The Admirer's Secret by Pamela Crane Read Free Book Online Page B

designed my house around them.”
    “Oh really? You built your own house?”
    “Yep, me and my dad. And the way I planned it, I wanted all the rooms to have a view of the lake, facing the west, so I wouldn’t miss a sunset no matter where I was in the house.”
    “Wow, that’s amazing. How did you do it?”
    “Let’s just say it was an architectural nightmare.”
    “Well, it’s nice to meet someone who appreciates the finer things in life,” she said as her grin reached a smile. A man after my own heart .
    After reaching the second- story landing, Haley led him into her modern office. She walked him over to a glass and chrome desk accented by black and white still lifes on the walls. Pointing to the computer, Haley said, “There’s the cause of all my problems.”
    Marc chuckled after she said it, his laugh wonderfully contagious. “Well, if that’s the only problem you have, that’s not too bad.”
    “Well, it’s the problem of the day,” Haley exclaimed, hands raised in defense. “Trust me—it’s been a problem, alright. I think it lost some very important files, but I swear I didn’t do anything to make the computer go ballistic.”
    “You probably didn’t. Sometimes they just have a mind of their own. Just be glad it didn’t go all Terminator on you.”
    “And all this time I thought I was crazy. But at least I can sleep at night now that I know I’m not the crazy one.”
    “Well, that’s yet to be determined,” Marc teased.
    “Aren’t you a funny guy?” Haley retorted. “Don’t quit your day job. Or night job… whatever this is for you.” She shot him a flirtatious grin, which he immediately returned. As she admired his radiant smile, a compelling sense of claustrophobia crept up on her. The room shrunk around her, and the temperature skyrocketed. She impulsively fanned her face, trying to do anything but break a sweat right there in front of him. The longer he gazed at her with those chocolate eyes, the more intense it got. She needed air. Now.
    “Oh, I’m a horrible hostess! Do you want anything to drink?” It was the only excuse she could think of to leave the room for a breath, but it was spoken too soon. She had an empty fridge, with the exception of bottled water.
    “I would love something. What do you have?”
    Shoot. “Well, right now all I have is water, but it’s cold. Is that okay?” Haley vowed to never let her fridge get this empty ever again.
    “That sounds perfect. Just what I wanted,” Marc replied with a wink.
    “Okay, I’ll be right back. And I accept tips.”
    “Tip one is to not eat over your keyboard.” He overturned the keyboard, spilling crumbs all over the desk.
    “How did those get there?” she feigned innocence. “I’m pretty sure I bought it that way. Well, let me get that water before you find anything else in there.”
    Haley traipsed down the stairway. She pictured the loonish grin on her face, but she couldn’t help it. Marc was getting cuter and sweeter by the minute, and she couldn’t help but notice the vacant ring finger on his left hand. While she didn’t make it a practice to check the hands of most men she met, his smile won her over. And those eyes! Deep brown, flecked with a hint of yellow. The setting sun sliced against them when Marc first came in, giving Haley a full view of their splendor. Out! She had to push the thoughts out.
    But inside her scheming mind, she considered planning her next “computer problem.” Catching herself, she brushed that thought away, fearing she was becoming desperate. She was only twenty-seven and in no rush to settle down. She was single and happy. She had hopes of writing film scripts, seeing the world, living for herself. Not dreams of falling for random computer repairmen. There was no room in her life for a guy right now. But the thought that there was some bigger plan in control lingered on her mind.
    Opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water, she observed the bare shelves, the sight