He raked a hand through his hair. “You’re a friend of Mimi’s?”
“Sort of, I mean, I didn’t know Mimi till last month. I’m managing The Bistro by the Beach while Frida and Ed Hampton are vacationing in Europe. I needed a place for the summer and, since she and Frida are good friends, she offered me this house.”
“Well, that’s going to be a problem because I plan to stay awhile.”
“For how long?”
He shrugged. “Not sure yet. Maybe till Labor Day. It depends on my business schedule.”
Labor Day! That was five weeks from now.
The implication of his unexpected return made her swallow hard. Whispering Bay didn’t have much to offer in the temporary housing department. If Luke wanted his house back, she was screwed. Except…
“Wait! I have a lease.” Mimi had offered to let her stay as a guest, but a free ride wasn’t in Sarah’s nature. She’d insisted on paying rent and signing a lease, which meant he couldn’t kick her out of his house. Not legally, anyway.
“Signed by who?” But before she could answer, he shook his head. “Never mind. Just show me the lease.”
“I don’t exactly keep it tucked under my pillow, you
know.”
“How about I close my eyes while you go get it?”
“How about I show it to you tomorrow morning?” she countered, then added, “Or, if you need proof right this second, just check your bank account. You do mobile banking, right? My check was deposited into an account by your mother. Didn’t they tell you any of this?”
“My mom handles the account for the house, and…neither my mother or Mimi know that I’m back in town.”
“Why not?”
He looked momentarily startled by her bluntness. “It’s complicated.” He didn’t elaborate. Instead, he nodded toward the living room. “Look, we can sort this out in the morning. For now, you can sleep on the couch.”
“You want me to sleep on the couch?”
“I hate to break it to you, but that’s my bed and like I said, I plan to sleep in it.” He unfolded his long body from the door frame and took a few steps into the room.
“Hold on! I’m not exactly dressed for company.”
“From what I just saw you’re not exactly dressed at all.”
“Well, if I’d known Papa Bear was coming home tonight, I would have made sure to wear pjs.” It came out snarkier than she’d intended, but why did he have to keep pointing out her lack of clothing?
His face split into a slow, sexy grin, causing her to suck in a breath. Luke Powers in a black tux smiling in a picture was one thing, but Luke Powers in the flesh wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a smile was something else entirely.
“Okay. I can be a good guy. Tell you what, I’ll take the couch for tonight.”
“Gee, thanks,” she muttered.
He flipped off the bedroom light and turned to leave.
“Can you close the door, please?”
“Anything else I can do for you? Warm milk or maybe some cookies?”
She ignored his sarcasm. “Nope, that’s it.”
He went to close the door, then turned to look at her one last time. “Oh and, Goldilocks? You owe me a bottle of scotch.”
* * *