Boyfriend for Hire

by Gail Chianese

  Maybe David Farber went a little deeper than a three-layer parfait. “Are you the project manager?”

  “Nooo, not me. I leave that to Curzon, the big guy over there on the phone.”

  “Why do all the women call you boss, then? And the kid, Zach, he seems to look to you for direction. Kind of sounds like you’re in charge.”

  “Nah, just seniority.” His hand slipped from the middle of her back to slide down her arm and link their fingers together. “Come on, let me show you what we do.”

  Pride lit up his eyes. The look on David’s face kind of reminded Tawny of a kid with a new toy at Christmas who couldn’t wait to show it off to his friends. He maneuvered her around stacks of lumber, keeping her away from the work and the dirt (for the most part), explaining what each worker was doing and what the building would look like in the end. When finished, the home would be a three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,200-square-foot ranch-style. Not huge, but more than enough room for a family of four.

  “When did you start?” Tawny asked.

  “We started the framework this morning. By the time we clock out tonight most of us will have put in a twelve-hour day. We’ll rinse and repeat over the weekend. Monday it’ll be a skeleton crew during the day and almost everyone you see here will be back after they’ve put in a solid eight at their day jobs.”

  “Including you?”

  “Yeah. This is my mistress. I’ll be here pretty much every day, at some point or another, until she’s finished. Except when you need me.”

  From the moment they’d met months ago, when David and Jason won the contract to rebuild the West End Community Recreational Center, she’d seen David work hard. He and their crew overcame obstacles that others would have walked away from. He was a hardworking, dedicated employee. But this, this was definitely a labor of love for him, and a side she’d not really seen before.

  “It’s amazing. You’re amazing, David.” Tawny walked over and picked up a hammer, testing its weight. Heavy. Her arm would be throbbing within ten minutes of swinging the beast. “I owe you an apology.”

  He closed the distance between them. “For thinking I’d rather be chasing beach bunnies?”

  Dipping her head, she fanned her flaming cheeks. “Yes, and more,” she murmured.

  He lifted her chin, brought her gaze to meet his. “No apology required. People seldom look past the dressing.” She started to speak. David laid a finger against her lips. “I don’t mind, it makes life easier. When people don’t expect much from you, it’s hard to let them down.”

  A spark of sadness in his eyes pulled at her heart. He gave of himself to his friends, his family, to complete strangers, yet he took nothing in return. Not many people she knew were as generous. She wanted to bring the old David back, the playful, cocky playboy.

  Tawny ran a finger down his cheek. “So, you gonna show me what you do here, or are you one of those guys who’s all talk and no action?” She walked her fingers up his chest until her hand landed on his heart.

  David’s jaw dropped.

  Didn’t see that coming, did you, big boy? The man recovered quickly. His jaw shut and the smile grew, reaching his eyes.

  “You think you can handle it? It’s kind of big for you.”

  “You underestimate me, Farber. I’m not a china doll and I don’t mind getting dirty for a good cause.” She hefted the hammer, tested the weight, and again thought how her muscles were going to hate her. Didn’t matter, she’d been challenged and she never backed down from a challenge.

  He led her closer to the site. “We’re working on framing the walls right now. Each stud needs to be sixteen inches apart to prevent sag and bowing. We’re also installing the window frames. Before we start on the real thing, let’s test you out over here.” He pointed to a couple of sawhorses with a piece of plywood and some two-by-fours lying across it.

  “What’s this?”

  “Carpentry 101. Safety first. Always.” He handed her a pair of goggles.

  “Not very sexy, are they?” Tawny slipped the bulky glasses on, trying to imagine what kind of dork she looked like.

  “Darling, most carpenters don’t care if they look sexy or not. They’d rather have their eyesight so they can whistle at all the pretty ladies walking by.”

  “What do we do first?” she asked, excitement coursing through her, whether at the idea of spending more time with David or from learning something new, she wasn’t sure and didn’t care.

