That was true, but it was important that I sustained myself. I finished my wine. “We both do, it seems. Why is buying a house so important to you? Bringing in a girlfriend or wife?”

  He laughed. “I’m not married and have no girlfriend. I’m buying a house because I want to fix it up and sell it for a quick profit.”

  A house didn’t seem like a quick cash cow, as it would need hard work and time. But I wouldn’t criticize. His plan was better than no plan. Electricity sparked between us in the air, or maybe it was just me. “Why do you need money fast?”

  He paused and narrowed his gaze. “I’m looking to start a bigger business, and I figure this is my easiest path to start-up funds.”

  I believed him. “Why are you so driven right now?”

  “I promised my family I’d take less than a year to figure myself out.”

  “I don’t have a clue about my own future yet.” There was something else, too, but I couldn’t figure out what. I looked into my empty glass. “Well, I contacted some résumé help and hope you don’t mind that I want to find my own job and not take more of a handout. I need to stand on my own.”

  He shrugged and took his glass to the kitchen. “It’s not a handout. I need help, but I won’t force you.”

  I followed him and placed my hand on his shoulder. The touch sent a shockwave through me, and I let him go quickly. “You’re a nice guy, Warren Tate. I stopped believing guys like you even existed.”

  He took my glass and washed it. “Honestly, I’m overwhelmed right now, so having you stay is helping ground me.”

  That felt honest. I smiled as we walked into the living room. “Do you need to be grounded?”

  His eyes widened, and he winked at me. “I didn’t think so, but I like it when you do it.”

  A giggle escaped my throat, but I waved it off as I walked into the bedroom. “When I do it, huh?” Flirting felt good.

  He just stood there. “Good night, Kerry.” He put the shirt in my hand.

  “Good night, Warren.” I closed the bedroom door.

  Staying with him was a temporary reprieve, but I needed the energy Warren gave me. One day, I would find a way to repay his kindness, but for the first time in years, I wandered into my bedroom and quickly drifted into a peaceful sleep that I’d stopped believing existed—and it definitely had to do with Warren’s calming presence as I figured out my next move.

  5

  Kerry

  A second shower in one day wasn’t my norm, but I needed to relax my muscles, wash out my underwear, and leave them by the bedroom window. Soon, I would get myself more—underwear was a necessity.

  The apartment was nice, and the mattress seemed firm, but my heart pounded. I was tense.

  I finished in the shower quickly, as the pulse of the water didn’t work to silence my mind. Once I’d toweled off, I turned my phone on and saw three messages from Romeo and four from my mother. My head began to pound, so I turned off the phone.

  The day had been long, but I still wasn’t tired. I crawled onto the bed to meditate. I crossed my legs with only a towel covering me. I imagined Warren walking in and tugging my towel right off and got chills. We would fall backward, his kiss would leave me breathless, and I would run my hands over his hard muscles until he took me and we were one.

  My center grew warmer.

  I heard a knock on the door and opened my eyes. He poked his head in then out. I blinked, and he said, “Can I—“

  I pulled my T-shirt over my head and yanked on my one pair of jeans. A second later, I opened the door and saw Warren pacing. Goose bumps covered my body, and I swallowed hard. I’d only half imagined my fantasy, but my cheeks heated as I rubbed the back of my neck. “What do you want?”

  His face was red. “The light was on, and since you’re up and not using the shower, I hoped it was okay to get a five-minute shower, too, before bed.”

  Fair enough. It was his place, not mine. Luckily, he couldn’t see my underwear on the window, as I’d put a vase in front of it. I nodded and stepped out of the way.

  He passed me. “Thanks.”

  I looked into the living room and saw he’d set up a bed for himself on the couch. He clearly meant to keep the lines intact.

  I closed my eyes and hoped he hadn’t seen any of my private parts earlier. My skin singed as though he had, but I hoped I was just self-conscious.

  He came out a few minutes later, wearing boxers and a T-shirt, his hair still wet.

