I glance through the window of my office, which looks out at the round driveway that circles around the front of the house.

I see a big van pull up, painted light pink with a cute, animated Maid In Miami logo across the side.

Shoot. She’s here.

I have to tell her. I have to just come clean and be real about who I am and accept the fact that she’s probably going to never come here again.

I lean back in my chair and crane my neck a bit to get a better view in between the white slats of the plantation shutters.

Four women pile out of the van, each carrying different cleaning supplies and materials.

And then…there’s Lilly. Dressed more casual for her on-site work, she’s got on faded jeans and a Maid In Miami T-shirt. She’s wearing bright white sneakers and that same adorably bouncy ponytail she had the other day.

She’s holding an iPad, smiling and chatting with the cleaning crew, gesturing at different parts of the house from the outside.

I wonder if she’s expecting to see the gardener. Well, she’s about to. Sort of.

The knock on the front door breaks my train of thought, and I quickly jump up, shut my laptop, and walk out of the office.

Without really thinking about it, I shut the heavy, white wood doors to the office and lock them with the keys in my pocket, deadbolting that room shut. It doesn’t need much cleaning, anyway.

I head down the long hallway and swing the door open, swallowing an unfamiliar tingle of nerves.

“Oh!” Lilly jolts back, her blue eyes widening as a smile pulls. “It’s…you.”

I suck in a breath and shrug. “It’s me.”

“I just thought you’d be…” She glances over her shoulder at the mangrove bush where the unforgettable sprinkler accident happened. “Outside.”

“Well, actually I…” I pause, looking at her. The vibrant determination on her face sending electricity through her expression.

She gazes at me, not trying to hide her own attraction.

I clear my throat and jut my chin back toward the kitchen. “I just came in for a water break. Theodore…isn’t here.”

The lie tastes a tad bitter, but I decide quickly and impulsively to just follow my gut. Just for a second. Just for a little.

“Oh, okay.” She smiles brightly, thankfully not noticing that I don’t seem to have a drop of sweat or smudge of dirt anywhere on me. “Well, this is my crew.” Lilly turns around and introduces the women behind her. “Diana, Leah, Kristi, and Beth.”

I nod and wave at the women.

“This is TJ,” Lilly continues confidently. “He’s the gardener.”

“Nice to meet you all.” I offer easy smiles to the cleaning crew.

They exchange pleasantries in return, and Lilly tilts her chin back up to meet my gaze, fire sparking behind her eyes. “You sure he’s not here?”

He’s standing right in front of you.

“Positive.” I raise my brows apologetically. “But I’m sure it’s fine if you guys go ahead and get started. I’m pretty sure he wanted your team to just jump on in.”

She walks past me into the entryway, gesturing for her crew to head into the house and start getting a feel for it. “He told you that?” She tips her head.

“Oh, um, yeah he…” I scratch the back of my neck, realizing suddenly I’m going to have to become a slightly better liar if I have any intention of keeping this up. “He mentioned it.”

“Oh.” Lilly nods, her focus quickly shifting to the house around her and away from me. “Well, thank you so much for talking to him.” She looks over her shoulder and gives me a sweet smile. “I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no worries,” I say, a bit sheepishly. “Oh, one thing I should tell you though, he keeps his office locked when he’s not home. I guess it’s his…personal space. So you can probably just stay out of that room.”

“Huh…” Lilly considers this for a second before quickly rolling her eyes and giving a shrug. “Rich business people. Between you and me…they’re all weirdos,” she whispers with a soft giggle, leaning close enough to give me a jolt.

I force a laugh. “You’re not wrong.”

And she’s not. Considering that I, a rich business person, am currently pretending to be a gardener so she doesn’t know who I really am, I’d say I definitely fall under the category of weirdo.