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.“Even if they do live—”“Don’t say it.” Ted flashed her a warning look.“This is a wager between me and Cory, and I don’t want her to…uh…get wind of my situation.She might pull out if she finds out what she’s up against.”“I see what you mean.If you want, I can be the final judge if it comes down to a tie,” Paige volunteered.“You can each give me your impressions of each other’s situation, and I promise to be fair.”Cory looked between them, her brow furrowed as if she was trying to figure something out.“All right.” Her chin rose a determined notch.“You can pick me up.”“Great.” He tried to keep his expression neutral, even though he wanted to jump up and down and throw his fists in the air like he’d just scored the winning touchdown in the last game of the playoffs.“I’ll be by around eleven thirty.We generally eat at noon or shortly after.”“Should I bring something?”“Naw.Between my mom, my sisters and my aunts, there’s always way more than enough to feed the entire town.”“All the Lovejoys are great cooks too,” Paige added.She glanced at Ted.“We’ll have to make sure Cory is included for the Fourth of July pig roast.”“Absolutely.” Ted flashed her a grateful look.“I don’t know.” Cory frowned.“I’m just an employee here.I don’t want to intrude.”“It’s not like that.The Fourth of July celebration is open to the entire town of Perfect,” Ted said.“The Lovejoys host the event every year because our ancestor is the town’s primary founder.Everybody brings a dish to share, and we all camp out on Ceejay and Noah’s lawn to eat and watch fireworks across the river.”“Anyway, Noah should’ve made it clear before you accepted the job,” Paige added.“No one here is just an employee.As soon as you signed on the dotted line, you became part of the L&L family.Just ask the guys.In fact, as soon as we’re done painting our bare walls, Ryan and I are planning a company picnic at our new place.” She turned to Ted.“You wouldn’t mind picking her up for that, would you, Ted?”“Not at all.”“I don’t want to be a burden.Maybe Bunny can come for me.”“It’s in the opposite direction for Wes, and I don’t mind.You’re on my way.” A twinge of jealousy shot through him.He didn’t like the idea of Wesley being her go-to guy.He wanted to be that man for her.“You’re not a burden.”“I can always catch a ride with Noah and his family.”He caught the look of frustration Paige slid his way as she spoke.“Let’s wait until we have the day planned, and we can figure it out then.”He shot Paige a wry grin.She’d tried, and he was grateful for the help.He rose from his chair and stretched.“We’ve done enough for today.There are a few orders ready to go.Tomorrow we’ll walk through the process together.I’ll let you deal with dispatch while I sit next to you in case any questions come up.”Paige put her things away and shut her computer down.Cory followed suit.She glanced at the clock.“Wesley’s sister is picking me up at five.I’d better head downstairs.I told her to come in through the alley.”“Oh?” Ted stepped back so she and Paige could walk out of the office ahead of him.“Are you two going out on the town tonight?”“Hardly.” She chuffed out a breath.“She’s coming to the carriage house for dinner.Thanks again for the Crock-Pot, by the way.”“Sure.” By the time they got to the stairs, the sound of voices and laughter drifted up.One of them decidedly feminine.“Brenda’s here.” Cory grinned and hurried down to the first floor.“Gotta go protect the production crew.”Huh? Curious, Ted followed.He stepped into the room to find a gorgeous, curvy blonde in the midst of a circle of enraptured men.Kyle Reeves leaned against his workbench as if his legs wouldn’t hold him, and he wore a stunned look while two of the finishing crew teased and flirted with the newcomer.“Hey, Bren,” Cory interrupted.“Did you meet everyone?”Brenda’s glance brushed over Kyle and swung back to the guys who were flirting with her.“TreVonne and Kenneth introduced themselves when we came in together, and I met the other two production guys as they left.This one’s kind of shy, though.” She shot Kyle a wry grin.“He hasn’t said a word.”Kyle’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he turned to rearrange the tools on his workbench that didn’t need rearranging.Ted felt sorry for the guy.He knew the feeling.“That’s Kyle [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]