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“For everything,” she said. “I seem to be saying all the wrong things since we’ve met. Truth is, I couldn’t even begin to fathom what you have been through and I’m not sure what the protocol is for polite conversation around you.”
“I’m not a polite conversation kind of guy, if you haven’t noticed, Boss,” he said. “I mean, I’m your employee now and I just told you that you’re hot.” He was right, she was blowing things way out of proportion, just as she always had and she was possibly going to scare off one of the best cooks the diner ever had.
“I’m sorry. It’s just been a long day and I need about two days' sleep to get caught up. I promise I’m not this shifty,” she said.
“So rules—what’s the first one?” Cillian asked as if getting them back on track.
“Well, you are welcome to use the entire house and you’ll have your room but we are going to need to share a bathroom. So, I think we should work out some sort of schedule?” she offered.
“As in I’ll need to plan for when I will need to use the facilities?” Cillian teased. “I’ve been well trained—prison will do that to a guy, but I can’t time that stuff.”
“No,” she said. “I meant for showers.”
“Thank God, because if I have to guess every time I’m going to have to take a piss, I’d need to hire a psychic. Okay, so no fortune teller needed and rule one works for me. I can take a shower around your schedule, it’s not a big deal. I hope to join a gym and might even shower there, just to help out with water and such.”
“Are you usually this considerate?” Viv asked.
“No,” he admitted. “I’ve been told I’m a class A asshole, but I’m in your debt for giving me not only a job but a place to stay.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she said. “I’m happy to help and with the way my customers loved your food today, I think I should be the one thanking you. I don’t know what I would have done today if you hadn’t come along. I probably would have had to shut the diner down until I could find help.”
“Let’s just call it a draw. It was a win-win for both of us,” Cillian said. They turned the corner and when she got to the front of her house, she suddenly worried if he was going to like it as if that mattered.
“So, this is me,” she whispered. “Well, I guess I should say ‘us’.”
“It’s so nice,” he said. “You said it was your grandmother’s?”
“Yep, and I moved in after my mom died and my dad took off,” she said. She had never told anyone else that part about her life. “Sorry, that was too much information.”
“Listen, we’re going to be living in the same house and we’ll need to know things about each other. I’ve already told you just about all there is to know about me,” Cillian admitted. Somehow, Viv didn’t quite believe him. She was betting that he hadn’t even scraped the surface.
“How about you go and grab your stuff and I’ll make us something to eat. Will it take you long?” Viv asked.
“No,” he said. “As I said earlier, I don’t have much.” She nodded and unlocked her front door.
“I’ll have a key made for you tomorrow. Let me give you a quick tour and then you can get settled.” Viv led the way into the kitchen and took her bag from him, noting the way his eyes flared when her fingers brushed over his hand. “This is the kitchen and if you go through that door, it leads to the family room and then the back yard. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and of course, the shared bathroom I told you about. Feel free to pick which one of the spare rooms you want. They are both pretty much the same—bed, dresser, closet—you get the idea. It’s not much but it’s mine.”
“It’s pretty fantastic,” he breathed. “When you come from having nothing, living in a place like this is almost a dream come true. Thanks, Viv.” He paused in front of her and was so close she thought for just a minute he was going to kiss her. But, when Cillian took a step back giving her some space, she felt almost let down.
“No problem, Cillian.” she turned to open the refrigerator, trying to find anything else to do rather than staring at the sexy man filling most of her kitchen. Having a roommate was going to take some time to get used to. Having Hot Irish Guy as a roommate was going to take every damn ounce of her willpower and then some.
_______
Cillian took about an hour to run back to his motel and pack his stuff and when he pulled up outside her house on his Harley, she nearly swallowed her tongue. She had a weakness for men on motorcycles and her grandmother was right, she liked a bad boy. Cillian James seemed to be as bad as they ran—well almost. He was also the sweetest man she had ever talked to, although she was pretty sure he’d bulk at that description of himself.
Viv watched as he parked his bike in her driveway and when he started for the house, she ducked out of the front window and ran back to the kitchen and even banged some pots around, for good measure.
“Hey,” he interrupted, dropping his bag onto the corner chair. “It smells great in here,” he said.
“It’s just some baked chicken.” She shrugged, looking at his bag that held everything he owned. “You weren’t kidding about not having much,” she said nodding to his bag.
“Yep, I travel light,” he teased. “What can I do to help?” Cillian took the plates from her and set them on the table.
“Grab the silverware and the bottle of wine from the fridge,” she ordered.
“You have any beer?” He asked. “I’m not much of a wine drinker. Hell, I’m not much of a drinker at all. They don’t serve alcohol in prison, you know.”
“There might be a few in the back from—” she was about to say from her last boyfriend, but that didn’t seem appropriate conversation between an employee and employer. This was new territory for her and she wasn’t sure what to say or do.
