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Ally shrugged then gave me the tour. The place mirrored Mia’s in shape, the finish as good as how I’d worked up hers. One thing was undeniable—it really was pretty much complete.
“Last thing will be a good clean down, then ye can move in,” Ally said. He knelt to tighten something under the kitchen counter then swung the door out, testing it.
I poked around, checking out what could be my home.
From the start, when Ben made the suggestion, it hadn’t felt right. It still didn’t now. I didn’t need a place like this, with two bedrooms and a spacious living room. Yet I couldn’t impose on Mia for longer, which meant going back to sleeping on Raphael’s floor or to the bunkhouse.
My brain buzzed with too many thoughts and no solutions. Nothing felt clear or right.
“I’m all done.” Ally came to stand next to me. “The bathroom’s finished, kitchen checked off, electrics and wiring sorted. Job’s a good one. Ye okay?”
“Is there any chance ye could do a favour for me?” I asked. “I’m at a loose end this morning, and Tobi was talking about getting her room painted. I don’t have my car here and am not supposed to drive yet, but if I had the equipment, I could make myself useful that way.”
It was early, and there was plenty of time to do the work. If I picked up a low-odour paint, it wouldn’t trouble Mia or Tobi all that much. I even knew the exact shade because the lass had selected it from a colour chart a couple of nights ago.
Ally tilted his head at me. If he found it interesting that instead of making plans for the cottage which could be mine, I was thinking of next door, he didn’t say. Instead the man shrugged and offered the ride I needed.
Before we left, I messaged Mia for permission.
Mia: She’ll be over the moon. In fact, it’s great timing. She wants to sleep over at her friend’s tonight. Because it’s Friday, I agreed.
So it would be just us this evening. Ally got us on the road, and I made another stop-off request. As houseguests went, I’d prove I was a good one.
Six hours later, the room was painted and Mia returned with a very excited Tobi. The little girl whirled around in her bedroom in delight then hugged me around the legs. My throat clogged, but I chided her to keep off my new lilac walls just to make her laugh. Then, with an overnight bag packed, her ma whisked her away to her playdate.
Meaning I could get on with phase two of my plan.
When Mia returned, I was just sliding a tray into the oven.
She entered the kitchen, eyes wide. “You’re cooking? What is it?”
“A slow roast beef. I’m not exactly a great chef, but this is seasoned to within an inch of its life and will taste pretty decent. I’ll serve it with roast potatoes and honey carrots then either Ican make a gravy or I picked up a sour cream dip that would go well. It’ll be ready around seven, if that works for ye?”
“It works.” She appeared dazed.
“Go take a shower,” I ordered.
“Yes, chef.” Mia ran her gaze over me, the haziness turning to something more heated.
Badly, I needed to examine that expression in more detail, but I let her go, taking the time to clean up the kitchen.
This was fucking nice. If I moved in next door, I could cook for her and Tobi from time to time. Maybe they’d even like hanging out with me some evenings. In the back of my mind, that happy scene changed to something darker. The time when I’d see Mia return from a date, or when some arsehole asked if he could move in and play happy families with her and the Tobster. That, I couldn’t bear.
So maybe we only had this, now.
Chapter 29
Mia
Fresh from the shower, I slid the blue tabard back over my naked body—shaved, buffed, and moisturised, of course—then stepped into the living room.
“Valentine?” I called.
“Still in the kitchen, being the host with the most.”
“Could you come here?”
I posed in the doorway to my bedroom, my long blonde hair still damp and loose, and the tabard keeping me from feeling ridiculous in my seduction technique. Because damn did I want that man. Right now. On the bed, the floor, wherever.
