“It’s fine. I’m going back to work now.” He pivoted and went back downstairs, tossed the ruler in the trash can, then fished in his tool bag until he found another one. This time he intended to keep a close eye on it.

  As he worked, he wondered if Freddie just needed a chew toy. He noticed some old toys spread around the house, but very few. When he took a water break outside he walked around the yard to do an inventory.

  Yeah, not much, really. He was sure that Hazel didn’t have a lot of excess funds for toys and chew things for the dogs. The care and feeding of them likely cost her enough.

  He pulled out his phone and went to a pet toy site, searching for things that dogs could chew on and play with, adding them to the cart. Might as well add some treats, too. Who didn’t like snacks? He sure did. He wondered what dog food she fed them. He went into the guesthouse to check, added a few bags and cans of that, then paused.

  Why did he fucking care? These dogs weren’t his responsibility. He started to cancel the whole thing, but then Lilith wandered in and sat, staring up at him.

  “What’s up, feisty?” he asked.

  The tiny dog always had a judgmental look, as if she knew what was going on in his head. Which was just ridiculous. He crouched down and reached his hand out. Lilith inched over to give him a sniff, then shoved her head under his hand for a pet.

  Okay, that was new. Typically, she avoided him. With a sigh, he rubbed his hand over her head and back, which she seemed to appreciate. Until one of the dogs barked outside. Lilith shot out the door like a rocket.

  Shaking his head, he paid for express shipping and finished the order for the toys and food, then slipped his phone back in his pocket.

  Hazel came outside, her entourage of dogs following. The dogs dispersed into the yard, and Hazel sat in the chair next to him on the porch. “There’s a breeze. And it’s cloudy. Have you looked at the weather forecast?”

  He frowned. “No, I haven’t. What’s up?”

  “Big storm blowing in. Supposed to hit sometime later afternoon or tonight.”

  “Great. Just great. I have someone coming to fix the AC in the guesthouse this afternoon. Hopefully, he can get that done before it starts to rain.”

  “I hope so. Then I can get out of the house and out of your way.”

  He was scrolling through his phone, searching for the weather app. “You’re not in my way. It’s not like you’re sleeping in my bed or anything.”

  Realizing what he said, he looked over at her and found her staring at him, an unfathomable expression on her face.

  “Uh, what I meant was . . . I was trying to say that . . . I didn’t mean . . .”

  Then she let out a big laugh, which released the tight knot that had formed in Linc’s gut.

  “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who shoves her foot in her mouth on occasion.”

  He was so relieved she hadn’t been horrified by what he’d said. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t know what I was saying, but it sure wasn’t what I meant. You’re welcome in my bed anytime.”

  His eyes widened. “Fuck. I’m going back to work before anything else stupid falls out of my mouth.”

  Her laughter rang in his ears all the way back to the house.

  * * *

  • • •

  Hazel had been in a really good mood all day, though she had no idea why. Okay, she knew why.

  Because Linc had thrown bedroom suggestions at her, and even though he’d immediately corrected his wayward thoughts and fumbled over his words, the idea had to have been there in the first place, right?

  Or maybe the bedroom idea is only in your head, Hazel.

  She shrugged. Maybe that was true. But it had been a stroke, and she’d been beaten down emotionally since her divorce, so she could use all the strokes she could get. A fine-looking man like Linc making suggestive remarks like that? She would definitely not take offense.

  The air conditioner repairman had showed up early, which had made Linc happy. Though when the guy had left about forty-five minutes later and Linc made his way back to the house with a stormy expression on his face, that couldn’t be good.

  “Is it fixed?” she asked as she followed him inside.

  “Not even close. The amount of repairs it needs far outweighs its value. I’ll have to replace it.”

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

  “Not your fault. Just an expense I hadn’t budgeted for. He’s going to bring a new unit out and install it by the end of the week. And then the guesthouse will be back in business for cooking.”

  “Excellent. And the dogs and I will move back in there.”

  “The hell you will. I’m not moving that damned bed frame and mattress again. You and the dogs can stay upstairs.”

  That seemed rather definite. And he had enough to worry about, so she wouldn’t inconvenience him. “Okay.”

  But she would be thrilled to be able to cook in the guesthouse again without the oppressive heat.

  She took the dogs on a long walk, figuring if a storm hit later she wouldn’t be able to walk them tonight. The humidity today was unbearable, so Gordon didn’t make it very long before he plopped down on some nice cool grass at the corner and decided he was ready for a nap. She scooped him up and put him in the stroller, and they continued on. The other dogs didn’t seem to mind the heat, though Hazel was a big, sweaty mess by the time they’d done a mile, so they made their way back toward the house. They were only a few homes from getting there when Sarah Ventura, Ginger’s incredibly intrusive neighbor, came outside.

  “Oh, Hazel, how lovely to see you.”

  “Hi, Sarah. How are you?”

  “I’m great. You know, I saw Ginger and Greg had moved out a while back. Did you buy their house?”

  “Uh, no. Someone else did. A . . . a friend of mine. He’s renovating the place, so I’m staying there with the dogs for a while longer.”

