“Hello?” The greeting sounded more like a question.
The stranger at the door was everything Aly wasn’t. She smiled confidently, and her long, thick, silky jet-black hair flowed past her shoulders. Her jewelry looked expensive, her makeup looked professional, and her gray blue dress straddled the line of classy and sexy that women strove for but rarely achieved.
She batted her long lashes. “I’m looking for Will. Is he here?”
“He’s not home yet,” Aly explained, brow furrowed. Will hadn’t mentioned having anyone other than Corey and Taran and Lily over.
The woman tilted her head, a charming smile flooding her full lips. “May I come in and wait?”
Aly flushed scarlet at how inept she was at social interactions yet again. She should have invited her in already, and now she was tongue-tied, so she just nodded. The woman walked past her and into the house without a word. Aly simply followed, wondering who she was and why she was here.
Will knew Aly was uncomfortable around new people, so she was shocked that he hadn’t told her to expect one. Especially one who was currently making herself at home with a corkscrew and a bottle of wine she’d pulled from a rack in a lower cabinet that Aly had never seen Will use.
“Did you want some?” the woman offered in what was a reversal of roles.
Aly kicked herself, still speechless. She should have thought to offer this woman a drink. But before she could speak, the woman poured two glasses.
“Will keeps the Volnay Premier Cru for me. It’s ninety dollars a bottle, but it’s worth it.”
Aly blinked. She had never seen Will drink wine, exorbitant in price or not. But the woman pushed the glass across the island like it was nothing.
“I’m Gennifer Sterns.” She held her small, smooth hand out expectantly.
Aly flushed, trying not to compare her short, chipped nails to the beautifully manicured french tips Gennifer sported.
“And you are?” Gennifer cocked her head to the side in question.
Right, a response to the question would be proper etiquette here.
“Aly,” she said softly.
“It’s nice to meet you.” She flashed her bright white teeth. “Are you Will’s new cleaning lady?”
Her face went hot again as she scanned her leggings and the plain gray T-shirt she’d thrown over her tank before she left the set. It wasn’t far-fetched to assume she was the cleaning lady. “No.”
Gennifer perused the kitchen, her attention landing on the plans spread out on the table. Wineglass in hand, she moved toward them and ran her nail across the design. “Wow, this is exactly what this place needs. Who did these?”
“I did,” Aly mumbled.
Gennifer’s eyes lit up. “I need your card; this work is amazing.”
Finally, Aly relaxed. She could talk about her work. So she went over several elements of the design, then asked, “Want to see it in color?”
Gennifer nodded, so she touched her screen and brought the computer to life before playing the walk-through.
“It’s flawless. So impressive,” Gennifer gushed.
Aly ducked her head and flushed under the praise.
When she looked back up, Gennifer was watching her, brows raised expectantly. She realized then that she was supposed to respond. But before she could, Gennifer continued to fill in the gaps Aly left in the conversation.
“Swim team must have finished late tonight, but I can’t imagine Will being more than fifteen or twenty more minutes, so why don’t you and I take our wine into the living room and get comfortable so he can view your work when he gets home?” Her blue eyes sparkled.
Will had already seen the design. Why would she think he hadn’t? Should she correct her? She had no idea. Nor did she know how to handle a stranger invading her boyfriend’s house. Normal social interactions were hard enough; this was the most confounding interaction she’d had in years.
Before she could find the nerve to speak up, Gennifer had grabbed her glass and moved into the other room. Although Aly left her glass on the counter, she followed helplessly. Once settled on the sofa, she turned to the woman.
“How do you know Will?” Aly finally asked, curiosity clawing at her. The woman was obviously comfortable in the house, but she’d never heard Will mention her, and she wasn’t featured in any of his family photos.