Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

CELESTE

I was up before the sun.

I freshened up, got dressed, and called Pat

“I will be late this morning,” I told her.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Everything is fine. I just have something to handle at home first.”

She did not push. Pat never pushed, One of the many reasons I loved her.

I sat on the edge of the guest bed in my green dress and white heels, and looked at the time.

Julian had not come home last night. I noticed when I first came out of my room.

Good for him, I thought. Truly. Wherever he was, I hoped he was comfortable.

My phone buzzed.

It was a call from Dominic.

I answered before the second ring.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Good morning, beautiful.” His voice was low and rough, like he had just woken up. “Are you ready for your gift?”

“I have been ready since you mentioned it,” I told him.

He laughed softly. “The handyman will be there in less than five minutes, dressed in black jeans, black face cap, full beard, and a

black t-shirt. And he will have a box with him.”

“I will be waiting,” I replied.

The call ended and I waited.

The doorbell rang three minutes later.

I came out of the guest room and nearly collided with Riley, who was already moving toward the front door with the particular urgency of a woman who had decided answering doors in someone else’s house was her God-given right.

She pulled it open.

“A handyman?” She looked the man up and down, suspicious.

“Step aside,” I told her, moving her out of the way. “I hired him to fix the mess in my bedroom.”

I turned to the man in the doorway.

Black jeans. Black face cap pulled low. Full beard. Black t-shirt. A plain brown box under one arm, just as Dominic said.

He was tall like Dominic. Exactly the right height. The same broad shoulders. The same way of standing that suggested he occupied whatever space he was in by right rather than by accident.

I kept my face completely professional.

“Good morning, sir,” I said pleasantly. “Please come with me. I will show you where you need to work.”

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