“I do like nachos,” I mused.
“See? It’ll be perfect. And it’s even a Friday.”
“Wait, if that’s the weekend before Halloween weekend, don’t we want to have our haunted house open that night?”
“Hmm. You have a point, but I’m worried we won’t be done by then.”
“We have to be. We can’t blow off that weekend.” I pulled out my phone and opened my calendar app. “We can do the haunted house Friday to Sunday, then the next week Thursday to Sunday. I figure all the kids will be trick-or-treating Halloween night, which is a Monday, so we probably don’t want to be open then, right?”
“If people want to come, they’ll just have to come over the weekend,” Landon said. “I have an idea. Why not do a VIP party that first Friday night for donors? It’ll be another enticement to contribute to the project. Rich people love that kind of thing. You and I can do a date afterward.”
“Actually, that’s a pretty great idea. How do you know so much about VIPs?”
“I build houses for them.”
I squinted at him, a strange thought occurring to me. “If you do such high-end work all the time and you manage projects for the family firm, why do you live in a crappy little apartment, and why did you advertise for a roommate?”
For the first time, Landon looked uncomfortable. “I had to get out of my parents’ place. It’s huge, and they let me have the apartment above the garage, but I needed my own space. You know?”
“Yeah, but I bet you can afford something a lot better than our cookie-cutter apartment.”
“Maybe I could rent something a little better, but I’m saving up.”
“For what?”
“To start my own design and renovation firm.”
“Ah.” I took another sip of my shake. “How does your dad feel about that?”
“He doesn’t know yet. But I figure my firm can work with his company if he’ll let me. Besides, my two brothers are in the business, too. He doesn’t need me.”
“I think he needs you a lot, which is why you’re anxious.”
“I’m not anxious.” He sure looked anxious.
I changed the subject. “So about this date…”
“Right! We’ll have a date after the VIP party.” He glanced at his phone again. “October twenty-first is also National Check Your Meds Day, in case you’re interested.”
“AndBack to the FutureDay.”
“I’d forgotten that!” he exclaimed. “Marty McFly! I love that movie!”
“I’ve seen it a billion times.One point twenty-one gigawatts!”
Landon grinned. “All we need is a lightning storm and we can travel back in time!”
“That’s what we have an old house for.” A house that I couldn’t save without Landon. “OK. Let’s do it.”
I’m completely insane.
“Excellent!” Landon gave me the Fireworks, and the galaxies did an extra spin in their orbits. “You know, if you want to useme,I won’t mind,” he added. “No woman who goes on a date with me can resist me.”
“Ha!” I rolled my eyes again. He might be hotter than a hot plate, but I would resist him. I had to, if I wanted to keep my pride. “You really are terrible.”
“Am I?” he intoned suggestively, flashing that smile.Pow dazzle sparkle.Damn his Fireworks. They just made me want more.
Chapter 8
