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“I won’t be.” Elise folds the card, sliding it into her pocket, and Jagger leers.
“We’ll see.” Then he strides back to his truck and clambers in, casing the house one more time before gunning out of the driveway.
Elise exhales, long and low. “Who was that, exactly?”
“Jagger Capelli. He and his brothers think they own Seaglass Beach. They’ve been trying to run this town since we were in grade school.”
She twirls her ponytail. “But I take it they don’t?”
“Not even close. The Montgomerys—that’s mine and Parker’s family—own over half of Seaglass Beach and have for generations. The Capellis keep trying to compete, but there’s rules about zoning and protected shoreline. You can’t build wherever and whatever you want around here.”
“I see.” Elise nods, and I note a light splash of freckles across the bridge of her cute nose. A fleeting thought of kissing that exact spot on her skin skates across my mind before I snap back to reality.
“Y’all are cousins, right? You and Parker?”
“Yep. My mom married into the family, so I’m half Montgomery.”
“Got it.”
“Word of warning—whatever you do, don’t get involved with the Capellis. They’re bad news.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Her hazel eyes meet mine and I swallow hard, scrubbing a hand over the back of my neck.
“Wanna show me the rest of the house?”
“Sure, come on in.”
Elise gives me a quick tour of the house—doesn’t take long because there’s not much to it—and then I conduct my own inspection, checking out the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. She tags along behind me, close enough I feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
“Oh, sorry.” She bumps into me as I unfurl myself from under the kitchen sink.
The bare skin of her arm brushes mine and chill bumps rise, along with a soft pink tint in her cheeks. We lock eyes and my mouth goes dry. The only thing I can think about in this moment is kissing her, trailing my lips down the soft skin of her neck all the way down to her full breasts.
“How’s it look down there?” Elise asks.
“Uh—” My mind goes blank as images of Elise naked in my bed spin wildly through my head.
She points to the sink and my brain catches up. “Fine, it’s fine. We could run into lead pipes, you never know. That’ll be something we may have to budget in.”
“Speaking of budget, when’s the earliest you could give me an estimate? I’m in town until next Saturday, but I’ll mostly be managing the project from Atlanta. At least until the summer.”
My gut clenches as her words catapult me back to reality. Of course she’s going back home. I need to focus on the job, not the client.
Elise leans back against the laminate counter, folding her arms across her stomach, emphasizing her curvy figure all the more.
Focusing on the job is a tough thing to do when your client’s fucking gorgeous.
“I can have numbers to you early next week. Does that work?”
She smiles, her teeth model-perfect. “Should be fine. Meanwhile, I’ll finalize the paperwork. I’m keeping my lawyer busy, that’s for sure.”
At the mention of a lawyer, I perk up. “What do you do in Atlanta? Are you planning on vacationing here? Renting? Sorry, maybe that’s too personal.”
“No, it’s fine,” she says, brushing away my concern. “I’m a stay-at-home mom at the moment. I used to be a teacher, before I had kids. If we can get the house renovated to a livable state, I’d love to summer here with the kids. At least this year, not sure about long-term.”
“Oh.” I run a hand through my hair, trying to seem nonchalant.She’s thinking of being here all summer.
I need to get this reno moving and make it happen. “I’ll have a budget to you as soon as I can then.”
