by Isabel North
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lila ran through the rain, huddling under her enormous umbrella. Her teeth chattered as her exposed legs were whipped by a gust of wet wind. She burst through the bay doors of Rawlings’ Auto Repairs and stood there panting.
“Wow. Quite the entrance,” Derek said.
Lila scanned the workshop.
“Over here,” he called, and waved.
Yes, she knew where he was. She’d seen him the second she came in, standing with Dani by a beige four-door sedan that should have been put out to pasture in the eighties.
She gave the workshop another quick scan, then made a show of taking down her umbrella. She shook the drops off it to puddle on the concrete floor. “Hey, Derek. Hi, Dani.”
“Thanks for coming by,” Derek said. “That was quick. I only texted you twenty minutes ago.”
“No problem. I’m between showing properties right now. I have the time. What’s up?”
Derek tipped his head in the direction of the office and ambled off. Lila followed him in. She sat on the old couch and plucked at her wet pantyhose with a grimace.
“How’s the grand seduction of Kurt going?” Derek said, entering something into the computer on his desk before perching on the office chair.
“That’s why you asked me to swing by today? To pry into my love life?”
“Nope. I am curious, though. You were weird around Kurt at the party, and I realized I haven’t seen you at the bar for a while.”
Lila studied him. “You’re checking up on me, aren’t you?”
Derek shrugged.
Aw. Cute. “Status update: I no longer like Kurt.”
Derek’s brows drew together. “Something happen between you two?”
“No, thank god. Turns out, he’s a bit of a prick.”
“Kurt? Evans?”
“Do you know any other Kurts?”
“Three.”
“Oh. Then yes, Kurt Evans.”
“You’ve been trying to get into Kurt’s pants for two years. What changed your mind?”
“I was brutally rebuffed. Kurt’s pants are now safe from my advances.” She met Derek’s inquiring gaze. “There is only so much rejection a girl can take.”
“Did he hurt your feelings?” Derek bristled.
Lila laid a hand on her chest. “Moi? I am titanium. I have no tender feelings. I got bored with the game, that’s all. Indecision is not an appealing trait in a man. Jump, or get off the trampoline.”
“Okay, my tender marshmallow.”
“Titanium,” Lila enunciated with care. “Not marshmallow.” Derek’s warm blue eyes were sympathetic.
She shouldn’t have said anything.
“How’s work?” he asked.
Lila leaned against the couch and spread her arms wide along the back as she considered Derek through narrowed eyes. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing,” Derek said, looking instantly guilty.
“No,” Lila said. “Something’s going on. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you are too sweet to be bad. I know a machination when I see one. You are machinating. First you’re talking about Kurt and now you’re interested in work?”
Derek scratched his head. “I was wondering how busy you were, is all.”
“My slate is full. Now tell me why.”
“Full? That’s a shame.”
“Tell me why.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re too busy to take on a new client.”
“I didn’t say I was too busy, I said my slate is full. Tell me why. Are…are you and Jenny selling the house?”
The thought rattled Lila. How ridiculous. If Jenny needed to move on, to change even more things in her new and improved life then Lila would support her, of course, like she always did.
“No,” Derek said. “No, we love the house.”
“Then who’s the new client?”
“A friend of mine. He works for me. You might have met him at the party. Or you might not. He’s pretty shy.”
Lila perked up. “Are you talking about Burke? I know Burke. Is Burke looking for a realtor?” Calm down, dork. Try not to sound too eager. “Interesting. Burke, huh?”
Derek’s dimples popped. “Take it you did meet at the party, then?”
Lila shook her head. “I saw him at the party, but we met before then. He’s my coffee shop cutie.”
Derek blinked. “Your… Your coffee shop…?”
“Cutie,” Lila finished for him. “We have coffee sometimes.” Twice, and the first time had been pure chance because his table had a chair free. “And cupcakes.”
“Burke does love his cupcakes.”
