Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
He was quiet for a moment. “My life is very complicated. My family dynamic is complex and with my brother back in town, I worry it’s going to get worse. It might be better to not involve you in that situation.”
Well, that was a kick in the gut, but he was right. It was complicated, and the last thing she wanted him to think was that she would sleep with him so he would help her. Still, she didn’t like the fact that this warmth she felt would end so quickly. “I agree. So we’ll be colleagues. I can find a place to stay. I would like to keep using the extra office here if that’s okay, because I need to keep an eye on Sienna. I hope you can be patient with her. I’m going to convince her to take your offer. I just need a few days.”
He held up a hand, stopping her. “Hey, I wasn’t asking you to leave. And I wasn’t saying I’m not interested. I was saying that my life has become more complex than it was before last night and I don’t want to expose you to something that could be distasteful. I would go home and let you stay here by yourself, but I’m pretty sure I would end up needing to secure your services if I do. I don’t think I would be able to restrain myself from punching my brother.”
That actually wouldn’t be a terrible thing. Quaid could pay in cash.
“Are you thinking about the fee you would charge me?” Quaid asked, his lips quirking up.
She shrugged. “Well, you would be the first private citizen in town to not try to pay me in barter. I’ve been told the absolute best I can hope for is gift cards to the place that sells chicken-fried steak in the middle of the convenience store, or a goat.”
Sienna had explained that the goat would be nice because she was the one who had to mow the lawn, and the goat could take care of that chore for her. Also, they were cute, and she’d promised to train Luna to herd them if they could get two.
Such a weird place to find herself in. She’d gone from Louis Vuitton shopping to treating herself for a job well done by hoping for goats.
Quaid shook his head. “I think I’ll stay here for now. Both places are dangerous for me, but I think I might prefer one outcome to the other. And I’ll eat whatever you put on my plate. I won’t be picky. We can go buy more groceries this afternoon.”
She found a pan and placed it on the stove top. “Danger?”
“Well, the way I look at it, if I go home I will be opening myself to all of my brother’s drama. If I stay here, I’ll probably end up letting you seduce me and get my heart broken when you sashay right back out of town.”
Oh, his brother wasn’t the only dramatic one. “Heartbroken?”
“I think I could get used to having you around,” he admitted. “You’ve already taken on quite a bit of the city work, for which I get paid very little compared to the corporate work. You’ve taken roughly half my Papillon quirk claims, as I like to call them. I got paid nothing for those and you’ve managed to maybe get a couple of livestock out of them.”
“Don’t forget the gas and chips, and that Herve has to fix my car.” She melted some butter and cracked four eggs in before adding in a fifth. Quaid looked like he could eat. “I might need to find out if the tow truck driver needs legal help because I think my car died last night, along with my dignity.”
“Your dignity didn’t die, but I’ll call and get your car towed if we can’t get it started,” he promised.
“I cried on your shoulder and I looked like a wet cat,” she pointed out. “My dignity definitely took a hit, and that’s why I assert that I am no danger to your heart.”
“I don’t know about that,” he replied in that slow Cajun accent. He sighed and opened the bag of bread, taking out two pieces and placing them in the toaster. “But like I said, I’m more willing to take the chance that you can’t keep your hands off me than risking the scenario where you have to represent me in a murder trial.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be me, big guy.” She stirred the eggs, feeling perfectly comfortable with their banter. It was fun, probably the most fun she’d had in a long time. She was going to spend her whole day preparing to sue an old lady for showing her boobs, but it was okay because it would be fun to face off against Quaid. “So you’ll stay here and not murder your brother. That will save you a lot of money, because I would charge you my full rate.”