Page 6 of Unexpectedly Yours


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“I feel that way about my apartment. There’s nothing cookie-cutter about it, that’s for sure.”

“I usually come down here when the weather’s warm and just walk around.”

“Yeah? I’ve never seen you.”

“Really? With forty thousand people per square mile you never noticed?”

Caroline rolled her eyes and smiled a sweet little smile. It was nice to see her like this, without the overpowering presence of her siblings. This girl had spirit and he liked it.

He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he’d known Caroline Rossi for years, but that was probably rooted in the fact that he knew so little about her. And he supposed that was his own fault. Before her family moved off the estate, she was the quiet, skinny kid who looked at him like he was from another planet. At Meg and Jason’s wedding, Caroline stood up for her sister and if he hadn’t been told who she was, he wouldn’t have guessed. The girl she was and the woman she’d become were definitely at odds. There was a vibe about her, a soft, sexy side, that didn’t really mesh with the tongue-tied nerd he used to know. She was still quiet, and reserved, but she’d blossomed into a serious beauty.

Since the wedding he’d seen her once a month, and this was the first time he’d gotten a read on her personality.

Josh felt himself grin. “It’s not just that you lack a filter; you’re a smart-ass.”

He pressed the code allowing him access to the building and Caroline looked straight up, her eyes like a kid’s at a candy store. It was fun to watch. “You must bring out the best in me,” she said.

“I guess so.” Josh held the door for her and behaved the way his late grandmother would have expected. “Where’s your apartment?”

“West 25th Street.”

He pressed the elevator button as Caroline looked around the spacious lobby. “Nice area. I like Chelsea.”

“Me too.” She glanced up at him. “So, we’re both West Siders? Very hip.”

Josh shook his head. “Tragically hip. We should be wearing black.”

Caroline examined her gray skirt and black sweater and looked back at him, her eyes filled with amusement. “One of us is in uniform.”

Josh laughed. It started low and he felt it rise and bring that great lightness to his head. Who knew Caroline Rossi would be able to make him laugh... especially after the day he’d had dealing with his father.

* * *

Caroline hadto remind herself to breathe as she walked around Josh’s loft. The space was incredible. Sprawling, with nods to the industrial past of the building, it was also masculine and elegant. She wandered from room to room, not even thinking to ask him if she could tour the place. It consumed her the minute they walked through the door. Forget the sprawling house in the suburbs that her sister had. This loft, this amazing neighborhood, was where Caroline would want live.

She was in his home office, a cozy space with dark gray walls and floor-to-ceiling glass that had a door leading out to a patio. The fading daylight gave the room a very Zen feel and it took a minute to realize that Josh was standing behind her.

“In the summer, the terrace is the best place to spend an evening,” he said. “There’s a breeze off the river and even with all the city noise, it’s pretty peaceful.”

“I’m sorry I just wandered around. I should have asked, but I couldn’t help myself. This apartment is stunning.”

“I was lucky to find it. It was a wreck when I bought it. The building had been in foreclosure and the interior was a mess.”

“You restored the apartment?”

“The building, actually. It was our first real estate project. We partnered with a contractor and an architect and we’ve all gotten a nice return on the investment. I bought this unit for myself.”

“I should have gone into restoration. I like the artistic side of it, and the precision, but there was such a demand for my specialty I couldn’t turn down the opportunity. So, now I work with dirt.” Ugh. What was she saying? Dirt? Was she really talking about dirt?

Josh stuffed his hands into his pocket. He’d shed his suit jacket and tie, and had rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, revealing forearms banded with muscle. Good God.

Ah,there was thirteen-year-old Caroline, again.

But thirteen-year-old Caroline sounded the warning bell, and it was a good thing, too. What the hell was she doing here? She was in Josh Campbell’s apartment. Alone with more than two hundred pounds of walking testosterone. A man who could make her act stupid. It felt like every one of her nerve endings lit up as she looked at him looking at her, and she damn near giggled.Oh, please don’t giggle.

“Let me grab a bottle of wine and we can eat.”

“Oh, right. We’re eating.”

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