by Sara Whitney
Damn. Being dishonest to this kind woman who was worried about her son felt all kinds of wrong. Then again, she was going to be spending time with Aiden, so it wasn’t quite a lie.
“It’ll be my pleasure.” She made the promise and then immediately flushed. Did that make her sound pervy? Because there was pleasure and then there was pleasure, and Gloria didn’t know that she wasn’t referring to the second kind.
A clatter interrupted her frantic musings, and they both turned to see the large vinyl banner with the company logo tumble to the floor in a heap.
“Well, darn.” Gloria bustled over to it. “I bought a new stand for this, but nobody can get the silly thing to stay upright.”
Thea was already digging into her purse. “Hang on. I can help.” After a moment, she produced a binder clip and a hair tie and picked up the crumpled display. “If we loop this through the top and slide it over the pole, then clip it to the top of the banner, it should be good.” She spoke as she worked and quickly had the display securely fastened to the stand. “It’d take a tornado to knock it over now.”
Gloria clapped her hands. “Amazing! How’d you do that so quickly?”
Thea shrugged. “I was an admissions rep for Barton College a few years ago. I got really good at setting up and taking down displays at high school job fairs.” And while she was at it, she might as well straighten the brochures piled on the island. She slapped them into a tidy stack and then fanned them out like a Vegas croupier as Gloria watched in delight.
“We need to get you a Murdoch Construction shirt!” she exclaimed before leveling another look at Thea. “Oh, I like you for Aiden very much.”
Her anxiety ratcheted up. “Um, thanks?” Could Gloria not see the flashing neon sign over her head declaring Your Son and I Are in a Fake Relationship? Apparently not; the other woman settled a hand over her heart and beamed.
“Now tell me how you ended up reconnecting with my boy after all this time.”
“Mom.” Aiden joined the conversation with a groan. “Don’t harass her.”
Gloria turned dancing eyes on him. “I’m not allowed to be curious? You know as well as I do that you’ve never brought a girl around before.”
Thea tried not to inject herself into this family dynamic, but then again she didn’t try that hard. “Wait, he’s never brought someone home to meet you? Like, ever?”
Gloria dropped her chin as she prepared to spill her firstborn’s secrets. “Never once. Not even in high school. It’s enough to break a mother’s heart.”
“Okay,” Aiden said loudly. “That’s enough of that. We’re on business time, not bust-Aiden’s-balls time.”
“Language!”
“Sorry, Ma.”
Thea watched the interplay like she was watching a tennis match. Aiden didn’t look terribly sorry, but Gloria didn’t look offended in the least. If anything, she looked happy to be teasing her big handsome son.
“I think we’ve got things under control here,” Aiden told his mom. “Do you want to do a quick circuit? See what King Construction thinks they’re going to show us up with this year?”
“Oh, the Kings.” Gloria all but hissed the name, and Thea blinked at the competitive venom on her kind face. “I’ll find them and report back.”
With that, she zipped off into the crowd in her sensible white tennis shoes, leaving Thea alone with her fake boyfriend.
“She was seconds away from ordering you a company license plate,” he said, sounding surprisingly unbothered by the idea. He held out a cup of coffee with his winningest smile. “We had one left over. Can I offer you coffee that you brought yourself?”
She accepted it gratefully, biting back a yawn. “Such a gentleman.”
“Such a morning person.”
“Definitely not. My morning-show stint with Dave was torture.” She sipped and looked around. “Where’d Faith go?”
She followed Aiden behind the kitchen island, where he opened and closed one drawer after another.
“She said she wanted to check out what’s new in toilets, but I think she wanted to get away from Devon. He kept asking if he could touch the blue streaks in her hair.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Devon’s lucky she didn’t snap his wrist like a twig.”
“It might come to that if he’s still here when she gets back.” He slammed the last cabinet door shut. “Damn.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I wanted to hang a curtain in the window, but nobody remembered to bring a tension rod, and I’m worried nails will split the wood.”
The aggravation in his voice was at odds with such a seemingly small oversight, but when she looked at the empty window frame above the sink, she could see why. They’d done all this work to build a whole dang kitchen in the expo building, and the window now provided a picturesque view of the men’s restroom entrance.
“Yeah, you probably want to cover that up.” She grabbed the lightweight material lying on the counter. “Do you care what happens to this after the show?”
“Nope,” he said.
She tapped a finger to her lips in thought. “Do you have painter’s tape and a hot-glue gun, perchance?”
He opened the door under the sink and produced a thick blue roll of tape. “I think we’ve got Gorilla Glue someplace. Hang on.”
He disappeared behind the display where they’d stashed their assembly supplies, and by the time he was back, Thea had clambered up onto the sink and was unrolling a length of tape along the top of the window casing.
“Hey, careful.” Without any warning, strong hands grabbed either side of her waist. She’d been steady before, but the heat of his hands through her shirt made her wobble, and his grip tightened. “Got it?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She forced herself to ignore his touch and finished securing the tape to the window. “Glue?”
