Page 37 of Happy Is On Hiatus
“There’s also the problem of that awful black spot on your driveway,” Ethel said as she walked. “As you well know, we have strict rules about property appearance. Perhaps you need to call Jack’s brother-in-law and have him provide an estimate on getting a new driveway poured.”
Rita took a deep breath and didn’t bother expelling it slowly. “I’m not getting a new driveway just because there’re some burn marks. But I will call my cousin to see if he has some power-washing tools that can remove the stain.”
She opened the door and waited for Ethel to step through.
“More of your family in Willow Grove?” Ethel crossed her arms over her ample bosom and once again frowned. “Are you sure that’s appropriate considering our current situation?”
Having taken as much of this nonsense as she planned to for the moment, Rita placed a hand on her hip and stared at Ethel. “As long as my name’s on the deed to this house, I say who comes here and who goes. You nor the HOA have any control over my guests. Now, you have a nice evening.”
Ethel didn’t hide her displeasure as she flounced out the door and down Rita’s front steps. And despite the overwhelming urge, Rita didn’t slam the door behind her. Instead, she closed the door and leaned against it. Letting her head fall back, she closed her eyes and wondered how her world had managed to turn so completely upside down in such a short span of time.
Chapter 15
LOOK, BUT DON’T TOUCH.
He was fine. Then again, she’d already come to that conclusion.
Sharae watched Desmond walk across the food court to where she stood in front of the Great Cookie shop. She’d had a good ten minutes to stare at him before he’d turned and noticed her. Cursing now because instead of ogling him she should’ve taken that time to make a quick exit, she shifted her purse strap on her shoulder and moved the bag with the cute flip-flops in it and the cookies she’d just bought from one hand to the other. Not that she was nervous about seeing him approaching. That would be ridiculous. He was sort of her attorney, after all—her very tall and slightly bowlegged attorney with the alluring bedroom eyes, strong jaw, and lips that appeared very kissable.
Dressed in slim-fit gray slacks and a button-front white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he seemed just as at home in this crowded mall as he would be if he’d been dressed in an impeccable suit moving throughout the courthouse hallways. And as comfortable as he’d been sitting at her dining room table, although she’d been trying her best to forget that night and the weird emotions it’d made her feel.
“Hey,” he said in a tone that was as casual as if they were dating.
That thought threw her even more off-kilter, and Sharae stood up straighter. She wished she were still wearing the pantsuit she wore to work instead of the white shorts and purple tank top she’d changed into after her shift. Not only did her pantsuits look good—and cost a pretty penny—but they served as a sort of armor between her and the world. It was much easier for her to interrogate a suspect or stare down a colleague when she felt like she looked as if she should be taken seriously. It was seven thirty at night, and she was in the mall wearing sandals with her toes out and buying chocolate-chip cookies. At least this time she was wearing a bra when she faced him. A few seconds passed before she found her professional voice and managed a quick hello.
He nodded down to her bag. “Shopping?”
“Yes. For a trip. I’m going away tomorrow.” Not that he needed to know any of that. “Are you shopping too?” Because really, he just looked like he was walking around the mall sharing his good looks with the masses.
“Yeah, need a couple new things for work.”
“The fact that we’re standing in the food court definitely says something about our shopping habits.”
He laughed and surprised her again. When he was at her apartment, he’d given her only glimpses of his dangerously sexy smile. And the sound of his laughter was genuine, like he enjoyed laughing and did so often. That shouldn’t seem so foreign to her considering the only thing she really knew about him was that he hadn’t been to church in a while.
Reminding herself that all she needed to know was that he was just her lawyer, she continued. “Anyway, when can we expect the estate documents to be finalized? I’ve already talked to a real estate guy who can get the houses listed ASAP.”
The quick rise of his brow as the laughter abruptly stopped said he wasn’t prepared for the topic shift. She didn’t care.
“Uh, it usually takes a couple weeks. I’ll give you a call and send you copies as soon I receive the final paperwork.” He cleared his throat. “The investments might be a little trickier to handle.”
She nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ve got that covered too.”
“Oh really? You know another guy in finance?”
He sounded skeptical.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She was thinking of her cousin Ivan but didn’t feel like she needed to tell him that.
“Cool. Cool.” He reached up to scratch behind his head. “What kind of cookies do you have?”
She stared at the bucket—not a bag, because that wouldn’t have been enough cookies for her—that she held in the same hand as the bag with the shoes. “Chocolate chip. And don’t ask me if I share.” The way he’d eaten half her cold-cut sub last week still had her trippin’.
He didn’t laugh again or give her that sexy smile. Instead, he kept a serious look that she suspected meant he was about to lie. “I was gonna tell you they’re my favorite.”
Now it was her turn to give him a skeptical look. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Really.” This time hedidsmile, and Sharae had to admit she was uncomfortable.
