Free Not Quite Perfect (Oakland Hills Book 3) by Gretchen Galway Page A

letters in solid colors.
    Zack sneezed.
    “Bless you,” April said, making the T a lovely shade of blinding yellow.
    He sneezed again. “Sorry,” he said, sniffling.
    She turned. “I hate flying. I always catch something.”
    “No,” he said, looking up and meeting her gaze. “It’s just allergies. This building’s a little dusty.”
    Rita popped her head around the wall. “Oh, please tell them that. Please? I’ve been begging to get an air filter in here.” Rita’s nerves around the consultant had calmed down as soon as he’d assured her, right before the holiday weekend, that the art department’s accomplishments were impressive given its limited resources.
    “To whom do you direct your begging?” he asked.
    “Harry Charron,” Rita said. “The facilities manager.”
    When Zack opened his small leather notebook in his palm and made a note, Rita flashed April a thumbs-up.
    “Say, Zack,” Rita said, smiling. “It’s quiet around here today. What do you say we all go out to lunch together? Since you’re done with us as targ—I mean, subjects—it might be nice for you to, you know, just relax.”
    “Lunch?” he asked. The look he gave April made her flush.  
    This was crazy. She was imagining things. He ran that probing look over everything, even the department water dispenser. “I’m sorry,” April said, “but I have to get back to Oakland. I’m only here in the mornings this week.”
    “Oh, right. Sorry,” Rita said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to steal the bosses’ babysitter.”
    After an awkward pause, Rita flinched and covered her mouth with her hand. Until now, they’d managed to avoid any references to April’s family connection. Johnson was such a common name, and April so new, with a low profile, it hadn’t come up.
    “Babysitter?” Zack asked.
    “I’m—shit,” April explained.
    Rita took an interest in the carpeting, as if searching for dust mites.
    Well, it hadn’t been Rita’s idea to hire the owners’ sister, and it was bound to come up sooner rather than later.
    April put her hands on her hips, glad she’d worn Fite Fitness today, which should make her seem like a serious employee, a committed corporate worker bee, an ideal member of the team.
    “I watch Merry in the afternoons,” April told him. “Didn’t I mention that earlier? That I’m only part-time?”
    There. The truth, but kind of sneaky-like.
    Zack frowned. “Merry?”
    “Merry Johnson.” Heart pounding, April sat in her chair and reached for her herbal tea. She didn’t want him to know she was just a family hire. He wouldn’t look at her the same way again.
    Whatever way that was…
    “My niece,” she said finally. “You know, the baby?”
    “Johnson,” he said. His eyes widened as he figured it out. “You’re Liam’s sister.”
    She decided against faking too much innocence. He’d probably see right through it. “Yes,” she said, and left it at that.
    He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. April glanced at Rita, who mouthed sorry .
    April waved it away with a smile and turned to her computer. It was for the best. Hopefully, knowing he was the client’s sister, he might tone down the smoldering a little bit. If that’s what he was doing. Tall and dark was hot, even in a suit.
    Imagine what he’d look like in faded jeans and an old T-shirt. Or jeans and no T-shirt. Or no anything…
    “That’s why you were here when I met you. You’re family,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you’d broken in.”
    “Sorry,” April said, brushing aside the daydream. “You startled me.”
    “All this time I thought I was protecting—” He cut himself off, his gaze shifting to Rita. “I don’t understand. Why the conspiracy?”
    Rita, nervous again, twisted her fingers through her hair. “It was just a misunderstanding. I never meant to hide—”
    “ I did,” April said. She should’ve told him on her first official day, when she tripped over him in