Page 64 of Craving You

Leaning in, he kissed her soundly before pulling back. “It’s true.” And because he didn’t want to seem like a weirdo, he pulled his shorts back on before scooping up the rest of his clothes. “Why don’t you shower first?”

“Thanks! And I’ll be fast. I promise.” Then she surprised him by kissing him before dashing up the stairs.

Progress.

Thirty minutes later, Max came down the stairs after taking his shower and getting ready, and found Hailey sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop, eating a brownie.

“Ooh…good idea,” he said, taking one for himself and joining her at the table. “Looking at anything interesting?”

“Not really. Still looking for a job,” she said distractedly.

“I take it today’s interviews didn’t go well?”

She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the screen. “I’m disappointed because I know I have to find a job, but none of them were jobs I was really excited about.” Sighing, she shut the computer. “Jade offered me a position at the coffee shop, and I’m thinking of taking it. You know, just to tide me over until I find something I want and am qualified for.”

Max took a bite of brownie and used that time to think of something helpful to say.

Sadly, nothing was coming to him.

“I heard back from Summit Ridge finally,” she went on. “But they can only offer me part-time hours. I might take it along with the coffee shop. It just sucks, you know? I have a degree. I’m a clinical nutritionist. I teach yoga and Pilates. I’ve never not had a job. This is just seriously messing with me.”

“I really wanted to have something encouraging to say, but…I don’t,” he admitted miserably. “I know you can work with Jade and up at Summit Ridge, but I know it’s not going to make you happy.”

“Yeah, well…what would make me happy doesn’t exist here in Sweetbriar Ridge. I don’t want to do a long commute, but maybe that’s my only option.”

They ate in companionable silence for a minute.

“Or…”

Her head snapped to look at him. “Or…?”

“Or we talk to Patrick and see what kind of retail space is available and what it would take to open a yoga studio,” he suggested, and held his hand up when she started to argue. “I know all about the money aspect, Hales, but it can’t hurt to ask. If nothing else, we tuck the information away until a time when it’s something we can do.”

“We?”

He nodded. “Yeah. We. We’re a team, remember? We’re in this together.” Then he waited for another argument and was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t happen.

Instead, she took the last bite of her brownie and nodded before saying, “Come on. If we don’t leave soon, we’re going to be late to the first house.”

They took his car and made the short drive to a house that was only a handful of blocks away from Marcus and Billie’s. It was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that was newly renovated. Out of the four they were going to look at, this one was his least favorite. He and Hailey had looked at all of them online and weighed all the pros and cons, and said they wouldn’t make any decisions until they saw each of them in person.

But he already knew she wasn’t particularly interested in this one either.

So, the tour was over quickly. The agent Patrick had set them up with didn’t seem offended by their lack of enthusiasm and agreed to meet them at the next house.

“There was no character,” Hailey said as they pulled away. “I thought the finishes were nice, but…I don’t know. Overall, it was a little bland. It almost felt like my apartment—nice enough, but nothing great about it either.”

“I totally agree.”

The next house was almost twice the size, with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a finished basement. It was the newest of all the houses and, to Max, it was a genuine contender.

“The kitchen is a bit tight,” Hailey commented as they walked around. And when they got to the bedrooms, they both agreed on what room would be the nursery, which one would be his home office, and which one would be the best full-time guest room. They had similar thoughts and shared a lot of the same likes and dislikes, but as soon as they were done with the walk-through, they were equally ready to move on to the next house.

In the car, he looked over at her and saw how she was already looking up the next house on her phone.

“I thought that house was much nicer in person, don’t you think?” he asked.

“It was, but the kitchen kind of bummed me out. I tried to envision the two of us cooking together and it would be okay. Then I thought about when my family comes to visit and how tight it would be because we always spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so…”

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