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“Here’s what I’ve had drafted up,” she explained, pointing to the varying parts of it that she knew he’d want to take extra care reviewing. “Pricing is here, expectations, utilities, trash, it’s all in there. Take all the time you need to look over it.”
There was a pause as Zach’s eyes took in line after line of the paper he held.
“The move-in date is blank,” he said at last, his captivating green eyes moving from the contract to Colette’s face.
“I figured we could fill that in with whatever date works best for you.” She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s available immediately, so we can add the date that you’ll take up residence. It’s up to you.”
“How about tonight?”
Colette’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That quickly?”
“Don’t get me wrong, the Warm and Bright Hotel is great. But it would be nice to have more space.”
A chuckle escaped her. “Okay, then. Yeah, tonight would work. I have a key I can give you immediately.”
She searched around the kitchen for a pen before finally finding one in a drawer along with a pad of sticky notes.
“Also,” she said as she jotted something down on a piece of paper. “I figured you should have this in case you need anything. Calling or texting both work for me, so whichever is best for you.”
She extended a hand with the sticky note, and Zach plucked it from her fingers before examining it.
“Is this your way of giving me your phone number?” He arched a brow, and Colette’s stomach fluttered.
“No… I… it… I figured it was easy… but…” She began stammering, unable to form a coherent sentence as heat rushed to her cheeks.
Zach laughed, a real laugh this time. And Colette realized that it was the first one she had heard from him. It was throaty and deep, and she found that she wouldn’t mind hearing it quite a bit more.
“I’m sorry,” he said once his laughter died down. “I was just joking.”
“Right.” Colette gave a quick nod of her head before turning her attention back to the paper Zach still held in his hand. “Well, the bottom of the page is where we both need to sign.”
Zach walked forward, setting the paper down on the table and holding out his hand for the pen she still held. Colette placed it on his palm, careful not to touch him. She wasn’t sure if she could handle any physical touch between the two of them at that moment.
He scrawled his name on the indicated line and stepped back for Colette to do the same. When she bent over the table, she couldn’t help but notice Zach’s proximity. When he’d taken a step away, it had only been a small one. And he was still close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body and smell the cologne that she had noticed earlier. It was a heady mixture, and Colette had to try hard not to let it go to her head.
She signed her name quickly and then stood up, putting distance between them as she reached for a ring of keys.
“This will be yours,” she said, taking two keys off the ring. “The silver is for the front door and the gold is for the back.”
Zach watched her with amusement as she rattled off everything she could think of. No doubt it was a stark contrast to how quiet she had been during the tour of the house. But Colette couldn’t help it. Everything about this day was leaving her a bit jittery.
“Trash is picked up on Tuesdays. I try to remember to wheel everything to the end of the drive on Monday night, but just in case I forget, if you could keep an eye out that would be lovely. And, well, I think that’s it.”
“Wonderful.” Zach flashed her another lopsided grin.
“Yup. Well, I’ll leave you to it and just let me know if you need anything.”
He nodded, and Colette turned to leave. It didn’t take long before she heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to find Zach following her through the house.
“My bags are in my car,” he explained when she shot him a questioning look.
“Oh,” she breathed. “Right. Carry on.”
Colette turned back around and made her way to the front door, the floorboards creaking slightly underneath her weight. But they weren’t loud enough to drown out the sound of Zach’s amused chuckle.
In the entryway, Colette pulled on her coat and slipped her feet into her snow boots before thrusting open the door to the snowy landscape beyond. She stepped out onto the porch and down the stairs, the snow crunching with every step that she took. She didn’t look back at Zach, but she could have sworn that she felt his gaze on her as she made her way back to the guest house.
Once she was nestled safely inside the little cottage, with her door closed and locked tight behind her, she let out a soft sigh of relief. Her stomach growled loudly, and she made her way to the fridge and began heating up a leftover bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.
