Compliments would get him nowhere.
“Better get used to her food if you’re going to let her move in here.”
“Oh, come on.” He switched to a cajoling tone. “Make dinner for us.”
“Sorry. I’m working on a plan to get out of your house, like you asked.”
“You could take a break from that on Sunday.”
“Ashley might not appreciate me slacking off. She wants me gone, remember?”
“I’ll talk to her. So will you cook?”
“Nope.”
An aggravated sigh came through the door. “What areyougoing to do about dinner?”
“I may go out.”
“Since when has there been room in your budget for restaurant meals?”
She picked up her phone and called up the photos she’d taken at Natalie’s house on Friday. Smiled. “Everyone deserves to splurge once in a while.” Especially if there was a source of funding for indulgences on the horizon.
“Are you saying I’m on my own for food today?”
“Yep.”
He mumbled an ear-burning comment and stomped back down the hall.
Good riddance.
Yeah, he’d let her move back in two years ago, but it had always been about Randy and what was best for him. He was the same self-centered little boy he’d once been, livingin a grown-up body. It had cost him nothing to offer her this empty room, and he’d gotten a cook and house cleaner in the bargain. Plus, she’d ended up paying rent.
Sweet deal for him.
One he was willing to forfeit for a flashy blonde who’d use him and lose him.
But that was his issue. She had her own future to think about.
She raised the laptop screen again and leaned closer to scan the new information she’d pulled up. Amazing how buyers could be found for almost anything. And now that she had photos to share of the merchandise, she ought to be able to get a bidding war going.
First things first, however. She had to get a handle on fair pricing. Otherwise, someone could cheat her. Meaning she had to learn more about the rare product she would soon be selling.
As for the second part of her plan—she reached into her pocket and fingered the keys to Natalie’s house. The groundwork she was laying for moving in there was coming along too. Not as fast as she’d like, thanks to that professor’s presence. But Cara Tucker wasn’t there on weekends, and if Natalie needed assistance then, who would be around to help her?
A question she intended to pose to her client should any more ... problems ... arise at the house that could make her uncomfortable about being alone. Because Micah Reeves couldn’t be relied upon to come to her aid. That man was downright creepy. If trouble did arise, he’d probably vanish into the woods like he did whenever she spotted him on her treks to clean the cottage.
Yes, Natalie would benefit from a live-in housekeeper.
As would the housekeeper.
Lydia went back to scrolling through the internet and compiling her research. For both parts of her plan to succeed, shehad to be buttoned up and thorough. Think through every contingency. Be ready to step in when opportunity presented itself.
And it wouldn’t hurt to make an effort to convince Cara Tucker that hanging around Natalie’s remote estate might not be in her best interest if she valued her safety.
SIX
ASA CAR CAME INTO SIGHTin front of Natalie’s house, Cara eased back on the accelerator.
