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“It’s...very even.” She sounded doubtful.
Yes, Mia’s sign was certainly that. It was also legible and could be read from the end of the block. She looked back at Carla’s handiwork. The other woman’s work was...flamboyant. You’d probably have to be six inches away in order to figure out the prices and what was on offer, but it made her want to look. Slowing down and taking a second glance wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I’m ordering a chalkboard,” she decided.
Carla grinned. “Easy peasy. You’re sleeping with the owner. That ought to be good for unlimited office supplies.” Wow. Mia blinked.
“Sorry.” Carla made a face and purloined the black marker. “I’m missing my filter when it’s this early. I probably shouldn’t have assumed you’re sleeping together. I mean, you could have a really traditional engagement.”
“Maybe Tag’s saving himself for our wedding night,” she said dryly.
Carla snorted.
“That would be a total waste, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Cara agreed. “Speaking of which...Cal’s promised to hire more rescue swimmers.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You need to look out for your fellow females and make sure he hires more hotties. Since you took the last one, it’s your civic responsibility to ensure he restocks.”
“You make him sound like a cookie.”
Granted, the man was edible. It was positively unfair how downright sexy he was. Having met Cal and Daeg, she could also see Carla’s point. If the Navy had more sexy guys like these three, why not bring them to the island?
“I’m pretty sure federal labor laws say we can’t hire people just because they’re sexy.”
The grin on Carla’s face grew wider. “Modeling agencies do it all the time. We could have an all-military, all-hottie dive shop. Think of the business we’d get.”
The door opened and Tag stepped outside. She hadn’t realized he’d arrived. “Are we committing felonies before I’ve had coffee?”
He looked sinfully good. His wet suit was pushed down to his waist and he wore another one of those ratty Navy T-shirts he loved so much. Mia was pretty sure he had a dozen of the same shirts and just rotated them. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her up against his side. He was warm and strong, and a whisper of awareness skittered through her. Clearly, there were already fringe benefits for her to enjoy from their “engagement.”
That being said, her visceral reaction to seeing Tag in one piece and on the ground shook her. Part of her wanted to throw her arms around him and plant a kiss on his mouth. But touching wasn’t part of their deal. He’d hired her to be his office manager, and keeping it professional was important. Bedroom things stayed in the bedroom. Or on the floor. Against the wall. Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t spent anywhere near enough time in bed.
An oversight she’d have to remedy tonight when she got him alone.
“The rescue went well?” The relaxed but tired look on his face said it had, but Mia wanted to hear him say it.
“Got them all back safe and sound,” he told her, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“Hey.” Carla gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Tag plucked the chalk out of the other woman’s hand. “I’m pretty sure today’s dive doesn’t involve man-eating squid or...” He squinted. “A school of oarfish?”
“Barracuda. Tell my boss to send me to art school and you’ll get better results.” Carla grinned unrepentantly and pointed to Mia’s hand. “When are you picking out the ring?”
“Spending my money, are ya?”
“Doing Mia here a favor. I want her on my side.”
“You just want me to hire more Navy rescue swimmers,” Mia said.
They hadn’t talked about a ring. In fact, if she was being honest, they hadn’t done much talking at all. When she and Tag were sharing air space, the chemistry between them took over. There tended to be a whole lot of kissing—which she was definitely a fan of—but not so much rational discussion. They probably should have figured out the parameters of their new “relationship” right away. However, buying a real ring for a fake relationship seemed like overkill in the window-dressing department.
Carla laughed. “Hot Navy rescue swimmers, remember? And there’s already a poll going around as to who’s going to have the biggest ring—you, Dani or Piper. Cal’s pretty competitive, so keep that in mind.”
