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“Am I besotted?” he asked playfully.

“I don’t know, are you?”

He had no idea how much I wanted to know. No, really. I was dying to know. Or maybe not, because all kidding aside, I was pretty sure the answer was no. He’d had no trouble holding back after our kisses. The next year was going to be torture if I was the only one mooning around.

“I don’t want to create problems with your family.”

I chose not to comment on his dodge.

“That’s all on me. I should have told them,” I said. “It was a miscalculation on my part.”

Hopefully not the first of many. Jimmy seemed open to playing the enamored spouse for my parents, but it wasn’t part of our original deal. I didn’t want to take advantage of him or lie to my family. Hurting them was not part of the plan. The anxiety clutching at my gut signaled maybe it was me in danger of getting hurt.

“Still, let me know how I can help.”

His warm brown eyes drilled through me, sending flutters along every nerve and heat zinging as I thought about tackling him to the floor and raining kisses along his strong jaw. He could help me out of my pants.Stop it.Jimmy was being supportive. I pushed thoughts of all the other ways he could ‘help’ me aside.

“Thanks.” I smiled. “Have I told you lately that you’re pretty great?”

“Just pretty great? I must be slipping.”

Jimmy sat down at the kitchen table and maneuvered his laptop so I could sit beside him and see it too. I ignored the uptick in my heart rate as his knee brushed mine beneath the table. Instead, I asked, “What do we have here?”

He rubbed his hands together. “House listings. Before I ask my realtor to show us anything, I wanted to get an idea of your parameters.”

Huh. Owning a home was so far out in my future, I hadn’t even considered what I would want in my own space. Getting a mortgage while self-employed was nearly impossible. I feared I wasn’t helping Jimmy as much on the house angle as he might think. If anything, having me attached to a house wouldn’t improve his credit.

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it,” I admitted. “It honestly hasn’t been in my five-year plan. How about you, what’s important to you?”

Bingo. I asked the right question. It was sweet to see his face light up and his smile spread until his eyes wrinkled.

“I want at least two bedrooms, maybe three. I’d love to have enough space for a guest room and a home gym, though maybe that’s a dream. And a well-designed kitchen is a must. Maybe a yard? I never pictured myself as a yard guy, but I could be a yard guy for the right house. Definitely a big shower. I’m big; I need a shower that doesn’t make me feel like I’m brushing up against the walls all the time.”

It was impossible not to smile at his enthusiasm. “That all sounds amazing. I can see the importance of the kitchen; it’s clear you love to cook.”

He turned back to the screen. “Yeah, the only hard part is finding something in my price range.”

“Do I want to know what that is?”

He spouted a number that made my brows raise. “Wow. I’m feeling like a subpar adult right now. I have no idea how much you make, but how would you afford that?”

“Not on my salary,” he admitted. “I have an inheritance from my Gran. When she passed, Andi and I sold her house and split the proceeds. I’ve got a solid down payment to make the mortgage reasonable.”

I was a terrible person for having a pang of envy. He’d lost his beloved grandmother; it was nothing to be jealous of.

“What areas do you want to consider?” I asked.

He stroked his chin. “I’m struggling there. We could get more house and land for our money if we look farther out, but I love the Old Town area. I’d like to be close to the waterfront. What do you think?”

“Maybe I’ll have stronger opinions after we see a few places? It will be your house after all; I’m just your roommate.”

He tilted his head. “But I want you to love where we live too.”

That’s what I was afraid of. What if I loved it too much? I didn’t want to get too attached. But I couldn’t tell Jimmy that.

“I’m sure I’ll love whatever we pick.”

He seemed appeased, and we spent the rest of the afternoon looking at listings. My eyeballs were dry from peering at all the pictures, and it was hard to tell much without visiting in person, but we narrowed it down to a handful to tour. He smiled at me after double-checking our list. “This is great. I’ll call my realtor and set a time for us next weekend. Does that work for you?”