Rod shook his head and gave Tiberius a confused look. “All right, what’s goin’ on with you? You’re more cynical than usual.”
Tiberius shrugged his shoulders. “You know, Rod, all the women I know, and I don’t think I’ll ever figure them out.”
“Which one’s got you in an uproar now?” Rod asked, preparing himself for one of the colorful stories Tiberius always had to tell about his long list of female friends.
Tiberius fidgeted with the silverware peeking from the edge of his napkin. “It’s not one woman, actually, just women in general. From the crazy and scary to the terrific and nurturing,” he said, thinking of his patient, Marilyn Joffey. “Guess I can’t help thinking how great it’d be to find
the
one without all the craziness that tends to go along with it.”
Rod kept his gaze on the table. “And you’re sure this has nothing to do with you being ready to fall in love and take the step?”
“Positive,” Tiberius assured his friend, though his voice had lost a bit of its edge. “With that house sitting empty, I guess maybe the entire commitment thing’s been on my mind more lately. That
cottage was my grandmother’s favorite, you know?” He slanted Rod a quick smile and then shook his head. “I always asked her why she didn’t just get rid of the headache of those houses and sell them. She could’ve made a killing. She told me there was something solid about a house, how the folks inside had plans for longevity. She loved renting to couples.”
The waitress returned with fresh drinks. She was far less talkative than before, obviously sensing a more serious mood had fallen over her two patrons.
Rod thanked her with a smile and a brief nod. He knew better than anyone how close Tiberius had been to his late grandmother Janice Evans. It was one reason why he’d maintained the houses instead of selling them as he’d been advised. She had been more of a parent to Tiberius than his own had been.
Hoping to pull his friend out of the doldrums that overshadowed Tiberius whenever he thought of Janice, Rod knocked his fist to the table and grinned. “Funny you should mention the cottage. I might be able to help you out with that.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, it’s no couple, but I’ve got a friend who’s thinking of moving out of the city and I told her I knew somebody who rented houses and I’d check it out for her.”
Tiberius nodded and sent Rod a knowing smirk. “I don’t see any problem with it, but how high-strung is she?”
“Hmph, the woman works too hard to be high-strung,” Rod noted.
Tiberius stroked the smooth skin of his jaw. “What does she do?”
“She works with me at Grant and Shields.”
“She’s a photographer?”
“Uh-huh. She works for a lot of uh, women’s magazines. The ones that feature…nude art, if you get my meaning.”
Tiberius raised his brows. By the look on his face it was clear
that he was very impressed. He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a card from his wallet. “Here’s my lawyer’s card. Tell your friend to give him a call.”
C
apri’s cool, airy condominium was barely recognizable with all the boxes cluttering the floors. The elegant furniture was hidden beneath clothes, boxes and art. The entire place looked as though it had been hit by a tornado.
After Rod had told her about the house being available, Capri had wasted no time in calling the lawyer and getting the paperwork started. She had even begun the necessary steps to lease her condo. In preparation for the Bare Minimum photo campaign and going through the motions to prepare for the move from the condo, eight weeks had passed rather quickly. Between meetings with her photography crew and meetings with potential lessees for the condo, she’d had to cancel out on seeing the cottage four times already.
Still, she didn’t want to risk missing out on acquiring the place. Though she realized she hadn’t seen the house before committing to it, Capri wasn’t worried. She already knew a lot about the Seaside Trace area of Miami where the house was located and couldn’t wait to move.
Capri was in the master bedroom and almost didn’t hear the phone ringing in the living room. She had already unplugged all the phones in the other rooms, leaving only one operable. Of course, when she made it to the cluttered room, she had to take a few minutes to locate where the ringing was coming from. Shuffling through a heap of T-shirts and jeans on the sofa, she found the small slender cordless.
“Hello?” she quickly answered.
Tiberius smiled and took a moment to reply to the woman’s breathless greeting. “May I speak with Capri Timmons?”
The deep, smooth voice on the other end brought Capri up short. “This is Capri,” she replied, very softly.
“Ms. Timmons, this is Tiberius Evans. I believe you’ll be renting my house?”
“Yes, yes,” Capri answered, smiling brightly as she flopped down on the cluttered sofa. “Listen, thanks so much for letting me rent the place.”
Again, Tiberius smiled. “No problem. I’m just glad I had one available. There is one problem, though.”
“Oh no, what?”
“Well, I just don’t feel right about renting you a house you haven’t seen yet.”
Capri expressed the breath she’d been holding and gave a nervous laugh. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to keep those appointments, things have been crazy on my end.”
“Well, I’d really like you to see it,” Tiberius replied, the words sounding firm.
