Page 32 of The Homemaker

Her gait was smooth, as if she were floating. Mesmerizing in every way.

“Coming?” she asked, eyeing me while squatting to put on her tennis shoes.

I nodded. “Was it just a one-afternoon stand, or is kissing allowed, like an amenity, of course?”

She grinned, keeping her head bowed while tying her shoes.

“I’m letting you borrow my bike. I’ll let you borrow my lips too. It’s just something to consider.”

“Would that complicate things?” she asked, standing straight.

I twisted my lips. “Not on my end. I’m not needy or an addict. I’ve fostered dogs. When it’s time for them to go, I’m good.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Are you comparing me to a dog?”

“No. Well, it depends. How do you feel about dogs?”

Alice brought a finger to her lips. “I don’t want to say. Palmer might hear us.” She opened the door and led the way to the garage.

“I don’t want to be predictable and ask what you do for a living, but?—”

“Good,” she opened the garage door. “Because I don’t do anything.”

“Independently wealthy?”

She turned after I stepped into the garage. “Filthy rich. Old money, of course. In fact, I think my great-greatgrandmother was a queen. Never worked a day in my life.”

“Geesh.” I scratched the back of my head. “I wish I’d known that. We would have done it in the bed instead of nailing your royal ass to the desk.”

Alice snorted, covering her mouth, eyes wide.

“So, Princess Alice, since you don’t have a job, do you have any talents I should know about?” I plucked my helmet from the hook and tightened the strap.

She lifted a shoulder. “Oh, you know … nothing much. I’m good at synchronized orartisticswimming. I stole a turtle when I was eight. And in high school, I played Hermia inA Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

I raised an eyebrow at her as she tipped her chin up, grin brimming with confidence. Was she toying with me? “Are we playing two truths and a lie?” I asked, fitting the helmet on her head, then checking the strap and removing it to tighten it a bit more.

“Do two of my talents sound like lies?”

I laughed. “Maybe. Although, I’m not sure stealing turtles is considered a talent. Did you get caught?”

“No. That’s why it’s a talent.” She tipped her chin up for me to fasten the helmet.

I latched it, then patted the top twice. “I’ve never seen or readA Midsummer Night’s Dream, so I don’t know if Hermia is a good part.”

“Yes.” She headed into the alley where I had the bike next to my car, and she lifted her leg over the bar. “Hermia was a courageous woman in love with Lysander, but her father wanted her to marry Demetrius. She basically had to fight the patriarchy, then deal with the manof her dreams being given a love potion that made him fall in love with her friend. It was such a beautiful mess.”

“I’m not a fan of Shakespeare.”

“Well, you’re just saying that because you never met the guy, and you probably skipped all Shakespeare’s stories in favor of google search summaries.”

She pegged me correctly, but I wasn’t going down that easily.

“No one who has attended school in the twenty-first century has read anything but summaries of Shakespeare, or Dickens for that matter. It’s basically the entire purpose of the internet.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Need me to adjust the seat?” I held the bike while she sat on it, feet pressed to the pedals.