Yes.
Kallie was simply ... tired.
He opened the door and smiled, and even though she was torn on what to do, the sight made her heart beat wildly in her chest. She didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed with him, but she did know one thing.
It felt good looking up into his hazel eyes.
Chapter 13
Kallie
“I’m sorry for the trickery,” Ash said. “But when you didn’t call, I figured I probably had to take matters into my own hands.”
Kallie had absolutely no idea how to feel about that. He intentionally conned her? Like James had? It seemed the two of them had more in common than she figured. She wanted to turn and leave. Wanted to walk away from the scenario and gain some semblance of control back.
But then Ash said the magic words she never could refuse from anyone.
“I was serious, though. About getting organized.”
“It wasn’t even you that called,” Kallie said. “And your apartment looks fine from where I’m standing.”
“I want to donate all those clothes from my father’s second wife,” he said. “You know, clear out some room for other things.”
Ash stepped off to the side, allowing her to make a choice. Did she go in and take the bait? Or did she turn and walk away. Kallie cocked an eyebrow as her eyes scanned the part of his apartment she could see. Everything had a place. Everything looked neat. But she was familiar with that massive closet full of clothes and she knew a bunch of local areas that could use donations such as those.
Battered women. Single mothers. Thrift stores that catered to the homeless. Social services that helped parents trying to redeem themselves by finding jobs and appropriate outfits for interviews.
She couldn’t let all of those charities go without simply because of her own personal feelings.
“Then I’m going to treat this like I would any other client,” Kallie said.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, since I’m going to be paying you.”
“Are you sure you want to organize and declutter?” she asked. “It comes at a high emotional cost. More than most people understand. Of course, I would work with you to find an appropriate place to donate all of your items that fits your ethical and moral code. And at any time during the process, we can stop and talk about what you’re feeling. I’m here not just to help you organize, but to help you process the emotions behind it.”
“And I’m thankful for that,” he said. “It’s time I made a few changes around this place anyway. I’m going to be sticking around the city for a while, so making some room in my life seems like a good place to start.”
Kallie’s eyebrows hiked up onto her forehead. Was he serious? Ash was staying in the city? What for? Had something happened?
Was he sticking around for her?
“Come along,” Ash said. “We’ll head back to the closet.”
Kallie followed him through the house and her mind was swirling. If Ash was serious about sticking around in the city, did that mean he was serious about her? Was she ready for him to be serious about her? Kallie drew in a deep breath as they walked into the closet. She had to keep it professional. Keep it light, by the book, and she didn’t need to deviate. If anything, this would be a good time to figure out where Ash’s head was emotionally. That was part of the services she offered. Emotional coaching as well as coaching on organizational skills.
“So! How should we start?” Ash asked.
“This isn’t usually the part I’m employed for,” Kallie said. “I give a quote, set forth a plan, then bring in movers and helpers to do this part.”
“I’ll pay you double whatever you quote me, and you can pick whatever you want from the closet to keep.”
“We agreed to keep this professional, Ash.”
“And I countered your offer. A businessman to a businesswoman,” he said.
Kallie pursed her lips before a grin rose on her cheeks. She did technically tell the random woman on the phone she’d come over and help her today. So she sort of roped herself into packing all of it up when she came over. She was a sucker for someone crying on the other end of the line. She couldn’t stand people who were sad. Kallie was a helper. Willing to sacrifice anything about herself to make someone’s life a little easier to bear.