Page 88 of Enchanting the CEO

He stared at me. "So then why do you have all those books?"

"I buy my favorites as a paperback and collect them."

"Your brain is fascinating."

"I know, right? I’d put a shelf there for all of my books. Oh, and a reading chair.” Taking out my phone, I pulled up my favorite furniture website. I’d bookmarked the perfect reading chair. I held the phone in front of Gabe.

“It looks comfortable,” he said.

“I bet it is.”

I pursed my lips together. Crap, what am I doing? This isn't my house.

Gabe nodded, scrolling farther down on his phone.

"So, do you have an estimated date for when the house will be ready?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible.

"A lot of things are still up in the air, but Mateo said he thinks two months is doable."

"Two months? Wow, I, uh, thought something like four," I said, stumbling over my words.

He shrugged. "Honestly, the faster, the better."

A knot of panic rose in my throat. Where did that leave me?

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what he intended to do about the lease, but I didn't know how to bring up that topic without making it sound like I wanted to move in with him. So I didn't.

Two months.

I really had to kick ass with my new tour business.

I put my head on his chest, considering replaying the movie just to calm down.

Oh come on, Diane. Everything will work out fine. Don't ruin this great evening. You watched Love Actually with this handsome man who cooked you stir-fry and is currently massaging the back of your neck. What more could you want?

Oh, just happily ever after...

Chapter Twenty-One

Diane

The next morning, I hit the ground running. I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. I also had a healthy dose of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Over the next week, I had my hands full. I set up a profile on several websites for tourists and guides. Drawing on my experience from the tutoring lessons, I set my pricing lower than average, hoping I could make it up from tips. The main goal at the beginning was to gather reviews. I couldn't use the ones I’d received before because the guides weren't listed with the tours they did, only the company name.

I was going to start my first tour in four days. I was so impatient that I'd almost selected the date as tomorrow, but that was silly. No way would I have time to gather a group so fast.

I was restless the whole day. It didn't help that I only had three tutoring sessions.

After I finished them later that afternoon, I glanced at my phone. Gabe had sent me a message.

Gabe: How's your day?

I smiled, texting back quickly.

Diane: I’ve finished tutoring, and now I’m restless.

Gabe: Why don’t you go for a walk to clear your head?

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