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  “Gabe and Logan Trahan are coming in for a meeting today,” Elena said. “You knew that first night we went in for drinks that we were trying to convince them to hire us.”

  Addison nodded and crossed her arms over her middle. Okay, Gabe and Logan were coming into Monroe & LeBlanc. No big deal. Addison would just hide out while they were here. And every other time they were scheduled for a meeting.

  “Well, they finally came around,” Elena said. “They called for a meeting about two weeks ago.”

  “That’s . . . great.” It was. Trahan’s Tavern was a gorgeous old French Quarter building that definitely needed the best restoration architects in the city. Monroe & LeBlanc were those architects.

  Which Addison just might have mentioned to Gabe a time or two. Or five.

  Before she’d known she’d be working here, of course.

  “You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?” Elena asked point-blank.

  “I did mention to Gabe that you are the best,” Addison said. “And I absolutely love his building. It would be an amazing project.”

  Elena sighed. “Well, shit.”

  Addison chewed her bottom lip.

  “So he might have hired us because he’s sleeping with you?” Elena asked.

  “What?” Addison shook her head quickly. “No, he doesn’t even know I’m working here. I never told him. I mean, he knew I was consulting, but he doesn’t know I’ve taken the job and moved here. Like I said, it was a fling. I kept it going longer than I’d intended and longer than I should have, but it’s nothing serious, and it’s over now.” Again, her heart clenched in her chest. Dammit.

  “You don’t have any interest in the project, then?” Elena asked. “You didn’t encourage him to hire us thinking you could work on the tavern?”

  Addison stared at her. The building was amazing. It was exactly the kind of project that Addison would love to tackle. It was the quintessential French Quarter building in the Creole style, built in the early 1800s. Those buildings were one of the things she loved best about New Orleans, and the chance to work on them was one of the reasons she’d taken the job offer from Monroe & LeBlanc. But she would never sleep with someone to get a project.

  “I don’t know how to respond to that,” she told Elena. “I would never do that.”

  Elena let out a breath. “Okay, good. I mean, I know. At least, I hope so. I just . . . had to ask.”

  “No, you didn’t have to ask,” Addison said. “But I really think it would be best if I wasn’t here when Gabe and Logan come in. I’ll take my lunch break during that meeting.”

  Elena looked pained. “I’m sorry, Addison. I didn’t mean to insult you. This is just . . . unexpected.”

  “It’s nothing,” Addison said firmly. “Gabe Trahan and I are over.”

  And eventually her heart would probably stop clenching every time she thought or said those words.

  Elena looked at the bouquet of magnolias. “Are you sure he knows that?”

  Addison sighed. She had really hoped to get away with just never setting foot in Trahan’s again, and that would be that. But okay, she was maybe going to have to be a grown-up about this. Especially if her firm was doing the restoration of his bar.

  “I’ll talk to him,” she told Elena.

  “You sure you can break it off?”

  Addison shrugged. “He will.”

  “You sure?”

  “Definitely.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because I have something that always sends men running in the opposite direction. A five-year-old daughter.”

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  (yep, you'll need a kindle or the kindle app for this one... the rest of the series will be available everywhere!)

  And be sure you look out for book two, Taking It Easy, and book three, Nice and Easy!