“Sure, sure. New carpet. Come on.”
“Where?” She laughed.
“One last place.” Max stopped in front of the long curtains on the far side of the living room. “Ready?”
“For what?”
He swept the curtains aside and reached for the handle of the sliding door before he was tempted to look through it. He slid it open and stepped outside. “For this.”
Outside was a deck. It was weathered and needed sanding and painting. Some of the boards might even need replacing, but that was nothing. Nothing at all. Because from the deck, you could see for miles.
A green expanse of hills and valleys stretched out before him like an emerald carpet.
He took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, the last of his life at sea fell away from him.
“It’s beautiful,” Chloe whispered.
He walked to the railing and put his hands on the peeling wood. He could see a dozen houses, but not one person. Oh, they were probably out there, obscured by the trees, but he couldn’t see them. They weren’t his problem. Out here, the only thing he had to worry about was himself.
And his girl. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her body against his. “Notice anything else?”
She glanced down toward his groin, but he shook his head. “What?”
He nodded toward the view. “No water. Not one lake or pond or stream or river. And no goddamn ocean. Isn’t that the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
Shaking her head, she leaned her back against the railing.
“Wait. Don’t lean against that until I’ve made sure there’s no rot.”
She didn’t even roll her eyes, she just pushed off it and moved her weight back in Max’s direction. Chloe knew full well that he was a mess of anxiety and control issues, and she didn’t care. “Chloe?”
“Yeah?”
Max opened his mouth. He took a deep breath, then shook his head. “Maybe we should walk the house again. Look at it more carefully.”
“Why? It seems perfect for you. The shop, the view…”
“I want to be sure you like it, too—”
“Yeah, it’s—”
“Because if you’re tired of the haunted house, I thought you might need a place to stay. With me. Here. Together.”
Heart thundering, he waited for the confusion to clear from her eyes. It was too soon. Way too soon. But they’d practically lived together for two weeks before he’d left. And then they’d talked every night. Maybe…
“I’ll be working,” he added before she could say no. “I talked to a guy who does custom furniture for big mountain cabins, and he needs someone to do side work…”
“If I move in here with you, it might hit the gossip sites.”
“It might.”
“And we won’t be taking it slow anymore.”
“No, we definitely won’t.”
Chloe gazed up at him, her eyes searching for something in his. She looked so damn serious. “So…” she finally said. “If you get the workshop, can I have the downstairs den?”
“Yes. God, yes. You can have anything you want. Except a pool.”