Page 99 of The Arrangement
Her home.
I turn around and stare at the massive brick structure behind me.
My home.
Cotton lines my throat as I go to the patio door. I hesitate before entering, feeling the need to knock first. My knuckle hovers over the glass when Jason comes into sight. He’s shirtless, his abs on full display thanks to a pair of black shorts. His hair is damp, as if he’s already had a shower.
He’s freaking gorgeous.
He catches me staring and the smirk on his face isn’t to turn me on—it’s to warn me.Don’t knock.
Sheepishly, I sneak through the door and grimace. “Hey.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just coming over.” I dust my hands against my sides as if I’m relaxed and hanging out. “What are you doing?”
“Were you about to knock?”
“What?Me? No. No, I wasn’t.”
He stalks across the living room and pulls me against his chest. I breathe in the scent of his skin mixed with his body wash, toying with the ends of his hair.
“This is your home,” he whispers, swaying me side to side.
“I actually just had that thought, and then I got to the door and had a little panic attack.”
His brows lift. “But you had that thought? That this is your home?”
I nod slowly.
His smile is immediate and wide. “Good. I’ll forgive you then.”
He’s about to kiss me when footsteps interrupt us. A round woman, who must be in her sixties, appears out of nowhere. I swear she swoons.
“Oh, Jason,” she says, holding her hands over her heart. On the counter behind her are my three floral arrangements. “This is a picture I’ve always hoped to see.”
He wrinkles his nose at me and pulls me into his side. “Mara, this is my wife, Chloe. Chloe, this is the woman who keeps this ship afloat.”
“I am so pleased to meet you,” she says, tugging me out of Jason’s arms and into a deep, warm hug. “It’s been a long time coming.”
“It has?” I step from her embrace, only to be tucked away at Jason’s side once again. “How do you figure?”
She grins at her boss. “I’ve seen the groceries and takeout, and I knew he didn’t order on his own. And I’ve received the massage therapist who came on ‘Chloe’s orders’ and found your notes to Jason lying around the house.”
“You have?” I glance up at Jason. “What notes?”
She waves a hand through the air. “Nothing personal or anything. But let’s say Mr. Brewer doesn’t take orders from anyone, until one of your notes pops up. All of a sudden, he has your sticky note stuck to the coffee pot as a reminder to take his vitamins.”
Huh. I smirk, proud of myself. “I like that.”
“Don’t get cocky,” he says, teasing me.
“Maybe I will.”
Mara heads for the door. “I’m going cruising with Mimi for a while, then I’m heading home, Jason. Unless you need anything, that is.”
“No,” he says, wrapping his other arm around me. “Thank you, Mara, for everything. I couldn’t survive without you.”
