Page 17 of In the Works

Licking my lips, I looked down at her. “You’ve done a great job incorporating the building’s history. It’s modern without removing what makes the house special.”

I flipped through each page for a minute before swallowing my nerves. “Any movement on Shaw?”

Sarah sighed. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that idea entirely.”

“That bad, huh?” I chuckled, pulling away from her a little bit.

Shrugging, Sarah looked around the studio. “Not bad. She said she’d think about it.”

It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but it wasn’t a no.

“And you showed her the number?” It was hard to imagine anyone turning down half a million. Not unheard of, but unusual.

Sarah nodded. “Yeah, she was impressed by it. I think between that and my connection to her, she’ll do it. But I can’t know for sure.”

I let a wave of air out of my lungs. “Got it. Any idea when you’ll hear?”

Checking the date on her smart watch, Sarah sucked her teeth. “I’m hoping over the weekend she’ll make her choice. Maybe by Monday?”

That would have to do. With a nod, I went back to the binder. I turned each page slowly, taking the time to truly envision each piece in the space. Robin had made great progress on the house since the sale had gone through a week ago, but I knew Sarah’s designs would make Robin’s work shine. I felt like I’d stumbled upon a design dream team and I could hardly wait to see how they worked together.

Sarah smiled, gazing up at me with those blue eyes. “What do you think about the kitchen?”

“My chef will love it.” I winked. Of course, it was only half a joke.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Sarah rested her chin in her hand while the other rested on the table. “I’m jealous. I’d give anything to have someone cook a meal for me.”

My hand went gently toward hers, lightly squeezing her soft hand. Guided by my grip, Sarah’s eyes came back to mine. “Then you’ll have to come over and let my chef cook for you.”

Sarah giggled, shaking her head. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” I clenched my jaw. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t look away from her.

Turning in her stool, Sarah turned to face me. “Because, you don’t have a kitchen yet.” She grinned up at me and licked her teeth.

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Very funny, Ms. Greenwood.”

For a moment, silence fell over the studio as we looked at each other.

Is she flirting with me?It felt silly to even consider. She had far bigger priorities than me. A thriving business, her kids, a house to manage, family to see. As far as I was concerned, I was a small fry in Sarah’s bucket. A rich fry, maybe, but a small one nonetheless.

I lowered myself onto my elbows. My ass stuck out as I leaned on the counter and tried to recenter myself. But my eyes were drawn back to Sarah, who hadn’t looked away.

Her gaze drifted down to my lips, quickly flicking back up to my eyes. I searched her face for a signal, something to tell me that I should move closer. Our faces drifted closer. From a few inches away, I could see her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Just as I was about to make my move, a loud ringing came from Sarah’s pocket. The sharp noise shattered the charged silence.

“Sorry.” Sarah gulped as she pulled the phone from her pocket.

The screen read: “Jason”. Not that I was trying to look.

Sarah swiped on the call and put the phone to her ear. “Hey.” Before I could hear much, she stood from the counter and looked panicked. “Oh fuck. I’ll be right there.”

Hanging up the phone, Sarah moved back to her desk and grabbed her purse. “I’m so sorry, I have to run out.”

“Is everything alright?” I stood up straight, ready to move.

Sarah nodded her head and waved me toward the front door. “I just need to lock up. Can we pick this up later?”

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