Page 53 of Her Dom's Secret Past

“I guess so.”

“Hey, want to go shopping tomorrow? I need a few things.”

I started to laugh then I couldn’t stop. Need a few things? That was the understatement of the year.

“I’m thinking we could get some outdoor furniture then we could sit on the deck and enjoy the view, as well as beds for the spare rooms. I guess I need a few more couches for some of the other rooms. Oh, and maybe a television.”

“You do know you’re crazy, don’t you?”

“Mmm, crazy for you.”

He kissed me then and you know what? I would have gone shopping that very instant if he’d keep doing it. Still, I had to admit I was excited to be able to buy things for this lovely house. We walked back into the kitchen and John proceeded to make me a tea while he prepared dinner.

“I see you have your kitchen organized.”

“I bought the fridge, but the rest was mine. A friend packed up all my stuff in a container and shipped it over. I unpacked it over a few weeks then sent the container back to the shipping company.”

“That was good. Did you have much beside clothing and your kitchen stuff?”

“An apartment full. You saw all my books in piles on the floor, I was thinking of getting someone in to build shelves for them. Linens and stuff are all packed away. My furniture was sold off. Would have cost a fortune to ship all that over as well, plus I don’t think it would have suited the place.”

“Okay, so it’s only furniture you need?”

“Yes, although I’ll need more linens for the extra beds and more towels.”

“Maybe you should make a list.”

“I have.” He pointed with his head. “On the fridge.”

I walked around the large island counter and read the note. It was like the house—enormous.

“Hell, John, I hope you’ve robbed a bank lately because all this is going to cost a fortune.”

He shrugged. “I’m comfortable, have enough to keep me in the finer things for the remainder of my life. I told you I get a pension from my work and I have insurance from my injuries. I have money I inherited as well. We can go shopping without any reservations. Don’t worry about price tags, as long as we like it, we buy it.”

I’d already figured John must have money—little things he’d said, the car he drove, the fact he’d bought this house. But it sounded like he had a lot more than I imagined. Regardless, merely the fact we could shop without checking the price was an offer too good to resist.

I drank my coffee standing up and read the list again. No kitchen stools, but I thought they needed to be on there. I grabbed a pen off the counter and added them. John read over my shoulder.

“Good idea, forgot them. Can you add rugs for the bedroom floor? Actually, you’d better make sure I haven’t forgotten anything else.”

In the end, we walked around the house again, list in hand, and added a few things like lamps, coffee tables, and cushions. By then, John was limping badly and it was close to six-thirty. John made me sit on the only settee while he finished dinner. We ate, balancing the plates on our laps, and I thought the sooner he got a table and chairs, the better.

“I like your friend Charlie.”

“I thought you said he was Cerberus?”

“Well, I’ve change my mind.”

“That wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact the pair of you wanted to stick your heads in the engine of your car for a while, would it?”

John laughed. “Maybe.”

“You guys are all the same, a fancy car and you’re all excited.”

“I did promise to take him for a ride.”

“I’m sure there’ll be plenty of opportunities to do that.”