Page 44 of Whatever Lola Wants

He nodded, his long blond curls flopping with the movement. “I wanted to let you know I’m going to have a house sitter this time.”

Lola leaned against the doorway and stifled a yawn. “Yeah? You hire a service?”

“Nah. I’ve got a cousin in Ohio who’s thinking about moving here, wants to get the lay of the land before she commits. So, she gets a place to stay while she explores, and I get a house sitter.”

“That’s nice. Is she going to be looking for a job here?”

“If she decides to move, yeah. But she’s a teacher—summers off—so it’s not a problem yet.”

“Well, tell her to stop by and say hi when she gets in,” she offered. “Anna and I can take her out on the town.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. She’s pretty naïve—never been outside her hometown. I’d feel better if she had someone looking out for her until she gets settled in.”

“Yeah, sure. Give her my number.” She smiled at him, though she could hear the popping and hissing as her coffee maker finished brewing its first pot. She really needed coffee. “Do you need me to hold a key for her?”

“No, I made arrangements with building management.”

“Okay.” She yawned. “What’s her name?”

“Ginger. She’s got blonde hair, blue eyes. Sweet girl.” He winced. “Absolutely no street smarts at all.”

“She’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Anna and I will give her the City Living 101 crash course.”

He flashed her a relieved smile and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Have fun in London. Try not to get arrested this time.”

The smile turned wicked. “I make no promises.”

She shut the door on a laugh. He probably would get arrested, she mused, but he’d probably get out of it. Nothing seemed to stick to Peter.

“Who was that?”

She let out a shriek and whirled. Simon stood in her kitchen, hair damp from his shower, dressed in the t-shirt and shorts from last night. “You scared me,” she accused as he helped himself to a cup of coffee.

“Sorry.” He dumped a teaspoon of sugar into the cup and stirred. “Thought you heard me.”

She pushed off the door. Since he’d taken the cup she’d gotten down for herself, she snagged another from the cupboard above the coffeemaker. “No problem.”

He set the spoon aside. “Who was at the door?”

“My neighbor,” she replied, inhaling the heavenly scent rising in a cloud of steam from her cup. “He’s going out of town, wanted me to know he’s got a house sitter coming in.”

One eyebrow quirked up. “He always tell you his travel plans?”

She frowned at his tone. Not quite accusing, but not…not accusing. “Yes, actually. He travels a lot for work, and he feels better if someone is keeping an eye on the place while he’s gone.”

His expression didn’t change. “Isn’t that what a house sitter is for?”

“Yeah. And in this case, the house sitter is his small-town cousin, and he wanted me to keep an eye on her. What’s with the third degree?”

He winced, a faint twitch of facial muscles before his expression smoothed out. If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she might’ve missed it. “Sorry,” he said briefly. “You looked friendly.”

She frowned. “We are friendly.”

He was watching her so closely. “More than friendly. I don’t like the idea that I might’ve been poaching.”

Oh, for crying out loud. “We’re friends, Simon. I realize you don’t know me very well, so I’ll clue you in. I don’t cheat, and I don’t lie. And if I were with him, I wouldn’t have been with you. All right?”

---