Page 43 of Housebroke

“Well, Hazel. I see that you have company.”

He didn’t know who the woman standing there was, but Hazel nearly fell underwater as she scrambled to get out of Linc’s grasp.

“Nat. What are you doing here?”

“I rang the bell but no one answered. Door was unlocked. I let myself in.”

“I mean what are you doinghere?”

The person named Nat shrugged. “You haven’t answered my text messages or phone calls. Mom and I have been worried.”

“I’m fine, as you can see.”

“Oh yes, I can see all right. And who’s this guy?”

Linc heard Hazel sigh. “Linc Kennedy, meet my sister, Natalie.”

Her sister? Linc looked from Natalie to Hazel’s extremely mortified face.

Well, shit.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

If there was one thing Hazel knew for certain about her big sister, it was that Nat had always had the worst timing ever. From the time she’d found Hazel masturbating in her room to when she’d caught her smoking weed with her friends in the backyard to that one—and only—time she’d snuck a boy into her room, Nat could always be counted on to make an appearance at the worst possible moment.

Like now, when Linc had just about had a handful of her breast and his mouth had been firmly planted on hers. Things had been hot and heavy—and going so well—until Nat had showed up.

How typical.

“Okay, so now I know his name,” Nat said, looking suspicious and her typical holier-than-thou as she regarded Linc. “But who the hell is he?”

“I’m the handyman,” Linc said, winking at Hazel as he hauled himself out of the pool. “I think I’ll go work some more on the floor so you can visit with your sister. Nice to meet you, Natalie.”

“Mm-hmm,” was all Nat said, eyeing Linc critically.

Shaking her head while simultaneously rolling her eyes, Hazel walked over to the steps and out of the pool, then grabbed a towelto dry herself. She should make her sister stand there in the sun, considering Nat was wearing black capri pants and a short-sleeved blouse and pointy-toed canvas shoes, though she had no idea why she was so overdressed when it was eighty-something degrees outside. Then again, she’d never been able to decipher Nat, so why start now?

Hazel pulled her cover-up on and went to the table where she’d left her glass of lemonade.

“Something to drink?” she asked after she had a sip, then took a seat, motioning for her sister to do the same.

Natalie sat. “No, I’m fine, thank you. What I want to know is what the hell is going on here.”

The dogs had come over to sniff Nat, but she shooed them away with her foot so they wandered off. Nat had never been a dog person, and she sure as hell wouldn’t want any at her showplace of a house. Hazel had been surprised when Nat had popped out two children, seeing as how they were messier than dogs. Then again, knowing her sister, she probably had those kids well trained. Nat wasn’t known to be relaxed or easygoing. Or fun.

“Nothing’s going on here. Other than Linc is renovating the house and I’m still fostering dogs.”

Nat literally looked down her nose at Hazel. “Really, Hazel. Playing house with the hot handyman?”

“We’re not playing house and he’s not a handyman. He owns this place.”

“Oh, really. Since when?”

“Since he bought it from Ginger and Greg. He buys and renovates homes.”

“And he’s just letting you stay here. With the dogs. How convenient.”

She could only imagine what her sister was thinking. The issue was—did she care?

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