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“It’s not bad. At least, I hope it’s not bad. It’s about the house.”
“Oh, Willow. Don’t worry. Whatever the kids broke can be fixed.”
“No. No. It’s not that. Well, it’s sort of that. Drew did make a hole in the drywall in his room, but it was a small baseball-shaped hole, and I patched it. It’s about our finding a permanent place to live.”
Noah’s stomach sank. “Oh.”
“The last thing I want to do is abuse your hospitality and stay too long. The problem I’m having is that nothing suitable has come onto the market. My real estate agent tells me I’m looking for a unicorn.”
Good.
“However, she got a call today about a piece of land. It’s actually a pretty wonderful piece of land. Not far from here. We could build a house that suits us, but that takes time. Probably more time than you figured when you offered us your house.”
“Now, Willow.”
“Wait. I don’t want you to say anything tonight, okay? I want you to take some time and think this over. Please.It’s imperative to me that you are comfortable with this situation. We could always move somewhere else until our house is ready. But it’s not simply the construction time. If you’d feel crowded… if it would be weird… I won’t do it.”
Weird? “What am I missing here?”
“It’s that twenty acres of land across the highway. We wouldn’t share a fence or a road like you do with the Triple T, but it’s still close. Since you and I are… um… um…” She made a circular motion with her hand and sipped her martini.
“Since we’re um, um,” he repeated with a grin. “You want to define that for me, Ms. Eldridge?”
“Well, that’s part of the problem. I’m not exactly sure what we are. We’re friends, but are we more than friends?”
“I think so. Don’t you?”
“I do, but the label is fuzzy. I know the l-word isn’t appropriate.”
“I don’t know about that,” he ventured. “I am your landlord.”
She slapped his arm. “Ha ha.”
“Do we need a label?”
“I think we need something, Noah. Especially if you’re thinking about going back to Denver. It’s a little like the situation with AJ. Those three children and I will become a family if we act like one for too long. If you and I sit on the swing and act like lovers each night… um…”
“I think technically we’re already lovers.”
“But we’re not in love. I think I could fall for you, Noah. I could fall hard, and if a serious relationship is off the table for you, I think I would want to know that. Not tonight, but probably sometime soon. By the end of the summer, maybe. Unless you already know it’s off the table tonight, and if so,go ahead and tell me. It won’t kill me, but I would like your input before I make a decision on the property.”
“Fair enough. I’ll think about the land, and nothing is off the table tonight. Okay?”
“Okay.” She smiled at him. “Good. I’m glad.” She drew a deep breath, then exhaled with a sigh. “In that case, I have one more question.”
Noah couldn’t help but groan. Willow laughed. “No, you’ll like this one. At least I hope you’ll like this one. One of the moms I’ve gotten to know at daycare has invited Drew and Emma to spend the night with her kids the night of The Emily gala. Since my kids will be at the Wheeler’s house, would you like to come back to my place for an after-party?”
The “hell yes” on his tongue froze. “What about AJ?”
“He’s an excellent sleeper. Noise doesn’t bother him. He rarely wakes in the middle of the night, and if he does, he’s in a very sturdy crib. He can’t climb out.”
Noah held up his glass in a toast. “Here’s to excellent carpenters.”
Willow clinked his glass with hers. “Here’s to a man of many skills. I can’t wait to see what surprise you have for me next.”
“I’m a man full of plans, Goldilocks. A man full of plans.”
Chapter Fifteen
