Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1)(66)

God, she felt out of her element. She’d worn a loose summer dress and styled her hair, hoping a put-together appearance would give her a boost of confidence, but she still felt a little intimidated by the polished realtor. The woman wasn’t even making eye contact with Georgie. It was on the tip of her tongue to thank the realtor for her time and promise to call with a decision later, but it was an excuse to run. To sidestep making a decision. This place was perfect for her needs; she just needed to make the leap.

Georgie paced to the window and looked out over the town she knew so well. It blurred until she could see only her reflection in it. How much she’d changed on the outside. Had she changed on the inside, too?

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, searching for something—anything—that might lead her to believe she was capable of renting this space and turning her small business into a thriving one.

In her mind, Travis’s fist came down on her family dinner table.

She’s damn sure too important to be cut off or spoken to like a child.

A shiver snaked down Georgie’s back. Travis’s blue eyes did look at her like she was important, didn’t they? Like he was not only interested in her thoughts, but . . . needed to know them. She’d set out on a sneaky mission to make Travis believe in himself, but he’d slowly been doing the same for her. They’d been doing it for each other, hadn’t they?

She turned from the window, still not sure if she could pull the trigger. The realtor looked up with an inquisitive expression, and Georgie started to panic, but was brought up short when she heard high heels tapping up the building staircase. A couple seconds later, her sister breezed into the office space. “Hey, Georgie.” She flashed her teeth at the realtor. “Hello.”

The other woman stood up straighter. “Did you have an appointment?”

“She’s my sister,” Georgie answered, lowering her voice for Bethany’s ears alone. “What are you doing here?”

“Just in the neighborhood.” Bethany made a show of removing her oversized sunglasses, taking in the whole office space in one spin of her heel. “What are they asking for rent?”

Georgie named the figure and Bethany pursed her lips, throwing an arm around Georgie’s shoulders and turning them away from the realtor. “That’s a decent price, but we can do better.”

“Not in town, we can’t.”

“No. You’re paying to be on Main Street. I get it.” She bumped their hips together. “You haven’t really been involved in the turnover aspect of Brick & Morty, but no one ever agrees to the starting price. Not even when I’ve staged it to look like the cover of Home and Garden.”

Georgie glanced over. “But this is a rental.”

“Rules were made to be bent.”

Had Bethany ever taken the time to teach her something without a direct order from their mother? Georgie didn’t think so. This wasn’t forced at all, though. They were just two women talking, working toward a common goal. Bethany had shown up to help her because she wanted to, and that alone made Georgie feel worthy. Validated. Like she had every right to be there, making the decision to rent a commercial space and strike out into uncharted territory.

The boost of confidence gave Georgie an idea.

Standing taller than before, she turned toward the realtor. “Brick & Morty is our family company. If you can convince the owners of this building to knock ten percent off the rental price, I’ll talk to my brother, Stephen, about throwing you an upcoming listing.”

The realtor’s lips parted. “You’re Georgie Castle. I . . .” She was already dialing her phone. “I didn’t put it together. Let me see what I can do.”

Bethany gave a low whistle. “Damn, girl. I was going to suggest a five percent discount by offering to pay cash.” She squeezed Georgie. “You do me proud.”

Georgie blinked back the moisture in her eyes. “Thanks.”

Romantic gestures.

Right.

Travis knew as much about romantic gestures as he knew about spring fashion trends. But he’d given up the impossible battle of keeping his hands off Georgie. This was what she claimed to need to make it feel right. So here he was. At her house. Breaking and entering.

He twirled the key ring around his index finger and contemplated the cheerful red front door. Fake boyfriends were allowed to come over unannounced, weren’t they? She wouldn’t mind. Probably.

And it wasn’t as if he’d come here to roll around in her sheets or steal her panties while she wasn’t home. He had a mission. The contents of his truck bed were proof enough of that. He’d woken up bright and early this morning and knocked on the Castles’ front door, relieved when Vivian answered—he hadn’t been lying to Georgie about needing some time before looking her father in the eye. Then again, maybe doing so would always be a little difficult, since he planned to do all manner of ungodly things to Georgie. Starting whenever she arrived home from the birthday party she was working.

But he wanted to make some progress before then.

Travis slipped the key into the lock and twisted, letting himself into the house. He walked through the silent interior, smiling as he stepped over a pair of clown shoes, and continued through the rear entrance into the backyard. After propping open the side gate, he started carting materials from his truck, setting up his table saw and belt sander on the back lawn. Carrying the final item on his own was something of a task, because it was difficult to navigate turns with a tree branch on your shoulder, but he managed.