Page 43 of Taming the CEO

Cami nodded, sipping her tea again. "I'm sorry. I still don't know how to react. This whole situation is so complicated."

"It is. But Gabe and I are handling it."

"You really are protective of your family." Her voice held a tone of surprise.

"That's my number one priority."

"Hmm!"

"What was that?" I asked.

"I’m wondering when this is going to start turning into a pitch for me to agree to the sale."

"It's not," I insisted. "That's not why I came here today."

"Really? You just came to fix my roof?"

"Yes. A lot of people hurt themselves trying to fix things when they've never done it before.”

"I take it you're speaking from experience," she said.

"Sort of," I admitted. "Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money, and Mom always tried to do everything around the house. Some things were easier to do than others. Then, as we got older, my brothers and I tried to learn from our neighbors. We offered to help whenever they were repairing something so we could figure out how to do things."

Cami frowned. "Your dad ran Whitley Industries, but you guys struggled financially?”

"We were the other family, remember? He told my mother a story about our grandparents not wanting him to marry her and not giving him access to the funds."

"Jesus,” she exclaimed. "That’s horrible."

"It's all in the past now. Besides, my brothers and I have a lot of skills because of that. I think it's one of the reasons Leo went into real estate. He's not just selling houses. He flips a lot of them, too, and does a lot of the work himself. He doesn’t need to, but he likes it."

"And all of you take care of your gran?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"That’s really cute. Oh, by the way, I have an idea. Jeannie sort of hinted that she’d like to try new recipes. I could lend her one of Mom's books that has unusual recipes.” She paused before adding, “I don't know, she sounded a bit restless on the phone."

I couldn't believe she'd picked up on it. Actually, I couldn't believe she'd thought about Gran at all. "That would be great. She'd be really happy; she’s always looking for things to keep her busy."

"Perfect. Let me get it for you before I forget."

I got up from the swing at the same time she did. She stepped inside the house and returned only a few minutes after, handing me an old and worn-out notebook.

"Thanks," I said. "I'll make sure she gets this. She's going to be even more of a fan of yours."

"I like your gran."

She smiled, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. It got stuck in the corner of her mouth. She tried to push it away, but she was only making it worse.

"May I?" I asked, pointing to the hair.

She sucked in her breath but nodded.

I pushed the strand behind her ear, then drew my fingers up and down her jaw.

"Maddox," she whispered. "Why are you here?"

"I don't know," I told her. "I wanted to help with the roof, but... I had to see you. And this was the perfect excuse."

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