Page 58 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

“Really?”

“Of course.” She handed Elliott a business card that said,Maureen Miller, Painter with Heart. “The address is on there. How’s two?”

Elliott grinned, her mood lifting. “Two would be perfect.”

Chapter Eighteen

Jamie

Unknown:??Do you have a hammer???

Jamie was about to respond withWrong numberwhen a second message came through.

Unknown:??It’s Elliott.??

The way his breath caught wasn’t normal.

It was just ... He’d sort of given up on hearing from her. It had been two weeks since he’d put his number in her phone and ... nothing. Not even a text to share her number, and no requests to take his dog out.

He was a little offended on Hank’s behalf.

He’d told himself it was probably for the best, though, because when she’d told him about her anxiety and planted the image of her being sick or afraid and alone in her apartment, he’d been stunned by the force of his reaction. He’d damn near asked her to move in with him, which wouldn’t have come off weird at all.

Jamie:??Sure, what’s it for? Need me to bring it over???

Elliott:??Hanging some stuff, and that would be awesome??

Elliott:??Bring Hank if you want. I miss him.??

Jamie glared at his phone, then eyed his dog, looking all adorable curled up in his favorite bed by the coffee table. “You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?”

Hank sprung to his feet with interest when Jamie grabbed his baseball cap and rose, then followed him to the hall closet. Jamie rummaged through his toolbox and grabbed the hammer, and soon the pair were trekking across the complex.

Elliott answered the door right away with a grin and her eyes lit with excitement. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, but several pieces had slipped out and fallen around her face.

“Find the art you were looking for?” he asked, trying not to notice how adorable she was like this. He liked every version of her, even the subdued Elliott he’d seen most often this time around. But this energized version, brimming with happiness, was an Elliott he hadn’t seen since ... well, since the night they met.

Thinking about that was ... a mistake. A visceral memory slammed into him of their teasing, suggestive comments while beating egg whites and the urge to kiss the hell out of her right there in the middle of the crowded room.

And the searing kiss they’d shared later.

“Yes, and I’m obsessed with them.” She held open the door, and as soon as they were inside, she crouched down to cuddle Hank’s neck. Jamie inhaled deeply through his nose and tried to stay cool. Ignoring her excitement was one thing—not swooning at the way she adored his dog was a different story.

Hank licked all over her face and she laughed, the sound like a balm to his soul. “I missed you, too,” she murmured.

“I’m surprised you haven’t borrowed him yet.” He regretted the words immediately. How pathetic did that sound?

She stood. “I know. I thought about it a couple times.” She scrunched her nose. “But I talked myself out of it because I didn’t want to bother you.”

Bothering him was exactly what he wanted her to do.

He pointedly glanced at the hammer in his hand and said lightly, “You don’t seem to have a problem bothering me for tools?”

She laughed. “I was desperate. I can’t wait to get these up.”

She pointed to three paintings lined up along the living room wall. Her lips curved into a smile, and she pressed clasped fists to her chin, rocking back on her heels. “Aren’t they great?”

He unclipped Hank’s leash and stepped to the side to get a better look. He knelt down, balancing on the balls of his feet. They were large—probably three by four feet—and outdoor scenes. “Oh yeah, these are definitely cool. I like the colors.”

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