Page 17 of Spring Dreams at the Cornish Bakery

‘I was working on your quote.’ He tapped his clipboard.

‘I’ve already told you I can’t afford it.’

‘You also told me yesterday that you were going to sell.’ Sighing, he crossed his arms, his clipboard still in hand.

‘Yes, well, actually I said I might have to sell.’

‘No, you didn’t. you specifically told me you had to sell.’

‘So? It doesn’t matter, does it? Whether I’d told you I had to sell or not, you still shouldn’t be sneaking around other people’s property. You...’ And that was it. She knew why he was here, and it had nothing to do with the quote he had prepared for her. It all made sense now. After she’d told him she was going to sell, he’d walking around the living room, inspecting things. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, the pieces of the puzzle were slipping into place. He wanted to buy the cottage. He’d probably put a super low offer in because he knew all the jargon, knew what needed to be done, and then he’d renovate it and sellit on for a tidy profit. He’d probably sneaked back in narrowing her eyes. She glared at him. ‘I know what you’re up to.’

‘You do?’ Uncrossing his arms again, he patted his clipboard. ‘I doubt you do.’

Opening and closing her mouth, she swiped at the strands of her stuck to her hot face. What was it with this man? She watched as he ran his finger through his sandy hair, his dimple showing as he smiled at her. Why was he so... cute? She closed her eyes, counting to ten. No, not cute. Infuriating.

That’s what he was. Yes, he was infuriating and had been since the first moment she’d met him. She didn’t care that with that hair, those eyes, that dimple, he was every inch her type. It didn’t matter what he looked like; he was still an arrogant, too-good-to-take-this-job builder. Oh, yes, and a trespasser at that. Opening her eyes again, her stomach still stirring with emotions, she met his gaze. ‘You’re trespassing and if you don’t leave, then I’m going to have to call the police. You may think you’re entitled to enter my home without my permission...’

‘Am I still a trespasser if the door was open?’

‘Yes!’ She bit down on her bottom lip. She’d had a feeling that the catch was damaged. She’d definitely shut it last night, she’d even looked it, hadn’t she? Okay, maybe she hadn’t locked it, but she’d shut it. Definitely. ‘Anyway, as I was saying, you may think you’re entitled to barge into this cottage... uninvited may I add, and look around trying to find things wrong with the place just so you can put a stupidly low offer in, renovate it and sell it for a huge profit, but I hate to disappoint you but...’

Looking down, he chuckled.

‘What?’ The anger bubbled up inside her.

‘You’re wrong.’

‘Of course you’d say that.’ She jabbed her finger towards the living room and the front door beyond. ‘Just leave.’

Holding his hands up, palms forward, he spun around slowly before calling over his shoulder, ‘I guess you don’t want to hear what I have to say then.’

‘No, I don’t.’ Slipping the goggles back down, she picked up the sledgehammer again and swung it at full force against the wall. Why did she let him bother her so much?

Again and again, she swung the sledgehammer at the wall between the dining room and the kitchen, pushing all thoughts of Zac Hunter out of her mind as she watched the bricks continue to crack beneath the weight of the sledgehammer.

And he wasn’t her type. Far from it. She didn’t know why she’d had that thought. It certainly hadn’t been a voluntary one. Who would find him attractive, anyway? And even if they did, then his personality was definitely a minus.

She hit the brickwork again, with a little more force each time she tried. As she paused to a take, she heard a clatter from the living room. Seriously? Had he not taken the hint?

Chapter Sixteen

Just as she was about to drop the sledgehammer again and march into the other room towards him, Zac appeared back in the dining room, but this time instead of carrying his trusty clipboard, he was instead carrying the other sledgehammer. She watched as he pulled goggles from his head over his eyes and took a swing at the wall.

Pausing, he looked across at her and grinned. ‘I’m not looking to invest in any property at the moment, and definitely not this cottage. This little gem is entirely yours.’

Lynsey opened her mouth, about to question what he was doing then, but instead she kept quiet and picked up her own sledgehammer as he took another swing. Putting all her weight behind her, with the next blow the brickwork let out an audible crack and the first brick fell to the floor, the early morning light from the kitchen streaming through the hole in the wall.

Pushing his goggles up to his head, Zac held his palm out towards her. ‘Good work!’

‘You too!’ High-fiving him, Lynsey felt a flush of achievement. They’d done it. She’d done it. Frowning, she suddenly had a thought. ‘You’re not charging me for this, are you?’

‘Haha, you’ve not signed any contracts yet.’ Chuckling, Zac slid his goggles back down before picking up his sledgehammer again.

After the initial breakthrough, it didn’t take quite as long for them to bash a decent sized hole between the dining room and the kitchen. When the final brick fell to the floor, Lynsey leanedher sledgehammer against the wall, before circling her shoulders as a sharp pain shot through her shoulder blade. Tilting her head from side to side, she tried to ease the discomfort.

‘Here.’ Placing his sledgehammer down next to Lynsey’s, Zac stepped towards her, indicating for her to turn around.

‘No, I’m fine.’ After she’d winced once more, he once again circled his finger, indicating her to turn. Relenting, she did as he’d asked her to and turned to face the back wall. She jumped as she felt his fingers against her shoulders.

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