Page 34 of Housebroke

Okay, time to calm down, Hazel.

She still had to get through dinner before she could let her desires run wild. If she even should. After all, he was her employer. Technically.

“Do you have any concerns about this?” she asked. “You and me, this teasing, bantering foreplay we’re doing?”

“Me? None at all.”

“Well, I do work for you.”

He set his wineglass down. “That’s more of a technicality. You’re not my employee. Not in the traditional sense of the word. You make food for me, food of your own choosing. I don’t tell you what to make or set your hours. I don’t control what you do or don’t do. You have freedom to do or not do whatever you want. I would never presume—”

She waved her hand. “I get it. I just didn’t want you to get the wrong impression about me.”

“Same. And if you have any concerns in that regard, Hazel, this stops now.”

Okay, that seemed rather definite. “No, I’m having a really good time with you, Linc. I just didn’t want you to think I had any ulterior motives other than enjoying being with you.”

“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” He picked up his wineglass to take a drink and that was settled.

She felt better now that they had discussed it, that they both knew that this thing wasn’t a big thing. It was just a thing. Which didn’t make sense at all, at least not at the moment, but then again, she’d had some wine. Some very excellent wine.

Dinner was an amazing tasting menu featuring a vast array of seafood and beef, each course elegantly presented in ways that made Hazel wish she’d brought a notebook, because the menu sparked ideas. From langoustine and passion fruit to turbot to wild boar and a melt-in-her-mouth Kobe beef, it was a taste explosion. Not to mention the cheeses and then the chocolate mousse. And through it all, she and Linc discussed and argued favorite flavors and textures while sipping more of the most excellent wine.

It was a dizzying experience. She couldn’t remember ever having a better time. And what had captured her most was the attention that Linc paid to her. Not once had he pulled out his phone or glanced away to stare at a woman walking by—one of her ex’s favorite pastimes.

Instead, he asked her questions about her interests. They talked books and movies and things they each enjoyed doing when they had free time.

“I never asked you where you were from,” she said as shesipped on her cappuccino. “I mean, I know you travel around and do the whole house renovation thing, but I assume you plant your flag somewhere.”

“My family lives outside San Francisco, and that’s where my office is.”

“Oh. Fancy. And on the other side of the country. It’s like night and day difference from hot and muggy Orlando.”

“That’s true. But I like seeing different places, meeting people who live different lives than where I come from.”

She’d always considered travel a luxury, and something she’d rarely been able to afford. “Where have you renovated homes?”

He leaned back in his chair, thinking for a minute before answering. “This year I’ve done Boston, Phoenix, Detroit, and Las Vegas. And now here.”

“That’s definitely a whirlwind. What’s your next project after you finish this one?” Which she hoped wasn’t over too quickly, since she was getting used to having him around.

“I haven’t decided yet. What’s next for you? I know you said you wanted the rescue organization. What else? How will you make that dream come true?”

Wasn’t that a loaded question. “Oh. Honestly? I don’t know. Thanks to you writing me a paycheck every week, I’m able to put some money aside so I’ll at least have a roof over my head. That’s a start. From there, I’ll figure something out.”

“But surely you have an idea of how you’ll get from point A to point B.”

“Of course. I’ll work at a restaurant—or find other jobs until I’m financially capable of putting my dream plan into action.”

He swept his thumb over the rim of his coffee cup. “And if you could, what would it look like?”

She inhaled and let out a breath. “The aforementioned place to live, of course. One with enough room for the dogs to run, with space to allow me to take care of even more. But that’s a big dream for someday, you know, when I’m all kinds of wealthy.”

He shrugged. “Nothing wrong with big dreams, Hazel. We all have them.”

“I definitely do.”

He gave her a direct look. “Wanna share?”

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