Page 16 of Smith

“Because I’m fun and witty and a joy to be around,” I said with a shrug.

“Yeah, baby, that’s why.”

What I wouldn’t give to hear him calling me ‘baby’ while he made good on a couple of his previous threats.

“Damn,” he muttered going back to the room.

“As you can see, whoever did this hit the stud.” I pointed to a broken two-by-four. “So that whole wall has to be stripped down and inspected.”

I could practically hear the cha-ching of profit floating out the window.

“Can you sister it?”

“No. It’s load-bearing, code doesn’t allow scabbing or sistering.”

I glanced at the offending sledgehammer leaning against what was left of the broken drywall.

“Did you put that there?”

“Nope. That’s where it was left.”

I moved to pick it up but stopped when Smith grabbed my arm.

My heartrate spiked when Smith leaned in close and muttered, “Leave it. I want to bag it.”

Before I got a lock on my body’s reaction to his nearness I blurted, “Why doesn’t it surprise me you smell like musk and man and something that hints of forbidden.”

I felt Smith stiffen before he let go of my arm and stepped back.

“Be good, Aria, you have people downstairs.”

Did that mean I got to be bad when they left?

I didn’t get a chance to ask.

“I watched the video you made about the break-in and the one you posted a few days before about demoing this room. This is going to be a bathroom?”

I gave myself a moment to digest the news he’d watched my channel. I was proud of the videos I posted. I took pride in mywork, including the post-production of the footage. But for some reason, knowing he’d watched made my belly feel funny.

“Yeah, and a closet.”

Smith looked at the damaged wall again and my eyes followed.

“They pulled the insulation out,” he noted.

I bit back a curse.

“Yep. That’ll have to be replaced, too. Thankfully there’s only one outlet on that wall or I’d be redoing electrical, too. Which would be a waste and piss me off.”

Truth be told, had the asshole not hit the stud, the repair would be a quick, inexpensive fix. But now the wall had to be braced while the framing was restored to code. That had to be outsourced and inspected before I could continue.

His gaze went to the undamaged half of the wall, then back to the smashed drywall.

“Someone was looking for something.”

“What?”

Smith walked around me and crouched down to examine the hole. What he didn’t do was answer.

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