Kit’s mouth twisted. She looked like she was biting the side of her cheek. “I thought you didn’t like cookies.”
I didn’t take the bait. “These smell too good.” Before I could say anything else, Kit walked farther into the kitchen and into the next room. “This is the common dining room. Folks like to eat in here.”
I walked to where Kit was standing in the doorway. I peeked over her head to see a sunroom that had been converted into a dining room.
“This room is incredible,” I said. The room had floor to ceiling windows. Each corner of the room had beautiful ferns and Ficus trees. In the center of the room was a large dining room table. A huge antique chandelier hung low above the table. Every inch of wall space was covered in paintings and photographs. The chairs that surrounded the table were all Victorian-style chairs, but instead of traditional upholstery, they were covered in funky, eclectic, and colorful fabrics.
Kit turned around. I didn’t realize I was standing so close to her. She crossed her arms and bit her lip again, but instead of looking annoyed, her expression softened. “This room, the art, the plants, the whole vibe—it was very much my mom.”
I waited to see if Kit would say more. She looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. “My mom passed away a little over a year ago. This was one of her favorite rooms in the house. It’s nice that everyone gathers in here. She would have loved that.”
“Is the artwork hers?” I asked. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked up at me and I felt completely lost in her perfect almond-shaped brown eyes. I said softly, “Beautiful…the paintings are beautiful.”
Kit blushed and looked back at the floor. “Yeah, she was an amazing photographer, but an even better painter, as you can see.” I could hear it in the softness and care in her voice. I couldsee it in her eyes. I understood her pain, her grief. I wanted to say more, but then Kit cleared her throat, and I realized I was blocking the door. I took a step back.
The corner of Kit’s mouth pushed into a slight smile, and she brushed past me back into the kitchen. When I turned, Kit was crossing the room quickly and heading toward a doorway in the corner of the kitchen.
“I’ll take you up to your room now. You saw the stairs in the front. They go up to the renters’ rooms, too.” Kit turned and looked to make sure I was following her. “But we can take the back stairs.”
Kit disappeared through the doorway. I caught up to her and saw that she was climbing a steep, narrow staircase. I followed her up the stairs. As we climbed, I was eye level with Kit’s thighs and butt. I shook my head and forced myself to look down. Kit had already made it clear that she didn’t like me or my company. The last thing I needed was to get caught staring at her ass, even if it was practically perfect.
We reached the second-floor landing. Kit stopped there and said, “Okay, the second floor is for renters.”
She saw me gaze toward the stairs that continued up to the third floor and said, “The third floor is where Aunt Rita and I live. We converted the attic into an apartment when we remodeled the house.”
I followed Kit onto the second floor. The hallway was large, with bright light from the windows on either end.
Kit opened the first door. “Through this first door, there is a laundry room for everyone to use.”
Kit kept walking. She stopped when we reached two doors, across the hall from each other. She pointed to the first door and said, “A professor at the local college rents this room, and a traveling nurse rents that room. Both work evenings and nights.” I nodded.
Kit turned and kept going down the hallway until she reached two more doors. “This one is a newlywed couple. And this one is yours.” Kit stopped in front of one of the doors and looked up at me. Her brown eyes examined my face. She bit her lip thoughtfully, as if waiting for me. “Uh, do you have your key?”
“Oh, right,” I said. I felt a little embarrassed as I stood there staring at her and hoped it didn’t show. I pulled the folded envelope out of my back pocket and poured the key into my hand. I held it out for Kit to take. I felt her fingers lightly brush mine when she picked up the key from my palm. I felt an undeniable spark. Her eyes met mine and lingered there for a moment. She cleared her throat and turned to unlock the door.
“This is it,” Kit said as she pushed the door open. I followed her into the room. The room was bigger and brighter than I expected. There were large windows on both exterior walls and a fireplace. Kit walked over to the corner of the room and placed the key on the mantel. She crossed her arms and sighed. “Pretty straight forward. This is a real fireplace. Wood is on the back porch. These rooms get pretty drafty so you’ll probably want to use it from January till about March, assuming you’re still living here.” She pointed at the far corner of the room. “You have your own bathroom and kitchenette over there.”
“This is really great,” I said. “Great light.”
“I’m sure it’s not as great as your apartment in New York,” Kit said, her head tilted to the side. Her eyebrows raised as she waited for me to respond.
“Different but not better,” I said with a smile. I wasn’t going to take the bait. “Besides, I was living in a company apartment in New York. I’m happy to be out of that place and somewhere much cozier.”
“And your boss just let you up and move to a town like Creekstone?” Kit raised her eyebrows.
I walked over to the window. I could see my car parked on a picturesque street lined with trees. Leaves were starting to turn from their golden yellow and brilliant orange to a crusty brown, but it still looked beautiful. I continued to look out the window as I said, “I was hardly in New York. I traveled constantly. But my job has changed, and I am going to be working more in this region, so moving here makes sense for me, and honestly, maybe I’ll finally get some of that work life balance everyone is always talking about.”
I conjured my best version of a sincere smile and turned back toward Kit. She was standing with her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, almost suspiciously. Even when she was obviously doubting me, she looked sexy.
I kept cool. The truth was my relationship past was filled with hot, smart women just like Kit. I knew that somewhere in that defensive wall of skepticism was a crack where the light got in.And, I wasn’t lying. I was moving to Georgia for a job, and right now, I was living in Creekstone. It’s true that if all things went well, Atlanta was my final destination, but for now, Creekstone was the place I had to call home because it was my last mountain to climb before I was named CEO.
Chapter 3: Kit
“Trust me, V,” I said as I put my car in park. “His hotness is not enough.”
“Are you sure?” Veronica’s voice came from my phone. “I’m looking at his profile on the company’s website. And he’s super fucking hot.”
“Yes,” I nodded and sighed. She was right. “But being hot and charming isn’t enough if your company wants to turn every small town from Atlanta to Charlotte into one big suburban sprawl. Women must resist the hotness to stop the sprawl!” I joked.
