I Flipping Love You (Shacking Up #3)(66)

“There’s a what in there, which makes it a question.”

“But you phrase it like an order.”

“It’s not intentional. I want to see you, and I want to know what days you’re free so we can coordinate a date. A real one. Where I take you out for dinner at a restaurant, and then I drive you home. At the end you invite me up, and I spend the night in your bed.”

“I only have a double.”

“That’s fine. I like cuddling with you, and you can’t escape in a double like you can in a king.”

“What about Trip? How will he manage without you?”

“He’ll deal for one night. Or I can take you back to the Franklin bungalow if that’s better. Whatever works for you. I’ll make it happen.”

“What about Thursday night, then?”

“That seems like forever.”

“It’s three days from now.”

“Exactly. Practically forever, but I’ll take what I can get with you.”

I lean in for a kiss that ends with me hard and Rian breathless. She’s a glassy-eyed, slightly uncoordinated mess as she makes her way to her door. I wait until she’s inside before I head to my brother’s. I have to deal with him at some point, and I need to get some real work done today since I slacked yesterday. It was totally worth it, though.

I drive back to the beach in a good mood and park at the Franklin bungalow. If Lawson’s being a pain in my ass, I might stay here tonight. Besides, the sheets will still smell like Rian, which is a bonus.

Trip gives me one of his Ewok barks, tongue lolling as I grab his leash and we stroll down the beach to my brother’s place. He’s out on the deck, taking pictures of Amalie Dolls playing tennis on a fake court.

He’s stretched out on the deck, clicking away on his camera. “Sleeping with the enemy, huh?”

“Rian isn’t the enemy.”

“I still think she and her evil twin are shady.”

“Because they took an opportunity when they saw it? Isn’t that what you did when you visited the granddaughter down the beach and got the details on the Franklin house? Isn’t that what I’m doing with Muriel when I drop by and water her flowers and clean her pool?”

“Not the same.”

“Totally the same. I think it was a mistake to fire them.”

He gives me an incredulous look. “Of course you think that since you’re sleeping with one of them. You’d think you’d be using that to get insider information.”

I drop into one of the lounge chairs. “Why are you so pissed about this? It’s not like we have time to start another renovation.”

He snaps a few more pictures and then sits up. “I heard a rumor that the owners of the Mission Mansion are thinking about selling, so the more property we own on this stretch of beach, the better.”

That gets my attention. “Where’d you hear that?”

“Does it matter?” He motions to the dolls. “You want out and so do I. If we keep doing what we’re doing, it could be a possibility.”

“How is the Mission Mansion going up for sale going to do that for us?”

“If someone fixes it up, it increases our property value. We buy low and sell high, bank the profit and watch our money grow. I know you don’t want to go back to Manhattan at the end of the summer. So you need to keep your head in the game and your eye on the prize, which doesn’t happen to be located between your girlfriend’s thighs.”

“Business is business with Rian.”

“Is it?”

“She can buy a house to flip, Lawson. We don’t need every single one of them.”

“I know that, but I think you need to keep in mind that her interests are her top priority, and remember what yours are.”

I guess that’s the real question, because I don’t think my priorities are quite the same as Lawson’s. I don’t want to spend my life hating what I do, but I also don’t want to put myself in a position where I’m scrambling financially, or giving up what I love to make a buck.

But beyond that, I’m a little tangled up in a woman I can’t seem to get out of my head. Which is clearly his point.





CHAPTER 22

SHOPPING TRIPS





PIERCE


I pull up in front of Rian’s duplex and park on the street since both cars take up the narrow driveway. Rian needs to price out house supplies. It’s the excuse she gave me for not having time to get together for lunch today. We have a date planned for later in the week, but I don’t feel like waiting, so here I am.

She and Marley took possession of the Paulsons’ two-story fixer-upper last week. Lawson got over it after he managed to snag another beach house—in better condition—a week later. It’ll give her an excuse to be on the beach more often. Which will mean more opportunities for quickies. Or not so quick quickies. And sleepovers, obviously.

My excuse for showing up unannounced is that there’s no way her piece-of-shit Buick can hold all the things she needs, so I’m here with my truck. To be nice. At least that’s what I’m going to tell her.

I’m aware I’ve already got it bad for this woman. My conversation with Lawson about priorities and business made that clear. Also, my motivation for getting out of law and making renovations and rentals my full potential future has shifted to include her.