Zach jerked. “Sophie? Why would I ask her?” As if he needed another reason to contact her.
“If you put it up for sale, I assume you wouldn’t use anybody else.”
Well, damn it. He hadn’t thought of that. He hadn’t gotten quite that far in his plans. Basically he knew he would need the funds from this house to pay for the other, and he had to get the bathroom completed in order to sell it.
Blowing out a breath, Zach laced his hands over his abdomen. “Yeah, I’ll use Sophie. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this.”
“So you haven’t called her.” Braxton rested his hands on his hips, his eyes moving around the room as if to take it in for the first time. “Did the taxes get paid?”
Zach nodded. “I took our money down to the courthouse and paid them yesterday morning. Another reason I’m eager to get this sold so I can have the funds for Chelsea’s house. My savings account is nearly dry.”
“There’s no other way?” Braxton asked. “What if Liam was one hundred percent on board with the project? He hoards nearly all of his money.”
Shaking his head, Zach replied, “I still don’t see that we could do it the way it needs to be done. Though having him participate financially would be a definite plus.”
“When are you going to tell him about selling?”
Zach eyed his brother.
“Oh hell, no.” Braxton shook his head and laughed. “I’m not telling him. I’m not always going to be the buffer, and you’re not a child.”
“Then I’ll call him. I’m not waiting on him to breeze back into town, because I never know when that will be.”
Zach eased forward in his chair, a slight weight taken off his shoulders. One brother down, one to go.
“You took that better than I thought,” Zach stated.
Finally taking a seat on the couch, Braxton picked up the remote and clicked the television on. “I wasn’t delusional. I never thought you’d live here forever. Hell, you lasted longer in Haven than I ever thought you would.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Flipping through the channels, Braxton propped his feet up on the coffee table. “I’m just saying you never acted like you wanted to be here. Then when Dad gave the business to you, I figured you’d work long enough to save money and go.”
Zach hated how dead-on Braxton was with the original plan. Zach had been a restless teen, a reckless teen, but he’d stuck around because of his parents, because of this family they’d brought together.
Even when Zach had gotten out of prison, he’d been dead set on getting the hell out of Haven, but he was good at construction, and his father’s impeccable reputation had helped Zach land job after job, and now he was in demand.
“Where will you live?” Braxton asked, turning his attention from the television.
Yeah, that was the tricky part. There was going to be some maneuvering, and the timing on certain things had to be perfect.
“I figure I’m going to have to stay at Sunset Lake.”
Braxton busted out laughing, then sobered when he realized Zach wasn’t smiling. “Stay at the house that doesn’t even have electric right now?”
Zach didn’t want to tell his brother he’d slept in worse places. He’d lived in worse places.
“I can throw down a sleeping bag. I’ll be fine, and we’ll all save money. Besides, who says this house will sell fast?”
“I just think you need to fully think this through,” Braxton told him. “You need to have a backup plan. I assume that will be my place. You might as well just stay with me anyway, instead of practically camping.”
Zach wanted to laugh now. Backup plans weren’t part of his life. He had one plan and he fully executed it.
“I’m going to stay in the house if this one sells fast,” he repeated. “There’s no reason I can’t. Right now I can at least work on one bathroom and get it done fairly soon. I already had the water turned back on, but I may need to redo some of the pipes to the kitchen.”
Braxton opened his mouth just as the doorbell rang.
“Go ahead and pay for that, would ya?” Zach asked as he settled deeper into his seat and laced his hands behind his head. “I’m practically a poor, homeless man.”
Braxton flipped him the bird. Zach laughed until the puppies started yipping again.
Muttering a curse, Zach closed his eyes. “No, no, no. I should’ve thought of the doorbell.”
Braxton went to open the door. “Go care for your babies, honey. I’ll make dinner.”
* * *
Nerves rolled through Sophie’s stomach, but prolonging the inevitable would only make her anxiety skyrocket. She needed to get this over with.
Martin was on his way over. Nothing like squeezing in a breakup between a late business meeting and bedtime.
Sophie yawned as she stood by her floor-to-ceiling window and held her glass of Riesling. Not that she needed a cup of courage. She loved good wine, and if loosening her fear of confrontation was a by-product, then she wouldn’t turn it down.
Car lights cut through the darkness and slowly turned into her drive. Taking a sip, Sophie went to unlock her front door. She wasn’t nervous about breaking things off. There was no love, nothing that indicated she wanted a future with a man who put work above her. Besides, there were no sparks. Kissing him was just . . . a kiss.
Kissing Zach was an experience. An experience she didn’t have time to focus on right now.
Before Martin could knock, Sophie had gone to the foyer and opened the door just as he mounted the steps. Gripping the edge of the door in one hand and her wineglass in the other, Sophie offered a smile.
“Thanks for coming by,” she told him, feeling rather silly trying for small talk.
“Is everything okay? You sounded different earlier.” Martin stood just inside the threshold, but shifted as Sophie started to close the door. “I couldn’t get here any earlier, but I’ve been worried about you all evening.”
Which meant he’d actually thought about her during a business meeting. That would be a first.
