It was the end of another busy day, but instead of crashing in Dex' office, I wanted to go home. Still, I had no clue what to expect. It was the first day of work on my house. The entire job would take months.

My mother had successfully gotten rid of Amanda. I met with Emma to review her plans at the Starbucks near my office. When I handed her a latte, she dropped it. Luckily, the whipped cream kept it from spilling on to my suit. I took responsibility for what happened at my house, but maybe she was accident prone.

Preferring not to deal with it, I had my little brother JJ look over the contract. My only request was to confirm I wouldn't be liable for accidents on-site. "We can stipulate the subcontractors have a minimum binder."

"But what about the designers?"

"Oll, they pick paint colors."

I held up my hands. "Just make sure. I want protection."

My little brother laughed. "With your boring life it's the only protection you need."

JJ had been going around town being the plus-one eye candy on the arm of a family friend a couple years older than him.

"You should worry about protection. Mom will kill you if you knock up her best friend's daughter."

"At least I know she's not after money."

Amanda came to mind, but not in a good way.

As I approached my house, there were two pickup trucks and a van in front as well as the little car I recognized.

I opened the front door to an earful of bangs and buzzes. Approaching from the kitchen was a guy with a clipboard. He took a long look in a way that reminded me of Amanda.

His mischievous grin made me uneasy. "You must be the man of the house. Boss lady is upstairs. I think maybe in your bedroom." I gulped as he stuck out his hand. "I'm Em's assistant, Rex."

"I'll." I pointed up the stairs.

"Go. She said something about the pussy."

What had I gotten myself into? Once upstairs, I looked into the main bathroom. It was a mess. A guy was busy ripping down the pink tile. The sink and toilet were gone. No turning back now.

I turned just as Emma emerged from my bedroom, quickly shutting the door behind her. She wore skinny black jeans and a thin blouse. Could all those construction guys see her bra underneath? The thought unexpectedly tightened my gut.

Her cheerful smile set off the déjà vu again.

"I was just checking on Oreo. She's so sweet."

I nodded, unable to reconcile her affection for my cat. Was I jealous of her or the cat?

"Do you want to see the progress?"

I nodded. "I saw the bathroom."

"We'll do the two bathrooms first, leaving the master available for use. Meanwhile, HVAC has started on the heating and cooling upgrades."

As she spoke, her pink lips distracted me. What would they taste like? My musing ended when a man's voice called for her.

"Coming, Mick." She smiled at me. "You should meet the contractor."

Like a puppy dog, I followed her down the stairs. An older man about fifty stood in the kitchen with a pencil behind his ear and a tape measure in his hand.

"Trying to pinpoint the cabinet specs."

"Mick, this is the homeowner, Oliver."

The older man reached out his hand. "Michael O'Donnell. Mick's fine. Any questions just asked."

"When will I get my house back?"

Mick let out a belly laugh. "I like this guy. Good thing we'll be together awhile."

Emma bit her lip. "Let me answer Mick's questions. I think the guys are ready to clear out. They got started late."

Mick nodded. "My guys like to clock out at four-thirty."

At least every day wouldn't be so busy. I looked at Emma and frowned. "Will you leave at four-thirty?"

She moved her head side-to-side. "I won't be here all day. I'll come by at the end of the day to check in with Mick and look over the progress as needed."

"When do I check in with you?" Did I just whine?

She touched my arm reassuringly. Her hand felt warm but sent goosebumps up my arm.

Her soft voice could sooth a child. "Any time you want."

Was I acting like a difficult client? The process was completely new to me. I wandered out of the kitchen as Mick took Emma's attention and she turned her back to me. Rex was on the stairs, pulling at the carpet. He turned and smiled.

"I wonder if there's hardwood underneath. Houses like this can have hidden gems."

My eyebrows shot up. "Hardwood is a gem."

His chuckle eased the tension in my muscles. "In my business. Hey thanks for giving Emma this shot."

Puzzlement knitted my eyebrows. "Shot?"

"She has experience from her old firm, but at Carol Keene everyone starts at the bottom. After the brouhaha with Amanda, Emma got her chance." He looked around and put his finger over his lips. "Her job's riding on this." He moved his finger like he was scrolling words in the air. His mouth was open like the blue fish they catch deep sea fishing.

"I don't want her fired."

He smiled. "Good. Can we keep this between us?"

I nodded, having no intention of mentioning this additional information to Emma.

Rex continued to work on the carpet. "Do you really live in those two rooms upstairs? It's less space than the apartment I share with my partner. Same size as Emma and Brynn's upstairs."

"So you and Emma are neighbors and coworkers."

He smiled like I told a joke. "And friends. Partner means partner. Ashton and I, we both love Emma like a sister."

Once again, tension relaxed through my body, and I had never been an uptight person.

"Okay!" She appeared with a dazzling smile. "Day one went well."

I pointed to the kitchen. "Everything was good with Mick?"

"He's great. Carol swears by him."

As I nodded, I stared at her lips. She licked them and I turned away. Rex winked at me. I knit my eyebrows again. The dude better not be hitting on me. I looked back at Emma to find her face scrunched up and her tongue out at Rex.

"Um, do you two need a moment?"

She stepped back quickly and bumped into a wall. She didn't let out a sound, but the grimace on her face and the thud told me enough.

I stepped forward. "Are you okay?"

My hand reached around to her head. That wave of familiarity filled my chest cavity, making it hard to breathe.

She shut her eyes and reached her hand up to rub her head. Her fingers brushed mine. I pulled my hand away and stepped back.

I found my voice. "Emma, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She reached her hand out. "No blood. No concussion."

"You really should wear bubble wrap."

Rex's laughter made me turn. "That's what I tell her. Finally!"

He lifted the carpet off a section of a step to reveal wood. Emma stepped over and looked at it.

"Gorgeous. That will save you some money."

Money wasn't my concern, but not in a snobby way. Aside from my mother paying the bill, I was more concerned with Emma's head.

"Are you sure your head is okay?"

She looked at me for an extra second. "It's fine. I have a hard head."

Needing to breathe. I looked up the stairs. "I need to feed Oreo."

Her face brightened. "Get her food. I'll let her out."

Rex smiled. "She talks about your cat a lot."

Frowning, I felt jealous of my cat. It hit me why I had been feeling strangely. I liked her. Every time I was close to her, I felt confused. I had been stiff enough times. I liked her and her job was on the line for me. That was a hell of a lot of pressure.

Oreo ran down the stairs before I moved to the kitchen. I looked up at Emma descending the staircase, smiling brightly. I turned quickly, wanting her to smile that way for me.

She didn't come into the kitchen. "Oliver, we're heading out. Have a good night."

I dropped the cat dish on the floor and raced to say goodbye, but they were gone. Did I really like her? I have always had a thing for green eyes. I shut my eyes and remembered a hot summer day. I stole a kiss I shouldn't have. My chest filled up the same as it had that day. At twenty-one, I had labeled it as love at first sight until I realized she was still a girl. Emma was definitely a grown woman.