Page 108 of Taming the CEO

I quickened my pace during the last few feet and then darted into a run up the front steps. Dad was manning the counter. He winked at me, throwing his thumb over his shoulder to the back room.

"You’ve got a delivery. I put it in the back."

"Thank you." I tried to act as neutral as possible. I felt like a teenager, sneaking around Dad.

Heading to the back, I saw a big blue bag on our small coffee table. The box inside was nondescript—like any Amazon delivery. I quickly ripped it open. There was an elegant box inside, tied with a bow. It was impossible to peek inside. At first, I tried to undo the bow to keep it intact, but then I ran out of patience, so I just tore it off and glanced inside the box.

Holy shit.

Maddox had sent me lingerie.

My face heated all the way to my ears.

There was a note inside too. Handwritten.

I can't wait for you to wear this for me.

My chest filled with joy—and relief. I realized that up to this moment, I'd had a small fear that maybe Maddox wasn’t just too busy to come, but that he wasn't interested anymore. Well, clearly that wasn't the case.

I put everything back in its place. I couldn't seal it again, but I knew for a fact that no one was going to snoop.

My cheeks were still hot as I headed back to the front. I tried to school my features as I went past Dad, but once I stepped onto the front porch and saw the Whitleys perched there, my face exploded into a grin.

"Maddox did well, didn't he?" Nick asked.

I nodded. "Very well."

Leo groaned. “Damn. Maybe he does deserve to know.”

"It was nice seeing you. Thanks for having us," Diane said. "This place is great. I’ll definitely recommend it to my tourists while it's still open."

"Thank you, Diane," I said wholeheartedly.

They all gushed over the park and how great a time they'd had, then headed out.

After they left, I glanced at the clock. I still had five minutes before my next group, and I planned to go look at my amazing lingerie once again.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cami

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On Thursday afternoon the following week, I met Bill at five o'clock on the dot.

"Cami, it's good to see you," he said as he unlocked the door to the rental space. "The place is in good shape."

I was glad he was in his professional mode, as sometimes he could be overly flirtatious—especially with me. I was pretty sure he thought of me as some sort of challenge.

"How come it's not rented out?" I asked.

"It's pretty big. After the bookstore closed, people kept asking if they could only rent out parts of it. That's not doable because I just have the one entrance."

I turned on the light, taking in a deep breath.

I could almost smell the lingering aroma of books in the air. It needed a coat of paint, and the hardwood floor would require refinishing. If I ended up renting it, I’d have an inspector look at it beforehand to avoid nasty surprises.

Bill led me all the way to the back.

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