More Than I Could (96)

Kim and Geoff together make me ill. It’s not that I miss my ex-husband; I’m the one who filed for divorce. But they will be there, making things super awkward for me in front of everyone we know.

Not to mention what it will do to my mother.

Geoff hooking up with Kim is my ultimate failure, according to Mom. Somehow, it embarrasses her, and that’s unforgivable.

“For just once, I’d like to see her and not be judged,” I mumble as I sidestep a melting glob of blue ice cream.

Nothing I have ever done has been good enough for Catherine Bailey. Marrying Geoff was an atrocity at only twenty years old. My dream to work in interior architecture wasn’t deemed serious enough as a life path. “You’re wasting your time and our money, Brooke.” And when I told her I was hired at Laguna Homes as a lead designer for one of their three renovation teams? I could hear her eyes rolling.

The office comes into view, and my spirits lift immediately. I shove all thoughts of the party out of my brain and let my mind settle back into happier territory. Work. The one thing I love.

I step under the shade of an adorable crape myrtle tree and then turn up a cobblestone walkway to my office.

The small white building is tucked away from the sidewalk. It sits between a row of shops with apartments above them and an Italian restaurant only open in the evenings. The word Laguna Homes is printed in seafoam green above a black awning.

My shoes tap against the wooden steps as I make my way to the door. A rush of cool air, kissed by the scent of eucalyptus essential oil, greets me as I step inside.

“How was lunch?” Kix asks, standing in the doorway of his corner office. My boss’s smile is kind and genuine, just like everything else about him. “Let me guess—you met Jovie for lunch at Smokey’s?”

I laugh. “It’s like you know me or something.”

He chuckles.

Kix and Damaris Carmichael are two of my favorite people in the world. When I met Damaris at a trade show three years ago, and we struck up a conversation about tile, I knew she was special. Then I met her husband and discovered he had the same soft yet sturdy energy. All six of their children possess similar qualities—even Moss, the superintendent on my renovation team. Although I’d never admit that to him.

“I swung by Parasol Place this afternoon,” Kix says. “It’s looking great. You were right about taking out the wall between the living room and dining room. I love it. It makes the whole house feel bigger.”

I blush under the weight of his compliment. “Thanks.”

“Did Moss tell you about the property I’m looking at for your team next?” Kix asks.

“No. Moss doesn’t tell me anything.”

Kix grins. “I’m sure he tells you all kinds of things you don’t need to know.”

“You say that like you have experience with him,” I say, laughing.

“Only a few years.” He laughs too. “It’s another home from the sixties. I got a lead on it this morning and am on my way to look at it now.”

“Take pictures. You know I love that era, and if you get it, I want to be able to start envisioning things right away.”

“You and your visions.” He shakes his head. “Gina is in the back making copies. I told her we’d keep our eye on the door until she gets back out here, so it would be great if you could do that.”

“Absolutely,” I say, walking backward toward my office. “Be safe. And take pictures.”

“I will. Enjoy the rest of your day, Brooke.”

“You, too.”

I reach behind me to find my office door open. I take another step back and then turn toward my desk. Someone moves beside my filing cabinet just as I flip on the light.

“Ah!” I shriek, clutching my chest.

My heart pounds out of control until I get my bearings and focus on the man looking back at me.

I set my bag down on a chair and blow out a shaky breath. “Dammit, Moss!”

He leans against the cabinet and smiles at me cheekily.

“We’re going to have to stop meeting like this,” he says. “People are going to talk.”



Read FLIRT here.





Acknowledgments





First and foremost, thank you to my Creator.

I keep thinking that writing books will get easier. This one, after all, is my thirty-fifth story. (35!) I should be in a groove.

[Narrator: she is not, in fact, in a groove.]

But, there is a silver lining, and that is the community of people around me that help me get all the things done. (Except washing my hair. I have to do that at some point. Ugh.) I’ll be hugging my husband and children today (post-shower) because I haven’t seen them in a while. I can hear them on the other side of my office door. I wonder if they’ve grown? Thank you for your patience, guys. I love you. Now we can watch a movie or play a game. (But, please, no chess.) My husband’s parents will be happy to hear that I’ve wrapped this book. Now my mother-in-law won’t feel compelled to start every text with—I know you’re writing but … You two are the best. Thank you for your patience and support.

Kari March slayed this cover. Jane Ashley Converse nailed the image. Dane Peterson and Maddi Hansen’s love in the photo is palpable and I’m honored to have it, and them, on my cover.