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"That sounds fun. Are you going to sing or dance, Leo?"
"I'm going to dance," Leo said, jumping up and down in a very unrhythmic way.
"He takes after his mother," Chloe said with a wry smile. "Anyway, we just put the cupcakes in the oven. We'll frost and decorate them after dinner."
"If you need someone to test them out, I'm in."
"Somehow I thought you would be."
"But first we have to eat our dinner," Leo proclaimed. "No cupcakes unless we eat all our food."
He laughed at the boy's seriousness. "I'm hungry, so that shouldn't be a problem."
"I'm hungry, too," Leo said. "When are we eating?"
"Dinner is almost ready," Chloe said. "I made chicken enchiladas for us, and chicken fingers for Leo. How about a margarita? I made a batch to go with my enchilada theme."
"I would love one." He followed Chloe into the kitchen as she poured him a drink. She looked so pretty in a light blue floral dress that showed off her gorgeous legs. His body hardened as he thought about those legs wrapped around him.
Chloe's eyes darkened as she put a drink in his hand. "You look like you need to cool off."
He looked around to see where Leo was, happy to see he'd moved into the living room to play with his trucks. "After that kiss you gave me, that won't be easy to do."
She sucked in a breath. "I don't know what it is about you that makes me feel so…"
"Hot?" he asked when she couldn't seem to find a word.
A smile lifted her lips. "Yes."
"Well, I know exactly what it is about you."
She shook her head, sending him a warning look. "Someone has big ears."
"Do you want me to whisper in your ear?"
"I want you to tell me about your day instead. How is the job going?"
"Coward," he teased.
"Are you on budget and on time?" she asked, ignoring his comment.
"Yes. Not just on time. I'll be done early," he said, as he sipped his margarita. "The tile guy is amazing. He's good and fast. He'll be done by tomorrow night with the bathrooms. The kitchen was painted today, and it looks good. The cabinets really just needed to be cleaned up, and the countertops are fine."
"That's amazing. The realtor was asking me today when we might be ready to do photos for the listing."
"End of next week should work."
"That soon?" she asked in surprise. "I thought we had two or three more weeks."
"The extra labor made everything go faster." He paused, seeing an odd look in her eyes. "Usually, customers are happy when I give them this news."
"I am happy. Of course, I am. My parents are eager to put the house up for sale," she said, before taking a long swig of the margarita she'd poured for herself.
"Well, good," he said. Even though he didn't feel all that good about it, either. Not that he had to leave town when the house was done. He'd planned to be here a few more weeks. He could still do that.
Chloe's doorbell rang, breaking the sudden tension between them. She put down her glass and went to open the door. He followed her into the living room, hearing someone's agitated voice. An older man was on the porch, and he was very upset.
"Slow down, Mr. Pearson," Chloe said. "What's wrong?"
