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had to get things done.
    “I think Dewey’s got it,” Gus called, and gestured to the building farther down the path between the house and barn. Empty beneath for social gatherings, and upstairs was Adam’s quarters. “Get Dani working on decorating the meeting house. I want that done so there’s nothing to worry about tomorrow.”
    He nodded and avoided Gus’s gaze. Tomorrow everyone would be run ragged and decorating would be the last thing on anyone’s mind.
    Adam grabbed his T-shirt and dragged it over his sweat-soaked neck as he stalked back to the house. No voices sounded inside, but the rustle of bags drew him to the kitchen.
    Carlee was in there instead of Danyiah, gathering up empty bags and rolling them together. She grinned at him, left the bags on the breakfast bar, and strolled over. “Hey.”
    “Hi.” He glanced around again. “Jackson?”
    “Taking some things to the freezer in the basement.” Carlee leaned in the kitchen doorframe, her thick bangs shifting and nearly cutting over her eyes. “She’s not very friendly.”
    “Friend of Gus’s or something,” he said mildly.
    “How long is she here?”
    Yet another question he’d been unable to ascertain an answer to. He parted his lips to speak when the basement door slammed just behind him.
    Speak of the devil. She had a demonic glare to her eyes, too.
    Yep. Nothing going anywhere between us .
    He cleared his throat and tried to look just as stern. “Gus wants you to decorate the meeting hall for the dance and that tomorrow.”
    “With what? Am I supposed to make decorations with toilet paper and glitter?”
    Jesus, she was in an even pissier mood than usual. He ground his teeth. “No, there are decorating supplies in the damn building. Of course, I could decorate it, if you’d rather head out there and build a fence in my stead.”
    She glowered.
    Carlee wisely took a step back.
    “Fine!” Dani gestured toward the door and gave a mock bow. “Lead the way.”
    Adam was going to pull his hair out at any minute.
    He strode out the front door, into the almost liquid June heat, still carting his T-shirt clutched tightly in his fist. She followed, all but right on his damn heels, down the winding path to the building in question.
    The wraparound porch groaned under their steps. He swung the screen door open and unlocked the inner one to let her inside.
    Bulbs hung from the open rafters. He didn’t bother turning them on—it wasn’t needed with the bright sunlight streaming through the open windows. Several long tables were stacked to one side while chairs were stacked to the other. Half a dozen boxes sat on the floor near the door, all marked DECORATIONS.
    He pulled the spare key from his pocket and pressed it into her palm. Desire snaked through his body at the contact, at having her so near, and his heart thumped hard. For several moments, as she gazed up at him, kissable lips slightly parted, he completely forgot what he’d been planning to say.
    Adam gave himself a mental shake and dropped his hand again while her fingers coiled around the key. “You’re in charge of this room tomorrow. Lock up today when you leave, and tomorrow before the guests arrive. The room will be open to the public in the evening, so you’ll need to make sure the food and drink supplies are in there then. No one goes in or out until then. Got it?”
    She nodded and tucked the key in her pocket.
    He gestured to the boxes. “There you go. Have fun, princess.”
    To the far left, behind a curtain, lay the stairs to his loft apartment above, and he brushed past her, headed straight there.
    “Where are you going?” she said immediately.
    Like it was any of her damn business. “Upstairs—where I live—to shower. Can you not handle some balloons and streamers on your own for a bit?”
    She glowered and bent over in answer, jerking the lid off the box and offering him a view of her extremely fine backside.
    Adam shook his head and jogged upstairs in a