Page 12 of Enchanting the CEO

Celia laughed. "Nope, that's normal for Gabe. He does things differently."

"I'm already living with a stranger," I pointed out. "And I don't like him one bit."

"And you're so sure you'll like me?" Diane asked. A smile played on her lips as her eyes flashed.

"I like my chances," I countered, and she blushed. I immediately looked at Celia, but she was too busy devouring yet another chicken wing.

After that, Celia rose from her chair. “All right, well, I have to go. My shift starts in half an hour. I'll barely get there in time."

"I can drive you."

"Nonsense. You stay here and enjoy the wings. Besides, you said you're meeting your half brothers later on."

"I am. I'm trying my hand at tennis." I wiggled my eyebrows. "And failing spectacularly."

Celia laughed, taking her plate into the kitchen before grabbing her purse. The sisters said their goodbyes, and after Celia left, I could swear I heard Diane draw in a deep breath.

I turned to look at her. "Did you go to culinary school?"

She smiled brilliantly, straightening up in her chair. "Actually, I was only there for a semester before focusing on my business major, but I picked up a lot of valuable skills."

"These are delicious. I've only eaten fried chicken this good in Louisiana.”

“Thanks.”

“So, what do you do for work?"

"I'm a tour guide. And before you say it, I know you don't need a college education for that. I used to work in hotel management. I started doing tours when I moved to Boston from Portland. The move here was quick, and I needed a job. Turns out I quite enjoy it."

Once again, I tried to focus on the wings, but without Celia here as a buffer, it was becoming increasingly difficult. Something drew me to Diane.

"Why did you move here?" I asked her. She averted her gaze, which made me think it was a sensitive topic. "That's an intrusive question, sorry. Don't feel like you have to answer it. I was just curious."

"No, that's fine, I mean, if we’re going to live in the same house, maybe it's not a bad idea if we know each other a bit."

She put her fork down and pushed her chair back a bit, crossing her legs. "I moved here with my ex-boyfriend. Well, he got a job here, and..." She looked at the ceiling, and I realized her eyes had become glassy. "Well, I suppose I misinterpreted his wanting me to move here with him as a marriage proposal or at least that he had long-term intentions." She forced a smile and then focused those gorgeous blue eyes on me. "Turned out I was completely wrong. But hey, I'm happy to be here. I'm closer to my sister for the first time in ten years."

"So you're committed to staying here?" I questioned.

"Definitely. But Boston is expensive, so it will take me a bit to get back on my feet. Tell me about the house."

She crossed her legs again. Was I making her nervous? Excited? Both?

I took out my phone. "I've got some pictures here from the original email the landlady sent me." I tapped the screen, finding it in seconds, and opened the email before handing it to her.

Her jaw dropped as she scrolled through the photos. "This looks fantastic. But there aren't any with the upstairs apartment."

"I’ve never seen it, actually. I can’t vouch for the condition, but the specs are noted farther down in the email."

She looked up, shrugging. "Honestly, anything's better than my sister's room. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I’m super cramped, and I know Celia also likes to have her space. I mean, who doesn't? And I never in a million years thought I’d break up with my ex..."

"Your ex doesn't sound like a prize," I said. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

She shook her head, running her hand through her hair. "We all have our journey, right? I guess it brought me here, so there's a good side to it." I liked that she focused on the positive—it was something we had in common. She frowned and looked me in the eye. "Listen, Gabe, you don't have to feel obligated just because my sister works for you."

"That's not why I'm doing it at all. You have a need. And honestly, so do I." The corners of her mouth twitched. Hell yeah, that was definitely an innuendo, and I didn't even mean it as one. "This sounds like it could solve both of our problems.”

“What a coincidence, right?" Her flirty smile was back, egging me on like nothing else.

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