Page 10 of Sensual Nights

Addison laughed. "That's your job. Besides, it’s the easy part of what you do. Now you deal with lenders, inspectors, title companies, and all the other things you need to do."

"That's right. Thanks for making me feel better about it."

Addison grinned and held out small pink sheets of paper. "Here are some phone messages for you. And I forwarded a couple of voicemails from the main line."

"Thanks, Addison."

She moved to her office and sat behind the desk. Her desk. Some days she still couldn't believe the changes in her life. She shook her computer mouse to wake it up.

While she waited, she shuffled the phone messages, noting none of them were urgent. But some of them promising future business. She opened up her software so she could type in theoffer for Neil. He seemed nice, but a tad nervous. Mason seemed to warm to him instantly, and that made her feel good. Mason was a good man.

She shook her head, why did it take so long to finally find a good man? Not that they were an item. Not at all, but she'd married early in life, then divorced. That was a rocky relationship at its best. She remembered her mom asking her not to marry him. At the time, Carley thought she could change him. His volatile temper would simmer if she gave him enough love, right? After a few years of being afraid, she got the courage to divorce him. After that, she worried, fearing he would stalk her or show up one day and hurt her. Then, he died in a car accident, and as terrible as it seemed, she was relieved for the first time in years that she didn't have to worry about him.

Later on, she met Don. His personality was the polar opposite. Laid back, not volatile, no temper. If she'd only stepped back and listened to her family, especially Margo. Laid back turned to lazy. He couldn't keep a job, and he had little ambition to find another one. She worked so hard, putting in as much overtime as she could to pay the bills. Then she'd come home from work and have to work more. Don didn't even so much as cook. He sat on his butt in a chair all day playing video games. It was maddening. She huffed out a breath and shook her head. For all she knew, Mason wasn't who she thought he was either. She had terrible taste in men.

Her software loaded, but before she started the offer, she began typing out an email to Izzy Payton, the daughter of the town’s former flower shop owners, who'd recently moved to town and took over running the Flower Shoppe. Like everything else here in town, or the majority of the businesses were simply named. The Bookkeepers was just that…bookkeepers. It was something she'd always grinned about when she came here.Sid's place used to be called The Garage. He kept some of the name when he bought it and renamed it Miracle Garage.

She'd always joked with Margo about the name of this office, Price Realty. "Why didn't you name it Real Estate, so the other businesses don't feel bad?"

Margo always laughed, "It doesn't have the same ring to it."

She reread her email to make sure there weren't any mistakes in it.Hey Izzy, it's Carley again. I need to order another mirror and floral arrangement. This one is for four weeks from now. Around the fifteenth of July.

She'd been ordering these mirrors for her new clients' house warmings, which Izzy made at the shop. They had a small floral display in the corner and some sort of a homey type saying on the mirror. "Home Sweet Home", "There's No Place Like Home", and "Home is Where the Heart Is" were the most common. Once in a while, Izzy got tired of the same old thing and switched it up. She never specified and let Izzy's creative imagination flow.

After finishing her email, her stomach growled. Checking the time on her computer, her eyes rounded. She hadn't been paying attention, and it was after lunchtime. As soon as that thought floated through her head, the thought to eat at the Sandbar entered, and with a smile on her face, she rose from her chair and called out to Addison, "I'm heading out for lunch. See you later."

Addison waved. "Have fun."

If that girl only knew some of the thoughts that floated through her head lately, she'd be embarrassed. They both would. Lately, she couldn't stop thinking about Mason.

She hustled out the back door and jumped in her SUV. As she backed from her parking spot, she saw a scrawny man peering around the corner watching her. The fine hairs stood on the back of her neck, and her breathing came in short bursts as she drove away.

He didn't look familiar at all, and the goosebumps that rose on her arms prickled. He moved his body to stand in the road behind her as she drove away. Her mind began racing; he was watching her. He knew her car. He...she froze. Was he the one who wrote the note? All she had was that old scratched-up medallion she'd picked up between the carpeting and the wall at the condos. It could be his. And why was she keeping it? She had intended to give it to Quinn so he could ask his employees if it belonged to any of them. She'd forgotten about it. It seemed so insignificant. But now she was afraid to stop and offer it to him. And why was he in Mason's condo? And how did he get the door unlocked? Her mind raced with questions about what she should do.

She turned left onto Sunset Beach Road and then right into the Sandbar parking lot. The lot was full, so it took a minute to find a spot to park. She grimaced a bit as she parked at the far end of the lot near the woods. Maybe she'd be lucky enough to walk out with someone. She'd ask Jace to walk her out. He'd certainly do that for her. Though it made her feel like a wimp.

Better a wimp than dead. Or worse. Wait, was there worse? She could think of some unpleasant things that would certainly feel worse than death. A shiver ran down her back, and she chastised herself for thinking such morose thoughts.

She huffed out a deep breath, looked around her SUV, and found it clear, then jumped out, locked the door, and hustled into the Sandbar. Yeah, she was a wimp all right.

The inside was relatively quiet, considering all the cars outside, but then again, most folks liked sitting upstairs on the deck that overlooked the water. The rest sat outside near the beach. The only time the inside was super busy was when it rained.

She glanced at the bar, and there he was. He stood tall and proud; his broad shoulders pulled back. It was easy to see he wasformer military. She wondered what branch of the military he had been in. She'd have to ask him. She strode to the bar and sat on a stool near the end.

Mason greeted her with a sexy smile. "Hey, there. Nice to see you."

She smiled brightly; it was impossible not to. "Hi, there. I thought I'd stop by and see what the lunch special was and how you faired with your move."

He chuckled. "I only moved a few boxes in for today. Tomorrow, Jace, Quinn, and Marco..." He waved his thumb over his shoulder toward the kitchen. Marco was the chef there “will be bringing in the furniture. I'll then have to find some time to unpack."

"I can help with that." She froze after she'd said it. She'd blurted it out without thinking and now she felt like a fool. Her cheeks burned.

He grinned. "I'd like that actually."

He would? It took her a moment to realize what he said. "You would?"

His grin hitched up on one side and damn if that wasn't sexy. "Yeah."

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