“Why don’t you come in and sit down,” she suggested.
Before she could walk away, Martin stepped to the side, blocking her path. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”
Holding on to her glass with both hands now, Sophie tipped her chin up and looked into Martin’s worried eyes. She wanted to feel a connection, a spark . . . something to show her that these last six months had led them somewhere, but the longer she stared, the more she realized she’d been with Martin for the wrong reasons. She’d been with him for security and comfort. At first she’d been attracted to him, and they’d been on friendly terms. He’d asked her out and she’d been excited, but the longer they were together, the less he made her a priority.
Not that she was a needy female, but she would like to come before every other thing in a man’s life.
“Martin, I think we need a break.”
There. She said it. Sophie held her breath as she waited on his reaction. She didn’t need to wait long.
“I was waiting for this,” he said, shaking his head with a soft chuckle that held no humor whatsoever. “I knew once you started getting cozy with Zach over this project—”
“No.” Sophie held up her hand. “Zach has nothing to do with this.”
Seriously, he didn’t. She’d been having doubts about Martin and her for a while, but kissing Zach just confirmed that she had no feelings for Martin anymore.
“I just need to concentrate on some other things in my life now, and to be honest, I don’t feel like you’re putting a lot into this relationship.”
She wanted to cringe as those last words left her lips, but she wasn’t sorry she said them. He deserved to know the truth about how she felt.
“So you’re blaming me?” he asked, propping his hands on his hips. “I’m the one who rescheduled everything so I could take you out of town. You’re the one who canceled after you spent some time with those Monroe brothers. Y
ou never will break away from them, will you? You’d think after that accident . . .”
Martin trailed off, muttering a curse beneath his breath. “You know what? Fine. If you want to move on with a guy who doesn’t deserve your loyalty, then you two deserve each other.”
Sophie didn’t have time to say much else as Martin stormed out of her house, leaving her front door wide open. Warm evening air filled the foyer. Sounds from the neighbors filtered in. A car door slamming, kids screaming and playing, laughter. Life around her continued to go on as she stood there wondering how this breakup had turned on her, leaving her feeling guilty and like a terrible person.
On a sigh, Sophie closed the door and locked it. After setting her alarm for the night, she took her glass to the kitchen and finished off the wine, placing her glass in the sink. She wasn’t quite ready for bed, though it was getting late. No way could she sleep now, not when Martin’s parting shot still resounded in her head.
Sophie truly didn’t want to think that her breaking things off with Martin had anything to do with Zach, but she was lying to herself. The breakup with Martin would’ve inevitably come, but since Zach had been part of her life more recently, the split just came a bit sooner.
And mixed in with the guilt also came relief. She didn’t want to keep stringing Martin along, not when her heart wasn’t in their relationship. Anything between them had fizzled out long before Zach’s lips touched hers.
Still, she should’ve known, the moment she realized she’d never sleep with Martin, that he needed to be out of her life. She’d only been with two men in her life. Partly because of her scars from the accident, partly because she just didn’t feel a connection to many people. Intimacy wasn’t something she took lightly, but if she couldn’t be with someone that way, then she didn’t need to waste time dating him.
Sophie turned off the lights in the house and headed to her bedroom. She wanted to look through those binders Zach had left on her porch. She’d come home earlier and there they were on her porch swing. No note, nothing but the binders. Stupid jerk couldn’t even leave a note.
What would he say if he did write something? Sorry I’m a jerk. I’ve been this way since you’ve known me. Here are the binders.
But seriously, what did she expect? Zach was a man of few words when they were face-to-face. Did she honestly figure he’d pen something on a Post-it note?
The fact that Zach took up so much of her head space was ridiculous. If he wanted to ignore the obvious attraction between them, then Martin was right that Zach didn’t deserve her.
After changing into her silky tank and matching tap pants, she sat down on the cushioned, floral seat at the corner desk. Since sleep wouldn’t be coming for a while, she wanted to look through Chelsea’s ideas and really get a good feel for the overall theme, then dissect each room in her head to figure out the best plan of attack.
The more she flipped through and studied pictures and small notes written in Chelsea’s elegant hand, the more excited Sophie became. So excited, she pulled out her sketchbook and started outlining the foyer and sketching in a chandelier, cushioned bench seating, and a large circular table with a vast floral arrangement adorning the center.
These sketches were going to keep her sane. She’d used her pencil art to concentrate on healing after the accident. Now she would use it to keep her mind on the project, and not on the man in charge.
Chapter Ten
Already a hell of a day and it wasn’t even lunchtime.
Zach pulled his work truck into a parking spot right in front of Knobs & Knockers. He could’ve had Macy bring him the supplies when she closed for the day, but he needed to speak with her anyway, and he needed a break from that damn pipe in the main floor bathroom of the Sunset Lake house before he threw a stick of dynamite in there and called it a day.
But if he wanted to sell his home and stay at the mansion while fixing it up, he preferred the bathroom renovated . . . or at least in working order.
First, though, he had to talk to Liam. And wouldn’t that be a fun time on top of all the other bundles of excitement he’d already experienced?