  David took the hammer away and replaced it with a tape measure and a pencil. He explained they were going to frame a window and took her through the steps of measuring each board. Once they were all marked, he grabbed the board and led her over to the table saw. He ran through the specifics and Tawny nodded her understanding. David stepped to the side where he could keep an eye on the saw and help, if needed. Tawny slowly moved the wood until it hit the blade, jumping back before the two could make contact.

  “I don’t know—” She started to tell him she’d changed her mind when he wrapped his body around hers, his long arms framing hers, his hands covering hers.

  “You can do it. Go slow. I’ll guide you.”

  Eyes on the board, she was aware of every inch of him glued to her. Their bodies touched from her shoulders to the backs of her calves. Vertical spooning. His cheek rested against her head, his warm breath blew across her cheek and down her neck, sending her heart pounding. He smelled of sweat and dirt and man.

  She wanted nothing more in that moment than to turn around and press against his chest, to run her hands down his back, and to taste his sensuous lips.

  “Come for me.”

  “Excuse me?” she stammered.

  “Come over here.” He waved her to where he’d moved next to the sawhorses again.

  She’d swear that wasn’t what he had said a moment ago. “What are we doing now?”

  “Framing a window.” Together they slid the horizontal board between two vertical ones. “If it it’s too tight, you might have to give it a push.”

  Too tight. Push. She shook her head and wondered if she’d gotten sawdust in her ears.

  “Are you okay? You look flushed,” David asked as he looked around before stalking off to a cooler and grabbing a bottle of water. “Here, drink this.”

  Tawny took a sip, then pressed the cold, wet drink against her chest. “Thanks. It’s sure hot out here today.”

  A small smile crept up David’s face. “Trust me, I noticed the rise in temperature.” He turned and picked up the board, muttering something that sounded like “always around you.”

  “Did you say something?” she asked.

  “How’s work going?”

  He picked up a nail gun, quickly securing the board in place. He held the next one out to her. Tawny grabbed it, slid it into place, and held out her hand for the power tool.

  “Good. Picked up another gig, and your buddy Ted invited you to go diving with him this weekend.”

  David held the board for her and showed her where to shoot the nails. “Ted?”

  Crap. Again? Would she ever remember the guy’s name? “Ned?” He shook his head.

  “John?”

  Again, no.

  “Help me here, Farber. Guy from the picnic. Cute kids. Likes to dive.” She pulled the trigger, sending the nail to its new home.

  “You mean Phil?”

  “Yeah, Phil.” She shot the second nail into place. “Okay, next one.” Why couldn’t she remember his name? Never before had she had this problem. Always, always, once she met a person she remembered not only their name, but if they were married, their spouse’s name, how many kids they had, their names and the pets.

  David tapped her on the nose, bringing her attention back to the here and now. “What’s wrong? You’ve got this cute little pout going on.”

  Too many things to list, like her lusting after David, not being able to keep her mind on the task at hand, forgetting details. Of all things for her to have trouble with, details, her lifelong frie
nd.

  “This job is turning my brain into mush.” She grabbed the next board and slid it into place, following his instructions before nailing it in place. “The Tawny Torres you met in February is gone. What you see before you now is a ghost of her image. An empty shell. Pretty soon I won’t be able to add two plus two and come up with four, let alone know how to calculate annual percentage rates. Five years of college flushed down into the septic tank.”

  He held up the wood structure and smiled. “Congrats, you framed your first window. If the event job doesn’t pan out, we can always put you to work at Valentine Rehab. You’re pretty good with a nail gun.”

  “I’d say bite me, but you’d take me literally and enjoy it.” Tears brimmed her eyes and she looked away.

  The woman she’d borrowed the hat from came by and Tawny thanked her for the loan, taking a few minutes to pull her emotions together while the woman checked with David on their next task. He inched closer, stealing glances at Tawny while he gave the woman instructions. She thumbed away the tears, so stupid crying over having a job, especially when there were thousands without who would give anything to be in her place.

  David broke away from his coworkers and backed Tawny up to a quiet spot away from prying eyes and the noise. Gently he cupped her face in his big hands and kissed away the wetness.

