Heating Up by Stacy Finz Page A

containing the information about the places she wanted to check out.
    â€œDo you plan to bring Ms. Confidentiality to the office?”
    â€œI’ll have to play it by ear. But if she wants to make an offer”—Dana crossed her fingers—“we’ll have to come back here.”
    â€œGood luck and call me if you need any help.”
    â€œI will,” Dana said. “Thanks, Carol.”
    She got in her car and headed for the backroads, where most of the properties were. Some of the parcels had been for sale a long time, and Dana wanted to reacquaint herself with them. Others, especially the real remote ones, she’d never had reason to view before. But Ms. Confidentiality had made it clear she wanted off the beaten track. Dana assumed she needed a refuge from being a celebrity and her recent scandal.
    Just as she pulled up to the first place, her cell phone rang. It was the client, with a change of plans.
    * * *
    After breakfast Aidan went to Reno. Except for the airport, he hadn’t seen much of the town but knew it was called the “Biggest Little City in the World.” He could kind of see why. It had just about everything, and legal gambling to boot. At some point he’d like to come back to check out the nightlife. For now, though, he just wanted to get his blackout shades, hit Costco, and get back to Nugget.
    He found the Bed Bath & Beyond easily enough. Dana seemed to think they would have what he was looking for. Not for the first time, he wondered about the little scene he had witnessed between Dana and Griffin that morning. “Scene” was probably too strong a word for it. But there was something going on there. He could tell from Dana’s body language. She’d been upset, yet had tried to put on a brave face. Aidan noticed she did that sometimes. With the fire, when he’d gotten to Tawny’s house first, and then this morning with Griffin.
    She was an odd little duck, that was for sure. He’d never seen someone get so hung up on trivial details. Who’s going to take out the trash ? How should we sort the recyclables ? Toilet seat up or down ? He was still waiting for the bathroom schedule. Despite it, he found her highly entertaining and incredibly self-sufficient. And it certainly didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes.
    Inside the store, he found the drapery aisle, and sure enough, they had exactly what he was looking for. He loaded a few shades into a cart and paid at the cash register. An hour later, he hit the highway back to Nugget, his truck filled with groceries. The scenery changed every few miles or so, from high desert to green forest. From his first visit, he’d felt an affinity for the land, so different from his native Midwest. His family was convinced he’d come to lick his wounds after the debacle with Sue. But for a long time he’d been thinking about change, about uprooting himself from a life that had become too predictable and staid.
    At home, he put everything away and installed his shades, pulling them up and down to make sure they worked right. Closed, they cocooned the room in restful darkness. Yeah, he thought to himself, the place was definitely coming together.
    After lunch he decided to get the remainder of his stuff from Sloane and Brady’s, making the quick drive across town. His sister was home, sitting in the living room, reading a wedding magazine, when he got there.
    â€œYou all moved in?” She got up from the couch and began waving her hand in front of his face.
    â€œWhat the hell is the matter with you?”
    â€œNothing.” Again with the crazy hand movements.
    â€œDon’t you have to work?” he asked.
    â€œI’m graveyard tonight. Should I wear this?” She stuck her knuckle under his nose, and that was when he saw it. The ring.
    Aidan let out a low whistle. “How much that set Brady back?”
    â€œA lot. But I’m worth it.”
    He grabbed