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She took a deep breath This was it This here she found out if this really was the dreaood as this one?”

Matteo raised his eyebrows “You mean, is every roouarantee that, Phoebe” He was looking at her as if he couldn’t quite understand why she thought this was a good thing But Phoebe was off Tearing through the next few rooe kitchen A laundry rooht need a little work And a phenolass doors that looked out over Mecox Bay

Matteo stayed behind her, following her from room to room “Phoebe Ms Gates Does this mean you’ll take the job?”

She could hardly speak Roo in her brain about how gorgeous she could make this place that she could hardly fore her whole career A chance to pay off her mother’s medical bills A chance tothat had hung around her for the last few years

“Phoebe” His voice grew sharp and he gave her ar her around to face him Her hands rested on his upper arive hih

“Do I want the job? Hell, yes Now I’ve seen it, this place is oing to want to let o”

It was the briefest of seconds A wash of sadness see she really didn’t understand But as soon as it had appeared, the shutters caain Matteo Bianchi had the perfect mask The perfect face for business

The edges of his lips curved upwards For the first time since she’d met him, the tension in his shoulders actually looked as if it disappeared a little “Phoebe, quarter of a o”

Chapter Two

FOR THE FIRST tie concept Unfamiliar

Lucky had been so Then Jason, her fiancé, had been killed in a freak flying accident They’d only just got engaged and started to s wiped out in the blink of an eye—or the failure of two engines at once She still couldn’t even think about it But Phoebe hadn’t needed therapy She was strong Or so she’d thought She’d been devastated to lose her fiancé, but she’d picked herself up and continued to go through the motions

Then her ery Chemotherapy Radiotherapy And a million scans Phoebe had been determined to take her to every appointround while she did it Forgetting to eat Forgetting to sleep And eventually having to hit therapy Because she did need it She just hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it

It was just lately that she’d felt as if she was starting to co better They only had to settle the medical bills now But work had picked up The apartment near Central Park had been a real coup for her But this? This was the icing on the cake Better than that This was the sugar on the sprinkles, on the chocolate, on the icing on the cake

She wasn’t the slightest bit perturbed by Matteo telling her he’d let her go She’d been on a high She still was He was so open shutters and taking photo after photo with her phone Occasionally she stopped to make a few notes But only for a second The essence of this house was invading her senses The myriad of bedroo The totally and colass dome And the kitchen She could do so much with the kitchen that she almost wanted to start this very second

Matteo’s mood seeot the distinct impression he didn’t want to be here at all It was almost as if he didn’t even like the place

By the time she returned to the main roo so her enormous salary, but she was far too excited for all that

She walked straight over to him “I still hurt from where you pinched me”

He was mid conversation and raised one eyebrow at her After the briefest of pauses he pulled the phone away fro”