Glancing at his phone, he was shocked to see Liam’s name. The message simply said: Count me in.
Okay. Not what he was expecting. Zach shot off a quick reply: In on what?
He stared down at his phone, eager for the response, knowing most likely his brother meant the resort, but he didn’t want to assume and he wanted to make his brother just say it.
The girly resort.
Zach smiled. He hadn’t expected Liam to jump in, especially after the blowup at Zach’s house several days ago.
The front door opened and closed as Zach messaged Liam back: Then you better take time off from that fancy restaurant and bring your tool belt, city boy.
For all the frustration they caused each other, for all the ways they simply didn’t click, Zach actually felt good about this. He wanted Liam to be part of the project. Chelsea would’ve wanted all of her brothers to be in on this, and Zach admitted to himself he couldn’t wait to get started with both of his siblings.
No doubt they’d argue, most likely fight and swing fists, but in the end they were coming together for their late sister because they loved her. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
Braxton appeared in the doorway, holding up a large brown bag. “Hurry up and eat. We have a lot to do.”
Zach grabbed the bag from his hands. “Shut the hell up. You’ve been MIA for days.”
A shadow fell over Braxton’s face. “Had some things to work through.”
Of all the boys, Braxton was the last one to show emotions. He had his shit together . . . or he put up an outstanding front.
“You okay?”
Nodding, Braxton pulled in a deep breath. “Just unfinished drama I had to put to rest.”
Zach wasn’t going to pry; he had enough secrets and drama in his own life. Besides, that was one area the brothers all silently agreed on. If one of them wanted to talk, they would. They weren’t going to sit around and try to force one another’s feelings out in the open.
“Then let’s eat.” Zach inched around his brother and headed toward the kitchen. “Afterward you can swing the sledgehammer to knock that wall out. I’m looking forward to you getting some calluses on your pretty hands.”
Behind him Braxton snorted. “These pretty hands gave you a black eye the other day, if you recall.”
Setting the sack on top of the old chipped countertop, Zach shrugged. “I deserved it. Besides, I’m sure I’ll repay the favor one day.”
After pulling out the cartons of burgers and fries, and the bottles of soda, Zach leaned against the counter and started digging in. Braxton took his stuff to the tiny island that would soon become scrap.
“When I was at the house earlier I fed the pups, let them out, and had quite an interesting conversation with your new neighbor.”
Of course he did. No doubt Ms. Obvious was hitting on Braxton as well.
“She’s pretty bold,” Zach replied around a fry. “Don’t encourage her.”
Laughing, Braxton nodded. “I got that. She was looking for you, though. I’m not sure she wanted to talk to me.”
Shocked and a bit disturbed, Zach swallowed. “Don’t feed her any information about me, either. That woman cannot take a hint.”
“She’s smokin’ hot.”
Zach didn’t reply. He wasn’t drawn to the voluptuous blondes who painted on red lips and poured themselves into their clothes. And he sure as hell wasn’t attracted to someone who just assumed she could get anyone into bed.
He refused to stand there and think about the type of woman he was drawn to, because there was only one.
There would always be only one.
“I have an appointment with Sophie later to put the house on the market.”
Braxton froze, his bottle halfway to his lips. “You’re going through with this, then?”
“I see no other way.” Zach focused on choosing the perfect fry instead of the questioning glare of his brother. “It’ll be the best decision in the long run.”
“Liam didn’t take the news too well.”
That sick feeling in his stomach grew. “No, he didn’t. But he’s in on this project.”
“What?” Braxton set his bottle on the counter and straightened. “You mean he wants to be part of this? The resort?”
Nodding, Zach turned to fully focus on Braxton. “He sent me a text just as you got here. He hasn’t mentioned the sale of the house to me, but he said he was in on this. That will help financially too. Slowly things are clicking into place.”
As they should, because Zach couldn’t handle his world falling apart too much more.
“I’m busy later, but if you want to reschedule with Sophie I could go with you.”
“No. I want to get it on the market.”
“What about the dogs? You find homes for the puppies?”
Zach finished his lunch and wadded up the papers. “Not yet. I’m focused on trying to figure out how to get some damn sleep.”
He’d figure something out with the animals. They were just too damn cute to be angry with. Still, he couldn’t keep them.
“Let’s get started on tackling that wall,” Zach stated. “I’ve got an appointment in three hours, and I’d rather not show up smelling like I’ve worked my ass off all day.”
“Heading home to get fancied up for Sophie first?” Braxton teased.
