Against the Wall (Stoddard Art School Series Book 3) by Lisa A. Olech Page A

too.” She dug keys out of her pocket. “Tough running in flip-flops.”
    “The pink sparkly toenail polish would definitely slow you down.”
    When had he checked out her toes? She lifted her foot slightly so the glitter caught the light. “On the contrary, sparkles give you superpowers.”
    His eyes did the crinkle thing that made her heart race. “I had no idea.”
    “It’s why women can tolerate wearing totally inappropriate footwear. Flip flops, high heels? Sparkly nail polish is the great equalizer.”
    He laughed. “You’re crazy.”
    Kay shrugged. “You’ve been warned.”
    “And cute as hell.”
    There was no laughter in the statement. Kay met his gaze. In the amber glow of the streetlamps, the world took a breath. The buoy bell rang. “Now, I’ve been warned.”
    “Have a nice weekend, Kay. I’ll see you Monday.”
    “Or maybe Shadow will give me more slobbery sweet talk on the beach tomorrow.”
    Bear shook his head. “We’re staying at the inn for the next couple of days. I’ve early deliveries coming, and I’ll be laying tile all weekend. It’s easier if we camp in town.”
    She couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the prospect of two days without seeing Bear and Shadow on their runs. “Sure. That makes sense.”
    “Besides, I’ve had a serious talk with Shadow. The boy needed to be set straight. He may have seen you first, but I called dibs.” One corner of his mouth tipped into a smile.
    Her breath caught, but she recovered. “D-don’t you think it’s up to me to decide who gets dibs?”
    “No.” His gaze held her. If he moved half a step closer, he was in kissing range.
    Kay blinked up at him. “No?”
    “Nope.” His voice lowered. “You can’t judge until we’ve both had the chance to kiss you.”
    “Oh.”
    He took that half step and leaned closer, tugging on the hem of her shirt. The backs of his fingers brushed the bare strip of skin above the waistband of her jeans. “And I can promise you, I’ve never slobbered in my life.”

Chapter Seven
    “Of course, I’m sure. I told you when you called yesterday and the day before, I never worked on the Regency project. I can’t help you with this, Diane.” Bear rubbed at the ache between his eyebrows. “No, you’re gonna have to handle this one yourself.” The saws were grinding away upstairs. There was grout to mix. He needed to get back to work. Kay was due this morning. He didn’t have time to pacify his ex-wife.
    Bear took the cordless phone into the kitchen to refill his coffee. It was going to be a long day, and it hadn’t even started.
    “Diane, what do you want me to do? What? You’ve lost it. I’m on the other side of the country up to my eyeballs in construction. I can’t drop everything and bail you out. If it’s as bad as you think, you should be talking to lawyers, not me.” God, she was like a dog with a bone. “I’m not coming to California. Because I’m not. Check the door, sweetheart, my name is gone. It’s your business now. You deal with it.” He blew out a breath. “Of course I still care, but—” Bear pushed back into the lobby and found Kay had arrived and was looking over the supplies that had been delivered for her over the weekend.
    “Hey, I gotta go.” He set down his coffee and met Kay’s eye. Smiling, he held up a finger indicating he needed just another minute. “I can’t be any more clear about this. No. No, I won’t change my mind. I’m sorry that you feel that way. Have a nice”—he looked down at the receiver—“day.” Diane hung up on him. Having been married to the woman, he wasn’t surprised. Relieved, but not surprised. Their last two conversations had ended the same way. He was used to it.
    “Problem?” Kay nodded toward the phone he tossed onto the cluttered reception desk.
    “Not anymore.” His day just got much better. Kay pulled a receipt slip from one of the boxes by her feet. Grabbing his coffee, he joined her. “That arrived late