Running her fingers through her soft curls, Capri leaned back against the sofa. “So would I.” She sighed, silently cursing herself for not having already done so. “I’ve been a little anxious to get out of the city.”
Tiberius’s warm, deep chuckle vibrated through the phone line. “I can understand that, but I’d just feel a lot better if you saw it first. Are you free to come out and today and take a look at it?”
“I get the feeling you won’t take no for an answer?” Capri asked, finding his determination appealing.
“Only if you make me.”
The easy response sent something swirling in her chest, but it was gone before she could pinpoint what it was. At any rate, going out to see her new home as quickly as possible had been on her mind. Capri had figured she’d have to wait since her schedule was always so hectic. Today, however, would be perfect since she’d already spent her assigned half day at the studio. Sighing, she
glanced at her watch before slapping her hand against the arm of the sofa. “All right, what time?”
It didn’t take Capri very long to locate her soon-to-be new neighborhood. She’d been through the lovely, quiet area several times and always saw homes that made her eyes widen. One of her favorite pastimes had been to hop in her car and take a drive through a beautiful development.
Capri was over an hour early for her meeting with Tiberius. He’d already told her he’d be home well into the afternoon, barring any emergencies at the hospital. She decided it couldn’t hurt to head out early in case she had trouble finding the house.
Of course, every home in the neighborhood was lovely and sat on an impressive landscape. However, when Capri finally parked her chocolate Pathfinder, she was completely taken away by the house she stood in front of.
“This is it,” she breathed, taking small steps up the brick driveway that curved before the house like a horseshoe. The area of lawn growing inside the curve of the driveway was perfectly manicured and a healthy green color. The house itself looked as if it could shelter a small army. The massive brick structure sat amidst several gigantic palm trees and Capri was sure it could’ve been selected for a
Beautiful Homes
cover.
The double front door of the house was a high structure with a pair of marble columns on either side. There were bay windows on each side of the door as well as equally large windows showing along the upper level of the house. Spotlights on the roof at every corner provided security, while at the same time giving the house a modern appearance.
The rear of the house was shielded from view by a tall, wooden fence. Capri stared at the structure for a moment, before turning toward the front of the house again. Taking a deep breath she smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from her clothing. The petal-pink,
V-neck T-shirt dress she wore reached her midthigh. Her only jewelry was two pairs of tiny diamond studs in her double pierced ears and a diamond anklet.
Capri knocked on the door several times. When there was no answer, she stood on the toes of her white tennis shoes and peeked through the tiny stained-glass windows on either side of the doors. Unfortunately, it was impossible to see anything through them.
“Well, I
am
early,” Capri whispered, glancing at her watch. She had decided to wait awhile in her truck, when she heard a bass tone drifting from the back of the house.
Slowly, Capri followed the sound, pausing to listen for a moment. She could clearly detect the music coloring the air. She pushed the tall, wooden gate of the fence open and entered. Her dark eyes widened in surprise and her mouth fell open at the sight before her.
Tiberius had his back turned, while he concentrated on washing his truck. He was dressed in a pair of denim shorts that sagged below his waist and stopped just below his knees. His toned, muscular upper body was bare and glistened with sweat beneath the late-afternoon sun.
Though Tiberius was unaware that someone had just entered his backyard, Droopey was on the case. The collie saw the tiny woman standing just inside the gate and began to bark. She jumped up from her position on the large deck and ran across the yard.
Capri saw the dog heading for her, but wasn’t afraid. She knelt to the ground and prayed the animal was friendly. Her prayer was answered. Droopey sniffed the unfamiliar body for a moment and found nothing to dislike. In seconds, Droopey was licking Capri’s hands and neck.
From the corner of his eye, Tiberius saw his dog jump off the deck and looked in the direction she was heading. For a moment, he was utterly speechless. Bracing one hand against the hood of his truck, his light-brown eyes narrowed. He watched the petite, vaguely
familiar lady petting his dog. Then, after wiping the soap from his hands, he decided to investigate.
Capri was giggling helplessly from the friendly dog’s wet kisses. She stopped petting Droopey and stood when she saw a pair of heavily muscled male legs before her. When she looked into the man’s incredibly handsome face, her eyes narrowed. The same was true for Tiberius as his mouth dropped open and the beginnings of a smile began to form.
“You.”
“You.”
Each took a moment to view up close what had only been seen from a distance. Capri was the first to pull herself out of the trance. Extending her hand, she smiled.
“Dr. Tiberius Evans?”
Tibe nodded. “Capri Timmons?”
“Mmm-hmm…” Capri confirmed, unable to keep her eyes from sliding across Tiberius’ wide chest.
