“I’m sorry I got her so excited.” Jack gave April a sympathetic smile. “Point me to the paper towels?”
Since when did a man actually offer to help her clean up? Never. That’s when.
April shook her head. “I’ll get the mess. It’s…better for me to do it. You’re in a suit.”
Jack didn’t look convinced. “I don’t—”
“I’ve really got it.” Of all the piddle puddles she’d cleaned in the past forty-eight hours, this one was the smallest…because it got mostly on his shoes.
His mouth parted like he was about to argue the point, but then closed, like he’d thought better of it. “I’m sorry again about this. Guess I’ll go get checked in across the street.”
And probably change his shoes…
Well, that was nice. Offer to help, apologize when he had done nothing wrong, gloss over his ruined fancy loafers,andrecognize when she needed a breather. Who was this guy and what was the catch? There was definitely a catch.
“Before you head over there. What…uh…” April cleared her throat and went for her best attempt at casual. “Have you been told about your vacation rental room?” Somehow she couldn’t quite bring her eyes to meet his. Not when she knew all about his room at Kitty’s. If one could call it a room.
“My assistant booked it.” Jack strode to the door, holding it to let April pass. “And it’s close. That was my only requirement.”
Well, that was good. Because that’s pretty much all it had going for it.
A small battle waged inside April’s mind as to whether she should fully warn him before he walked into Kitty’s lair, or if she should just let it be what it would be…since given the intent of his stride, he was obviously not going to be deterred on his quest to stay with her friendly neighborhood gossip goddess.
She decided to just let it be what it would be, and followed behind him as he moved with authority across their small neighborhood street.
Jack was all business. Which, if April had to guess, was how he’d ended up at Kitty’s. She billed it as the premier vacation rental for business travelers. Kitty always ended up with great reviews, soap theft notwithstanding. To be honest, April didn’t know how she managed it. Because the space was…interesting.
Yes. That was a good word for it. Interesting, like Kitty.
“You know the owner?” he asked, scrolling through his cell for what appeared to be instructions for checking in.
April nodded. Because she was afraid if she spoke, she’d accidentally expose something that maybe Jack should experience firsthand.
He gave a quick knock at the door and slipped off his soaked shoes—apparently, to leave them on the mat.
The whirlwind that was Kitty yanked open the door.
On a normal day, Kitty wore tight leggings and an equally tight shirt with a deep V-neckline and a chunky belt cinched tight around her waist. On a normal day, she had a thick coat of makeup airbrushed on like a professional. A professional with a commitment to Taylor Swift’s red lips.
Oh, she had all of that going on today. But today shealsohad her hair in full Farrah Fawcett 1989 glory with feathers clipped under the curtain of blond. And today she was somehow painting her fingernails while opening the door. The paint in one hand and the brush in the other held between two fingers like it was a cigarette.
Jack’s eyes widened for only the barest of moments before he smacked down a boardroom cover on his emotions that would’ve been the best mask April had ever seen—except Kitty took that second to connect the brush to the bottle and shove it between her cleavage so the top paint handle emerged from her ta-tas.
Jack’s ability to hang out in neutral was wrecked. Oh, he didn’t stare at her boobs. His mouth just dropped a few centimeters.
He did, however, get bonus points for not staring at the cleavage paint.
“This is Jack,” April said, because Jack had apparently been rendered silent. “He has a reservation.”
“Your Jack is my Jack?” Kitty purred. “Well, hot damn. What a nice surprise.”
April knew Kitty well enough to call baloney. This wasn’t a surprise. She just had, for possibly the first time in her life, been tight-lipped when the information would’ve been nice to have.
“You don’t have to take off your shoes here.” Kitty nodded to the loafers. “I’m not one of those people.”
“Mayonnaise peed on them.” April raised her eyebrows.
“Then let’s go ahead and leave them outside. Shall we, handsome?” She backed into the room, gesturing to the space. “Welcome to your home away from home.”
