by SUE FINEMAN
“No,” said Maria. “No motorcycle rides. Those things aren’t safe, Andy.”
“Hey, my Harley is as safe as a porch swing if you know how to ride it.”
Maria shot him a look meant to wither, but the kids all grinned, including the girl with the braces. Blade shut his mouth. Mommy was clearly in charge here, and he didn’t want to blow it before he’d eaten. His stomach would never forgive him. He’d eat his dinner, say ‘Thank you very much,’ and go home. Mommy would keep her kids and dog at this end of the street and that would be that. He wouldn’t be living on this street much longer anyway.
He held up a quarter. “Where is this jar for bad words the kids told me about?”
Maria shook her head. “You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do.”
Robbie handed him the jar and Blade deposited his quarter and another one. He’d undoubtedly said more than one bad word when the kids were there, and he didn’t want Andy and Jimmy calling him on it in front of their grandmother.
Ten minutes later, they sat around the table, and Blade got his first taste of Sophia’s lasagna. It tasted like heaven, rich and spicy, the best Italian food he’d ever eaten. “This is great, Sophia.”
“Grandma’s a good cook,” said Robbie.
“She sure is. Can your mother cook, too?”
“Yeah,” said Jimmy. “Molly can, too, and I can make s’mores.”
“Is that those graham cracker and marshmallow and chocolate things?”
“Yeah, they’re good,” said Andy. “Uncle Nick taught us how to make them.”
Uncle Nick? Blade suddenly realized who these people were. Nick Donatelli was married to Cara Andrews, one of the richest women in the world, and he owned a construction company here in Gig Harbor. Max and Company had a built a reputation in the past three or four years. They’d built the waterfront home with the lighthouse on the corner, the one Cara Andrews and her family lived in. The house was striking and unusual, and had been featured in the local newspaper. To be sure he had the right Donatelli family, he asked, “This is the same Nick who owns the construction company?”
“Yes,” said Maria.
“I’m looking for a house to buy. My grandfather left me some money, so I can afford a nice waterfront house.”
“Then why were you changing your own oil?” asked Molly.
“Hey, nobody touches my Harley but me.”
Andy’s eyes had grown, and Blade knew what he wanted more than anything in the world. He wanted to ride that bike.
Andy reminded Blade of himself when he was a kid. The man next door had a bike, not as nice as the one Blade had now, but it was big and loud, and the guy got to wear a helmet and boots. Blade thought it had to be the best thing in the world to ride a motorcycle. The first thing he did after he ran away from home was go for a ride on one. He wasn’t old enough for a license and the bike he ‘borrowed’ wasn’t big or fancy, but he decided right then that he’d not only have one for himself someday, he’d have the best. Now he owned the bike of his dreams and he didn’t have to scrimp on anything. He could buy whatever he wanted, including a waterfront home like Nick Donatelli’s.
“Why don’t you stop by and see Nick?” said Sophia. “He’ll help you find a nice house.”
“Nick doesn’t have any waterfront homes for sale right now, Mom,” said Maria.
“No problem,” said Blade. “If I can find the right property, I’ll have one built.”
Maria glanced at Blade’s face. His blue eyes held a touch of amusement and she didn’t have to wonder what he was thinking. How much money had he inherited? Could he afford the parcel down the beach from Nick? The property had a gentle slope from the road down to the beach, and the views along there were outstanding.
If he bought land, he’d want to have a house built, and she’d end up working with him. No thanks. The man was built like the men in her family—six-feet tall more or less, with wide shoulders and a commanding presence—but this man made her uncomfortable.
“There’s a piece of property for sale on the Beach Road,” said Mom. She told him how to get there. “There’s no house on it, but the property is nice, and it’s right down from where Nicky and Cara live.”
Blade nodded his thanks. “I’ll look it over tomorrow.”
Maria wished Mom hadn’t said anything, but it was too late now. She listened to Blade’s mind churning. He wanted more than a nice house. Blade wanted to get married. Funny, she didn’t think of him as the marrying kind, and she definitely couldn’t see him as a father. He wasn’t sure what to make of her. He was physically attracted, but he wouldn’t consider dating a woman with four kids. Thank God for the kids, because she didn’t want this guy hanging around.
Mom pushed more food on Blade, as she did on everyone. “You’re too skinny,” she told him. Mom told everyone the same thing to get them to eat more.
“It’s the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten, Sophia. You can cook for me anytime.”
Molly brought the cannoli to the table. Blade ate two, which made Mom happy. Mom sent good thoughts about Blade to Maria, and Maria shook her head slightly. She couldn’t get involved with a man like Blade Banner. There was something uncivilized about the man, and she didn’t want him around her kids any more than absolutely necessary. If she was young and unencumbered, she’d welcome the excitement, but she had four kids to think about, and this guy didn’t present a good image for impressionable children. He didn’t like kids anyway, or dogs, although you could never tell by the way Daisy behaved. She sat at his feet or put her paws on his leg and wagged her tail. He reached down every few minutes to pet her.
Everyone liked Blade Banner, including the dog.
Everyone but Maria.
