He ignored a few calls from his agent, debating on whether to tell Alan before or after Christmas about his decision not to renew. Besides, he had a house to decorate. With Jenna’s help, he’d been getting information on Piper’s likes and dislikes as they pertained to the Christmas holiday. Yes on eggnog, no on added rum. Yes on colored lights for the tree, no on stark white lights. His Piper liked color and wonderment, not fancy, classy holiday style.
And she would love him right back if she knew she deserved it. He knew Piper Mason better than she knew herself. He kept up to date on her life, took a real interest in her thoughts and opinions, and knew how well they fit, especially after the past weekend. But she needed to give them a chance, and avoiding him wouldn’t cut it.
So, he made plans, calls, and a very important appointment.
Piper had no time lately. She liked it that way. With only seventeen more shopping days until Christmas, she took charge at the office to give staff extra time for shopping and decorating. Her own home renovations were coming along, but it would be at least a few months into the new year before they finished.
She’d talked to Jared and Ali Monday night, convincing them that their daughter had not been kidnapped by aliens or impregnated by elves. She and Ali had thought that funny though Jared hadn’t.
Jenna had been warm and totally less stressed since her emotional outburst on Thanksgiving.
Hmm. What else could she think about that didn’t involve Grant?
I love you.
Oh my God, there she went again, thinking about him. He’d said the three words sure to send her crisis into orbit. Bad enough she had feelings for the baseball player. The rich, so different from her, younger man. Okay, it was only by four years, and she’d lied enough about her age on dating apps since hitting thirty that four years’ difference shouldn’t matter, not when she typically clung to twenty-nine as her age.
But how could she hope to handle dealing with him and how she felt? She’d thought she loved Sam and he’d hurt her so badly. Grant was all that Sam was not. Honest, upfront, great in bed, and financially set to the max. He constantly gave. And he constantly succeeded at life.
The only thing she’d succeeded at was business. Her agency worked well together. They earned together, well enough that she could retire in ten years if she continued at her current rate and thanks to investments.
But she only had family she’d been born into, the cool aunt to her nieces. She wanted children of her own and a husband to love. How the heck could Grant be so cavalier with his feelings? Heck, he didn’t even know her. Not really.
She groaned as she drove over to a listing she’d been trying to sell forever. They had a special bonus at the office for whoever could move the property, a large five-bedroom rancher that would need a total makeover. Structurally, it was sound, but the past owner had been overly interested in cats and had decorated the house with a decidedly feline theme. One room might have been okay—not a whole house.
She pulled into the driveway and groaned at the SUV parked on the street.
Grant got out and marched to her door, holding it open while she exited.
“Grant, I’m busy. If you—”
“I want to see a house.” He smiled. The bastard wore jeans and a navy sweater that made the color of his eyes pop. He smelled divine too.
Gah. “Fine. Let’s go.” She marched to the house and plugged in the code for the key. Once inside, she did her best not to cringe at the giant cat statue, on two legs, in the corner.
Grant’s eyes widened. “That looks like the goddess Bast.”
“Lovely.”
He turned around. “Is that cat wallpaper? I didn’t know they made that.” He paused. “And are those giant balls of yarn actually stools?”
“Yep.”
“Huh.” He left her to walk through the house. Garfield wall clock. Panther shaped dining chairs, odd plastic knickknacks molded in the shape of hunting cats in different sizes and colors, and plush mice lay scattered in the corners of several rooms. And there, she spotted cat trees and shelving for them to walk on in several spaces in the living room. A maze attached to the wall where actual cats must have roamed took up even more space.
“You know, for all that the last owner had a thing for cats, it doesn’t stink in the house,” Grant said. “So that’s a plus.”
She half laughed, half snarled. “Do you really need to see the rest of the house?”
“I do.” He sniffed and walked past her, checking out the tub and weird toilet, plunked in the middle of a pretend huge cat box.
“Now that’s clever. Do I dig after I pee or just use the toilet?”
“Okay, that’s enough.” She dragged him back to the living room, near windows, should he be tempted to try to sex her up again, the way he’d previously done the day before Thanksgiving. Not that she could forget that, or how much she missed him.
The past week she’d done her best to put them back into a platonic friendship, but he wouldn’t leave her thoughts. His humor and laughter, the way he could argue or discuss any topic. He interested her, and he always listened to her. She felt valued with him, and not talking with him annoyed and depressed her.
And now here he was interfering with her work.