  “Talk to me.”

  She looked away. “It’s nothing.”

  “Nothing doesn’t make you cry.” His calloused thumbs caressed her cheeks. “Did something happen at NEES?”

  Tawny reached up to grasp his arms, let his strength flow through her. “I don’t know how to explain it. I know I’m lucky to have this job. It’s a wonderful company and everyone is pretty fantastic to work with. They’ve all welcomed me with open arms. Even the momster-of-the-bride isn’t that awful. Things are changing, maybe for the good, maybe not, definitely faster than I can process.” She looked up into his eyes, those striking blue orbs that seemed to see straight through her. A heavy sigh escaped. “I feel by going down this path that I’ve wasted the last eight years of my life, and I’ve no clue where I’m headed.”

  “Changing careers mid-stride isn’t a waste of time. The experience you gained has made you into the person you are right now. From my viewpoint, I’ve got no complaints.”

  “Ha. You tell me I work too much, play too little.”

  “Okay, one complaint. My point . . .” He tapped her on the nose, grabbed her hand, and they started walking. “See Curzon, the project manager? He joined the Navy at the age of eighteen. Planned to stay in for twenty, retire, and live on some beach in Mexico. Instead, he got out after five, got hired on with a construction firm, and now heads up our projects. If it wasn’t for his time in the Navy, he wouldn’t have got the construction job and we’d miss out on a great foreman.”

  They’d looped around the building-in-progress back to the sidewalk and David’s truck.

  “Okay, so I didn’t waste those years. I’m still lost with no idea where I’m going or what the future holds for me.”

  “Let life happen. It may surprise you with what it brings.”

  “David, you don’t understand. I’ve had my life mapped out since I was sixteen. Sixteen. It’s what got me where I am. Well, okay, I didn’t plan to quit my job at the bank—”

  “Whoa. I thought you got fired.”

  Shit. This was why being around him was a bad idea. She wasn’t careful when she was with David. Who knows what she’d do next. “Quit. Fired. Same thing.”

  “No, it’s not. You’re holding something back. Spill.” His eyes were fierce, his voice firm, and Tawny squirmed inside. Who knew easygoing David Farber could be a tough guy?

  “A long time ago, I used to be different. Carefree, partying with the rest of the kids, not worrying about tomorrow. I won’t go into the sordid details. Let’s just say I learned a valuable lesson about planning ahead.”

  He sat on the edge of the truck bed, arms tucked in front of him. “We all did stupid stuff as kids, Tawny. You can’t let them rule your life, nor should you let rigid plans ruin your life. Speaking of, let’s get back to the fact that you quit your job, but told everyone you got fired.”

  She threw her hands up in the air and sat next to him. “Dios. You and Cherry, you’re both like a dog with a bone. Fine, I’m going to tell you what happened, but you have to swear, promise on your mother’s heart you won’t tell anyone. Not even Cherry.”

  He gave a little nod and waited.

  “You know I was up for a promotion, right? My former manager, Mr. North, promised the position would be mine, even told the new guy I was the one right in front of me before he left. The new guy, Leduc, put off making it official for weeks. Then that day he called me into his office. Told me he promoted Mark instead. Fine, I could deal with that. It was when he put his hands up my skirt and told me I could be his mistress that I got pissed and quit.”

  His hands clenched into hard fists, turning his knuckles white. It was the only sign of his anger, and that frightened Tawny more than if David started yelling or punched his truck or a wall.

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone? That’s sexual harassment. You could have gotten him fired.”

  “Who would have believed me? He’d already told Mark the job was his. If I said anything against Leduc at that point, it looked like I was lying to get back at him.”

  “Did he do anything to you?”

  “By anything, you mean violate me?” She dropped her head with a small shake. “No, I left before anything else could happened. I knew I couldn’t look at his smug face day in and day out, which is why I quit.”

  “You should have told us. We’d never have believed you lied.”

  She placed a gentle hand on his arm, meeting his gaze. “Thanks. It means a lot. You’re not going to say anything, are you?”

