“Hi.” Dakota peeked over her sister’s shoulder, smiled and made a point of walking away.
It isn’t like that. “Hi. Just stopped for a coffee break and wondered how the arm was.”
Laughter filled her eyes and a big smile transformed her face. “You really are the caring sort, aren’t you?” She held her arm up and he tore his glance from her face to look at the slightly pink skin.
“Ah, that looks good. I’m sorry for what happened. Not a very nice welcome to town.” He put his free hand in his pocket, to steady the urge to fidget.
“Don’t let it worry you, David. Anyone will tell you how accident prone I am.”
Right. “Well, you’re in the right spot then. Next door to me, I mean.” Way to go, David. “And of course, I have Helen here, too. My nurse. Just in case you ever need either of us, that is.” Why was his mouth running off on him? That never happened.
April leaned on the door frame and looked him up and down, doing nothing to help calm his ridiculous bout of nerves. “Guess we’ll be seeing a bit more of each other. I’ll try not to get in your way, but I’m apologizing up front because when I paint I do get a little lost in my own mind.”
“Paint?” What on earth was she talking about?
“Yes. The common areas are getting a makeover first then I’m going to get my shop sorted out before I tackle your offices. I took on the job for the owners. I guess they think the place is starting to look a little jaded.”
She was going to paint the place? It certainly could use it. His father had been in this building for years and the same dull pale green paint had covered the walls back then as it did now. Luckily for him, the interior of his offices was a more soothing white on white – a color scheme David could live with. She didn’t need to bother about that side of things because he’d already taken care of it.
“Sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to see how it comes up. I’ve saved you the job of my rooms though, already did them not that long ago. But if you want to use some of the paint left over from our last decorating spree so everything matches, it’s in the storage room. Feel free to help yourself.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to check it out.”
“Right, back to work. See you around, April.” He turned and went back to the office, a sense of unease mixed with intrigue prickling up his spine.
Chapter Four
The next morning when David arrived at work, he was running late. Oscar had thrown up on the white rug in the living room, which meant their run together had to be put on hold in case the little dog was coming down with something. David suspected it was more a case of the gardening gloves he’d shredded yesterday when he was left alone that had caused the upset. Still, he couldn’t risk dragging Oscar out for their morning run until he was sure the little dog was feeling better.
David had to sneak his gym bag out to the car so Oscar didn’t see his running shoes and get over excited as he did. David’s intention was to have a quick run along the lakeshore, grab a shower at work, and then pick up his coffee.
He pulled into the parking lot and slammed on his brakes. April’s bright blue van sat parked at an angle with a box trailer attached to it completely blocking his designated parking spot. A sense of annoyance washed over him before he took a breath and calmed down. His whole routine was out of whack but it wasn’t her fault. She was still finding her feet in a new town and the last thing she needed was him bitching about a parking spot.
He pulled into one closer to the entrance and grabbed his bag. The back door was held open with a large paint can. A dribble of orange down the side made him pull up and stare. Surely she wasn’t using that color? He skirted the drop cloths on the floor and the ladder outside the men’s bathroom. “April? You in there?”
No response. A thump on the ceiling above let him know where she was. Fancy leaving the back door open when she was in her own apartment. Not that there were many robberies in Cherry Lake, but one never knew what could happen. David moved the paint can and let the door close before heading into the bathroom to drop his bag off and hang up his clothes for the day. He took out his running shoes and pulled them on then started out the back door on his run.
Guilt nipped at his heels as he jogged, knowing this was one of his dog’s favorite outings. He really had to be more careful where Oscar was concerned. The little terrier wasn’t used to being left alone, that was the problem. David had tried to pawn Oscar off on his mother but she was allergic to pet hair and, really, it was rude of him when he thought about it even if he had the pet’s best interests at heart.
The short run still gave him a good workout and when he got back to the office, he headed for the shower. It didn’t look as though April had even come downstairs yet. Everything was exactly where it was when he left it. David hurried through his short shower and dressed, ready for work. He was doing up his tie when he heard noises outside the door. Now was the perfect time to question the paint color he hoped she wouldn’t be using.
David glanced in the mirror, brushed down his hair and adjusted his glasses. He turned off the light as he opened the door