He set the tube on her palm, and she squirted a healthy amount across the tape, then quickly pressed the top of the curtain to it.
“If this was any heavier, it probably wouldn’t hold. But it’ll work for today at least.” She glanced over her shoulder to find him hovering close enough that she’d squash him if she fell off the sink. “Okay, that ought to do it.”
She capped the glue and tossed it on the counter. Then she straightened the gauzy white curtain, which now successfully hid the activity in the men’s room. She started to clamber down, but before she could make any progress, Aiden’s hands were back on her waist, and he swung her off the edge of the sink and onto the floor. The movement ended with her back against the countertop and Aiden’s front pressing into hers. Neither of them moved.
“Thanks.” She almost didn’t breathe for fear of breaking the spell.
He looked down at her for a moment before he glanced over her head at her handiwork. “How on earth did you know how to do that? Wait, don’t tell me.” His hands were back on her waist again even though she was no longer in danger of toppling over. “You spent a month as an interior decorator. Or you majored in textile design. Or”—he leaned down so his mouth brushed her ear—“you’re a King Construction spy, sent to steal our secrets.”
Did she think she wasn’t in danger of toppling over? Because right then, with the smell of coffee mixing with the woodsy scent of his aftershave, her knees went weak.
“Actually,” she whispered back, “I had a stepdad who didn’t like holes in the walls of his house, and this let me hang up tapestries without damaging anything.”
He stepped back with a frown. “Really?”
She laughed lightly. “And look at what great life skills it taught me!”
His mouth worked as if he might say something else, but the sounds of people approaching penetrated their bubble. They broke away to find a middle-aged couple studying a brochure. And just like that, it was sales time.
“Hi, folks. I’m Aiden Murdoch, and this is Thea. What questions can I answer for you today?”
She stepped forward, absurdly pleased at bein
g included in his introduction, and watched as he answered every one of their renovation queries with succinct yet enticing answers. The encounter ended with them tucking away his business card and wandering off with a promise to call on Monday.
“Wow. Now I kind of want a Cambria countertop.”
“Nah,” he said immediately. “I’ve already got big ideas for your kitchen.”
And before she could press him for more details, another potential customer approached, and Thea settled in to watch him work.
It was her pleasure, truly.
Eleven
“Hello?” Aiden pushed open the front door and stepped over the threshold of the house on Prospect Point. “Is there a homeowner on the premises?”
“In the back!”
He weaved through the stack of boxes piled against the wall in the hallway and headed for the sunroom. As he moved through the house, he squinted up at the low-wattage fixture struggling to illuminate the hallway. One more thing for his list of items in need of the Murdoch touch. When he reached the all-glass room, the lady of the house was sprawled on one of the three colorful striped lounge chairs lined up and facing the Illinois River.
“The queen’s in her castle, I see.”
Thea stretched like a lazy cat, grinning up at him. “She is. She’s quite content, despite the shag carpet and the ugly kitchen and the drop ceiling.”
He settled into the lounge chair positioned next to hers. “Nice view you’ve got here, Ms. Blackwell.”
She sighed dreamily. “It is, isn’t it? And it’s all mine.”
“Yes it is. Happy closing day.” He’d stopped by her brand-new home toward the end of his workday, and the sun hung low in the sky, painting the river, bluffs, and bare trees with its dying rays. Since it was March, everything would be greening up soon enough, but for now it was a black-and-orange landscape.
“Honestly, you could touch not a single thing in this house, and I think I’d be perfectly happy with just this view.”
“It is gorgeous.” But he wasn’t looking at the river. Thea’s hair was pulled into two braids, and she’d shut her eyes again, the tiniest smile ghosting across her pink lips. In that moment, he believed that she’d live with the shag and the dim lighting and all of it, and she wouldn’t complain once.
“Does that mean I’m off the hook on refinishing those floors?”
“Nice try.” She cracked open one eye. “You can’t dump me that easily, huggy bear.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. My guys love you.”
She rolled to her side to face him. “Well, that’s good. I tend to be a love-me-or-hate-me kind of person.”
“Who could possibly hate you?” The very idea baffled him.
“You’d be surprised.” She spoke lightly, but the question took root in his brain. In the month since the offer on her house had been accepted, they’d spent major chunks of time together making renovation plans, and he’d become a fan of her bouncy good cheer. They’d turned into regulars at the hardware stores around town as they looked at options for lights and fixtures and flooring, and every single Murdoch employee knew her by name at this point because everywhere she went, she was unfailingly friendly and upbeat. Amazingly competent too. The woman never met a situation she couldn’t fix or improve in some way.
Speaking of.
“New purchase?” He patted the metal frame of his chair.
“First thing I bought for the house. Two for down here and one for the balcony off the master bedroom.”
“What, you didn’t walk out there, did you?” He lifted his head in alarm. “I know the home inspector said it was safe, but some of those support beams look water damaged. I’m going to—”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off. “You’re going to replace some sketchy wood with your magical tools to make the balcony safe and sound, and I’m forbidden out there until you do.”
