Page 15 of When Love Comes Home

I let out a dry laugh and shake my head. "I hope you're right."

***

Walking into Linder Realty, my eyes instinctively dart to Katie's office door. Part of me dreads the possibility of running into her, yet another part silently hopes she's there—just so I can catch a glimpse of her.

"Good morning," Sheri's voice echoes through the quiet office as she greets me from her desk.

"Good morning," I reply, flashing her a polite smile. "You're here awfully early, considering it’s barely past seven."

"I come in early a couple of days a week so I can leave early to pick up my son from preschool," she explains, adjusting a stack of papers in front of her.

"Oh, you have a son?" I ask, genuinely curious. "How old is he?"

"He's almost four," she says, her face lighting up with pride. "But he’s super smart. If I’m even five minutes late to pick him up, he’ll point to the clock and read off the time like he’s calling me out. I mean, what four-year-old can tell time like that?"

"Wow, that’s impressive," I say, laughing. But before I can add anything else, movement catches my eye. I turn my head and see Katie standing in the doorway of her office, her arms crossed, and her eyes locked on me. There’s a fire in her gaze—not the usual anger or disdain she reserves just for me. No, this is something new. Something unexpected. Jealousy?

Her jaw tightens as her eyes flick to Sheri and then back to me. I barely suppress a smile, wondering if I’ve just stumbled onto a side of Katie she didn’t mean to show.

"Good morning, Katie," I say, keeping my tone as neutral as possible, though I can feel the corners of my mouth twitching.

"Good morning," she replies, her words clipped, but her gaze lingers a beat too long. Then, without another word, she spins on her heel and disappears into her office.

Sheri arches an eyebrow at me, clearly picking up on the tension. "Well,thatwas interesting," she says with a smirk.

I shrug, trying to play it off, but my mind is already racing. If that was jealousy, what does it mean?

"Excuse me," I mutter, already walking toward Katie's office.

"Hey, Katie," I say gently when I reach her door, leaning against the frame. "Is everything okay?"

She doesn’t look up from her laptop, her fingers flying over the keys as though I’m not even standing here. "Why wouldn't it be okay?" she replies, her tone just a little too sharp for someone who claims everything's fine. "Dad let me know you were moving into one of the offices, so welcome."

"Thanks," I say, trying to keep the conversation light despite the tension in the air. "Are we okay?"

At that, she finally lifts her gaze to meet mine, her eyes narrowing slightly. She studies me for a moment, then leans back in her chair with a deep sigh. "What exactly do you want me to say, Adam?" Her voice is colder now. "This is my father's company. I don’t get to decide who takes up residence here."

"Look, I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes," I say, hoping to ease the tension. "But, honestly, I need the space.”

Katie's lips press into a thin line, and I can see the walls going up around her. "And since I’m living in your house," she says, her voice dropping to a quieter, more controlled tone. She lets out a soft exhale. "Let’s just... keep things professional, okay?"

I nod, sensing this is as much of a truce as I’m going to get for now. "Of course," I say, doing my best to keep things neutral.

"And by that," she interrupts, her eyes locking with mine, her tone sharp now, "I mean, stay in your lane."

Her words hang in the air, charged with an unspoken threat. What she really means, though, I can’t mistake: stay the hell out of her way.

***

A couple of hours later, after checking in on a project, I return to the office carrying the rest of my things. The place feels quiet, like most people are either on break or tucked away in a meeting in one of the conference rooms. I can hear the low murmur of voices drifting from behind closed doors.

As I round the corner without thinking, I slam straight into Katie. The collision happens in an instant, but it feels as though time slows. I drop everything I’m holding and, instinctively, wrap my arm around her, pivoting to shield her from crashing to the floor. As we tumble together, I cradle her head with my hand. We hit the ground with a soft thud, but I can immediately tell she’s not hurt, with me taking most of the impact.

Once we’re on the floor, I shift my weight, unintentionally ending up half on top of her, and that’s enough to spark the temper I’ve seen flare up one too many times. She lies beneath me, completely stunned, her green eyes piercing into mine, searching for something I can’t quite read. I can feel her small frame under me, the heat of her body pressing against mine, and the familiar scent of her perfume wraps around me, momentarily clouding my thoughts. It takes both of us a few beats to fully process what just happened.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice coming out deeper and huskier than I meant. There’s no denying the pull I feel being this close to her.

"So much for staying in your lane," she whispers back, her tone laced with sarcasm and something else I can’t quite place.

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