ex-Marine. Was attraction doomed?
Hell, no. Education was all very well, but in her experience, having a bright and active mind mattered more than having a diploma on the wall. And unless her judgment was way off, he was not unaware of her.
Such a lovely combination of strength and practical skills and sharp mind and appealing textures. She would love to run her fingers through that thick, tawny beard....
She cut off her thoughts before they could descend into X-rated territory. The fact that he was interesting and attractive didn't make him date material even though he was age appropriate, had no obvious vices, and she had always had a weakness for beards.
But she had a longstanding rule not to date men she worked with, and since he was both landlord and potential investigator, a more intimate relationship had plenty of room to cause trouble if it didn't work out. Best to keep things on a professional level.
On the other hand--as a lawyer, Val had a lot more than two hands--maybe she was trying to deny the possibility of romance because she had lost her nerve. It had been a long time since she had been in a real relationship.
The last had been with Donovan, her friend Kate's once and present husband. He was a great guy who had treated her well, but in retrospect she realized that he hadn't really been emotionally available because he had never stopped loving Kate. Luckily, they had all managed to stay friends after Kate moved back to Baltimore and fell straight into her ex-husband's arms.
The most intriguing man she had met since Donovan was Greg Marino, the cinematographer on Rainey's movie. Working as Rainey's assistant, Val had hung out with Greg during the shoot. He also had a delicious beard and was a real sweetie as well as very talented. He had asked her to be his date at the Academy Awards ceremony where he won an Oscar, which made for an unforgettable night. Yet though she had liked him immensely, there was no future for a show business gypsy and a conventional East Coaster like her.
She sighed. Men. Now that she might actually have time for a real romance, she needed to figure out better ways to pick 'em.
Pulling into the alley garage of her house started a welcome flow of relaxation through her. The Homeland neighborhood was one of Baltimore's best, with handsome, spacious houses and shady trees. Traditional center hall colonials predominated, but Val had fallen in love with this Tudor-style house the moment she saw it. Asymmetrical and finished with cream-colored stucco between herringbone beams, her home sat placidly under slanting slate roofs. Comfort with a dash of eccentricity--just her style.
As a child she had loved her father's grand Connecticut house on the rare occasions when she visited. Not only were the grounds larger than some Baltimore parks and a lot better landscaped, but there were more bathrooms than residents.
Her yearning to live in such a house had made her feel disloyal to the small row house she shared with her mother. The house was pleasant and wonderfully decorated by Callie, and Val had helped her mother buy it when the landlord decided to sell. But it would never be a Connecticut mansion.
Her Homeland Tudor house wasn't a mansion either, but it was just right for her, and a reward for years of hard work. Since she was walking away from her law partnership income, maybe it would have been smarter to stay in her first home, a row house near Johns Hopkins University. The mortgage and running costs there were one heck of a lot lower, but she couldn't regret buying her dream house. If she ended up having to cut costs in other areas, so be it.
A stop at a gourmet grocer on the way home provided the ingredients for dinner. The meal would be simple since her guest, Rachel Hamilton, had been a friend since first grade and formality was neither necessary nor desired.
Val was looking forward to the evening. They hadn't managed to get together for months, and it would be fun to catch
Hell, no. Education was all very well, but in her experience, having a bright and active mind mattered more than having a diploma on the wall. And unless her judgment was way off, he was not unaware of her.
Such a lovely combination of strength and practical skills and sharp mind and appealing textures. She would love to run her fingers through that thick, tawny beard....
She cut off her thoughts before they could descend into X-rated territory. The fact that he was interesting and attractive didn't make him date material even though he was age appropriate, had no obvious vices, and she had always had a weakness for beards.
But she had a longstanding rule not to date men she worked with, and since he was both landlord and potential investigator, a more intimate relationship had plenty of room to cause trouble if it didn't work out. Best to keep things on a professional level.
On the other hand--as a lawyer, Val had a lot more than two hands--maybe she was trying to deny the possibility of romance because she had lost her nerve. It had been a long time since she had been in a real relationship.
The last had been with Donovan, her friend Kate's once and present husband. He was a great guy who had treated her well, but in retrospect she realized that he hadn't really been emotionally available because he had never stopped loving Kate. Luckily, they had all managed to stay friends after Kate moved back to Baltimore and fell straight into her ex-husband's arms.
The most intriguing man she had met since Donovan was Greg Marino, the cinematographer on Rainey's movie. Working as Rainey's assistant, Val had hung out with Greg during the shoot. He also had a delicious beard and was a real sweetie as well as very talented. He had asked her to be his date at the Academy Awards ceremony where he won an Oscar, which made for an unforgettable night. Yet though she had liked him immensely, there was no future for a show business gypsy and a conventional East Coaster like her.
She sighed. Men. Now that she might actually have time for a real romance, she needed to figure out better ways to pick 'em.
Pulling into the alley garage of her house started a welcome flow of relaxation through her. The Homeland neighborhood was one of Baltimore's best, with handsome, spacious houses and shady trees. Traditional center hall colonials predominated, but Val had fallen in love with this Tudor-style house the moment she saw it. Asymmetrical and finished with cream-colored stucco between herringbone beams, her home sat placidly under slanting slate roofs. Comfort with a dash of eccentricity--just her style.
As a child she had loved her father's grand Connecticut house on the rare occasions when she visited. Not only were the grounds larger than some Baltimore parks and a lot better landscaped, but there were more bathrooms than residents.
Her yearning to live in such a house had made her feel disloyal to the small row house she shared with her mother. The house was pleasant and wonderfully decorated by Callie, and Val had helped her mother buy it when the landlord decided to sell. But it would never be a Connecticut mansion.
Her Homeland Tudor house wasn't a mansion either, but it was just right for her, and a reward for years of hard work. Since she was walking away from her law partnership income, maybe it would have been smarter to stay in her first home, a row house near Johns Hopkins University. The mortgage and running costs there were one heck of a lot lower, but she couldn't regret buying her dream house. If she ended up having to cut costs in other areas, so be it.
A stop at a gourmet grocer on the way home provided the ingredients for dinner. The meal would be simple since her guest, Rachel Hamilton, had been a friend since first grade and formality was neither necessary nor desired.
Val was looking forward to the evening. They hadn't managed to get together for months, and it would be fun to catch
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