Only Her Heart by Lyn Cote

Author:Lyn Cote [Cote, Lyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyn Cote

On Saturday morning, Jack watched Annie painstakingly press the masking tape along the window frame. She’d called him yesterday and suggested they paint their new office. He wanted to tell her his good news, but doing that in this setting didn’t seem appropriate. Or was it his new heightened awareness of Annie that made it difficult to start a conversation? Or was it that he had kissed her here just days ago?

Why had he begun to discern things about Annie he’d never noticed before? “I’ve never done much painting,” he muttered.

“Goodness! We’re not ready to paint yet.” Annie gave him a tart look.

He noted again the faint freckles dotting her nose. Why am I noticing Annie’s freckles? “Then, what are we doing?” He tried to work up some enthusiasm for this, but couldn’t. He’d much rather stand and stare at his new sales manager.

“We need to move the shelves out to the alley for disposal and then sweep the floors. Then we can scrub the walls and spackle the nicks and cracks.”

Even this list of unappealing chores didn’t dull his new and very keen concentration on Annie Petrov. “That’s all I need to know now,” Jack said. “Thanks. Are you sure we couldn’t just hire this done?” Annie shouldn’t have to do this kind of stuff.

“This little bit of work? Working with one’s hands is good for the mind—my dad’s favorite reason for us helping him,” Annie said, grinning and scanning the dilapidated-looking store. “The bottom line is still the bottom line, Jack. We need to be careful of it while we’re—you’re—buying Tom out.”

Jack couldn’t argue with that. But he almost said, While we’re buying Tom out is the right way to say that. LIT wouldn’t be LIT without Annie. Now why had that popped into his head? Was it because Tom had moved on to follow his dream? Would Annie decide to leave him too someday? Something Tom had said about Jack proposing to Annie replayed in Jack’s mind. What an odd thing for Tom to say.

“Besides, help is expected later.” Annie turned back to the window. “It won’t take long for us to get this place ready to paint. And the painting will go fast.”

He wanted to ask her about her sister’s situation, but didn’t know how to bring that up, either. So he decided he might as well get this done. “Where’s the broom?” he asked instead.

“In the back room, and I rented a Dumpster for us. It’s in the alley.” After motioning, Annie turned back to concentrating on masking the window.

“Okay, boss.” Jack saluted her and heard her chuckle in reply.

In the back room, he located the new broom and dustpan and peered out the door at the bright green Dumpster in the narrow alley. Leave it to Annie to think of a Dumpster. Then he returned to the large room and began to lift the first piece of shelving. The metal groaned and grated against the aged, painted hardwood floor.

“Wait.” Annie swung around again. “I’ll help you with that.

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