  My soon-to-be ex wore less than he did to bed, but my eyes drank in the sight of Warren. He moved out of my way so I could head back in and close the door.

  I tensed and squared my shoulders. I wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if I didn’t calm down. “Can we talk for a few minutes? I’m slightly nervous about staying here indefinitely… with you.”

  He fixed the couch, put the throw over the back of the fabric, then waved for me to join him. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

  I was turned on enough that I couldn’t walk straight, but I took the seat on the other side of the couch, leaving tons of room between us.

  Silence clung to the air as he waited for me to speak. I massaged the back of my head. “When’s the last time you had a relationship?”

  He relaxed his shoulders and gave me a smile that made me believe he was nice, but I refused to accept that. “I was seeing a woman casually a few weeks ago, but we parted amicably. Why did you marry a doctor?”

  “Amicably” sounded nice. I began massaging my shoulder as if that might stop me from being so tense. “I don’t want to talk about me yet. I want to be relaxed near you.”

  He nodded, and then the gleam in his gaze captured my attention. “Fair enough. It’s been a while, probably since college, that I’ve seen anyone seriously. My work didn’t leave a lot of time for myself.”

  “And your family.”

  “It’s true. With eleven brothers and two parents, it’s almost like every weekend there is a birthday.”

  All boys meant his mother was a saint. My father, when he spoke to me, only ever said he was glad I was a girl and didn’t need too much attention. “Sounds fun. My parents were socially active with the country club, and so was my husband with his doctor friends, but I was never directly involved with anything.”

  He shook his head. “You could adopt children if you didn’t want to give birth.”

  “Wow.” I curled a leg on the couch and stared at him. “That’s so admirable. I thought about adoption but never followed through, as Romeo liked his quiet life.”

  He shrugged, but his face brightened. “Maman believed she had more than enough to share, which she did, and Pedar does whatever she wants.”

  A house full of love had always been a daydream. I put my other leg up and curled my hand on the back of the sofa. “That sounds nicer than my parents. They’re married, but I don’t think they’ve spoken to each other privately in years.”

  He relaxed but kept his hands on his lap. “That had to be hard to be near.”

  I leaned on my hand. “We all have our baggage. That’s life, y’know.” I scooted closer and met his gaze. “So tell me something you like to do for fun that has nothing to do with work.”

  He pressed his lips together as if I’d asked him to solve world hunger. “Work on my golf game, I guess.”

  I laughed and nodded—that was fair enough. In Florida, where I grew up, golf was a common hobby. “My dad would like that answer.”

  “I’ll get a new hobby if it bothers you.” He leaned on his hand too. “What about you?”

  “I don’t want to change my hobbies.”

  “Of course.” He laughed. “Not what I meant.”

  I had never done much. I kept my voice low. “I like baking.”

  He laughed and patted his belly. “I love eating. You’re the perfect roommate.”

  I joined his glee for a second but then winked. “I didn’t say I’d share.”

  He opened his mouth wide, as though I’d offended his honor. “Now, you’re being mean.”

  Maybe I was. I shrugged and vowed to make him something sweet in the future. “Fair enough, but we have no baking tools in this kitchen, so don’t expect anything anytime soon.”

  “I won’t.” He held his hand up like he was swearing on a bible.

  Neither one of us moved for a second. He then pointed to the kitchen and said, “You want to finish the beer?”

  I jumped up. “Sure.”

  We both walked to the kitchen and each grabbed a beer. Then we walked back to our seats. “So what kind of woman are you usually attracted to?” I asked.

  He waited till I was sitting. “Skinny blond models.”

  I almost spit out the beer but then felt my face grow red. I would never qualify as skinny—I was all curves. “Ah, okay.”

  He cringed and held his beer. “I’m joking. It wasn’t my best joke, but we said we’d be friends, and I hope you trust me enough to go to sleep alone soon.”

