Page 140 of The Charm of You

“Welcome to my palace.” Caroline shrugs out of her coat and hangs it on a rack by the door, standing in front of me in some kind of pantsuit I’ve never seen her wear.

Her blouse is tucked into loose trousers, and the matching blazer hides most of her figure. She looks good in anything, but this is so unlike the Caroline Summers I knew from last week.

“Did I pull you away from work or something?” I scratch the back of my head as it suddenly occurs to me that it’s the middle of a workday. “I didn’t even think to ask. Got a little carried away with my mission to grovel.”

She folds her arms over her chest and narrows her gaze. “You hardly did any groveling, mister, but good thing we have all day and night and—how long are you staying? Where is your luggage? And how did you know where to find me?”

“Addie drew me a map and drafted an itinerary for my mission. As for luggage, I left a bag in my hotel room, since Addie mentioned you have a roommate. I don’t want witnesses for what I plan to do to you later. Your moans are for me, and only me.”

A deep crimson blush instantly blooms in her cheeks, and I inch toward her. The three feet of space between us is too much.

“How long are you staying?” she repeats with a gulp as her eyes fall to my mouth.

“However long you want me to,” I whisper.

She rises onto the tips of her pointy heels and wraps her arms around me. Her lips have just touched mine when her purse vibrates on the coffee table next to us.

I nudge her backward to sit on the couch and don’t stop—neither does her phone.

“Let me silence it.”

I settle into the corner as she reaches over to retrieve her intrusive phone.

Frowning, she turns the screen toward me. “Mama has called five times. I should see if something’s wrong.”

“Of course.” I lean forward as she rises to pace, her phone held out in front of her for a video call.

“There you are!” Paulette bursts. “How are you, honey?”

“I’m fine, but Mama, what’s going on with you? Are you okay?”

“Of course!” she chirps.

“You’ve called me so many times.”

“I just wanted to tell you how thrilled I am that you’re going to help Daphne sell her house, especially since Carrie Ann has decided to retire early and move to Ashville to be with her son and his wife. They’re expecting. Isn’t that marvelous?”

Caroline turns to face me, and her brows furrow in question as if to ask me what I know about this.

I shrug. I have zero clue about the house, Carrie Ann, or her son.

I didn’t even know Caroline and Daphne had talked about her house. Is she really going to help? What would that mean?

The main thing I dreaded about this trip other than the horrendous smells in the subway or the overpriced hotel room Addie helped me find was that I’d leave the city alone. I’d have to say goodbye to Caroline until we could figure out another trip.

But as much as I’d hate it, I’d hate it even more if I didn’t have her at all.

Because I meant what I said earlier—she’s mine, and I’m hers. Wherever this road might lead us, I know it ends with us together.

“Mama, I’m not helping her with the house.” Caroline paces again. “While I was shopping at her boutique, she mentioned she’s selling her house, but I never agreed to help her. I’m not even licensed in the state of Georgia, and I’ve been selling strictly commercial real estate for years. I’d need…”

Hushed whispers sound from the background of her phone, and the familiarity of the voice prompts me to stand. Confusion weighs each of my steps as I reach her.

“We didn’t think this through, did we?” It sounds like my mother.

Paulette makes a shhh sound, then turns her attention back to the camera on her phone. “You could easily get all that together, couldn’t you? Daphne’s not in a hurry to sell, and it would mean a lot to her.”

I can’t read Caroline’s expression, and discomfort pricks at my skin.

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