<>
On the Beach Road the next morning, Blade spotted the FOR SALE sign on the vacant lot. The nearest home on the right side was the house with the lighthouse on the corner. Interesting looking house. Every now and then he spotted a uniformed security guard wandering around the property.
Blade hung his helmet on the handlebars and walked down the gentle slope to a fairly level spot about halfway down. The sun sparkled off the water, and the green hills framing Puget Sound had been washed clean by the off-and-on rain in the past few days. Sailboats and fishing boats dotted the water, and shore birds soared and squawked. Oh, yeah, he could live here.
Building a house would take longer than finding an existing house, but it would be worth the trouble to have a home here, in this spot. He walked on down to the beach, fighting thorny blackberry vines on the way. Those would all have to be cleared out, and the landscaping would take an expert.
The corners of the property were flagged. It was a sizable chunk of property, well over a hundred feet wide, plenty of room for a nice house, and the gentle slope should be easy enough to build on. He walked down the beach to get a better perspective, and a guard and another man walked out to stop him.
“What are you doing?” asked the guard.
“Trying to get a look at that property from this angle.”
The other man stuck out his hand. “Nick Donatelli.”
Blade took his hand. “Blade Banner. Your mother sent me down to look at this property. I’m looking for a private place to build a waterfront home.”
“You must mean Aunt Sophia.”
“Sorry, my mistake.”
“Close enough. She’s like a mother to me. How did you meet her?”
The guard wandered off and Blade related the tale of the white cat and the dog and the pan of oil. “I thought we’d never get the soap out of that poor little pooch.”
Nick laughed. “Daisy is still a puppy. Maria got her after they left Seattle last summer. She thought it would make the transition easier for the kids.”
The men talked about the property, and Nick handed Blade a business card. “If you’d like to see some of the homes we’ve built or the ones we’re working on now, come by the office and I’ll have someone take you on a tour.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that.”
Blade walked back up the hill to the road and called the phone number on the FOR SALE sign.
“It’s a hundred and fifty feet of waterfront,” said the woman. “The asking price is four hundred and ninety-five thousand.”
She had to be kidding. “A half-million dollars?”
“Given the location, view, and neighbors, we feel it’s priced well.”
Maybe it was, but if he paid that much and built a house, his million would be gone and then some. If the house in New York sold quickly, that would give him another ten or twelve million, minus taxes, of course, and that would easily cover it. But did he want to blow that much on a house?
If he had the entire inheritance, price wouldn’t be an issue. The attorney didn’t say he had to stay married to get the inheritance, just that he had to marry. Surely some woman would be willing to marry him if he paid her enough. She wouldn’t have to hang around forever.
Then again, it might be nice to find a decent woman to keep his bed warm at night, maybe a woman who knew how to make lasagna and cannoli.
Before he left, he made one more phone call. “Send a dozen yellow roses to Sophia Donatelli.” He gave her the address.
“What would you like on the card?” the woman asked.
“Thanks for the best dinner I’ve had in a long time. Blade.”
“Would you spell that name for me, please?”
“B-L-A-D-E, as in the edge of a knife.” He rattled off his credit card number and other information and ended the call. So she didn’t like his name. Not many people did, but he didn’t mind it. His mother was an actress and he was born in LA, the movie capital of the world, where people embraced anything weird, including names.
Besides, he liked sounding dangerous. It kept people at a distance.
Chapter Three
After she took the kids to school the next morning, Maria went into the office. Going through the house plan of a custom home Max and Company would be building on Fox Island in the spring, she visualized herself walking through the finished home. The buyers had three small children, one still in diapers. The house had a formal living room and dining room, a family room off the kitchen, and three bedrooms upstairs. The master was on the main floor. A balcony upstairs overlooked the family room, and the buyers wanted wood floors in the kitchen, breakfast room and family room.
Building wouldn’t begin until spring and the plans hadn’t been approved with the county yet, so if they were going to make changes to the plan, they had to do it now.
“Do these people realize that every sound from the family room will echo through the upstairs? And that rail won’t stop a climbing three-year-old from going over.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Nick. “It’s not a practical plan for a family with little kids.”
She looked up. “Is there any chance of changing their minds about the plan?”
“You tell me. I expect them in a few minutes.”
Maria dug through the blueprints of other homes Max and Company had built until she found a plan more suited for this family. She didn’t know if she could talk them into considering another plan, or even if she should try. Listening to their thoughts should help her decide how to handle the situation. She didn’t want to chase customers away, but she wanted them to be satisfied with their new home.
When the buyers came in, Maria had the plan spread on the table.
The buyers were pleasant people and the kids were adorable, but the middle one climbed on everything, and his mother constantly pulled him down.
After they spoke with Nick for a few minutes, Nick introduced Maria. Sensing their mixed feelings, Maria forged ahead. “The plan you’ve chosen for your new house is beautiful.”
“We love the high ceilings and wood floors,” said the woman, “but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to have the kids’ bedrooms upstairs and ours downstairs.”
