His Temporary Live-in Wife

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He couldn’t have said why, but he hadn’t pegged her for a career woman. She seemed to be a nurturer, a stay-at-home-mom type. Maybe he’d read too much into their conversations.

“Your neighbors are looking forward to meeting you,” she said.

He’d lived in the same co-op for years and had known only one neighbor to speak to. The personable Marcy had already paved the way for him here not just to meet neighbors but make friends.

“What did you tell them about me?” he asked, moving away from the window.

“I had nothing to offer. For all I knew, you were a doddering old man looking for a nubile young wife to give you a second passel of kids to prove to the world you were still virile.”

He laughed. “I hope I’ve got a long way to go before I hit that stage.”

She cocked her head. “You should laugh more often. It takes years off you.”

So she did think he seemed old? Was an eleven-year age difference that big?

“I shared nothing with your new neighbors, not even your name,” she said, getting back to business. “I figured you would tell them what you want to.”

“Thank you. So. What do you think about staying on here?”

“I think you shouldn’t have asked me in front of Dylan, because if I say no now, he’s going to hate me.”

Eric continued to admire her refreshing directness. People tended to tiptoe around him, although he had no idea why. He didn’t think he was intimidating. “I apologize.”

“That didn’t sound very sincere.”

He liked that she didn’t mince words. For some reason, he found it incredibly sexy. “I admit I should have waited, but I was caught off guard by the phone call from the university. I was in solution mode.”

“Now that I can buy.” She gestured for him to sit on the bed. “I don’t like having to look up at you.”

He did as she asked.

“What do you see as my role?” she asked.

“Obviously Dylan can’t work alone here. He’s not a professional. What if something happens? Plus we know little about him.”

“You need me to supervise?”

“Yes, but not just Dylan. I’ll be hiring out some work I would’ve done myself. I need an adult here to oversee.”

She seemed to consider it. “I could do that, I guess. I start my new semester of college on Tuesday, but they’re online classes, and I could do that work at night, at whichever friend’s house I land in. As long as I have my laptop, I’m good to go.”

“Um. I guess I didn’t make myself clear. I’d like you to stay here.”

“Stay here? You mean sleep here? Why?”

It hadn’t occurred to him she wouldn’t spend the night. “If you’re willing, I’d like you to take on the role of cook. I want to work on the house as much as possible and not worry about the day-to-day home details.”

“You’re not going to have a kitchen, remember? Isn’t that your first project? To demo the kitchen?”

Actually, he’d forgotten. “The truth is I want to give the kid a break, all right? This is the best way I can think of to help.”

“And you’re willing to pay me to stay so that you can do that?”

“You’d be earning your keep.” He must be losing his touch. He could usually talk a person into doing something without a whole lot of effort.

“So, what you’re looking for is a wife. Someone to watch over the house and the kid.”

He’d already told her that was exactly what he was looking for—and not just temporarily. Maybe she hadn’t believed him. Maybe she thought he’d been kidding around about that.

“My understanding is that Julia’s agency has been nicknamed ‘Wives for Hire,’” he said as an answer. “There must be a good reason for that.”

After a moment, she eased off the bed and went to stand where he had earlier, looking outside. He waited her out. The more he watched her, the more she appealed to him, especially physically.

“Here’s the deal, Eric,” she said finally. “You have to promise not to back me into a corner again. If you want something, ask me privately.”