Page 14 of Enchanting the CEO

"You've got good instincts." She took a sip and then sat down, admiring the food. "You don't have to prepare breakfast every day," she said, but I knew she loved it. "You’re not going to join me?"

"I already ate."

She took two spoonfuls of the oatmeal topped with nuts and honey and then looked up at me. "You're nervous. Did you sleep badly or something?"

"That obvious, huh? Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Gabe's offer."

"All right."

"Did you mean it last night? You think it's a good idea?"

She shrugged. "Well, I mean, he is my boss. I've known him for a while. He's a decent person. Between you living with a perfect stranger or Gabe, I'd take Gabe every time." She bit the inside of her cheek. "I just don't know how actually living with him might be."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Maybe he has a deep, dark secret."

That should have scared me, right? But I found myself yearning to know what that might be.

"I don't know him personally. Though I will say he likes to hook up," Celia continued.

I stilled. "But you two haven't...?"

"No, for God's sake. He's my boss, for one, and he's never even tried anything. He's very professional. He's got a reputation, but he never gets involved with anyone he works with. So I can't really say if it's hearsay or not. Maybe people just assume that because he's hot.”

I smiled. If he was a womanizer, even better. It would completely cut off my... appetite. "So you really wouldn't mind?"

"No, of course not." She smirked. "You want to take him up on his offer, don't you?"

"The rent his landlady wants is a bit higher than I was hoping for. But the location is so amazing that she could easily charge three times more."

She rolled her eyes. "It's just the attic, okay? Don't get your hopes up."

It was hard not to. I longed to have a little corner of my own. The past few months had felt like a roller coaster, and I needed someplace I could call home.

“And it'll be temporary. Once I have a good job, I can afford a place of my own.”

"You have my blessing."

I love my sister.

"Then I'm going to call Gabe today and tell him the good news. He said it might take a while for the landlady to process it all."

She nodded. "Great. I’m gonna get in the shower. Thanks for breakfast!"

Once my sister left for the bathroom, I dialed Gabe's number. It was nine o’clock in the morning, and I couldn't remember if Celia mentioned if he's an early riser or not, but this seemed like a decent hour.

"Good morning."

Ah, his voice was just as sexy on the phone as it was in person.

"Hi, Gabe. This is Diane, Celia's sister."

"I know who you are. I saved your number."

Duh. "Of course. So listen, I told you I need more time to think, but I've made up my mind. I'd love to take you up on your offer. But I’d like to see it first."

"Excellent. I'll set everything in motion with my landlady, and I'll keep you posted, okay? It might take a few days to convince my 'roommate' to let us look around."

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