“Okay.” He settled back again and crossed one ankle over the other. “So you’ve officially owned this place for three hours. Do you want to go over the renovation schedule now?”
“Honestly, I kind of want to chill and enjoy the moment.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Then he frowned. “Oh, do you mean you want to enjoy it alone? I didn’t mean to intrude.”
She lazily swatted at his arm. “Don’t be weird. I’m glad you’re here.”
He was too, and they lapsed into contented silence as the sun finally vanished behind the horizon and the stars poked through the darkening sky one by one.
He let his imagination wander to what this place would be like once he’d made it worthy of her. Pictured her neatly made bed nestled against the wall in the upstairs room with exposed ceiling beams and a new skylight letting in the warm morning sun. Pictured her sipping coffee in the breakfast nook on Saturday morning, that dark, shiny hair mussed from sleep. Pictured her ending every night in the lounger on the balcony, watching the sun set over the river.
“This is a great setup,” he finally said.
“Mmmm. Stargazing for two.” Her voice was dreamy, and an unexpected bolt of jealousy gripped him. She was dreaming about whatever guy she was planning on sharing this setup with once he was gone.
For the first time it occurred to him that he was renovating the house where she’d fall in love and raise a family. She’d share that bed with someone, drink coffee with him in the breakfast nook, cuddle with him on the balcony at the end of the night. For some reason all his mental pictures had been of just her, with no guy in sight. Weird that it bothered him a little now.
“I’m scared shitless.”
Her words knocked him right out of his head, but he managed to volley back a joke. “I told you I’m gonna make that balcony perfectly safe for you, schmoopie.”
“I don’t know how, but your nicknames are getting worse.” She sat up and swung her feet to the side of the lounger. “Just… roots. A mortgage. Permanence. Not things I’m particularly known for.”
He sat up too. “Hey, you got this.”
“Thanks.” She looked down as she played with the end of a braid. “Should I get a dog?”
Not what he was expecting, but okay. “This house has a great backyard for a dog. Lots of nice areas for walks too.”
“Right, but should I get a dog?”
The question seemed to matter to her, although he had no idea why. “Sure. I bet you love animals. And it’d be something else for you to talk to.” He grinned at the picture of Thea keeping up a running conversation with her dog at all hours of the day. When she didn’t smile back at him, he nudged her foot with his. “Seriously, I think you’d love a dog. And your dog would love you.” All that warmth and affection? Hugs and pets and kisses? He was almost ready to switch places with the hypothetical canine.
“Well.” She slapped her hands on her thighs and said crisply, “since that’s not happening anytime soon, I guess we’d better go over the schedule for the next few weeks.” She stood, and Aiden joined her.
As they moved through the house, they flipped on lights to ward off the darkness pressing against the windows.
“Sorry I can’t offer you anywhere to sit or anything to drink but water,” she said when they reached the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room. “Also, I haven’t moved my drinking glasses in yet, so it’ll have to be straight from the tap.”
“Horrible hospitality.” He set his binder on the ugly countertop as Thea’s gaze drifted back to the dark shimmer of the Illinois River.
“It looks so different at night.”
“Yeah, you’d almost think it was safe to swim in.”
“Ew.” She wrinkled her nose. “That poor river.”
“It may be brown and sludgy, but it’s great for summertime boating.”
“I’ll take your word on that.” She leaned her elbows on the counter as he pulled out the schedule for them to review.
“Not a boating fan?”
“Never really tried it.”
“You’re missing out. Trip
’s got a boat, and you haven’t lived until you’ve spent an afternoon drinking beer in the sun on the river.”
Maybe not this summer though. Not with Trip’s attitude. A shame too; some of his favorite memories were family time on the boat. He clenched and released his fingers to banish the memories, spreading them flat on the printed sheets in front of him. When he looked up, Thea was staring at his hand where the tips pressed so hard into the countertop that his nails turned white.
“There any shade on that boat?”
His tension vanished at her question, which was obviously designed to distract him. And damn if it didn’t work. “Of course. We’ve got a canopy. We’re not animals.” He smiled at her in gratitude; she had a deft way of pulling him back from the brink.
“I guess that doesn’t sound too bad then.”
“You’ll love it. Just wait until it warms up and I’ll take you out.” If Trip didn’t come around, he’d just have to rent a boat. But now she was the one frowning. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze returned to the river. “I mean… summer’s months away. And we’re not gonna be together that long.”
Apparently he wasn’t the only one already thinking about life after their agreement was over. “Yeah, but we’re staying friends when we break up, remember?” He stretched his pinky across the space to brush against hers. “Friends can go boating together.”
Just like that, her perkiness was back. “Damn straight. Okay, what’ve you got? Is that a blueprint?” She snatched up one of the sheets he’d spread across her counter and held it out accusingly.
“More like a sketch.”
“A whole damn blueprint of my little kitchen!” she hooted.
He leaned his elbow on the counter and propped his head on his fist, content to watch her study the printout like it was some kind of holy text. “Do you want your pretty new cabinets to fit perfectly, or do you want me to just toss them up there randomly?”