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“Oh! It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Uh, it’s nice to meet you,” Nicolas replied. He tilted his head and narrowed his gaze. “You’re the bookstore Sloan sister.”

It was Cat’s turn to be surprised. “I am.”

Nicolas nodded and glanced at Elena with a big smile. “Nice work, Ms. E. She’s a looker.”

“A looker?” Elena asked, chuckling.

“That’s what my dad says when he sees a beautiful woman.”

Elena glanced over at Cat and said, “Cat is definitely a looker, but I was teasing you. I invited her over to see the bookcase.”

“Uh, thank you,” Cat said.

“I know who you are. Ms. E goes to see you every day,” Nicolas said, nodding and grinning.

“So, this is who taught you throat punch?” Cat asked.

“What?” Nicolas said, looking from Cat to Elena.

“Okay, back up. Cat, this is Nicolas Navarro,” Elena said.

“Hi Nicolas.”

“Nicolas, this is Cat Sloan,” Elena said, finishing the introductions.

“Yeah, I already said that.” Nicolas reached out his hand and Cat shook it.

“Elena asked me over to show me the beautiful bookcases. Now I know who to call if I need any construction done.”

“Thanks,” Nicolas said with a proud smile. “Let me see, I have a card in one of these pockets,” he added, putting his hands in his back pockets.

“You have a business card?” Elena asked, amused.

“Yeah. You never know when you’ll find a new client,” Nicolas said. He pulled out a card and handed it to Cat. “At your service.”

Cat grinned. “Thank you.” She immediately liked this friendly man. “So, Nicolas, Ms. E,” Cat said, glancing over at Elena, “tells me you were once her student.”

Nicolas looked at Elena and smiled. “That’s right. She taught me how to read.”

“Oh, that reminds me, I brought you a book,” Cat said, walking around the island and grabbing the book off the coffee table.

“You brought me a book?”

“Yes, Elena didn’t come by the bookstore today and…” Cat looked at Elena then back at Nicolas. “It’s a long story. Anyway, this came in today.” Cat handed him the book and watched his eyes widen.

“This is one of my favorite authors. Thank you,” he said.

“You’ve got to come by my store sometime. I have a lot more to choose from,” Cat said. “And while you’re there maybe you can tell me the dirt on Ms. E.”

His face brightened. “Oh, I like you. Hell yeah, I’ll spill the tea on Ms. E.”

“What? There’s no dirt on me and I don’t drink tea,” Elena protested.

Cat and Nicolas laughed. “We’ll see about that,” Cat said with a grin.

“I came by to make sure the paint dried to a smooth finish. I didn’t mean to interrupt your date,” Nicolas said.