“Minor renovations. And the major rooms are finished.” He shrugged. “And my real estate agent hired a crew to come in after I leave for my tour and finish off the renovations.”
Panic had her tossing the covers back and standing. “You can’t just hirea crewto finish up. You need the right crew, one that understands early modernist design and its origin. This isn’t some DIY project, it’s a showcase-worthy house.”
“Then I’ll have my agent find a showcase-worthy early modernist expert.”
“That would be me!” Elsie was the best early modernist interior architect in the state. He needed her, but she could already tell he had his mind set. “With the right crew, I can have this all done in a month.”
He set his guitar aside. “And try to write through construction?” He shook his head. “Hard pass. Look, I’m here because I have to establish residency here in Oregon for tax reasons. With Steph getting the house, I’ve already lived in LA for too long. That is the whole reason I agreed to pay above asking.” He met her gaze. “I figured you already have your own place.”
“This is my own place.”
“I meant your new place.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that after I win the lottery. Not everyone can just go out and buy a house without selling their current house. Do you even know what a gallon of milk costs these days?”
He seemed to consider that, then grinned one of his cover-of-Rolling-Stonegrins. “See, that right there is why I need to be around people who ground me. Remind me what’s important.”
“Milk is important?”
“Do you know the last time I bought my own milk?”
“No.”
“Me either. And that’s a problem. Which is why I’m not leaving. So how about a compromise. You move into a temporary place, and I’ll pay the rent until escrow closes.”
“So I give up my dream so you can accomplish yours? Not happening.” She was going to finish this house, even if she laid the floor tile by tile. “And what do you do, throw money at everything?”
“I’m trying to be the nice guy. I even got you a present.” He pointed to a small box sitting on her nightstand. It was pink with a white tie and looked suspiciously like it contained jewelry.
“What is it?”
“Think of it as a truce between friends.”
She looked into his assessing blue eyes but could have sworn that she saw a flash of amusement. “Between friends, huh?”
When she didn’t move to take it, he leaned across her, his shirt riding up enough to expose the two dimples on his very muscular lower back. Her stomach quivered.
He handed it over and she, ever so cautiously, untied the bow and set it aside. Watching his expression for any hint of his prankster side, she opened the box and braced herself for a glitter bomb—or worse.
When nothing happened, she moved aside the tissue paper and—
“You got me a keychain?”
“With a key attached.” He flicked the key with his finger. “You can’t overlook the key.”
“I already have one. Remember the hearing, where everything in the house is mine for another few months?”
“Oh, this isn’t formyhouse. This is for the Airbnb right down the street you’re going to love. I found it online and with its sleek lines and modern feel, it’s right up your alley. If you look inside the card, it lists the address.”
She threw the box at him, and he ducked. “I’m not leaving. My workspace is here. My things are here. Sorry if that puts a wrench in your Sex-topia, but I am staying inmyplace until the end of the summer.”
He seemed to hem and haw over her statement, then shrugged. “As long as I get to be the big spoon, I guess that works.” He grabbed his guitar and headed for the door. Then over his shoulder, he said “Oh and Red, I sleep commando. But you already know that.”
Chapter Five
Dating Tips from Elsie Dodd
Try online dating. You can meet and
