girly stuff. I’m even getting highlights.”
“They’d look good on you.” Pia sipped her diet soda. “The problem is where to go. The two best places in town are owned by two sisters who have a serious rivalry. Not only for clients, but for gossip. Each of them has to be the first to know anything. If you’re loyal to one, you’re the enemy of the other. I get around the problem by alternating back and forth. They try to pin me down, but I won’t let them.”
“That sounds like a lot of work.”
“It is, but worth it to keep the peace. You’re still living at the hotel, aren’t you? There used to be a salon there, but it closed. How is it living like the rich and famous?”
“Not so rich and certainly not famous. It’s fine until I can find a place of my own. I get a special rate through the city.” Compliments of Josh, she thought. Marsha had told her about the discount when she’d hired Charity.
“I’ve started looking for a house to buy,” she continued. “There was one place I saw that was terrific. It’s a restored craftsman-style house. I love everything about it except the price. I heard the owner would be willing to bargain, but even then I’m not sure I can swing it.”
Pia frowned. “Which house is that?”
Charity told her the street. “There’s a wide porch and a beautiful backyard. I love the mature trees on the street.”
“Who told you the owner was willing to deal?”
Charity tried not to feel trapped. “Um, Josh mentioned it.”
“Did he?” Pia’s mouth turned into a knowing smile. “He must really like you. He put a lot of money into that property and was expecting top dollar for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“He owns the house. He bought it a few years ago and fixed it up. Actually he was still racing then, so he had the work done. He used it as a rental, then decided to sell it. I know a few people are interested and he’s not lowering the price for them.”
Pia’s expression turned speculative. “He’s always put business before the ladies, but that seems to be changing.”
Charity did her best not to blush. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t know Josh owned the house.”
“You do now.”
“But he didn’t tell me.”
He hadn’t even hinted when he’d shown her the house. Although looking back, she should have guessed something was up when he’d had a key.
“Why would he do that?”
Pia raised her eyebrows. “You tell me.”
“We’re not together.”
“Maybe he wants to be.”
“No. Guys like him don’t…” She shook her head. “He’s too…”
“Rich, successful, hot?”
“I’m not his type.”
“How do you know?”
“Then I’ll pose it as a question. Am I his type?”
“Until today, I would have said no. But maybe times are changing.”
CHARITY LEFT HER LUNCH with Pia nearly as hungry as when she’d arrived. She’d only been able to pick at her salad, mostly because she was thinking about Josh and the house and what Pia had said.
It made no sense for him to give her a break on the price when other people would be offering him more. It implied a relationship they didn’t have. The fact that he’d done it before the “incident”—as she was now thinking of it—should have helped, but only made the situation more confusing.
Just as mind-bending was Pia’s implication that Josh might be interested in her. He wasn’t. His ex-wife had been some gorgeous actress. Charity was going to have to go online and find out who, exactly. But the point was, he was not someone orbiting in her universe. Interested? On what planet?
Yes, they’d had sex, but only because they’d both been carried away by the moment. Her more literally, but still. She refused to read too much into a single evening of hot lovemaking. That’s how hearts got broken.
She did her best to push any thoughts of Josh out of her mind, only to have them resurface when she saw his offices up ahead. Maybe she should simply ask the question outright. Why was he giving her a deal on a house when he didn’t have to? Asking him was the adult, mature thing to do. She squared her shoulders and walked into the building.
“THERE’S SOMEONE HERE to see you,” Eddie told Josh. “She doesn’t have an appointment. She being the operative word here. Although I’ll give her credit. She’s not like the usual groupies who come looking for you. She’s out of her teens, for one thing, and dressed like a regular person.”
Josh wasn’t in the mood to dash anyone’s hopes this afternoon. He had a lot to deal with, including figuring out how he was going to start training—a relatively easy problem to solve—while dealing with an irrational inability to ride with other people. A problem with a less clear solution.
“You can handle her,” he told Eddie.
“I can, but I don’t want to. She claims you know her. Charity Jones.”
He was out of his seat before she’d finished speaking. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I just did. Are you giving me attitude?”
He ignored her outrage and went out to the reception area. Charity stood in the center, looking nervous and determined. She managed a faint smile, which made him want to promise to fix whatever problem she had.
“I didn’t have an appointment,” she told him. “Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. You don’t need an appointment.”
“It would be nice if someone made one,” Eddie said with a sniff.
Josh pointed to her desk. Eddie sighed heavily before returning to it. He put his hand on the small of Charity’s back, leading her to his office and then closing the door behind them.
“Your assistant has a lot of personality,” Charity said.
“She’s efficient and takes care of me.”
“I like her.”
“Me, too. Not that I want her to know.”
Charity’s smile turned genuine. “She’d use it against you forever.”
“Tell me about it.”
He motioned to the sofa and chairs in the corner. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Iced tea?”
