Maid for the Millionaire by Susan Meier

he’d wanted to do it anonymously. Being with her probably wasn’t a happy prospect for him any more than it was for her. With anybody else she’d be figuring out a way to make this deal palatable for them. So maybe that’s what she needed to do with Cain. Find a way to make this easy for him, as if they were two friends working together for a charity.
    The thought caused her brow to furrow. They’d never been friends. They’d been passionate lovers. A distant married couple. Hurt divorced people. But they’d never really been friends. They’d never even tried to be friends.
    Maybe becoming friends was the real way for them to get beyond their troubled marriage? To pretend, even if only for a few hours, that the past was the past and from this point on they were two nice people trying to help each other.
    Â 
    Cain was already at Amanda’s house the next morning when Liz arrived. Instead of his black Porsche, he waited for her in one of his Nestor Construction trucks. An old red one.
    Keeping with her decision to treat him as she would a friend, she smiled and patted the side of the truck bed. “Wow. I haven’t seen one of these in years.”
    He walked around the truck and Liz’s smile disappeared as her mouth fell open slightly. She’d already noticed his T-shirt, but for some reason or another, the jeans he wore caught her off guard. He looked so young. So capable. So…sexy.
    She cleared her throat, reminding herself that this was a new era for her and Cain. Friends. Two nice people working together for a charity.
    â€œMostly, we use Cain Corporation trucks now.” He grinned. “But when I ran Nestor Construction, this one was mine.” He patted the wheel well. “She was my first.”
    â€œAh, a man and his truck.” Eager to get out of the sun and to the reason they were here, Liz turned to the sidewalk. “Come on. This way.”
    They walked to the front door and Liz knocked. Joy answered, but Amanda was only a few feet behind her. She grabbed the giggling three-year-old and hoisted her into her arms. “Sorry about that.”
    Liz laughed. “Good morning, Joy,” she said, tweaking the little girl’s cheek as she passed.
    Joy buried her face in Amanda’s neck. “Morning.”
    Amanda looked pointedly at Cain. “And this is Cain?”
    Cain held out his hand for shaking. “Sorry about our first meeting.”
    Amanda smiled. “That’s okay. Neither one of us was in good form that day. Can I get you some coffee?”
    Cain peered over at Liz.
    Liz motioned for everyone to go into the kitchen. “Of course, we’d love some coffee.”
    When Amanda walked through the swinging door out of sight, Liz caught Cain’s arm, holding him back. “If she offers something, take it. A lot of the women who come to us have little to no self-esteem. It makes them feel good about themselves to have coffee or doughnuts to offer. Take whatever she offers and eat it.”
    Looking sheepish and unsure, he nodded and everything inside Liz stilled. For the first time in their relationship she knew something he didn’t. He needed her.
    Their gazes caught.
    Liz smiled, downplaying the reversal of their roles and seeking to reassure him.
    The corners of his mouth edged up slowly in response, and his entire countenance changed. Crinkles formed around dark eyes that warmed.
    The hallway suddenly felt small and quiet. The memory of how much she’d loved this man fluttered through her. With one step forward she could lay her palm on his cheek. Touch him. Feel his skin again. Feel connected to him in the only way they’d ever been connected. Touch.
    But one touch always led to another and another and another. Which was probably why making love was the only way they’d bonded. They’d never had a chance to be friends. Never given themselves a chance to get to know each other.
    Sad,