Roman always knew when Grace Moore came into the studio. The air in the room changed. He’d finished another transfer and was taking a break, sketching ideas for a new series of canvases while pretending he didn’t know she was standing in the doorway. She cleared her throat softly. He looked over his shoulder. “What’s up?”
She tucked a short strand of hair behind her ear. A nervous gesture? “I have to leave early Wednesday and Friday next week. I have two job interviews scheduled.”
His pulse shot up. He thought everything had been going so well. “You already have a job. You work for me.”
“You pay the temp agency for my services, Mr. Velasco. And I told you—I need to find a better-paying job, closer to home.”
“Are you late getting home to fix dinner for your partner?” She wasn’t wearing a ring, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a significant other in her life.
“Everything is caught up in the office, and I—”
“Where do you live?” Roman faced her, determined to fix whatever needed fixing.
“Burbank.”
“It’s not that far, less than twenty miles as the crow flies.”
“I’m not a crow. I spend hours in my car every day, time I . . .” She hesitated. “Time better spent in other ways.”
What other ways? he wanted to ask, but figured she’d tell him it was none of his business. In truth, it wasn’t, but he still wanted to know. She wasn’t giving him a chance to pry.
“Your office is organized, and I’ve written a brief procedures manual for your next personal assistant. I’m not leaving immediately, but I thought I should let you know I’ll be leaving as soon as I find another position more conducive to my needs.” She took a step back, clearly eager to put an end to the conversation.
“Not so fast.” The stool scraped across the floor as he stood. “I’m not hiring another temp.”
“That’s your decision.” She shrugged as if she didn’t care what he did. “The filing system is straightforward. You could manage it by yourself.”
“The last thing I want to be is an office lackey.”
She raised her chin. “It’s not exactly what I dream of doing for the rest of my life, either. You have the option of hiring someone to do it for you.”
Roman muttered a curse under his breath. “Look. We work well together. What do I have to do to keep you here?”
“We don’t work together.”
“You do your job so I can do mine. That’s the way I like it. You don’t like the money. Okay. I’ll pay the fee and you can work for me instead of the agency. You don’t like the commute. Okay. You can live in my guest cottage. Both problems solved.” The expression on her face was downright insulting. “What’s the matter with the offer? I’m not asking you to move in with me. You’re not my type, and I can guarantee I won’t be bothering you.” He wasn’t sure the blush was due to anger or embarrassment, but he knew he’d said more than enough.
“And what will the neighbors say?”
He couldn’t tell if she was serious or joking. “What neighbors? And even if I did have neighbors close enough to see anything, why would they care what we do?”
“I have friends, even if you don’t.”
She punched low. She wanted out. Because of him? Or were there other reasons? Roman clenched his teeth. What was it with this woman? “We’re adults, Ms. Moore. Good friends won’t tell you how to live. Your life is your business.”
“They keep me accountable.”
“To them?”
“God cares what I do, and my friends love me enough to hold up a warning sign if I’m heading the wrong way.”
God? How did God get into this conversation? Roman didn’t understand what she was talking about. All he knew was he didn’t want to lose her. He spoke slowly, reasonably, while thinking fast. “Invite them up. Let them look around.” He tried a little charm. “A rent-free cottage in Topanga Canyon? They’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“Until they meet you.”
He could tell she hadn’t meant to say that when her cheeks bloomed crimson. “Nice.” He gave a low, mirthless laugh. She didn’t offer an apology. He tilted his head, giving her a wry look. “I didn’t say you could invite them into my house.” She couldn’t hold his stare. “Just think about it. I’ll start you off at what I pay the agency.” When he told her how much that was, her eyes widened. “Add free housing to that raise, and you’ll be doing pretty well for yourself, won’t you?” He could see her making calculations already, but also carrying on an inner debate whether the offer was worth working for him. He’d never had that effect on a woman before. Did it all go back to his bad behavior on the first day? Or was there more to her aversion?
“I’ll have to pay you rent.”
Was she from another planet? At least she was starting to consider the idea. “As you already know, I don’t need the money.”
“Nevertheless. I wouldn’t be your guest, Mr. Velasco. I’d be your tenant.” She seemed to catch herself and added quickly, “If I agreed to the arrangement, which I haven’t.”
Yet. He could see her weakening. He’d never had to negotiate with a woman and found it vaguely unsettling. Maybe she sensed he wasn’t what he pretended to be. “It’d solve all your problems, wouldn’t it?”
“Not all of them.” She took another step back. “I’d better get to work.”
What other problems did she have? “You said you were all caught up. Why don’t we talk?”
“Whatever I decide, I appreciate the offer.”
He’d never met anyone less eager to talk about themselves than he was. “Okay, but think it over carefully before you say no.”
“I will.”
The more Roman thought about it, the better he liked the idea of Grace Moore being his next-door neighbor.
Grace called her friends, and they agreed to talk it over during Sunday lunch. She brought Samuel this time, and they all fussed over him. He loved the attention. She dug into her tote bag for baby food and then gave him a bottle while the others talked about a new praise band member who was teaching the Wednesday evening Bible study. Grace brought up Roman Velasco’s offer.
Ashley forgot all about the new guitarist with a voice like Josh Groban. “What are you waiting for, Grace? He’s not asking you to move in with him. You’d have your own place again. Isn’t that what you want?”
Nicole wasn’t so eager. “You’d better make sure you have a written rental agreement. Without it, he could change the rules anytime he wanted.”
“Whoa, girlfriends.” Shanice jumped in. “Obviously, Grace is doing a great job or the guy wouldn’t make such a generous offer to keep her working for him.” She looked at Grace. “What I want to know is what else is going on here.” She raised her brows. “Come on, girl. Give.”
Grace shook her head. “Nothing is going on.”
“Have you prayed about it?”
“Constantly. I’m still praying.” Grace looked at the three. “It seems to be a gift from God, or am I just desperate to find any way to be on my own again? It solves one problem, but creates another.”
Nicole spoke up. “It would give you a big boost on the financial side.”
“And save you all that time on the road,” Ashley agreed.
Grace wavered. “What about Samuel?”
Shanice put a hand over Grace’s. “Selah and Ruben could keep him weekdays, until you can find childcare nearby. And you’d have him all to yourself on the weekends. Maybe this is the step toward independence you’ve been looking for.”
“You could take online classes,” Ashley added. “It’s been a while since you’ve had the time or money to go back to school. Instead of three hours a day on the road, you’d have three hours of study time.”
Grace fought tears. She looked at Samuel asleep in her arms. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to make any more mistakes.”