Love Jones For Him Read Free Page A

glanced his way, and yep, he was looking straight at her. She tried not to spill the coffee she was pouring out on herself as she met his penetrating gaze.
    “Oh, black,” he said in a smooth tone. “Definitely black.”
    Oh-kay, Victoria thought as she looked away and reminded herself: no clichés. She was not going to read meaning into his every look, his every sentence. She wasn’t going to imagine that just because she felt ready to get thrown over his shoulder and carried off, that he would feel the same way.
    Bringing over both their cups, she sat down across the kitchen table and asked him if he thought he could handle the job.
    “I’ll need to look around properly to know exactly what needs doing, but yes, it would be great to take on the project. I hear you wish to renovate, then sell?” he asked as he took a sip from his coffee. Victoria’s eyes strayed to his hand which was wrapped around the cup.
    For such a large guy, he had really nice, well-shaped hands, which was great because she didn’t like big hands. Now, hands that looked like they’d seen some hard work but still had neatly kept nails and tapering fingers. In short, she liked his hands.
    “Yes, that’s the plan,” she said quickly, as she pushed back her wayward thoughts. She had to quit being conscious about every little thing about him. His square-cut jaw, his deliciously curved lips, his straight nose, his smooth, nice forehead, his –
    Seriously, Victoria – stop.
    “Good idea,” he said with an approving nod. “Some buyers normally like a house with a bit of crumble – but it’s great to put some effort into renovating to get a better price.”
    “It’s not about that,” she said, shrugging. “But I do want to see the house fixed up. I can’t wait to hear your plans once you make them. I was reluctant to renovate because I thought about the cost and time involved, but if it can be done within my budget and a reasonable time frame, then I’m up for it.”
    “I’ll see what I can come up with,” he replied, and Victoria nodded, liking his business-like tone. This was how it should be: business. She had to stop thinking about what a total hunk he was, and remember why he was here. Whatever happened, she must never lose sight of her goal, which now entailed restoring the house, getting it sold and then leaving.
    And nothing was going to disrupt that strategy, she decided firmly.

Chapter Five
    It was almost hard for Victoria to believe how smoothly everything was going. By the time her neighbor Abbey paid her next visit, the renovations were already well under way.
    “I take it you got a good deal from the contractor?” Abbey asked, looking around at the stripped walls as they walked through the house.
    “He was great. It took just two days to give me an estimate, and I was amazed how little it would cost. He also assured me it would get done in a few weeks or less. I can’t believe my luck. Thanks, Abbey.”
    “Don’t mention it. He’s done work on many of my friend’s houses. He’s one of the very best in the business. I’m glad you both worked something out,” she said, waving a hand in the air. Then she grinned. “The great thing about it is that he does most of the work himself, and subcontracts stuff like the plumbing and electricity - which is probably why he can afford to keep his fee minimal.”
    “I thought as much,” Victoria said as she poured out iced tea into two glasses. “I absolutely loved what he intends to do with the place. He showed me his plans and I was impressed. There’s going to be some shimming work to level the floors, realignment of some rooms upstairs, and repainting. And then of course some insulation and dry-walling on both floors, as well as changing three rooms to two down the corridor from the master bedroom. In fact, I almost can’t wait to see the finished product.”
    “Sounds like a whole load of renovating needs to be done. So, what did you think of him?” Abbey