High Maintenance by Lia Fairchild Read Free Book Online Page A

there when she had the chance. Julian had purchased a boatload of supplies to entice her to consider living at the condo.
    Back at her own place, she’d told Tate to let himself in to see if he could fix the handle on the oven door. Mimi had given her crap about her sudden change over trying to fix things herself. Lexy didn’t agree that it was prompted by Tate’s arrival. She argued that it only helped her now that she was so busy. Looking back, she had been defensive about the whole thing, only fueling Mimi’s accusations.
    Her phone alerted her to a text while she walked to the kitchen. She smiled, seeing it was from Tate. Had a floral emergency, but Dad said he’d take care of the handle for you while you’re gone. And, he said to tell you thanks for helping Mrs. Granger with that loose cupboard. You did a nice job, Kitten.
    Even reading the name Kitten had an effect on her, but she shook it away. She considered not replying, just to prove a point, but felt that would be rude. So, she quickly typed out, Thank you , and then set her phone on the counter. “See, I still fix things,” she said to no one. And that cupboard hadn’t been easy to fix while listening to plot summaries from Mrs. Granger.
    The refrigerator portrayed an odd scene. More than half empty, the immediate visual was that of someone who couldn’t afford much. At further inspection, some of the contents showed otherwise. Along with a few dairy essentials were a six-pack of some dark specialty beer, two packages of Iberico Samplers, an unopened box of gourmet chocolate, and a half-full bottle of Krug Grand Cuvee. Julian would most likely let that go to waste, so she giddily poured herself a glass before retiring to the couch to watch TV.
    Nothing kept her attention so she gave up flipping through channels and zoned out to a re-run of Will and Grace . Oh, how she’d love to have a “Will” of her own. Why couldn’t Tate be gay, dammit? Things would be less complicated, and she’d have a man who met all her needs…well, most of them. Lexy laughed at herself and the ridiculous things she mused about, coming to the conclusion that she was probably just missing her dad or feeling lonely with her fiancé gone. Gay or not, Julian wouldn’t allow Tate to become a part of Lexy’s life, so she wondered what the hell she was doing even trying to be friends. Yet, somehow, her mind seemed to slide in his direction, working free of her will to avoid it.
    When she finally gave up on television, she showered and got ready for bed. Knowing Julian would be slipping into bed at some point, she planned to go topless with a pair of light-blue silk panties. She sat on the edge of the bed, setting her phone alarm for the morning when she noticed something sticking out from under the nightstand. It looked like a business card. She slid it out with her toe, then bent over to retrieve it. Her stomach sank when she flipped the card over and saw the name of the business: Bowers’ Flowers.
    Her mind shot back to when she’d received the card from Tate. What had she done with it? It was possible it was in her pocket or purse and slipped out when she was there. Her heart beat faster as various reasons for the card’s presence ran through her mind, none of which would end well. No, this wasn’t happening again . Panic shot through her system, almost causing her to get dressed and go home to see if she still had the card. Instead, she took it to her purse and shoved it into a slot in the back. No matter what the reason, she needed to have faith in Julian. Otherwise, how could she ever consider marrying him?
    As she lay awake taking deep breaths, she focused on all the wonderful things Julian was doing to take care of her. He’d always been a generous man, no matter how controlling. It didn’t make her weak. Thankfully, she’d had enough champagne that worry would not keep her awake and soon the ceiling faded to black.
    At some point during the night, a warm hand