Page 25 of Casita Casanova
“Watch your step there, the bricks are loose.”
Shocker. Carefully, I step over the area she pointed toward and follow the path around the house, dragging my suitcase loudly behind me.
She follows, the dog still restrained at her feet. “This is the main house on the right, where I live, and the little building to the left of the pond is the casita. That’s where you’ll be staying.”
I pause at the pond, confusion pulling my brows together. Is there another pond? Should I have kept walking deeper into the yard? All there is to the left ofthispond is a tool shed—
The woman steps past me and opens the door to the shed. She looks back at me, eyebrows raised above her sunglasses. “Coming?”
A laugh slips past my lips. For fuck’s sake, what has Beth done to me?That’sthe rental? Thattool shed?
Her jaw tightens. “It’s not ascolorfulas the main house, but I did inform Bethany of the size. I expected you’d be aware of what you rented…?”
The look on my face probably says it all. I’ve never been one to hide my opinions well, and until this very moment, I never really cared to. She’s not pleased with me and I can’t say I blame her, but I’m not pleased either.
“It’s six-hundred square feet.”
“Okay.” My shower is larger.
“There’s a bed, a small dresser, a desk and a chair. A mini refrigerator will be delivered on Wednesday, but I’m afraid that you’ll have to use the kitchen in the main house for any cooking. The bathroom is small, but has everything you should need.”
“WiFi?”
“Yes?”
I cock an eyebrow. “Are you asking me or telling me?” I’ve given her earlier words back to her, and I’m rewarded with a genuine smile.
“It’s… spotty.”
Great. “Spotty” WiFi does not bode well for running an empire.
Stepping past her, I have to duck as I enter the shed, nearly laughing when I see the twin-sized bed. This is a chick’s room. The comforter looks like one of those white doily things Grandmother Ridgeway always had sitting under her potted plants. The pillows have flowers on them, and the walls are a pale shade of Pepto-Bismol pink.
“Were you expecting a woman to rent this place?”
She laughs. “I wasn’t expectinganyoneto rent this place. This is—was—my daughter’s room.”
Ah, fuck. Now I’ve done it. Swallowing my ignorance down, I turn around to face her, my eyes wide and my stomach sinking. “I’m sorry. Did she die?”
“What?” Her eyebrows fly up her forehead. “No,no, oh my gosh. No, she’s the one who made the rental listing, so she must’ve known she’d be giving up her room. She’ll have to stay in the main house with me while you’re renting the casita.” With her sunglasses back on top of her head, I get the pleasure of witnessing the moment her eyes focus on my lips. “Ari won’t be around much, though. All of her friends are out in Temecula, so she’ll probably want to stay with her dad for the most part. Then she’ll head back to school in August, up in Santa Cruz, UCSC—” She stops speaking abruptly, her cheeks matching the walls of this tool shed as she forces her gaze away from my mouth and stares at the floor. “Sorry, um, you didn’t ask for all that information. Anyway…” She laughs self-consciously. “Well, that was the grand tour. Let me know if you need anything.”
She disappears so quickly I don’t even have time to ask her name.
I set my bag down on the bed and strip out of my sweater. There’s a mirror on the wall across from the small bed, but I have to duck to see my face. I smooth my hair a bit, then leave the shed in search of my new landlord and the adorable way she can’t stop rambling in my presence.
And staring.
And blushing.
This might be entertaining after all.
Chapter Eight
Maryn
Leaning against the closed door to the back patio, I stare at the opposite wall of the tiny kitchen. Whatever Danielle did to manifest a hot renter must have worked tenfold, because that is onecapital H-O-Thuman being out there.
Like, not simplygood-looking, but just-stepped-out-of-a-magazinehot as hell—and probably twice as dangerous as the Devil himself.