  My heart danced a little differently. I wanted him to want me. It hit me with force, and I remembered the small fantasy that had played when I had tried to meditate. I felt my cheeks redden again and quickly looked away from him, hoping he wouldn’t know what it meant if he noticed. I changed the subject to safer ground. “What do you have lined up for tomorrow?”

  He sipped his beer and nodded. “A few small jobs. I could really use some help building my client list.”

  Once again, his drive struck me. I needed to have that if I was to find out how to live. I sipped my beer. “You’re different than other men, y’know.”

  His gaze narrowed. “How?”

  Heat rushed through me—not that it mattered, as the sparks were useless. I stared at my beer. “I’m so used to just being told what will happen that I’m not sure how to respond to polite and respectable.”

  His lips curled higher. “My mother would be very proud of me at this moment.”

  I finished my beer and stared at him. I’d always wanted to be part of a family that actually supported me, but I thought that was a fantasy. I relaxed and stretched. “You bring her up a lot.”

  He drained his beer. “Me talking about her makes you feel more comfortable. I want you to feel safe so you can rest.”

  I stood then took my empty bottle to the kitchen. He did the same. My heart thundered in my chest. “One more thing.”

  He stared down at me. My lips tingled as if he would kiss me, but he didn’t. “Yeah?”

  My skin buzzed. “About what you walked into earlier?”

  He winked at me and stepped back. “Your lack of clothes?”

  “Yeah.”

  His cheeks darkened. “I noticed you have no other clothes and are cleaning them daily.”

  My face burned—the whole scene was how people died of embarrassment. I’d always thought that saying was overkill, but I was starting to second-guess that. I cringed. “I… this wasn’t what I meant.”

  “We’ll buy you new clothes tomorrow. I’ll drive you to the store after work.”

  He’d noticed. I’d never worried about buying myself anything—money had never been a problem before. I couldn’t look at him. “I’m used to having more…”

  He massaged the back of his head and nodded. “Me too. I’m hoping as long as you’re here, we both ease into our new lives a little better.”

  I breathed. It was better that we didn’t talk about my fantasy. We could only be friends. But I cupped his face, and a thrill rushed through me. I wished I was different and free. “Good night for real, Warren.”

  He blinked slowly. “Night.”

  When I closed the bedroom door a second time, I knew I would rest. Warren was one of the rare good guys out there, and I didn’t have anything to worry about, which was good because I had nothing to offer him or anyone until I figured myself out.

  6

  I’ve yet to find Warren Norouzi, so I’m hoping if I post a recent picture, anyone who has seen this man will let me know. And if you know him, tell him we’re on his trail.

  Gossip and burn the rich.

  Yours truly,

  Regina, the gossip goddess you can’t escape from.

  Warren

  When I booked my place, I’d intended to know how my birth parents had lived, but my back was starting to hurt from sleeping on the couch. I wouldn’t complain because Kerry was in the bedroom, and keeping her safe made me feel better.

  The couch was fine for the time being, but if we found a reasonably priced daybed, I would buy it.

  The night before, when I closed my eyes, it wasn’t the sweetness of sipping the beer with her that plagued my thoughts. I kept reliving her tears the day we met. Then my imagination took over, and my lips and body were full of awareness and desire as I pictured her lips meeting mine. No woman in my life had ever captivated me enough to haunt me like that.

  I woke before dawn, and the sun wasn’t up yet, so I scrolled my phone. My mind had gone blank the day I left Virgin Isle, and I forgot my laptop and iPad next to my bed there. If I bought new ones, that would eat into my budget, but it was hard to book anything or write out my business plan with just the phone.

  I would figure it out and stop booking jobs online once my reputation was built and my name was out there.

  My goal had been to start a business from scratch, to work with my hands and not use my Ivy League education, experience on Wall Street, MBA, or even my name for a year.

  I quickly read the Mystery Regina blog that usually posted hateful things about my family but shrugged it off. I doubted she was on some personal mission looking for me. The musings of a faceless woman didn’t matter, anyway.

