Page 14 of In Too Deep

I hum, shaking my head. “Okay, I definitely should’ve questioned things more.”

His mouth twists. “Very funny. Look.”

He points, and my gaze follows his finger to the front window of the building and the white lettering that reads “Grier’s.”

“Oh my gosh, this is it?”

Lawrence beams as my eyes land on him again. “Yep, we were able to get this place a couple months ago. Before that, I ran everything out of my home.” He turns off the car and unhooks his seatbelt before opening the driver’s side door, nodding for me to do the same. “Come on. I want to show you around.”

He jumps out of the car, so excited, and I decide to roll with it despite the unease in my body. I’ve come this far. It can’t hurt to see his office. Regardless how things ended between us, he was right earlier. We used to be so close. I considered Lawrence one of my best friends. I’ve missed him, and it feels good to know he wants to share this with me.

He’s at my door by the time I open it, and I’m grateful when he helps me climb out of the low sportscar, but I quickly remove my hand from his once I’m on my feet. He closes my door, a playful smile on his face as he invades my space. As we walk toward the front of the building, I straighten my clothes and tuck my hair behind my ears to busy my nervous hands.

Lawrence is lit up like a kid on Christmas as he unlocks the door, and we make our way inside. After he shuts the door behind us, he rushes over to turn the alarm off and the lights on. My eyes roam around the impressive space as he comes back to my side. There are rich hardwood floors with a beautiful medallion design in the center of the room. Floor samples are gathered by the front window, while the back of the room is set up like a living room with built-in bookshelves.

“Wow. This place is impressive.” Lawrence’s hand lands on the small of my back as my gaze connects with his ocean eyes, and I move farther into the space to escape his touch.

“Thank you,” he replies, matching me step for step.

“These shelves are beautiful. I’ve been thinking about having some installed in my home. Are you affordable?”

He places his hand on the small of my back again, and I stiffen as my head whips in his direction. “Step into my office and we can discuss it.”

He leads me into a small office in the back corner of the building, telling me to take a seat on the black loveseat before moving behind his gray metal desk. He riffles through a drawer as I sit and pulls out some papers on a clipboard, grabbing a pen before joining me on the couch. He’s so close, his knee is resting on mine, the spot where we’re connected heating to an uncomfortable degree.

“Okay…let’s start with the basics. Obviously, I know your name.” Smirking, he writes down my name on the form resting in his lap. “Address?”

When I hesitate, his eyes slide back over to me, and he lifts his eyebrows in question.

I sigh. “Fifty-two twenty-four Belmont Place.”

His smile grows as he writes it down. “That’s here in Smyth, right?”

“Yes…”

“I thought so. I don’t think you’re too far from my place,” he casually tells me. “Phone number?”

I snicker. “Is this the trick you use on all women?”

He shakes his head, his stare intense as it locks on me. “Nah…there isn’t anyone else worth the effort.”

The seductiveness in his tone causes heat to flood my face, my lungs burning from a sudden lack of air. I readjust myself and clear my throat, hurriedly reciting the numbers.

He chuckles, his eyes gliding back to his lap as he jots down the information. Once he’s done, he clicks the pen and sets it down on the clipboard before giving me his attention again.

“All right. So, we’ll need to come out to look at where you want the bookshelves. Then we’ll be able to give you an estimate on cost. Since you know the owner, I’m sure he’ll give you a good price.”

He winks at me, and my lips curve into a shy smile as he gets up to place everything back on his desk. “We? How many people do you have working for you?”

“Well…Ma handles a lot of the paperwork and scheduling. And I have two guys who help with installation. Then there’s my sister’s husband, Joe, and a guy I worked with before I started Grier’s. But we’re still growing. I’m hoping to expand again by next year. Why? You need a job?”

I laugh, shaking my head as he turns to face me again. “Oh, no. I would never want to work for you.”

His features bunch with amused curiosity as he leans on the edge of his desk, crossing one foot over the other and folding his arms. “Why is that?”

A smile plays on my lips as I relax into the back of the loveseat. “I remember that temper of yours. I was even on the receiving end of it once or twice.”

He gives me a bemused smile. “Hey, now…I remember you having a pretty nasty temper of your own, missy.”

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