She smiled. “Especially pink ones.” She registered Derek’s curious stare. “What?” she snapped. “There’s nothing wrong with a man liking cupcakes. Whatever color they are. Pink, blue, rainbow. Sprinkles, plain, cherry on top. Everybody should get the pastries they want.”
“I agree. Lila, you’re being pretty defensive about cupca—”
“Because I think it’s adorable and you’re sitting there looking like you do, all handsome and shit, and being all cool with your eyebrow piercing, and you’re judging him, and—”
“Lila. I’m not judging Burke’s obsession with cupcakes.”
“See? That is very judgmental language. He’s not obsessed.”
Derek pointed at the calendar hanging on the wall on the other side of the office. There was a giant cupcake on it. Wearing sunglasses. And a fake mustache.
Weird.
“Burke’s?” Lila asked. Derek nodded. “Fine, he’s obsessed. Worse things, right?”
“How long have you and your coffee shop cutie been getting together?” Derek asked.
Something in his voice got Lila riled up again. “Why? Is there any reason I can’t drink a caffeinated beverage with the man every now and then?”
Derek’s eyes widened even as he attempted to cover his smile behind a hand. “No. God, no. I’m just wondering why Burke didn’t mention it.”
“Why would he mention it? It was coffee! That’s all. And it wasn’t deliberate coffee, it was fate, we were there at the same time. Like in the kitchen at Elle’s. That wasn’t deliberate, either. Nothing happened. I might have groped his butt. And yes, it was on purpose, even though I told him it wasn’t. I’m a terrible person. I took advantage of him. But he grabbed mine right after, which makes us even. Why are you smiling?”
“I’m surprised to hear about all the butt-grabbing going on between the two of you when I didn’t even know you’d met.”
“Technically, I’m the one who grabbed. I have to be honest here. He was holding me up again. It’s not his fault his hands are so big and they—” she held her own out and gestured, “—cupped stuff. Seriously, Burke has really big hands. Have you noticed?” Hard hands. Warm. Steady. Long fingers. Lila shivered.
“Holding you up again? When was the first time he was holding you up?”
“When he caught me at Kurt’s the day Kurt said I wasn’t worth… Never mind.” Lila bounced to her feet. “What’s with the third degree, Tate? You’re not my mother.”
“Sit down.”
“Hah.” She pointed at him. “Doesn’t work when you say it.”
It had worked when Burke said it, except he’d been talking to the dog and had to prevent Lila from kneeling when she’d thought for a crazy moment that the gruff command was for her, and she’d been waaaaay too okay with it.
Derek had noticed the stress on the word you.
Lila cocked a hip and raised her chin. “Doesn’t work when anyone says it. No one is the boss of me. I am the mistress of my own destiny. I chart my own course, and I stick to it, and I… Stop laughing.”
He had tears in his eyes, he was laughing so hard. Derek shook his head and waved at the couch.
Lila sat.
But only because she was feeling breathless.
What the hell was going on with her? They were talking about cupcakes then all of a sudden she
was defending Burke, then she was talking about his butt and reliving that moment in the kitchen she’d been trying to forget about, not because she’d almost embarrassed herself because, come on, she was a pro at embarrassing herself, but because…
Because she couldn’t afford to start looking at Burke like that.
She was leaving Emerson.
Lila smoothed her blouse, crossed her legs at the knee and waited for Derek’s hilarity to pass.
It took a while. Long enough for Lila to clear her throat and hold out her wrist, tapping her watch.
“Sorry.” Derek wiped his eyes with the heel of his not-as-big-as-Burke’s hand.
“Are we done here? I’ve got more important things to do with my day than sit around being laughed at.”
“Lila. I’m not laughing at you.”
She raised her brows.
“I’m not mocking you.” He leaned over to give her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “You know me better.”
Lila slapped him away. “Fine,” she grumbled.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you flustered.”
“I’m on my period.”