  “How convenient for you.” Sarah smoothed her blond hair back with her hand, though it was unnecessary since not a strand was ever out of place. How she managed that in Orlando’s humidity was a feat that Hazel could not fathom. “I’ve noticed him coming and going. He’s quite good-looking.”

  “Yes.” She wasn’t about to offer additional information, because that would only invite commentary from Sarah, which would mean extra boiling time in the heat.

  “And, would you two be dating?” Sarah asked.

  “No, we’re just friends.”

  “Still, I mean, he’s so hot, Hazel, and unless he’s moved a wife or girlfriend in with him, I’d say why not go for it, right?”

  “I will definitely take that under advisement. You know, the dogs need some water, and wow, is it hot today or what? I have got to go. It was great to see you, Sarah. Talk later.” She pushed the stroller, and the dogs started moving. Grateful to be away from Sarah, she found her second wind and made the stretch back to the house in a hurry. She took the harnesses off all the dogs and lifted Gordon out of the stroller. The dogs all made a mad dash for their water bowl in the backyard, and Hazel headed straight for the guesthouse to grab some ice water, choosing a spot in the shade to dip her legs in the pool.

  She sipped her water despite wanting to gulp it down. The clouds had thickened, which had done nothing to lessen the humidity. She was going to enjoy her shower later, but for now, a dip in the pool sounded ideal. Since she’d tossed her swimsuit on under her shorts and tank today, all she had to do was slip them off, which she did, and then she slid right into the cool water of the pool, which refreshed her immediately.

  It wasn’t long before Boo joined her in the pool, with the rest of the dogs deciding a nap under the shady palm trees was their preferred option. Boo swam a couple of laps, then got out to join the other dogs for naptime, leaving Hazel alone to float by herself. She closed her eyes and let the water lap over her.

  But then she heard a low roaring sound in her ears. Figuring the dogs were barking at one another, she ignored it and continued with her float, tuning out the world. Until a hand grasped her arm and hauled her completely out of the water.

  Shocked, she opened her eyes and saw Linc’s angry face.

  “Didn’t you hear me?”

  “Of course I didn’t. My ears were under the water.” But now she heard sirens, and the dogs were whimpering and surrounding her. The skies had turned from ominous to black. Plus, holy crap, that was some thunder.

  “There’s a tornado warning. Let’s go.”

  She grabbed her clothes and she didn’t even need to call the dogs because they were right on her heels as they ran inside. She was dripping wet, so the cold air chilled her as they made their way into the downstairs bathroom, the only room in the house with no windows. She grabbed a towel and dried her body, threw her sweaty clothes back on—yuck—and then bent down to check on the dogs.

  Gordon had curled up on her discarded towel and gone back to sleep—the benefit of being old and hard of hearing. Freddie and Penelope were wrestling, completely oblivious to the impending storm. Boo nervously paced the length of the small room. Lilith was shaking and had peed in the corner of the bathroom.

  “Oops. Sorry. Come here, baby girl.” She scooped Lilith up and then grabbed some tissues to lay over Lilith’s accident spot.

  “It’s a tile floor,” Linc said. “It’ll be fine.”

  Hazel was surprised he wasn’t upset. Instead, he had his phone out and was watching the local weather people give updates about the storm.

  Having lived here her entire life, this wasn’t her first time in a bad storm. She’d weathered tornadoes and hurricanes before, knowing that you had no control whatsoever. All you could do was wait it out.

  The wind howled, then hail and rain pelted loudly against the windows in the other rooms. Thunder boomed and Lilith trembled in her arms. Hazel stroked her while whispering words of comfort.

  And then the power went out, turning the entire room black.

  “Fucking great,” Linc mumbled.

  Hazel found a spot on the tile floor and leaned against the tub. Penelope and Freddie came over and lay beside her. Boo finally settled and curled up next to Freddie. And Lilith had stopped shaking. As far as she knew, Gordon was still asleep on the towel in the corner.

  At least the dogs were calm. Hazel inhaled some deep breaths and let them out.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded in answer to Linc’s question, then realized he couldn’t see her. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

  “Do storms bother you?” he asked.

  “Not at all. I love the rain. I’d rather not have severe weather, but it comes with living in Florida.”

  He was searching on his phone again, the light bathing his face with an eerie glow.

  “It looks like the storm is moving northwest. Should be past us shortly.”

  They both listened as the weatherperson spoke about the tornado chances weakening. Hazel let out a sigh of relief.

  The loud fierceness of the storm did seem to be lessening.

  And then the lights came back on. Freddie barked at them, which made Hazel smile.

  “It’s all going to be okay,” she said, reaching out to smooth her hand over all the dogs. Except Gordon, who was across the room, still sound asleep.

  “I’m going to go check things out,” Linc said. “You wait here.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not a chance. I’m going with you.”

  “You aren’t even wearing shoes.”

  “Because you plucked me out of the water like a fish and didn’t let me put my shoes on.”

  He bent his head toward hers, flashing angry dark brown eyes at her. “You’re not going out there.”

