Page 8 of Housebroke

“She’s so tiny. How could someone be mean to her?”

“Nothing surprises me about humans and how or why some of them mistreat their fur babies.”

“Is that why you became a foster?”

“Yes. Someone has to love and care for them and make sure they end up with the right people.”

He looked at her for the longest time, as if he was judging her. Or maybe that was her imagination. All she knew was that he had a beautiful face, and it had been a long time since a man had looked at her like... that. She eventually looked across the yard to see what the dogs were doing, except it was dark and she really couldn’t see. Besides, if they were in trouble, there’d be yelping or growling, and she heard nothing.

“So, about your salary,” he finally said.

“Oh, right.” She’d thrown that out there, figuring he’d say no and she’d eventually capitulate, because just having a roof over her head and food to eat was enough for now. But if she was actually going to get paid? While not having to buy food or pay rent? She could start saving some money and eventually get back on her feet again. The knot in her stomach lessened for the first time in months.

This wasn’t exactly the solution to her problems, but it was a start.

Linc leaned back and crossed his arms. “Let’s start negotiating terms.”

For the first time in... hell, further back than she could remember, Hazel felt the stirrings of something she’d long ago lost.

Empowerment.

CHAPTER THREE

It had taken a full week for Linc to get organized, to get the layout and design in his head, and to have blueprints created for the new project. Then he’d had to order and buy all the supplies he was going to need.

That was all the drudge work. Now he was ready to dig in and get started.

True to her word, Hazel and the dogs had mostly stayed out of his way, though he’d assured her that she didn’t have to leave a room whenever he was in one. The only thing she’d asked for were his food likes and dislikes. He had told her he didn’t have any dislikes, and she’d smiled at that.

And, oh, man, did she have an incredible smile. It lit up her whole face and made her blue eyes shine like sapphires. It made him want to know a lot more about this mysterious woman who he was now kind of sort of living with. Though technically she was now living in the guesthouse and he was in the main house, which she’d insisted on so she could stay out of the way of his renovations, even though he’d insisted the only work he’d be doing on the extra bedrooms upstairs was paint. But maybe she wanted thedistance, and he couldn’t blame her for that. He was just some stranger, and a man at that, and many women would be uncomfortable sharing a house with some guy they didn’t know at all.

He’d rented some basic furniture, because he sure as hell wasn’t sleeping on the floor, and neither should she. She’d balked at first, and explained that her air mattress was perfectly fine.

He’d taken a look at the air mattress. It was thin and tiny and didn’t look fine or comfortable. So when he’d placed his order with the furniture rental place, he’d ordered her a queen-size bed with a comfortable mattress, which would fit just fine in the bedroom in the guesthouse. Then he’d ordered some decent linens for the bed and some nice towels for her bathroom. When they were delivered she got out her phone, made some notes, then thanked him.

Why he was doing all that for her, he didn’t know, especially since his initial reaction that first night was to throw her out on the street. Maybe it was the sadness and look of defeat on her face. And the fact he sure as hell could afford to give someone a break, and Hazel needed one.

Turned out, he’d been the lucky one, because he was eating great food now. So why not at least get her a decent bed and some good linens?

He’d also gotten a big-screen TV and put it in his bedroom. A guy needed his comforts during downtime.

He’d also checked out the cooking situation in the guesthouse. It wasn’t ideal, but Hazel didn’t seem to mind it. He liked the guesthouse for two reasons—one, it didn’t need renovations, which was a plus. Two, it had its own bedroom and a kitchen, which did have a stove and a fridge. And they had the grill outon the patio, so he supposed it would do for Hazel, cooking-wise. He’d also asked her to make a list of cooking supplies she’d need. At first she balked, saying the cast-iron skillet and saucepan would be fine, since that’s what she carried around with her. But he’d insisted, so she made a list, and he ordered everything on it plus a few extra items. Her eyes had widened when it had all showed up. She made some notes on her phone as she looked over the inventory.

“This is too much,” she’d said, but he saw the delight in her eyes, and for some weird reason that had made him happy. And, hey, she was making him food, so that had made him happy.

She had started fixing meals the first day. Coffee and juice and a spinach and ham omelet for breakfast, followed by an amazing turkey, apple, and cheddar sandwich along with a salad for lunch, and then Southwest grilled chicken for dinner along with the most incredible green beans he’d ever tasted. Food would just appear while he was working, and she’d silently disappear.

During the day he’d see her occasionally, out at the pool with the dogs. He was slowly learning their names, though they were still a little leery of him so they mostly kept their distance. All of them, including Hazel. She was good at being invisible, even with her entourage of canines.

Today she’d brought him a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch that tasted nothing like any grilled cheese he’d ever had. It certainly wasn’t plain cheese. And there was a pickle and some fruit salad, along with iced tea. He had just started to tape off the kitchen from the rest of the house, because once he started demo there’d be a lot of dust.

Now it was time to wreck the kitchen—always his favorite part.

The kitchen was a decent size, it just had older cabinets that had seen better days, countertops and a backsplash that needed upgrading, and the most hideous tile Linc had ever seen. He couldn’t wait to make it all go away.

He hefted his sledgehammer and got to work.

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