  I bid on some more jobs, used the calendar app on my phone to schedule, and scrolled my phone for more jobs to try to win. Scheduling and tracking bids took longer than I would have liked.

  Hiring Kerry would have been ideal, but she refused. I wouldn’t insist or pressure her, so I rubbed my eyes and found jobs.

  My head spun from my emails, notes, and bids, and confirming some odd jobs and adding them to the schedule took at least an hour. Then the bedroom door opening interrupted me

  Kerry blinked, and her face was white. I hoped she’d slept. “You’re up early,” she said.

  I wanted to make her laugh, but I stood, stretched, and said, “I’m booking and bidding on jobs for tomorrow and next week and trying to scrounge up something for today. I need to be fast with getting a house, but I want to clean myself up first.”

  She stepped out of the way and said, “Go for it. I wish there was a second door for the bathroom out here so we could share easier.”

  She smelled fresh like strawberries when I passed. “We’ll manage.”

  The shirt I’d lent her was next to the bed. We needed to get her some clothes. She would feel more at home that way… or she could walk around naked.

  I pretended I wasn’t excited by thinking about her body. The shower water helped me clear my head. I wasn’t starting without any skills. I wasn’t sure how my brothers might have handled a year without having everything we ever wanted at a snap of the fingers. My adopted parents must have spent a short amount of time when they moved to the country in places worse than where I was, but they’d moved up fast.

  Maybe that was what I needed to remember. I could try to channel my father’s sharp mind to revise my business plan since I’d lived there for a few days.

  After I dressed and left the bathroom, I blinked as I saw Kerry making coffee. She was so close, even though we were in different rooms. My chest swelled. If she stayed with me, every day would be better, and it wasn’t just her delicious dinners.

  I sniffed the earthly aroma of her coffee and heard the sizzle of the frying pan. My mouth watered when I saw her.

  “Did you search the real estate ads for leads on houses you’d want to flip?” she asked.

  My stomach rumbled. Eggs and toast would fill me. I rubbed my belly and made plates for us when the food was done. “No. Not yet.”

  She grabbed our coffee mugs. “Then what’s the rush?”

  I licked my lips and glanced at the percolated coffee in the pot. I wasn’t sure I remembered what home-brewed coffee tasted like, as it wasn’t my drink of choice. I would try, though. “I… I need to revise my business plan to make money fast, now that I’ve seen some of the town.”

  “Towns are smaller than cities.”

  My skin grew warm, and my heart beat differently near her. I was tempted to kiss her, but I put our plates on the table to get away from her.

  “And it must be set here, in Greenville?”

  I narrowed my gaze and returned to the kitchen for the coffee mugs. “It holds a personal place in my heart.”

  She shrugged but let me carry her cup for her. “I hope you’re successful. You inspire me.”

  Likewise. She made my pulse quicken. For no reason at all except that she was close, I felt whole. No woman had ever brought me both fire and cool calmness into my life. She was exactly what I needed. “Nothing to inspire. It’s just facts.” I needed to focus more and continue my research to get a clear picture for my construction company. “The area’s growing, an hour from the beach and two hours from Raleigh.”

  She hadn’t moved, so I went back, grabbed the utensils, and stood over her.

  “None of that makes me think ‘wow’ and think of anything needed for a business,” she said.

  For a second, she reminded me of my father. He always said to study the area, look for places where there was a need or a want, and then deliver to clients what they wanted. I raised an eyebrow. “Where were you living before?”

  She glanced at me. “Connecticut, which is total suburbia.”

  My hair stood on end. The need to kiss her hit me, but I knew she wouldn’t appreciate that gesture. So I winked instead. “That makes sense for you. You’d be a pretty Stepford Wife.”

  “Hey.” She put a hand on her hip and stood in front of the mugs. “You’re hating on Connecticut before I’ve even given you this plate I made.”