  He turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

  What. The. Hell. As if he had any control over her. Who did he think he was, anyway? Her ex did that to her, thinking he could tell her what she could and couldn’t do. Just remembering it made her blood boil.

  Not again. Not ever again. Those days were over.

  She pulled the door open and immediately checked the floor for broken glass, which she knew wasn’t there because she’d been in more severe storms than this before. Shutting the dogs in the bathroom for their safety, she dashed up the stairs, slid into her tennis shoes, then headed outside.

  It was still dark and cloudy, but the rain had let up some. As far as she could see, there was no major damage other than a few palm fronds that had shaken loose in the wind, and a lot of crap that had gotten into the pool since the gate had blown open. So, mostly easy fixes.

  Linc came out of the guesthouse and glared at her.

  “I see you ignored me.”

  “You’re not the boss of me. Except as far as you paying me to cook for you. Otherwise, you can kiss my ass. I grew up here and know how to take care of myself in a storm.”

  He stared at her for a beat, then nodded. “Fair enough.”

  He walked back inside, and Hazel stayed where she was, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She couldn’t believe she’d said those things to Linc. But she had and he hadn’t fired her or yelled at her. And she’d stood up for herself because she’d been right.

  She felt somewhat victorious, all things considered. If that had been an argument with her ex, there would have been yelling and finger-pointing and him calling her an unreasonable bitch and putting all the blame on her. And she’d have stood there bone silent until he’d finished with her and walked away, leaving her feeling small and defeated.

  She’d always hated that. After the divorce, she’d told herself over and over again she’d never let another man do that to her.

  Huh. Maybe all those self-talks and affirmations had worked. Maybe it had also helped to argue with a guy who wasn’t a complete and utter asshole.

  Either way, it felt good.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Linc had to spend the rest of the day inspecting the house for damage and cleaning up what the storm had left behind. Hazel helped, sweeping the back patio and picking up palm fronds and whatever else had made its way into the pool while he took care of the front. Some of the flowers and bushes had taken a beating, but he’d fix that with pruning and maybe replanting if necessary.

  Of course the humidity after the storm hadn’t lessened. In fact, it had gotten worse, so his T-shirt stuck to his chest, and every part of him was sweaty.

  He climbed up onto the roof to check for damage but didn’t see any, which was good. All in all, he’d dodged a bullet. Just some downed tree limbs and a bit of a mess, but otherwise, everything was still standing.

  He made his way into the backyard so he could check things out and discovered Hazel standing at the grill.

  “Something smells amazing,” he said.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry, and I already had this meal prepped, so I hope you’re ready to eat.”

  “Starving.”

  “Good. It’s nearly ready.”

  “Then I’ll go wash up and set the table.”

  “Okay.”

  He went inside, noticing that Penny followed him, something he was getting used to. After washing his hands upstairs in his bathroom, he took a look in the mirror. His face was dirt streaked and sweaty, and God, he really needed a shower. But that would have to wait, so he grabbed a washcloth and pulled off his sweat-soaked T-shirt, then scrubbed his face and neck and tried to wash off some of the sweat under his arms. He could at least apply deodorant so he wouldn’t smell up the dinner table. He put on a clean T-shirt and, feeling at least marginally presentable, headed downstairs.

  He went into the living room, where Hazel had a small table that she used to store the plates and utensils. He grabbed two plates along with knives, forks, and napkins and set them up. And just in time, since she came inside with the food and placed it on the table.

  “Wow,” he said, eyeing the feast before him.

  “It’s the best I can do since it’s too steamy to cook in the guesthouse right now, but tonight we’re having grilled salmon along with sugar snap peas with pine nuts, and lemon roasted potatoes.”

  “You did all this on the grill?”

  “Well, yeah. I had to juggle the pots and pans around a little, but it worked. I just cooked the salmon last so it’d be nice and hot.”

  He held a chair out for her and she sat.

  “This is incredible,” he said as he dug into everything. “I still can’t believe you made this on the grill.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

  He also noticed she’d made extra of everything, which made him happy because he was extra hungry.

  He paused before taking the second slice of salmon. She smiled at him.

  “I made that for you,” she said. “You should definitely eat it.”

  She didn’t have to tell him twice. “Good. I’m hungry.”

  “You burn a lot of calories with the amount of work you do. And this is a fairly low-calorie meal.”

  She never made cracks about the amount of food he ate, which also made him happy.

  “My ex-girlfriend used to count the calories of the food I ate.”

  She made a little snorting sound. “Your ex-girlfriend and my ex-husband would make a good pair.”

  “He did the same thing?”

  “All the time. He preferred me thin.”

  He gave her the once-over. “You look damned good to me.”

  A blush stained her cheeks, but she smiled. “And you look good to me. So I’d say we’re eating just fine.”

  He lifted his glass of water toward her. “I’ll drink to that.”

  She clinked her glass with his. “Honestly, I try to fix healthy food for myself. So I’ll fix it for you as well. But indulging in a treat now and then isn’t harmful.”