His face froze. “Uh…”
Like a charm. Men were such infants sometimes.
“Anyway,” Derek lunged for a subject change, “back to Burke and his real estate needs. He’s looking to buy a house. You’re great at what you do. I thought I’d hook you two up.” He smiled innocently. “You’re a match made in heaven.”
“Sure. Derek?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you getting involved? Burke’s a big boy. If he wants me, he can come to my office and ask me himself. That’s usually how this works.”
“He wouldn’t, though.”
“Why not?”
“Why not?” Derek rasped a hand over his scruff. “Good question. I happen to know life has gotten a whole lot more challenging for him recently. He needs to find and buy somewhere quickly. It’s a hell of an expensive thing to do, buy a house.”
“He said, to the real estate professional.”
“Right. Burke’s probably going to go with Parker Real Estate. They’re cheaper than your guys.”
“Because they suck! No. He can’t go with them. They’ll talk him into a shitty house they can’t dump on anyone else, and they’ll charge him more than they should for their shitty service. They don’t care about anything but the sale. They don’t care about finding their clients a home. No. I can’t stand by and allow it.” Lila stood up. “Where is he? Is he here?”
“On a tow.”
She checked her watch and winced. “Hell, I’ve got to go anyway. I’m slammed for the rest of the day. Quick, give me his number. I’ll text, set something up.”
Derek stretched for a pen, jotted Burke’s number on a scrap of paper and handed it over.
Lila tucked it into her purse. “This is really sweet of you, Derek. You’re a great friend. You can count on me. I will find Burke his perfect home.”
She had to rush to make her next meeting, she worked through her lunch break, and didn’t have a moment spare to text Burke until she was leaving the office.
Okay, she had the time, a handful of minutes here and there, but she kept composing then deleting texts, for some reason incapable of phrasing her offer like a normal human being.
Like a normal human being Burke wouldn’t say no to.
Lila didn’t want Burke to say no to her. She wanted to find him somewhere he could be happy. Burke deserved to be happy, and Lila was the woman to make it happen.
She sat in the parking lot, staring at her phone. Talking was easier than texting. Call him. Oh, why not? She dialed.
“Hello?”
“Burke! Hi!”
There was a second of hesitation before he said, “Lila?”
“Yes. Hey, where are you right now?”
“At home.”
“Want to meet?”
“Sure,” he said cautiously.
“Great. Where shall we meet? How about Kurt’s?”
“Kurt’s as in Kurt’s the bar? Or did you want—”
“Or… Yeah, I could come by your place, I suppose. If you don’t want to have to go out. You probably don’t. You probably just got home. Would that work? Shall I come over? Say no if you don’t want me. Don’t want me to come over, that is.”
“No.”
Damn it.
Burke cleared his throat. “No, that sounds good. Sounds nice.”
“Give me the address?” Burke did, and she started the car. “I’m about ten minutes away. See you soon.” Lila hung up and pulled into traffic, almost managing to ignore the fact she’d invited herself over to Burke’s house.
Arriving, she hopped out of the car and darted through the rain, not bothering with an umbrella for the short distance from the curb to the front door. She assessed the property as she rang the bell.
Good neighborhood. Small house, but not too small. Well maintained. If he wanted to list the property with her as well as have her find him a new house, she’d have no trouble moving it.
“Come on, open up.” She hunched, regretting leaving the umbrella. The wind gusted what felt like a full bucket of rain against her. She plastered herself to the wood and rang the bell again.
A rough, complaining man-noise came from the other side of the door as it was snatched open.
Lila didn’t wait. “Let me in, I’m soaking wet.” She pushed him backward, registered the sensation of hot naked flesh under her palm, and snapped her head up. “Kurt?”
He stood there in a towel, a second, smaller, towel draped around his neck. He gaped down at her.
Lila snatched her hand off his chest, lunged out into the rain and pulled the door shut behind her.
