serious suitor.â
âI take it sheâs happy with the notion?â
âRidiculously so.â Lexie placed her hands on her hips and walked around his apartment, eyeing the mess left by the burglar. âSo are you working today?â she asked.
He shook his head. âI took the day off. After everything thatâs gone on, my editor didnât mind and I needed time to figure all this out.â
âNot to mention the fact that you need to clean up?â
He groaned. âPlease donât remind me.â
âHow about I help you instead?â
He hesitated, surprised by the offer. âI couldnât ask you to do that.â
She smiled. âYou didnât. Besides what better way to get to know the real you than by helping you sort through your personal effects?â
She scanned the items spread across the room and frowned, an adorable pout that brought back memories of her lips on his, her tongue deep in his throat.
âUnless youâd rather do it alone?â she asked, oblivious to his wandering thoughts, which he reined in.
âAre you kidding?â he asked. âIâd appreciate the help and the company. I canât say I kept the place in great shape before the robbery, so anything we do might be an improvement.â
âGreat. Letâs get started.â She walked over to the bookshelf and began picking up his hardcovers one by one, replacing them by height.
Joining her, he stacked the books, handing her one at a time. They worked in comfortable silence for a while, then started talking about the books heâd kept over the years.
âHow about you?â he asked. âWhatâs your place like? Are you a neat freak or do you prefer clutter?â He couldnât judge that part of her yet.
âHmm. Thatâs a complicated question because I donât have my own place.â
He narrowed his gaze, wondering what she meant. âDo you have a roommate?â
âIn a manner of speaking.â She paused, turning to face him. âSheâs almost eighty years old, has lived in the same building for the last forty years and has a spare room she doesnât mind letting me use when Iâm around.â
âYour grandmother?â Coop recalled her mentioning that the older woman was spry for her age, but maybe she had other issues that necessitated aid.
Lexie nodded.
âDoes she need live-in help?â
âGod, no! Sheâd slap you for even suggesting such a thing.â Her eyes twinkled at the thought. âGrandma is as independent as they come. But she has a spare bedroom and I figure whatâs the point of paying rent all year round when Iâm not there on a consistent basis?â
A sick feeling settled in his gut. As much as heâd like to ignore this subject, the more he knew the better prepared heâd be. âHow often do you leave town? Or should I ask how long you stay around?â
âIt all depends. I can go on short trips for a few weeks at a time or monthly journeys if I choose to. Thatâs the beauty of my line of work. I can stay connected and do it from almost anywhere.â
He shook his head, unable to understand the appeal of her lifestyle. âWhy leave?â
She spread her hands in front of her as if the answer were obvious. âSometimes itâs a new venue I want to see, other times I just get antsy staying in one place for too long.â
Just like his ex, Annie, who had loved her job as a flight attendant. Which hadnât threatened him at all at first. The insecurities came later, when sheâd take on more flights, finding excuses not to come home.
He pushed the thoughts and similarities aside. Lexie wasnât his ex. He didnât know her well yet or even understand her motives for how she lived.
But he remained curious. âSo those books we talked about your having read and liked? You donât own them? What about stuff? Donât you need