Part-Time Fiance by Leigh Michaels

Author:Leigh Michaels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

SAM stepped back from the door so the visitors could get a better view. The town house was a pretty spectacular sight at the moment, he had to admit. The futon was draped in clear plastic, as was the fireplace mantel and the breakfast bar where it protruded into the main living room. A good chunk of the carpet was covered with a canvas drop cloth, and newspaper was taped to the glass patio door and all the woodwork to protect it from splatters. In one corner was a stepladder with a clean new paint roller and a couple of brushes balanced across the top step. In the precise center of the room was an old table, draped in plastic, with a selection of paintbrushes and rollers lined up in a row. Near the breakfast bar was a pyramid built of a dozen neatly stacked paint containers, and an open can sat nearby. He’d been contemplating the wall, just about to make the first brush stroke, when he’d heard the noise outside and seized the excuse to get down off the ladder.

He saw Delainey’s gaze focus on the paint pyramid and watched as her eyes widened with shock. No doubt she was calculating how much that pile of cans was going to set her back, Sam thought.

“The trouble with a floor plan like this one is that once you start painting there’s nowhere to stop,” he said. “I bought twelve gallons of paint…and even that may not be enough to finish. That’s why I’m so glad to have help to put it on.” He looked directly at Curtis and Jason, who were still wedged in the doorway. “That is why you’ve come, isn’t it? To paint?”

Jason looked coldly at him. “Surely you’re joking. I just need to give Delainey these figures to work on and we’ll get out of your way.”

Sam watched Jason look around for a safe place to lay his notebook. Finally, for lack of another option, he settled on the table in the center of the room where Sam had arranged his extra tools. Jason pushed the brushes aside with his fingertips to clear a space—so careful when he touched them that Sam figured he was afraid one might leap up into his hand and stick.

Too bad I don’t have an open paint can sitting right there, he thought idly. It might just—accidentally, of course—spill all over Jason’s expensive tasseled loafers.

Sam climbed the ladder, dipped his paintbrush, and looked thoughtfully at the wall. Once he made the first brush stroke, there would be no turning back. Somebody would have to finish the job—and he had no illusions about who the somebody was likely to be. If there had ever been any doubt that he was the one who’d be stuck, Jason had removed it with this drop-by visit. What was he asking Delainey to do, anyway? From the numbers he was throwing around, it sounded as if she was going to be calculating the national trade deficit for the next three hundred years.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.