"No, I think that just because you hate him doesn't mean that you can't have sex with him if you're feeling him that much."
"This is an absolutely ridiculous conversation. You know that, right?"
"Maybe." She laughs. "So, are you almost home?"
"I should be there in ten minutes."
"Great. I'll help you choose some sexy and absolutely stunning outfits so that you can get your man. Shit, if he's a gardener, maybe he'll take you into the flowers and have his wicked way with you."
"I don't want to get pricked by any thorns, girl."
"Maybe it won't be so bad. They say that you appreciate pleasure much more when there's pain."
I groan at her words. "I'm not trying to get into a sadomasochistic relationship." I groan dramatically and then slam my feet on the brakes because there is Hunter, standing near the gates, with a rake in his hands. "I gotta go," I say quickly, hanging up and immediately lowering myself into the seat. I don't want him to see me. I don't want his eyes to widen, his lips to curl up, or for my heart to flutter. I am still in shock that he lives here. I need to process everything that has happened. I am so overwhelmed that I wonder if I'm going to be able to get through this assignment. I slide back up the seatand peek ahead. He's bending down now and pulling weeds. He looks tired and sweaty and far too gorgeous. I wonder what he'd do if I popped out of the car and ran over to him and surprised him. He'd be shocked. That, I was sure of. But maybe, just maybe, he'd be excited by my presence, just as I was excited by his. It wasn't that I wanted the hot gardener in my bed or anything, but the thought of a roll in the hay with him, for one hot night, wasn't such an unattractive thought.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Gina
As I finally drive through the wrought iron gates of the Waverly Estate, I feel a release of pent-up tension. I feel like a princess who has escaped a tower, and I turn on the radio to listen to some music to calm my nerves. Driving through the wealthier part of Whisper Cove always reminds me of everything I don't have. There have been many times in my life that I’ve looked at the large mansions and the expensive foreign cars and wondered to myself what life was like inside those ivory tower properties. Now I know, and I’m not as envious as I once was.
I’m not sure how I feel exactly. My feelings of peace increase with every mile I drive away from the mansion. I feel less overwhelmed now that I’m away from the Waverlys. I felt claustrophobic and slightly scared when I was there. I was nervous I’d be found out as some sort of spy, and then when I saw Hunter, everything felt magnified. I needed to escape home.
I don’t want to think about my worries any longer, so I turn the radio up and sing along to the nineties Britney Spears song that is playing and tap my fingers against the steering wheel.
When I pull up outside my home, I close my eyes and say a quick prayer. There's nothing like being home. Even if it’s just for a few hours. I jump out of the car, and I see that Emma is standing there waiting for me.
"Hey, chica, how's it going? Have you been waiting for me?" I ask her.
She offers me an impish grin and nods. Her familiar brown eyes are welcoming, and she steps forward and gives me a hug.
"I was nervous for you. You sounded overwhelmed." She pauses, and her eyes gaze up and down as if to ascertain if I’m okay. "I was tracking you on the Find My Friends app and saw you were close, plus you said you’d be home in ten minutes.”
"Gotta love a stalker app," I grin at her, and she laughs.
"You sounded like you thought you'd made a mistake taking this job. How are you feeling now?"
"How do you know me so well?" I let out a strangled noise and bury my face in my hands. Why am I so melodramatic?
"Because I'm your best friend." She smiles. "Is it absolutely overwhelming?" She grabs my arm, and I look up at her. Her expression is concerned, and I shake my head quickly. I don’t want her to worry about me.
"It is, in all the best and worst ways," I say, not really knowing how to explain it. “I think I was just so overwhelmed meeting so many new people, you know? They were all nice; it was just different.”
"So, what exactly are you doing back here, already?"
"I came to pick up some more clothes."
"But we went through all your clothes yesterday, and you made sure that you packed.” She gives me a look. “Is thereanotherreason you’re here?”
"I just needed to get some nicer clothes and more things...like makeup and stuff." I stare at her and try not to blush. She looks back at me and nods with a knowing look.
“So that Hunter guy works there, huh?”
“I guess.” I grab my keys and open the door to my apartment. "Man, I love it here," I say, looking around. "I love my couch, and I love my table, and I love my chairs, and I love my TV, and I love living close to you, and?—”
“You're not going anywhere, Gina. Is this about the job or Hunter?”
“How can it be about Hunter? He doesn’t even know I work there. I just don't know if I'm cut out for this, Emma. I?—"
