Taylor rolled her eyes. “Come on, Samiah. You’re my voice of reason. Am I making a mistake here?”

“I don’t know about this one, chick. It is an ideal setup. You just have to make sure you’re ready for whatever happens.”

“My suggestion is that you don’t just let it happen,” London said. “Go there knowing what you want and make it happen.”

Again, Taylor rolled her eyes. But the more she thought about it, the more intriguing she found London’s advice.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Taylor sat in the cushioned rattan armchair and tracked Jamar’s movements as he moved from one area of the pool house to another. He’d been at this for the past twenty minutes, pointing out every available feature. He picked up the electronic tablet from a stand on the coffee table and swiped his finger across the screen.

“This controls everything from the lights to the television to the thermostat, just like the one in the main house. You’ve used it before, right?” He pressed something, and the ceiling fan started to twirl lazily above them. With another swipe, taupe window shades began to lower inside the double-paned floor-to-ceiling windows that spanned the side of the structure that faced the Olympic-size pool.

“It’s all pretty easy to operate,” he said, reversing the window shades with another swipe of his finger. “If you need help, just call. I’m…you know…right there.” He hooked a thumb toward the main house.

“I will,” Taylor said. She started a mental countdown to see how long it would take him to find something else to point out.

He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and converting the sofa into a bed is pretty easy too. You just pull this out.” He tugged on a metal bar Taylor hadn’t even noticed protruding unobtrusively from the bottom of the sofa. He glanced over at her wrapped ankle. “Actually, it’s probably better if you call me to pull it out for you when you’re ready to go to bed.”

Oh, of course. Because having him inhabit her space just before she slipped into bed would be no problem at all. He must be delirious.

“I think I can handle it,” Taylor said.

“Well, okay, then.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Um, about dinner. I plan to heat up the quinoa and grilled chicken you made for me. There’s two of them in there. I can bring one for you.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Actually, I’m not a fan of quinoa.”

“So why are you making me eat it?”

Taylor waved off his indignation. “Because it’s a healthier alternative to rice. Now, I’ll take the green chili enchiladas if you have any of those left.”