Page 17 of That Kind of Guy

It wasn’t unusual for Holden to drop in like this, my brothers and I did this all the time. I didn’t want him to hang around and scare Avery off, though. Not before she knew what I could offer.

“Avery Adams?” He tilted his head at me and took a seat at the quartz counter, his gaze skimming over every surface, every plumbing connection. We had installed most of this kitchen ourselves a couple years ago, and he wouldn’t let us cut a single corner, even though it was only me living here and I never planned to move or sell this place. “I thought you don’t allow women in your home.”

I salted the water. “What? That’s ridiculous. Mom comes over all the time.”

“Singlewomen. You said that inviting women over tells them you want a relationship.”

That did sound like something I would say. “This is different.” I turned and gave him a look. “Did you come here to harass me? Because I have a stack of invoices of yours from four months ago that we can talk about.”

Holden grunted. “I came to pick up my drill.” He glanced at the painting that Kara had done a few months ago, pinned to my fridge with a magnet. “How are Will and Nat settling in?”

I shrugged and focused on chopping shallots. “Fine.”

“I saw the renters moved in.” We had told Will we’d keep an eye on the place and help out if there were any issues.

I swallowed and chopped the shallots into tiny little bits. “Yep. Haven’t heard about any issues, though.”

Holden grunted again.

“What are you making?” he asked, watching me chop.

I gave him an exasperated look. “You’re not staying.”

“Because Avery’s coming over?”

There was another knock on the door and Holden’s eyebrows went up. I pointed at the back door. “The drill is in the garage. Out. Now.”

His mouth hitched, and he strode out the back door while I dropped the pasta into the boiling water, set a timer, and made my way to the foyer.

She stood on my front step with a hand on her hip and a scowl on her face.

“You showed up,” I noted with a grin.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. She seemed pissed. Maybe my plan to have her mull things over for the afternoon had backfired.

“Come on in,” I said, and she followed me inside without a word. I led her into the kitchen, where I pulled a bottle of white wine out of the wine fridge and worked at removing the cork.

“Why am I here?” she asked, looking around my kitchen. She’d never admit it, but I knew a look of admiration when I saw it.

“Take a seat.” I gestured at the bar stools and poured her a glass of wine. “Kick your feet up. Relax. You’ve had a long day.”

She glared at me.

I turned my back to her to hide my grin and stirred the pasta in the boiling water. I had my work cut out for me with Avery, but I loved a challenge. The last decade of my life had taught me that the bigger the challenge, the better the payoff. Holden and I worked for months to win a contract to rebuild the hospital a couple towns over. I spent weeks on those job proposals and attended countless meetings, answering question after question. My patience was tested with the project manager on their side, but eventually, we won the project.

I had been running for mayor for less than a week, and it was already proving to be an uphill climb, but I knew it would be worth it.

The timer for the pasta dinged. I drained it in the sink while she watched. “You’re a closed book, Avery. All I know is that you don’t like me.”

She shifted on her stool and glanced between me and the pasta. Steam billowed into the air between us. I tilted my chin at her. “See? Can’t stand me. You can barely be in the same room with me. Why is that?”

She glanced around my kitchen, gaze snagging on the top-of-the-line gas stove, fully stocked wine fridge, and bar cabinet with an extensive supply of liquors that rivaled her restaurant. “Get to the point, Emmett.” She took a sip of wine.

I checked my sauce over the stove, dipping a spoon in. “You should be my fake girlfriend.”

She choked and nearly dropped the glass, catching it with the other hand just in time. I smiled and watched her reaction flip from surprise, confusion, disbelief, to finally, humor.

She barked out a laugh. “What are you talking about? Did you inhale too many paint fumes on a job site?”

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