Chloe was very much focused on work and not thinking about Maxwell at all – at least, that’s what she would have told anyone who might have asked – when her phone began to buzz later that afternoon.
“Hello, is that Cecil?”
“Indeed it is, my dear,” he said. “I’ve managed to secure your Merthyr Tydfil knife, and it’s being couriered here as we speak. It should be here within a few days. I’m brilliant, aren’t I?”
“Completely brilliant,” Chloe agreed. “Thank you so much. I— I mean, my client will be very grateful.”
“So we’re still pretending this is purely professional, are we?” Cecil sighed. “I should tell you; I received a very interesting phone call today.”
“Really?”
“Your handsome American! My dear, I nearly dropped the phone. He’s got a voice like some sort of cowboy angel. I can see why you fancy him.”
“What did he want?” Chloe ignored the comment about fancying him.
“To buy those poker chips, of course! And to let him know if we came across anything else like that. I should be thanking you for sending us such an excellent customer.”
Maxwell had texted back, telling her that he liked that she had been thinking of him, and it had sent a surge of heat right through her. But he really had been interested in the chips, it seemed.
“Oh, well, that’s good,” Chloe said. “That he’ll be a good customer.”
“Very good,” Cecil said happily. “And maybe we’ll get him in the shop! What a treat!”
Chloe knew that was highly unlikely unless they expanded their opening hours to after sunset but decided that there was no way she could share that information without arousing Cecil’s suspicion. “Maybe,” she said instead. “Thanks again for the knife thing. I appreciate it.”
“Always a pleasure doing business with you, my dear,” Cecil said. “And don’t forget us when you’re shopping to furnish your new home together.”
“That’s never going to happen,” Chloe said flatly. “I don’t have time for—”
“A boyfriend,” Cecil finished. “So you always say. But this Maxwell isn’t like the local crowd in Crowley Lake, is he?”
“No,” Chloe said honestly. “He’s not. But I still—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Cecil told her. “I’ll call you when your delivery comes in, okay?”
“Thanks, Cecil.”
The call ended, and Chloe rubbed her tired eyes, probably smudging her mascara. She should call Maxwell and tell him about the knife, she thought. Or…she could drop by. It wasn’t like the Sanguis Estate was very far.
Chloe knew that a phone call would suffice. She also knew that she had to review the new photos of the cottage with the green painted door on Golden Dawn Avenue. She knew all of that.
And yet Chloe found herself getting into her sensible mid-sized sedan and making her way to the Sanguis Estate, just the same. She was on the doorstep before she had really thought about the fact that maybe she ought to have called. What if Maxwell had guests? What if they were female guests?
But she was there now, she reasoned, so she knocked on the door, admired the stained-glass panels, and waited.
“Chloe!” Maxwell answered the door as though he wasn’t surprised to see her. “How nice of you to drop by! Come in.”
“Sorry, I should have called you first,” she faltered. “But I wanted to give you an update about the knife, so—”
“You’re always welcome here, Chloe,” Maxwell said, his voice rich and low. If it sent something very much like tingles up her spine, she wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone. “After all, you did help me get this place.”
“Thanks,” Chloe said, and she turned towards the drawing-room, but Maxwell caught her arm, one big hand gently gripping her. Chloe swallowed, trying not to think about how those strong hands might feel all over her body in a very different context. Focus, Chloe. Curse business, not lust. After all, lust was what got them into this mess.
“Come into the library,” Maxwell said, smiling. “I’ve been getting it ready for my first poker night. I’m devastated you’re not coming, you know.”
“I’ll come to the one after!” Chloe said, but she followed him down the hall, slightly disappointed when he let go of her arm. She would have been quite happy for him to steer her around, and she wasn’t going to examine the implications of that feeling. Not right now, anyway.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Maxwell pushed open the library door.
Chloe let out a breath because, damn, it really was a beautiful room. Floor to ceiling shelves were lined with books, and there was even a slender ladder up to the top shelves. She had always liked those, ever since seeing Beauty and the Beast as a little girl on an old and crumbling VHS tape. But the furniture had been rearranged, and Chloe was sure that the house hadn’t come with the enormous mahogany poker table that took pride of place in front of the fire.
“You really do take poker seriously,” Chloe said, running her fingertips over the green felted surface.
“I do,” Maxwell picked up a pack of cards from the table and began shuffling them in his hands. “I thought this was the perfect space for my game nights. I’ve ordered some chairs, and if they don’t arrive tomorrow, I’ll be very sad.”
“I’m sure you will,” Chloe raised her eyebrows, and then she spotted something she recognised on a shelf. “You got the poker chips! Cecil told me you did.”
“Yes, I was very pleased to pick those up,” Maxwell said, following her gaze. “I don’t know much about Australia’s history of gambling, but I’m looking into it now, and it’s pretty fascinating. It seems like the first thing the British did when they invaded this place was start up illegal card games. But those are from one of the first legal casinos.”
“Sounds about right,” Chloe shook her head, smiling ruefully. “Oh, and I meant to tell you – Cecil managed to source the knife. From that place with the name I won’t even try to pronounce. It’s being couriered over right now; we should have it by Monday.”
“Really?” Maxwell looked shocked. “I didn’t think that…” he trailed off, turning his face away. “Well, that’s good news.”
“Cecil and Jim are very good at their jobs,” Chloe told him. “That’s why I trust them.”
“I see,” Maxwell said, and he looked a little uncomfortable for some reason. But Chloe didn’t want to press him. Instead, she moved over to the shelves that clearly held items that didn’t come with the estate. “You have a lot of books about poker,” she observed. “I had no idea there were this many books about it.”
“Oh, that’s only a tiny fraction of my gambling library,” Maxwell said. “The rest is in storage back home. These are just my favourites that I couldn’t bear to leave behind.”
“The rest? Wow.”