Tiberius noticed the direction of her gaze and glanced down. “Sorry for not being dressed. I, um…” He trailed away, looking at his watch.
In an innocent manner, Capri laid her hands across Tiberius’s wrist. “No you’re fine, I’m the one who screwed up the time. Actually I wanted to come out a little early in case I got lost.”
Tiberius just stared at Capri, not even realizing how affected he was by her touch, or that he was staring for that matter. Of course, Capri didn’t mind, since she’d been doing the same thing.
“Would you like to come inside while I change into something more appropriate?”
Capri nodded and gave him a quick smile. Tiberius waved his hand before them. His eyes never strayed as she walked past him. Once again, his gaze narrowed while he took time to admire her shapely form.
“You all right?” Tiberius asked, when he heard her tiny gasp.
Capri pushed back a curly lock of hair that had fallen from her high ponytail and nodded. “Your house is even more beautiful from the inside.”
Tiberius smiled at the compliment and took a moment to look around the bright sitting room they’d entered through the side door. The room was really a mass of sofas and armchairs situated around magazine-filled glass coffee tables. Still, it was extremely lovely.
Capri walked around the room gazing at the high ceiling. The furniture was white with gold trim. It all had her speechless.
Tiberius shook his head as though he were clearing his mind. He’d had countless women in his home, many times. Still, he’d never found himself just staring. Well, staring yes, but never in the helpless manner he was just now.
Clearing his throat, it only took a few steps to bring him next to Capri. “Do you need me to get you anything?” He politely asked, laying one hand against her waist.
Unaccustomed to the tingles running through her body, Capri took a moment to answer. Although she wasn’t some boy crazy high-school girl, she couldn’t help the path her eyes took. They slid from the top of his curly, black hair, over his incredibly handsome face and then his tall, powerful frame.
“I’m fine.” She finally answered in a small voice.
“You just make yourself comfortable then, and I’m going to change.”
Capri watched his huge, lithe body race up the stairway and shook her head. Taking advantage of the time alone, she took her own personal tour of the house. Of all the times she’d driven through the neighborhood, this was her first opportunity to see the inside of one of the houses. Surprisingly, it met with every one of her expectations. The stately appearance of the mansion on the outside had had her speechless earlier. Now, it was the cozy, lived-in yet cool elegance of the home’s interior that held her entranced.
While she was browsing, Capri had wandered into one of the
many hallways. This one in particular was filled with gorgeous paintings. Each of the large pictures seemed to begin an image that was completed on the next canvas. She’d been studying one of them and stepped back to get a better look, when she bumped against a warm, hard surface.
Tiberius brought his hands up around Capri’s upper arms and steadied her. He held her against him, then let go so quickly that the embrace might have been imagined.
“This is very nice, Dr. Evans.” Capri sighed, trying to begin conversation and hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt.
Tiberius’s sexy mouth tilted upwards in a knowing smile. He scratched one of his heavy black brows and walked away from Capri. “Are you ready to see your own place?” he called over his shoulder.
“Yes,” she breathed, grateful for the chance to break the electricity in the room.
With Droopey following along, Tiberius took Capri to the house next door. It had one huge, curving brick step leading to a lovely brick house. There were huge windows with yellow roses at the sills. Capri could see that there was a spacious patio on the rear overlooking the backyard filled with shady palms.
“Ooh, Lewey’s gonna love that big yard.”
Tiberius grinned as he unlocked the door. “Is that your little dog?”
“Yeah, that’s my baby.” Unease tinged her gaze then. “I hope it’s okay to have him out here?”
Tiberius was already waving his hand. “Droopey’ll be happy for the company,” he said, pushing the door open and then standing back to let Capri enter.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
“Something wrong?” he asked, hoping the year-old remodeling job met with her approval.
Capri looked at Tiberius as though he had two heads. “It’s perfect! Lord, look at all this space! I can’t believe how big it is!”
“Yeah, it tends to look real small from the outside,” Tiberius called, though he was sure Capri didn’t hear him. She was racing through every room ooohing and aaaahing. Crossing his arms over his chest, Tiberius leaned against the front doorjamb and watched her.
“So I take it you like it?” he asked, when she finally returned to the living room.
Capri clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. “I can’t wait to move in, Dr. Evans, I’m so glad you asked me to come see it today.”
Tiberius sighed and pulled one hand through his thick hair. “You’re welcome, but can you please start calling me by my first name? I don’t mind.”
“I certainly will. And you can call me Capri.”
“I was planning on it.”
Capri ordered herself not to become affected by the firm, deep quality of Tiberius’s voice. “Now I’m even more excited about leaving my condo,” she said, trying once more to spark conversation.