“I know what you mean,” Maria said with a warm smile, “and I like wood floors, too. Tell me what you think of this plan.” Maria showed them the front elevation of the other plan and compared it to the one they’d selected. She flipped it open to the main level floor plan. “The room sizes are comparable to the plan you’ve chosen, but I like the way this one is laid out.”
Maria compared the different features of the two plans, and the more she talked, the more unsure they seemed about their plan. Maria watched the buyers and listened to their thoughts. He was thinking she’d chosen the other plan because she liked wood floors and high ceilings, and she was thinking he liked the plan because he wanted the master bedroom on a different level from the kids. With the new plan they’d both get what they wanted.
“I wanted wood floors in the family room,” said the woman.
“Why don’t you carpet the family room, so the floors would be warmer for little people to play on, and save the wood floors for the formal rooms?” Maria suggested, and Nick smiled. Ignoring him, she said, “Wood floors with area rugs would be pretty, especially if you use white wainscoting and a chair rail in the dining room. What about the location of the master? Would this give you enough privacy and still put you close enough to keep an eye on the kids at night?”
The man turned to Nick. “What’s the price difference between the two plans?”
The square footage was so similar, Nick told him they could build it for the same price. The buyers swapped plans and left happy.
“You keep using that radar and you’ll earn yourself a raise,” said Nick.
“They wouldn’t have been happy with the other plan.”
“Yeah, I know, but I couldn’t talk them out of it. She dug in her heels on the family room and he wouldn’t budge on the location of the master bedroom.”
Maria was still smiling when Blade Banner walked in the door.
Nick shook Blade’s hand. “Blade, I believe you know my cousin, Maria.”
The woman looked better every time he saw her, like a thoroughbred horse. And he’d been dating nags. “I thought I’d stop by and see what kind of work Max and Company does. I’m thinking of putting an offer on that piece of property down the road from your house, Nick.”
“Glad to hear it. Maria, why don’t you show Blade the house in Canterwood so he can see the plan and the quality of our work? When you finish there, come by my house, Blade. I’ll give you a quick tour.”
Maria excused herself and went into the back of the office. Blade nodded in her direction. “What’s with her?”
“She’s still reeling from her divorce. Her ex-husband treated her like a piece of trash. Now he’s planning to get married and take his new bride on a luxury cruise. He can afford a new house, but the guy won’t pay Maria any child support.”
No wonder Maria was so uptight.
“He’s got a new business going, and the jerk is calling me and Cara every other day wanting us to invest in his new business. How’s that for balls? I can’t stand the son-of-a-bitch.”
Blade’s gut told him not to get involved, yet curiosity nagged at him. “What kind of business?”
“Investments. He worked for a big accounting firm and decided he could make more as an investment counselor than doing somebody’s taxes. He’s looking for new clients to get the business off the ground.”
Interesting. Did Maria need money badly enough to marry for it? No, not with Cara Andrews in the family. She and Nick wouldn’t let Maria and the kids go without.
<>
Maria drove Blade out to Canterwood. She pulled up to the gates and the guard waved her through. As she drove down the winding streets lined with luxury homes, Blade pointed to one home. “That looks huge.”
“It’s eight thousand square feet, seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a huge exercise room, home theater—”
“It’s one of yours?”
“Yes. It’s sold, but the plans are in the office if you want to see them.”
Eight thousand square feet? Did he really want a house that size?
/> Maria pulled into the circle driveway of the home Nick had finished last spring. The house had plenty of curb appeal, but the inside had all the details many women liked, and Blade had no woman in his life. Besides, she couldn’t picture him roaring through this neighborhood on his Harley. “A membership in the golf and country club comes with this house.”
He laughed a little. “Yeah, right. Do I look like the country club type to you?”
“No.” Maria unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. If not for the ugly gold and black granite on the kitchen countertops, this house would have sold months ago.
They started with the formal rooms. The carpets were pale beige and the woodwork white. The marble on the white fireplace had a pale pink thread running through it, and the walls had a slight pink tinge, just enough to make them glow. The house was big enough for a large family, but she couldn’t see kids in these rooms.
“This is nice,” said Blade, “but it’s too clean and formal for me. I want rooms I can live in without being afraid of messing them up.”
“I know what you mean. I’d be yelling at the kids not to touch anything and to keep Daisy outside, and then I’d feel guilty. They love that dog, and she hates being separated from the kids, especially Andy.”
“Daisy wouldn’t pass up a chance to chase that white cat again. Damn cat took her over that oil pan on purpose. She’s probably still laughing.” He cocked his head. “Do cats laugh?”
Maria smiled. “I think that one does. It isn’t the first time she’s gotten Daisy in trouble, and I don’t imagine it’ll be the last. She has an ornery streak.”
In the kitchen and family rooms, Blade said, “These rooms are nice. I like the crown moldings and wood floors, everything but the countertops in the kitchen. It’s a nice material, but I don’t like the color.”
“I don’t either. I told Nick it would probably have to be replaced, and I refuse to let Angelo choose any more cabinets and countertops. My brother has no taste.”
There was a tiny study off the main hallway, across from the winding staircase. The laundry was bigger than that little study, which Maria suspected was more for show than function.