out, her long legs and graceful movements looking perfect in leggings and a warm sweater dress covered with a tweed coat and a pull-on wool hat. She slid into the back seat of the smaller SUV behind Tommy. “Hi, guys. Thanks for thinking of me, this should be fun.”
Tommy chuckled. “Only you would think shopping for offices would be fun.”
Amanda swatted his arm playfully. “You should definitely be excited. A new place to call your business home? That’s exactly the start of some people’s dreams.”
Tommy continued looking forward and missed as Samantha glanced at him, noting the sober tilt to his lips and the way worry furrowed his brow.
He was hiding something from Amanda, but what could it be? Maybe he didn’t want Amanda to know something about his business.
Samantha kept quiet until they got to the first street where the first building was available. “Okay, so this first one just came on the market. It has a beautiful lobby with about eight different offices. A modified kitchen or breakroom is along the far wall. A restroom for each gender completes the ensuite style of the building. There’s even a great reception area that is designed to feel more open than closed.” Samantha had done her research on what made for a good therapy office and then she’d searched out what could fit those needs in the available listings in Mistletoe and surrounding towns. Only three options came up and only two were nice enough to show.
They climbed from the rig and Samantha used her realtor access to get into the building, waiting for Tommy and Amanda to pass her by as she held the door open for them.
Tommy nodded thanks, keeping his eyes on Amanda as she walked ahead of him.
After they were in the building, Samantha motioned for them to move around. “Go ahead and look around. Try to imagine what your own brand would do in here, Mr. Declan. There are different ways to set up therapy offices. Are you one-on-one or does your practice specialize in group work?” Again, Samantha had done her research. She didn’t want to drop the ball as his realtor.
Tommy looked at her, startled. “Um. Both? I think we offer both. Yes. We do.” He cleared his throat and glanced at Amanda who hadn’t been paying attention.
Both? She hadn’t read anything on a therapy office offering more than one type, but that didn’t mean they didn’t do it. He didn’t seem certain one way or the other. Wouldn’t a therapist know that about their practice?
Amanda motioned toward the windows in the front and the skylight above the lobby area. “Look at the lighting in here. You could do some great things with this space.”
“If you do group therapy, the other building will be a better option. There are larger conference rooms in there and much larger bathrooms.” Samantha narrowed her eyes as Tommy ignored what she said and hovered at Amanda’s side. He nodded to something she murmured that Samantha wasn’t able to hear and they moved further into the building.
Maybe what Samantha needed to do was give them some time. The vibe she was getting from Tommy, though, wasn’t that he wanted to search for a building, more like he wanted to spend time with Amanda. If given the choice, he wasn’t choosing with a very business-minded focus.
The rest of the showings went similar and as Samantha parted from Tommy and Amanda, she couldn’t help wondering just how much of what he’d said about needing a space was true.
Instead of returning to the office, Samantha turned the car toward home. Not stopping until she pulled into the driveway and parked. Inside, she called out for Austin, listening to hear where he might be.
“I’m downstairs.” His deep husky voice pulled her toward him and she tossed her coat and gloves onto the couch as she passed. Downstairs, Samantha rushed toward Austin, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling herself close to him. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“Long day?” Austin hugged her back. He knew everything about Samantha. That’s what happened when you fell for your best-friend. They knew everything about you and loved you anyway.
“Yeah, but I didn’t have a lot of work.” Samantha leaned back, just enough to see his face. She pursed her lips. “I think my new client, Tommy Declan, has a thing for Amanda?” She asked it, because while she’d seen it, she couldn’t help wondering about all of the questions he’d raised with her when