Page 41 of Kiss Me Forever

"Thanks. My brother Travis brought us." Luke pointed at Travis, who’d just come out of the building.

"Good morning," Travis said.

"Hi, Travis. Do you need a ride?" Charles asked.

"Sure. Actually, you know what? No. You go ahead. I’ll just order an Uber."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. I don’t mind helping the River Falls economy," he responded with a grin.

"Okay," Luke said. "I'll be in touch when we’re there, okay?

"I recommend Delia's Coffee Shop. It's on the ground floor of my office building, and it's great. The Wi-Fi works perfectly, and the coffee is delicious," Charles suggested. He was a real estate mogul in the area.

Travis gave him a thumbs-up. "Thanks for the tip. That's where I'm heading, then."

I took shotgun again, sitting next to Charles. Luke was in the back seat.

"It's not far from here,” Charles told us. “It's great of you both to come here and see the location. You’re the only company who offered to do that."

I turned around, glancing over my shoulder at Luke, who winked at me. I thought this was common practice in the business, but apparently not.

Charles wanted to build a luxurious villa for his family. I couldn’t wait to see the property. We didn’t drive through the city, which was a pity. I’d seen a few pics, and it looked dreamy. I was sure it would inspire me.

We arrived a short while later in an area of the town that was obviously still in development, as there was nothing around us, just fields and tall, old trees. The air was thick with the smell of freshly cut grass and flowers in bloom.

"As you can see, I have a great view. There's nothing around," Charles said once we were on the property, making me laugh.

"Not right now," Luke said. "How are the zoning laws around here?"

Charles waved his hand. "They're going to build stuff around us in the next couple years. I just know it. I'm the first one. I'll probably only get this view to myself for a few years, at best. But still, my land is large enough that I don't have to worry about anyone blocking my sunlight." He laughed at his joke, but he was right. The property was huge, and it had plenty of big, sturdy trees to visually shield him from other houses.

I could envision two types of constructions—either a sprawling ranch-style home or tri-level glass construction that would let in plenty of light. Then again, the downside of large windows was that when the weather was bad, there was no escaping the gray skies, plus undoubtedly you’d need a professional to clean them. Right now, we did have a few clouds rolling in, but I was certain we would still have some time to walk around before it opened up on us.

As Charles spoke more about what he envisioned, the ideas began consolidating in my mind. I was starting to blend the two styles. I couldn't wait to get home. I probably wouldn’t even sleep tonight out of excitement.

We got the first drops of rain forty minutes later. "We’re out of luck," Charles said, looking around. "But I think you have a pretty good idea, don't you?"

"We do," Luke said. "Right?" He looked at me questioningly. I liked that he wanted my opinion.

I tapped my temple. "Yes. Everything's recorded here in great detail."

Charles drove us to his office building next, which was in the town's square. It was lovely. There was a convenience store next to a barbershop and a bakery. All the buildings were painted in vivid colors—blue, pink, green, yellow—and had wrought iron railing on the balconies.

As Charles said, there was a coffee shop on the ground floor of his building. I looked longingly at it.

"I'll order us some coffee to be brought upstairs," he said.

"Oh, they deliver. That's smart," I said.

"No, I just bribe them into bringing my coffee upstairs. Works for both of us."

We all laughed at that. Charles seemed like a really nice guy.

We walked inside the building. Charles led the way up, and Luke walked slightly behind me. How was it that I couldfeelhis presence even when I couldn’t see him? I looked over my shoulder, intending to ask him if he had any idea how long this would take. I wanted to know if I could plan on working on the project tonight or if it would be too late. I nearly tripped over my own feet when I caught him staring at my ass.

Get yourself together, Megan.

---