Page 46 of All Wrong
Corinne could see the wisdom in that, but buying a house also meant sticking around and making a thirty-year commitment. Was that what she wanted? Her Pine Ridge roots went deep, but perhaps it was time for a transplant. New place. New job. New opportunities.
It wasn’t as if she had anything to stay for.
Sure, Lacie and Brian lived nearby, but they had families of their own. Their kids were getting older, and before long, they’d be off to college.
The knock at the door was unexpected, but not terribly so. Neighbors had been hitting each other up more in the last two weeks than they had in the last ten years, looking for tape, boxes, wrap, and trading information about temporary storage options and housing opportunities.
Or it could be Lacie—again—wanting to help. Providing more rationalizations for why Corinne should come and stay with her and Shane and the kids.
Corinne didn’t answer the door, which seemed tobe her go-to these days. She didn’t feel like dealing with any of them. Not tonight.
“Corinne.”
She froze. The deep voice was low, but she had no trouble hearing it. Or knowing who it belonged to. The tingling in her core made it clear.
Corinne rose slowly and went to the door, opening it a few inches. Yep, the tingles didn’t lie. Nick was standing on the other side of the threshold.
She didn’t invite him in. She was still upset with him for sticking his nose in her business and offering his unsolicited dating advice, as well as pissed at herself for having feelings she couldn’t control. Even now, her mind was secretly crafting alternate scenarios of the naked variety.
“What do you want?”
He looked over her shoulder toward the pyramid of boxes she’d been assembling. A muscle ticced in his jaw. The one that looked as if it had been carved by a master sculptor and was currently dusted with a dark shadow. “Can I come in?”
Damn it.
After a moment of hesitation, she stepped back and opened the door. “I’m kind of busy,” she said, hoping he got the hint.
“I can see that,” he said, stepping over the threshold. “You’re moving?”
“Not voluntarily. I’m being evicted,” she said without emotion.
He turned those diamond eyes her way. “Come again?”
She shrugged. There was no reason not to tell him. He’d hear it through the family grapevine eventually anyway.
“The building was sold, and the new owner wants to turn it into luxury condos or something. The eviction notices came today. We have ten days to get out.”
“That’s not a lot of time.”
“No,” she agreed. “At least I only have to worry about myself. Those with families have it worse.”
Nick wasn’t an overly large man, but he was tall and sleekly powerful. With there being so little open space on account of the boxes, his nearness was playing havoc with her senses. A warm breeze drifted through the open sliders, picking up the scents of leather and dark, spicy male and teasing her with them. Her skin felt warm, and it had nothing to do with the sultry summer night.
“Where are you going to go?”
She gave him a small, tight smile. “Haven’t figured that out yet.”
He frowned. “Can’t you stay with your sister?”
“I could, but I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“If you were getting kicked out of your apartment, would you want to move in with your sister and her family?” When he said nothing, she nodded and said, “Exactly.”
“You’re staying in Pine Ridge though, right?”
“I don’t know.”