It immediately popped back open.
Gathering herself, Lila stuck her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “What are you doing here? Half-naked?” Rain dripped off the end of her nose.
“Get in.” Kurt dragged her over the threshold into the dry hall.
Lila thought about protesting, but she was starting to shiver. She permitted it. “Why are you here?” she demanded again.
Kurt flipped her wet hair over her shoulder and stepped back. “I live here.”
She squinted. “With Burke?”
“Ah, no. Burke is staying with me.”
“Are you two roommates? Are you his landlord? Is he your tenant?” What was that tattoo on his ripped stomach and how far down did it go…? She tore her eyes away. “Will you please put on a shirt?” Giving up, she yelled over his shoulder, “Burke!” Then added to Kurt, “Also pants.”
He smirked. “Having trouble controlling yourself?”
“Yes. I am. I really want to rip your towel off, push you out onto the street, and shut the door on you.”
No lie. Lila was pissed. She’d expected Burke. She didn’t want to see Kurt.
Even with his shirt off.
Also his pants.
“Burke!”
Burke appeared in the hall, took one look at Lila and Kurt facing off by the door, and growled. He stalked over, grabbed Lila’s upper arm and hauled her after him, blasting a furious glare at Kurt as he did. For some reason this earned him a big shit-eating grin in response.
As soon as she was clear of Kurt, Burke’s grip softened. He slid his hand down to enclose her wrist and led her up the stairs.
Okay.
Lila was guided into a small room that was filled with boxes from the wall all the way up to the twin bed, which did not look big enough for a man Burke’s size.
“You’re wet,” he said.
“Sorry. I’m going to leave a puddle.” She stripped off her soaked jacket.
“Hang on.”
Burke left her in the room for a moment and she looked around with interest. It was clearly a guest room. The walls were uninspiring beige, the twin bed had a dark blue comforter and matching pillows, and there was barely any space between the boxes.
“Here.” Burke
had returned with a towel.
Lila took it and applied it to her hair, squeezing out the water. She gazed down at her shoes, which were squishing.
“Kick them off if you want,” Burke said.
“Thanks.” If there was a chair to sit on, it had been buried under the boxes. Perching on the side of the bed, Lila lifted a leg to unbuckle the thin strap at her ankle. When she glanced up, Burke glanced away, his cheeks pinkening.
Hiding her smile, Lila made short work of removing her shoes and dropped them to the floor.
“Feet cold?” Burke asked gruffly.
“A little, but— Oh.” She caught the pair of socks he took from the dresser seconds before they got her in the face.
“They’re clean,” he assured her.
Lila tugged them on, laughing and holding her legs out straight before her. “I had no idea you were into knee socks. Kinky.”
“They’re not knee-high on me, shrimp.”
Lila ran a hand through her damp hair and drew up her legs to sit cross-legged. Burke stood by the door, watching her. Lila patted the mattress beside her and he came over.
His weight dipped the mattress and she lurched toward him. Burke steadied her with a light touch on her shoulder.
She shuffled around, arranging herself to face him. “So.”
“So,” Burke said.
Lila grinned. “Am I in your bedroom?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Somehow, by some miracle, yes. Lila Baxter was in Burke’s bedroom.
“Unless you want to go down to the living room, but as you’ve already experienced, Kurt has a tendency to parade about in a towel after a shower.” Burke scowled. “Be thankful he’s wearing the towel.”
He’d grabbed her and hauled her up here without thinking. Which was great. Because now she was sitting on the twin bed in Kurt’s tiny guest room, and Burke felt like a nervous overeager sixteen-year-old boy rather than the serious and sensible thirty-seven-year-old man he was.
“Here’s fine.” Lila bounced the mattress a couple of times. “Comfy.”
Burke gave her a quizzical look.
“How long have you been living with Kurt?” She waved at the boxes. “I’m guessing it’s a recent development, not a permanent arrangement.”
