dining room held a table big enough to seat eight. Bar stools lined up against a kitchen island though the kitchen was out of sight.
An in-wall aquarium behind the bar in the living room held the fish heâd told Jazi about.
âThis way,â Jethro said. âWeâll get her settled then Iâll give you a tour.â
Heâd offered to carry Jazi, but she was too precious for Lexi to give her up just yet.
He led the way down a hall and opened a door on the right. âThis will be you.â Moving on a few feet, he opened a door on the left. âAnd this is Jasmine.â He scowled at the low, short childâs bed. âThereâs been a mistake. This should be a crib. Iâll call down and get housekeeping to send someone up to fix it.â
âNo.â Lexi placed Jazi on the bed and covered her with a blanket conveniently draped over the foot of the bed. âI told them to set up the bed. Diana recently told me Jazi has taken to climbing out of her crib. At least this way if she gets up in the night, she wonât have a four-foot drop.â
Jethro ran a hand over the back of his neck. âNo, we wouldnât want that.â
Lexi fussed over Jazi for another couple of minutes, taking off her shoes and tucking Rainbow, her new pet fish, under the blanket with her.
She looked up at Jethro. âThank you for this,â she said. âThank you so much for giving her back to me.â
He went still before slowly nodding. âWe need to make it through the next three months first.â
âI havenât forgotten.â Undeterred she kissed Jaziâs soft cheek. âBut thatâs just a matter of time. Soon itâll be the two of us and we can start our life together.â She exited the room and pulled the door mostly closed, leaving only an inch open so she could hear Jazi if she woke up.
When she glanced up at Jethro, his eyes were shuttered. He nodded toward double doors at the end of the hall. âThatâs me.â
âOh. Youâre close.â
He made no comment to that. Didnât really need to. Still, she found it a little unnerving to know he was only a few feet down the hall.
From the desk in her room and the shelves and books, she figured the space must have been his office. âIâm putting you out.â
âItâs only for a few months.â He shrugged her statement away. âI do most my work downstairs. Itâs no big deal.â
He struck her as a creature of habit, so she rather thought it was more of a deal than he made out, but this arrangement was his idea so she was all right with that. Sheâd do her best to keep Jaziâs sticky little fingers out the books but if he suffered a few casualties, it was on him.
He showed her the bathrooms, she and Jazi each had their own, the kitchenâa cookâs dreamâand the media room. Like the living room, the furnishings were sleek and modern throughout but built for comfort. It was all a tad too minimalist for her tastes but it fit the game the themed hotel was based on so she got it. And the sheer luxury of it made up for a deficit of style.
The apartment exceeded the size of hers by double the square footage yet still seemed small with Jethro standing next to her. The idea of sharing this space with him for the next three months unnerved her on so many levels.
In the kitchen she opened the refrigerator and a couple of cupboards. They were empty except for ground coffee beans and stale crackers.
âI eat out a lot or order my meals from room service.â He explained. âI donât expect you to cook, but I understand youâll need to have food on hand. Make up a list and Iâll have groceries delivered.â
âThatâs okay. I prefer to do my own shopping.â Yep, she was already looking for an excuse to escape for a few hours. âI like to cook.â
He lifted a dark brow at her claim, but didnât
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