Chapter 92
718 Words
“I believe so. Sarah and Jax have brought him here five times, and he walked around and asked a million questions. I invited him to choose his own work area, and we set it up together. Noah knows that his easel and his paint brushes and his paints are all waiting for him here, whenever he feels ready.”
“When does he start?”
“I think tomorrow. I was going to ask Sarah today, but I’ll call her later.” She stood up again, and he admired her curvy thighs in those jeans. “So, shall I show you the areas for expansion?”
“Sure.”
He followed her down the hallway to a bunch of closed doors. She produced some keys and started to unlock the doors.
“These rooms aren’t being used right now. None of them have any heat, so they’re useless in the winter, and they have no electricity, so they’re useless in the summer heat and in the evenings. I want to rip out all these walls and rewire everything, and have them put in heating and water pipes. I also want to take four of the rooms and make them one huge space.”
“Lots of work,” King commented.
“And lots of money.”
“How much?”
“I’m not totally sure. Estimates range from four hundred thousand to more than twice that.”
He whistled and she grinned at him.
“I know, right?” she said. “Renovations like these aren’t cheap.”
“I can see that. But it still seems high.”
“Yes, well, on top of the materials and labor, I’d also have to buy a lot more in terms of equipment and supplies – if I have people using this space, they have to be doing something in it, right?”
“And you’d need more staff.”
“Yep. More staff, more insurance, more permits. So you see that the total cost is pretty high.” She looked around. “When we first met at Dangerous Curves, I mentioned that I have a five-year plan, right? Well, this is it. I want to have every available inch of space at my disposal up and running and useful in five years. It’s my dream, actually.”
“Ambitious.”
“Yes, but also possible, with Jax’s help.” She glanced at him shyly. “And with yours.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” And he really was, he discovered. He loved the idea of Naomi’s dreams coming true, and he made up his mind right there and then to do his damnedest to make sure that they did. She was the kind of woman who deserved good things to happen to her, for her. King was taken aback at how important it was to him that she be happy.
I want this for her, badly… I’m going to make her happiness my priority.
OK, whoa. Just where the hell is this all coming from, man?
“So.” She smiled up at him, and he stared at her, amazed all over again at her natural beauty. “Coffee in my office? We can go over the budget in more detail?”
“Sure,” he said, his voice hoarse with desire. “Sounds good.”
He walked behind her, admiring the way the snug denim cupped her gorgeous ass. She was all ripe, lush curves and golden glow and she took his f*****g breath away. He wondered how old she was: while her skin was clear and almost free of lines, her eyes had a certain weary, wary knowledge deep in them. They were the eyes of a woman who’d seen some tough things and who’d been hurt – but not hardened or embittered – by them.
King wanted to know what those things had been, and he wanted to know how she’d managed to get through them without losing her faith in people. He wanted to hear about her hidden depths and her reserves of strength – he knew she had them. But most of all, he wanted to make her happy, and he thought she could make him happy, too.
Naomi Abbott. You’re a game-changer, honey, even if you don’t know it yet.
- Writer
