. Man, I loved that dog.”
“Then you know how these things go. All I’m asking for is for you to look at my work, then tell me if it meets code.”
“Is the owner home?”
No, no he wasn’t. In fact, she’d spent so much time mulling over his proposal that she’d overthought him right out of the house—if his empty bed this morning was anything to go by.
“He’s right here,” a familiar voice said from behind.
She turned her head and watched as Rhett strode into the room, gracefully navigating the crates of tiles, electric tools, and stacks of lumber. He was dressed in a pair of cargo shorts, a blue tee advertising his band, flip-flops and dark glasses—looking deceptively casual. Which was in direct contrast to the confident swagger in his gait.
Her mouth went dry, which worked since he looked like a tall, cold drink of water.
Three days, her body reminded. Three days they’d been avoiding each other. She’d blamed him but she’d been at fault as well. She’d distracted herself by working her ass off on getting the renovations complete, which served as a valid avoidance tactic. And he’d been content to let her, but the way he was looking at her now saidtime was up.
It said a whole lot more, the kind of more that had her thighs quivering.
“Nice to meet you, man.” Rhett stuck out his hand and, to her utter surprise, Stan pumped it enthusiastically. “I’m the owner.”
Elsie’s heart sank a little. So it was true. Escrow had closed. She tried to look away, to blink back the wave of sadness. She’d hoped to conceal her roiling emotions, but nothing got past Rhett. His direct gaze locked on hers and warm understanding passed between them.
“I’d heard someone big had bought the place. My kids are going to freak,” Stan said, and that’s when Elsie realized he wasn’t waffling because he doubted her work, he wanted to meet the new celebrity tenant.
She rolled her eyes and—whoops,caught. Rhett looked at her over his sunglasses, delivering a panty-melting grin.
“Would you mind taking a picture with me? To show the guys at work.”
Rhett smiled easily but Elsie could see past the casual façade. He didn’t want to take the photo and she knew why.
“Actually, Stan. I imagine Mr.Easton would want to keep his privacy a little while longer. At least until he has time to move in,” Elsie said.
Stan blushed so bright the tips of his ears flamed. “Of course, I didn’t even think.”
“I don’t mind,” Rhett lied, and stood next to Stan, who was grinning like a fool. He handed Elsie the camera. “Elsie, would you… ?”
Her look said,you sure? When he nodded, she took the phone. “On three. One, two, three.” She snapped a few pics, then handed back Stan’s camera. “Now, about that permit.”
“Everything looked fine to me.” Stan scribbled his name and checked off some boxes. “I’ll file this with the county, and you should be good to go.”
Elsie folded her arms. “That easy?”
“That easy.”
“Thanks for coming out,” Rhett said. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d keep those photos under wraps for a few weeks. You can show them to your family, but let’s let the guys at work sweat it out a little while longer.”
“You bet,” Stan said as if he met legendary superstars every day. “When you’re ready for the final permit on the remodel be sure to ask for me.” He pulled a card from his pocket. Elsie reached for it, but he handed it to Rhett. “I’ll make sure everything is handled in a timely manner.”
“We appreciate that,” Rhett said, purposefully handing the card to Elsie, which made her heart do a little tap dance, then he walked the inspector out, chatting away the entire distance from the bathroom to the front door. Rhett laid on his usual charm and Elsie wondered how tiring it must be to manage extreme expectations, while placing others’ wants in the forefront. When people met Rhett it was one of the highlights of their lives—a fact that Rhett took to heart. It was why he was so generous with his time.
She’d once heard that he’d sat for twelve hours straight at a music festival to make sure he signed something for every fan who’d turned out to see him. That was on top of being the headline act. She didn’t know how he did it, but part of his success came from his kind and generous spirit. And tenacity. Something she needed to adopt if she wanted to make this business of hers a success.
