1Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1)(34)



“What the hell, Dahlia? You should have waited for me.” Julian doesn’t give me a chance to grab the mask from him. Instead, he covers the lower half of my face before fixing the straps in the back so my hair doesn’t poof up.

To think I said romance is dead.

“Are you seeing this?” I wave toward the stairs with a muffled voice.

“I’m sure smelling it.”

“Where’s your mask?”

“I only had one left.” His nose scrunches again before he sneezes.

I reach for my mask, only for Julian to push my hands down. The graze of his fingers against my knuckles sends a pleasant zing down my spine.

Oh Dahlia. You’re a lost cause.

“I’m fine,” he says with a sniffle.

“No need to act chivalrous without an audience.”

He shoots me a look before walking toward the foyer beneath the stairs. “First impression of the place?”

“I’m in love.”

His right brow rises. “Just like that, huh?”

“Just like that,” I repeat as I note the detailed wood moldings throughout the space. “I mean, look at all the details.”

“Whatever carpenter they hired did a great job. Termite damage aside, the craftsmanship is impeccable.” He runs a hand over the baluster.

“Think you could replicate it?” I ask without thinking much of it.

His hand freezes. “I don’t do carpentry anymore.”

“What? Since when?”

With the way he becomes engrossed with a light switch, one might believe he was born before electricity was invented. “A while.”

“Why?” My high-pitched voice echoes around us. Julian had the talent to turn a block of wood into a work of art with nothing but a few tools and a single idea.

To think he stopped…

He shrugs. “I got busy.”

“I refuse to believe this.”

He checks his watch. “I have a meeting in thirty, so let’s keep going.”

My eyes narrow. “We’re not done with this conversation.”

“All right. Make sure to bring it up again when you’re ready to talk about why you and Oliver broke up,” he snaps.

I jerk back.

His eyes shut. “Shit. Sorry, Dahlia. That was unfair of me.” The iciness in my chest that seems to vanish in Julian’s presence returns with the strength of a blizzard.

“No worries. I’ve dealt with worse comments.” I walk around Julian, ignoring the spark that flares between us when his skin brushes against mine as I head toward the next room.

“Wait!” He yanks on my arm.

“What are you doing?” I shake him off.

He tightens his hold, making my stomach dive in the process. “You almost walked into a spiderweb.”

I look up from his arm wrapped around my middle to the massive web hanging like a curtain under the archway.

“Oh God.” I shudder.

I freaking hate spiders.

Julian releases me, taking his warmth with him. “I’ll take the lead.”

I wave a shaky hand toward the spiderweb. “Go ahead.”

“You could at least try to put up a fight about wanting to be in charge.”

“Sorry. The feminism left my body the moment you mentioned spiders.”

His lips curve at the corners. “Some things never change.”

It only takes a single smile from him to make me forget I was mad in the first place.

He used your relationship with Oliver as a weapon. Act like it!

I kill whatever buzz I felt as Julian leads the way.



Julian and I make our way through the entire house, cataloging each room and all the work that needs to be done. He writes diligent notes on his phone while I take photos of every room.

Tension between us builds with every pass of the measuring tape, leaving me cranky and desperate to go home as we get to the seventh bedroom. When I hold my hand out in a silent request, Julian holds the tape hostage.

“What?” I grind out.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Should we mark this special occasion?”

A wrinkle cuts across his forehead from how hard he frowns. “I’m sorry for what I said downstairs.”

“Fine.”

Do I forgive him for losing his cool? Yeah.

Does that mean I’m not pissed about what he said? No, seeing as this is the second time he has used my failed relationship as a weapon against me.

I bite down on my tongue hard enough to taste blood. “Tape, please.”

He doesn’t make a move to pass it, so I lift my hand and wiggle my fingers.

His deep sigh of resignation echoes off the high ceiling. “I haven’t been able to go into my dad’s woodshop since he passed away.”

My arm drops like a dead weight.

Julian continues, “I’m not sure why I’m telling you this.” He pauses for a brief second. “I mean, I know why. I feel shitty for snapping at you earlier, and this is my way of making up for it.”

“I appreciate the thought, but please feel free to stop sharing at any time.” I keep my voice flat despite my rising heart rate. Julian confessing his deepest feelings isn’t part of our arrangement.

Neither is you feeling sorry for him in light of it.

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