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His private bath now smelled of cucumber, melon, and fresh soap His razor had been moved from the cabinet and was replaced by bottles of lotion and creams As heroo on the sofa next to an array of romance novels with sexy covers Max scooped one up to move it into the bookcase, but decided to peek After he read the scene, he wondered why his face felt suddenly hot He quickly shelved it and walked into the culinary kitchen
Eranite counter like a little mouse He followed the trail down the hall and toward the back She had claimed the sunroom as her neorkspace and seemed to spend endless hours here Max tapped on the door and opened it
She stood in the spill of light in the center of the roo at a blank canvas He rarely used the space other than for storage, but she descended in a whirl of organization Boxes disappeared, shaded blinds were ripped down, and the wallpaper torn off No life breathed into an artist’s haven with sun streah the bay s and onto rich peachy walls, and endless storage shelves filled with supplies He’d hooked up the h voluripped a paintbrush dipped in reen, and her smock already held touches of color and the smear of charcoal Basic sketches filled the walls with a variety of figures, and she’d tried her hand at a landscape that she abandoned halfway through Her hair was pinned up on her head in asoe she wanted to reveal, and Max was fascinated by this wolimpsed before Rocky lay in a pool of sunshine by the , snoring away Man’s best friend had quickly gone to the dark side Her ani completely, and he followed her faithfully fro his new number one choice
In a matter of teeks, she’d upended his life She was a bit messy with her clutter She left the cap off the toothpaste, her shoes kicked off by the door, and never seemed to reach the hamper with her dunk shot
He discovered she shared his passion for forensic crime dramas and the occasional trashy reality disaster Soether with Rocky beside them, drink wine, and watch television in blissful silence The four-star meals he loved to experiment with finally had another participant, and he noticeddishes for her
Of course, he kept waiting for panic to hit with the knowledge that his old life was over and he was tied down to one woer, resentht when she threw back his words in fury, he’d kept his distance They reached a tentative truce and treated each other with the utmost politeness and respect Max told hi him into false intimacies He never expected her to be so resentful of the e, either She didn’t need him anymore in any type of capacity, obvious in her sudden focus on finding out if she wanted to continue working at La Dolce Maggie She hadn’t mentioned it lately, and since there’d been no major mishaps, maybe Carina decided to stick it out
"Carina?"
She spun around and his heart caught With her hair loose and messy around her shoulders, a streak of charcoal on her cheek, and her smock splattered with paint, she looked different froth of tanned leg, and cherry red toenails flashed on her bare feet She scowled at him "What?"
He shifted his feet and suddenly felt like a teenage boy "What are you working on?"
"Not sure" She crinkled her nose in that cuteI feel as if I’ et there"
"Eventually" She paused "Did you want so?"
Christ, why did he feel like an idiot? Chasing after his oife for so dinner Thought you ht want to take a break"
"Will you save me a plate, please? Can’t stop now"
"Sure Don’t work too hard"
"Hmm"
Her absent sound and diset to be cranky about being forced into e? He’d sacrificed his life, too "Are you ready for our opening in teeks? You’ve done a good job prepping for it Might have to work late for the next few days"
As if realizing she forgot to tell hih the air "Oh, I forgot to tell you I’"
He rocked back on his heels "What?"
She pushed a hand through her curls and a flash of red paint speared random strands "Sorry, Ifor er I’ll speak with Michael toet a worthy assistant"
Shock held him motionless When had she decided this? Since they arrived hoas, she’d continued to work at the office, but had cut back her hours She completed her work to full capacity, but he knew her usual enthusiasm had di her in the office, but coether mocked him Naked and in his arms, she confessed her emotions in a way that made him feel treasured Now, shewashed through hi to do instead?"
Carina grinned, her eyes lit with excite to work in Alexa’s store, BookCrazy"
"Interesting I knew Alexa needed help with the second baby co, but had no clue you’d even been to the bookstore"
"I stopped by early in the week to give her sos up I told her I’d take a look at her financials, but after working a few hours, I realized I love the place"
A smile curved his lips at her enthusiasm She consistently surprised him with her ability to move from controlled executive to an openhearted woman full of life and love "I’m not surprised Bookstores are the perfect blend of business and creativity"
"Exactly! I’ive it a trial run"
Pride burst through hi else"
"Thank you"