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his mouth kicked up in an
almost-smile. "Do you want to see my bank statements or would you
prefer a letter from my property manager?"
    "You have a property manager too? But I
thought you renovated that house yourself."
    "I did. He looks out for suitable places for
me to fix up and sell off to make a quick profit. He approaches the
owners with an offer then brokers the deal. I pay him a
commission."
    "You're beginning to sound like Reece."
    His gaze held mine for a long moment then he
looked away. "So it's settled. I'll pay for Robbie's tuition."
    I couldn't see any other option but to give
in. I wasn't really sure why I was fighting him, except that it
stuck in my throat to take anything from Blake these days. It made
me feel beholden to him and I didn't like feeling that way with
anyone. I was a West and Wests stood on their own two feet.
    "Where do you live?" I asked Robbie.
    "Nowhere in particular," he said.
    "Then you can move in here."
    "Really?" he said at the same time that Blake
said, "No!"
    "Why not?" I asked. "I have this huge house
and he needs a place to stay. I won't even ask you to pay me rent
on his behalf."
    "Don't even think about it, Cass. I'm not
letting a stranger into your home. No way."
    "You let him sleep under the same roof as
your mother."
    "I was in the room next to his. Unless you
want me to sleep here too, it's not going to happen. And Robbie, if
you disagree with me on this, I'm taking you right back to your
brother."
    Robbie plopped down on a chair at the kitchen
table. "I could sleep on the back porch. All I need is a mattress
and a blanket. Actually, you can skip the mattress." He regarded us
both and shrugged. "You lock your doors at night, right?"
    "I am not forcing you to sleep on my back
porch like a dog," I said.
    "What about the summer house?" Blake
asked.
    "My summer house?"
    "Technically it's Reece's."
    I rolled my eyes. "I haven't been inside it
for about a year. One of the windows is broken and there's all
kinds of junk piled up in there."
    "Does it have a roof?" Robbie asked.
    "Yes."
    "And a bed?"
    "Yes, but the mattress sags in the
middle."
    "Then it's better than where I've been living
all summer."
    The poor kid. Probably my back porch was a
step up from the places he'd stayed. At least here he would be safe
and out of trouble.
    "I'll clean it out this afternoon while you
teach," Blake said.
    "It'll take one person more than a day to
make that place habitable."
    "You haven't seen me work yet."
    "I wouldn't underestimate him," Robbie told
me, all seriousness. "He really is Rambo. The guy was up at dawn,
swimming and working out in the back yard."
    Blake narrowed his eyes. "How do you
know?"
    "You're not the only one who sleeps
light."
    ***
    The summer house was nestled in a stand of
trees down by the river. The gabled roof and pretty fretwork lent
it chocolate box appeal, although it was somewhat of a faded beauty
now. It had begun life as the housekeeper's cottage, but had also
been used as a guest house, lovers' retreat and storage room.
    The three of us worked together clearing out
the single bedroom and sitting room until it was time for me to
prepare for class in the conservatory. A few minutes before
two-thirty, the model and students began to arrive with no sign of
Robbie joining us. I was about to go and fetch him when he and
Blake walked in.
    Their gazes flew straight to the naked model
perched on the edge of a chair draped in red silk. Robbie blushed
to the roots of his hair and kept staring, but Blake looked away.
His cheeks were a little flushed, but he otherwise appeared
unfazed.
    He nudged Robbie with his elbow. "Close your
mouth and get to work. I'm not paying you to stare at models. Well,
actually I am, but you're supposed to paint them too."
    Robbie grinned and rocked back and forth on
his heels. "I wouldn't mind painting her. As in, using her as a
canvas, I mean."
    A couple of my students giggled.
    Blake shoved him. "Sit down and do what
Cassie tells you. If I find