Yanking on the door to the hardware store, Zach stepped inside as the bell chimed over his head.
Wearing her signature plaid shirt and dark hair in a ponytail, Macy greeted him with a smile.
“Hey, Zach.” Her smile quickly died on her face. “Oh no. Whatever the project is, you don’t look happy. It’s the Sunset Lake property, isn’t it?”
Sighing, Zach leaned onto the scarred wood counter. “I’ve just started. I swear it’s trying to kill me, and Chelsea is somewhere laughing her ass off at my expense.”
Macy reached across the counter to pat his arm. “You know everything you’re doing would make her happy, and that’s all that matters.”
Zach grunted, though he knew Chelsea would love that her brothers were moving ahead with her dream. Well, two of the three. And that was all that was keeping him partway sane.
Rubbing his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, Zach shook his head. “I need some PVC pipe cut.”
Macy straightened, tipping her head to the side. “You look exhausted. What else is wrong?”
Zach couldn’t prevent the sarcastic burst of laughter that slipped out. “I have puppies. They yip all night. I think they’re in cahoots with Chelsea’s spirit.”
Macy stared at him, her lips quivering. “Dogs?”
“If you laugh, I will bring the mom and her little fur balls and drop them off to you. Then we’ll see who’s laughing.”
She didn’t hold back another second. Macy laughed so hard she ended up with tears running down her face. She waved a hand toward him.
“I’m sorry, Zach,” she said between fits of laughter. “I’m just trying to imagine you taking care of a litter of puppies.”
When the door chimed again, Zach glanced at the robust man with silver hair and dark eyes that matched Macy’s.
“Maybe your dad will cut that pipe for me instead of laughing,” Zach muttered.
“I’ll cut your pipe,” Macy told him as she wiped beneath her eyes. “Come on back and tell me what you need.”
Phil Hayward came around the counter and eyed his daughter. “Hassling the customers again?”
“Oh, it’s just Zach.” Macy smiled up at her father. “He doesn’t count.”
Zach wasn’t offended in the least by her words or that he’d been the fodder for her laughter. Macy was one of the few people he was comfortable around. She was easy to talk to and joke with and he knew she felt the same or she wouldn’t go out of her way to agitate him.
“If you’re done mocking me, I’ll meet you in the back.”
Macy gestured for him to go ahead. “After you, dog whisperer.”
Zach headed to the pipe area and searched through the sizes until he found the piece he’d need cut. When Macy came in beside him, he pointed to the pipe.
“I need a three-foot piece,” he told her. “And even though you nearly doubled over with laughter, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back with you about those house plans.”
Macy pulled the piece from the others stacked along the wall. “No worries. I know you’re busy.”
“I’m not too busy for friends. Would you want to come over to the house Friday night and we can discuss this more in depth?”
Holding on to the pipe, Macy nodded, her ponytail shifting over her shoulder. “Sounds good. I’ll close up at six and head on out. Is this the only piece you need?”
Once he finished giving her his entire order, because he really didn’t want to have to make another trip, he waited for Macy to get it all together.
His cell vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he cringed when he saw the number. Martin’s office. Fantastic.
Zach slid his finger across the screen and held the phone to his ear. “Zach Monroe.”
“Zach, this is Martin.”
Shoving a hand in his pocket, Zach leaned against the door frame leading into the room wher
e Macy had gone. He waited for Martin to continue.
“I’m calling about your building permit.”
Words no contractor ever wanted to hear, let alone from the man who annoyed said contractor just because he breathed. From the tone of Martin’s voice, Zach was already pissed.
“What about it?” Zach asked.
“The plans you submitted were not approved.”
Did he sound smug? Zach gripped his cell and gritted his teeth. “And why not?”
“The plans for the kitchen were not satisfactory in regards to the exhaust and how the electrical would be run.”
Zach cupped the back of his neck and dropped his head. There wasn’t a doubt in Zach’s mind that Martin was taking great delight in this moment. That suit-wearing jerk had never made it a secret he didn’t like the Monroes. Not that Zach cared, but there was no way he would let this small-town politician ruin Chelsea’s dream.
“What exactly is the problem?” Zach wanted details, not just a smug asshole telling him he couldn’t do something. Although there was no doubt in Zach’s mind there was nothing wrong with the plans, other than his name had been on them.
Martin went into some nonsense about the exhaust needing to be on the other exterior wall to free up the second exterior wall for the double ovens and stove. Because the house was so old, they felt it best to be routed differently.
Focusing on the bright yellow sale sign hanging above a display of lightbulbs, Zach replied, “Fine. I’ll draw up new plans and have them for you by the end of the week. Is there anything else?”
Because once he drew up new plans, Zach didn’t want Martin coming back and saying there was a problem with the bathroom or the steps or some other issue. Zach could see Martin being a pain in the ass during this entire project.
“Nothing regarding the house,” Martin told him. “But there is something I want to say.”
Macy came back through with the pipe. “I’ll put it up at the counter,” she whispered as she passed through.
Zach nodded, then focused back on the sign. Whatever Martin was about to say was only going to make Zach even pissier. “And what’s that?” he asked, eager to end the call.
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