One Bossy Offer (32)

She whips her head around now and meets my gaze.

“Office? You mean I can’t just work remotely?”

I smile. “Only for a little while. Probably no more than a week or two. I wouldn’t dream of keeping you away from paradise any longer than necessary. Hell, I don’t want to wind up stuck in Seattle for more than a few days myself.”

A stricken look lines her face.

“I don’t know what I’ll do with Coffee and Cream. My parents will flip if I drag them back home. Maybe I can get Ace to stop by and feed them. I’m pretty sure my grandma gave him a key.”

Ace again? They’re on pet sitting terms?

Venom courses through me.

“No,” I say too quickly. “That’s an easy fix. You can keep them at my place where there’s constant security and space. Or I’ll have my housekeeper go over and feed them and let them out regularly. You don’t want the damn handyman alone with those monster dogs. Even if he could manage, it’s too much liability.”

Also, the idea of her turning to the Playing Card for help sours my stomach.

“They’re good dogs! They don’t bite. You know that.”

I shrug. “Maybe so, but why take the risk? Besides, they’re creatures of habit.”

“That’s what worries me. They’ve already had their routines upset so much when—” Her voice breaks and she sighs. “When Gram hasn’t been gone that long. But I don’t think the dogs can come with me to Seattle.” She looks at me and smiles. “Anyway, if your housekeeper stops by to feed them, doesn’t that mean you’re taking on the liability? They’re not even your dogs. I should just get Ace to do it when he’ll be coming by for projects anyway. It’s no big deal, and he doesn’t seem like the type to sue me.”

“I’ll hire you a damned pet sitter. Company expense,” I grind out.

Her eyes dance with amusement like the lethal little kitten she is.

Of course, she’s enjoying this.

“Nonsense. They’re my dogs and we’ve already negotiated compensation.”

“Miss Landers, in case it wasn’t obvious, I adore Coffee and Cream,” I admit, hating how her eyes light up. “They’ve...grown on me since the day Coffee dug under my fence and destroyed a rosebush.”

Her jaw drops. “He destroyed your bush?”

“They like to stomp around with those moose legs, don’t they? Thankfully, he missed the thorns and didn’t chew too much.”

Laughing softly, she turns back to the seascape for a moment and then leans her head back and looks at the sky.

“You picked a beautiful evening for this. If I’m being honest, it’s not just dog logistics that have me worried. I don’t want to go back to the big city hustle when I’m settling in here.”

I do a double take, wondering what the hell is going on.

Are we having a moment?

A real conversation without the constant sniping and tension and insults?

“You’re from there, aren’t you?”

“Born and raised, but this place was always my hideout. I spent most of my summers and quite a few holidays with Gram.”

“Have you ever lived outside Washington?”

She shakes her head. “I even went to college in Seattle, and then it was off to Winthrope International as soon as I landed the internship. That’s where I learned to appreciate beautiful places like this. I mean, I always loved Pinnacle Pointe, but I didn’t appreciate the aesthetics the way I do now. Not until I started copywriting my butt off trying to sell resort stays in exotic places. This has all the makings of a cute resort town. I’m not sure what stopped it from being one.”

“More development would be necessary. You’d need a few more bars and a couple high-end spas to attract the money crowd. Frankly, I like it the way it is. There aren’t enough people here to bother me.”

She stares at me for a second and bursts out laughing.

“What?”

What now?

“You surprise me. That’s all. You just seem like the kind of dude who’d never leave the city unless you’re bound for a five-star hotel with a restaurant that has crudo and a wine list a mile long.”

“You don’t know me,” I flare, swallowing my annoyance before I ask, “Do you even want to?”

Her face blanks.

“Well... I mean, if it wasn’t for the work arrangement and you lusting after my land—you wouldn’t be half-bad. The painting thing knocks you down a bit on the ogre scale. It’s interesting.”

“Ogre, huh?” I puff out my chest and swing my arms, doing my best Shrek. It must not be totally awful since she doubles over with laughter.

“Oh my God, you... you have to stop.” Her green eyes dance when she looks at me again.

I wait until she comes up for air. “One question for you. Is interesting better or worse than hot?”

Every last bit of her stiffens. More redness bleeds into her cheeks and it has nothing to do with the hysterical fit a second ago.

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Why would I, Miss Landers, when you still can’t handle the fact that you think I’m—” A strong wind abruptly hits me in the face before I can finish the sentence.