  “A promise is a promise, but know one thing. If I see the bastard, I’m not promising not to run his ass over.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Hang him by his toes and set his hair on fire? Or roast his nuts over an open pit fitting a pig like him? Sitting in her office, Tawny fought back the angry tears, refusing to give her former boss, Mr. Leduc, the satisfaction. Not that he’d know, but she would, and there was no way she’d let him break her again.

  When the HR woman from Colony Bank called, Tawny’s hopes soared. After weeks of searching want ads and job postings, a loan officer position opened up. It was exactly what Tawny had been wanting and would put her back on track. Or so she thought until she heard the news. Leduc hadn’t just given her a bad recommendation, he’d eviscerated her reputation.

  He’d painted a picture of a woman out to move up the corporate ladder any way she could. According to the rumor mill, Tawny coerced one coworker—Mark—to do her work while she took credit. She harassed her former supervisor until the woman requested a transfer, and she offered to be Leduc’s mistress in exchange for a promotion.

  The HR manager told her none of this. The woman had been professional, even kind and a bit confused—see, her reference from her former place of employment didn’t match up with her other references, the board of directors from the community center—and she thought Tawny might want to look into the matter. She’d even suggested Tawny might want a lawyer. Even though her gut told her the information was incorrect, Colony Bank couldn’t hire someone whose integrity was in question.

  When Tawny had gotten over her initial shock of the rejection, she’d reached out to the one person she knew she could trust at her former bank, Emma. The new mom proved to be as loyal a friend as always, assuring Tawny no one who knew her believed a word of the rubbish being spread. Yet she also couldn’t say where the rumors were coming from. She did confirm all calls regarding Tawny were being channeled straight to Leduc. Tawny had no doubt as to where the lies originated. Only one other person knew what really went on in the manger’s office that day.

  Tawny begged her friend not to say anything that would get her in trouble, as
she knew how much the young woman needed the job. Babies were not cheap, and it only got worse as they got older. Diapers, toys, music lessons, sports, then college. Yikes. She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready for motherhood.

  It was part of the plan, a plan that wasn’t working, just like working in the financial arena wasn’t working. And why she sat here stressing over either when she had no control made her wonder if the plan shouldn’t be thrown out the window. David’s words about letting life happen on its own ran through her mind. Planning hadn’t worked. Maybe letting loose of the controls wouldn’t hurt?

  A quick knock on her door brought her attention back to the present and the fact she had a job to do for the lady standing before her.

  “Got a minute?” Mrs. Spinelli took a seat, obviously not expecting her newest employee to say anything but yes. “Are you happy here?”

  Whoa. Did the lady have ESP or something? “Of course. Who wouldn’t be?” Tawny squirmed in her seat. Had she done something wrong?

  “Someone who had their heart set on a different path.” She pulled a napkin out of her jacket pocket, unwrapped it, and handed Tawny an oatmeal peanut butter chip cookie.

  Did she know Tawny had been applying for other jobs? She’d made sure to leave off NEES from any positions she’d put in for. “Have I done something wrong?”

  Out of the other pocket, Mrs. Spinelli pulled her trademark diet soda. “Not at all. Actually, Mr. Simmons called, extremely pleased with how smoothly the luncheon went. He’s very thankful we could step in and handle things while his admin assistant was away. His company plans to continue to utilize our services in the future.”

  A small sigh of relief washed through Tawny, but not enough to settle her nerves. The luncheon took nothing to plan, so why the big hoopla and why ask if she was happy?

  Spinelli sat the diet drink on Tawny’s desk, sat back in the chair, and looked around. “You fit in here nicely.” She took another swallow, taking her time, slowly killing Tawny with anticipation. “Simmons wants you for any future events for their company. Also, you scored another job from the luncheon. One of the participants, an ad guy, anyway, they’ve hired NEES, specifically you to plan their holiday party. It’s in January and all the details are logged in the computer to get you started. Congrats.” She made it as far as the door before she remembered she hadn’t told Tawny the name. “Globus America.”