“Huge, huge day.” She stretched her foot out, rolled her ankles and pointed the pink polished toes toward him. “But I did leave you alone, which I’m sure you’re pleased about.”
The curve of her instep held his attention. Why pink polish and not the same shade of orange he’d stepped in? It seemed too tame for her.
“It was very annoying of me and I can’t promise not to do it again but, for now, you have my sincere apologies. So, yes, to your question – a massive day and I think you should come and have a look at what I’ve done. I’m pretty proud of myself to be honest.”
“That’s not really necessary, April. You have a right to privacy you know.” Just how involved did he have to get? Perhaps having this drink had given her the impression they were chums now. Better than being enemies but still, he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.
“Don’t be so silly. I want to show you what I can do. You never know, you might like something similar in your office. I’ve been told I can use my own judgment for the revamp of the building.”
No, no, no. What part of ‘I’ve already done it’, didn’t she get? He’d just have to deflect the job every time she suggested it. “You’re right. I’d love to see what you’ve done.” If only to give him warning of what was to come. He put his glass down and stood up.
Chapter Six
April rolled over in bed and stretched remembering how David had slowly relaxed over what turned out to be drinks and a quickly ordered pizza for dinner last night. Oh, he’d protested when she suggested it but they were getting on so well and she didn’t want to break the spell. What possible harm could it do by being friendly?
The guy was cute, if not way too serious. She could get to like him a lot and now she knew he was single, well, the options intrigued her. Dakota hadn’t really given her much gossip about him. Only that he had moved back home when his father was diagnosed with cancer and had taken over the practice. Apparently it was a huge change for him compared to where he was planning on working in Seattle at a private clinic but, according to her sister, they were a really close family. Plus, David was an only child and wouldn’t have given it a thought when his father asked him to take on the care of Cherry Lake’s medical clients.
So it wasn’t his first choice of where to work, but true to the first impression she had of him, he’d stepped up and taken over, made the business his own. Which was exactly what she wanted for herself here. A business people would know belonged to her, recognized as her style, and recommended her services because they were impressed with the job she’d done of the shop. The need to finally see something through to fruition was starting to tease her with the possibilities. She yearned for the satisfaction of completing something big. Not only to prove to her family she could do it, but to make her heart feel complete. Her place in the uber-successful sibling lineup cemented once and for all.
She reached out and ran her hand over Hamish’s ears. The big dog had snuck up onto the bed when she’d first stirred. Now he was tucked in against her. “I wonder what today will bring, Hamish?”
April worked her feet on the blanket and shuffled it down the bed, lifting one foot to rest on her bended knee, flicking it left and right. “We have three more days to work on the shop before we can get stuck into the kitchen and bathrooms. Three days to figure out how to wow David’s socks off so he’ll start thinking of what I can do for him.”
And she wasn’t thinking of it in a sexual way either. Not yet. She stared the big dog in the eye. “I wonder how he’d feel about me giving his practice a dress up once I’ve painted it? Nothing too fancy, mind you. But the place does need color and a few interesting pieces. He did seem impressed with what I’ve done here so far.”
She thought for a moment, trying to remember if he’d let anything slip last night about his design preferences. Nothing came to mind. “Maybe he’d prefer I do something at the house he inherited from his aunt. It might be in need of some clever designing. You know what single men are like. So long as it works, they don’t think they need to worry about the aesthetics of it.”
She pondered that thought. “I bet he has Wal-Mart table settings and hand-me-down furniture, all mismatched and boring.”
She climbed out of bed and walked over to the window and pulled it open so she could lean out and get the soft breeze from the lake on her face. The town was beginning to come awake. A couple of female joggers hurried along the road, earbuds in as they ran. A man and a small dog crossed over from the other side and ran down the sidewalk toward her building. A cap pulled down over his eyes kept the morning sun from his face. Something about the way he held himself made her look again.
“Well, well, well. Look at that.” The damp T-shirt did little to hide the body of the man wearing it. Toned arms, a broad chest and trim waist that eased down to well-muscled legs made her