Zach flipped him the finger and headed from the room. No way was he responding to that, because he would have to admit the statement was too damn close to the truth.
* * *
When the door chimed in her office, Sophie’s stomach flipped. She was technically closed, but had told Zach to go ahead and meet her at six.
Besides being a ball of nerves at the prospect of being with him after their heated encounter in her living room, she knew it was emotionally difficult for him to list his home. She was having a rough time as well, but she knew without a doubt that the Monroe boys were not taking this move lightly.
Liam had called her the other day and was angry and upset, but in the end he admitted Zach probably had the best plan. Not that the stubborn Liam would tell his grouchy brother such things, but Sophie knew. She also knew these boys loved each other more than they might ever admit.
Zach filled the space in her doorway, standing in the spot as if he were afraid to step inside. She knew his nerves were most likely all over the place as well. The man was so hardheaded but he cracked when he realized when he was at fault.
Sophie came to her feet and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to do this,” she told him. “We can figure out another way.”
Zach’s dark eyes held hers a moment before he shook his head. “No. Let’s get it over with.”
He crossed the office and sank down into the chair opposite her desk. He’d recently showered, if his damp hair was any indication. That wasn’t sweat, because the man smelled positively sinful and absolutely yummy. His black short-sleeved shirt stretched across muscles that had been gifted to him after years of hard labor, and those kissable lips surrounded by sexy beard mocked her.
Keep it in control, Sophie. The man is having a personal crisis at the moment.
Taking a seat, Sophie rolled her chair up to the edge of her desk and picked up her favorite pen. “What I want to know first is the recent renovations you’ve done. I know the basics of bathrooms and bedrooms, so I’ve got that down already. Tell me everything that’s been updated.”
Zach listed the rooms he’d remodeled over the years as well as the roof he’d replaced two years ago. He’d added a brick patio complete with pergola, and new landscaping in the last year as well. The more improvements he listed, the more Sophie knew they would get for this house. Added to that, knowing that a man who owned a construction company lived in the house would make buyers more apt to stay as close to the asking price as possible. With Zach’s reputation, people in the area knew he did good work.
“Your house is twenty-two hundred square feet, right?” she aske
d, scribbling down the last of her notes.
“Twenty-four.”
“What year was the house built?” she asked.
When he didn’t answer, she glanced up. Zach’s focus was on the far wall, where her pencil sketches of various buildings around the town were hanging.
“Zach?”
“Your talent is wasted,” he murmured, still looking across the room. “Your talent is hanging on walls where people won’t see it.”
Sophie gripped her pen. “I didn’t do those sketches to gain recognition. I did them because it’s relaxing, almost therapeutic for me.”
Okay, not almost therapeutic, they were therapeutic.
When his heavy-lidded gaze landed back on her, Sophie willed herself not to fidget in her seat. Those eyes could make a woman go weak in the knees, though, and she knew full well what that mouth could do.
“When did you take up drawing?”
So he wanted to get personal? Was this Zach extending that proverbial olive branch?
“After the accident.”
The silence in the room enveloped them and she knew he’d been instantly thrust back to that night, because he glanced down at his scarred hands. Those beautiful hands that had broken glass in the truck to get her and Liam out.
Those hands that had slid along her skin only days ago, leaving her aching for so much more.
Before she could say anything more, though she wasn’t sure what she could say, Zach jerked and pulled his phone from his pocket. When he glanced at the screen, he closed his eyes and sighed.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
He laid the phone on her desk without answering it and eventually the vibration stopped.
Sophie glanced between the cell and Zach, who had settled back into the seat as if moments ago he hadn’t been silently dealing with his own personal hell.
The phone started vibrating once again.
“Ignore it,” he told her. “It’s my neighbor.”
Sophie remembered the very voluptuous woman she’d spotted the other day. “Apparently it’s an emergency.”
Zach shook his head. “No, it’s not. She’s starting to become a nuisance.”
Zach was one of the sexiest men Sophie had ever known. He had that mysteriousness about him, he had the body carved from perfection. It was no wonder women were literally begging him for attention. But Sophie wouldn’t beg and she certainly was no match for someone so flawless and beautiful as Zach’s very obvious neighbor.
When the cell vibrated again, Sophie reached across the desk. “Hello?”
“Um . . . I’m looking for Zach Monroe.”
Sophie smiled across the desk to a stunned Zach. Never in her life did Sophie recall a time when his eyes had been so wide with utter surprise as they were now.
“He’s busy at the moment,” Sophie replied. “Can I take a message?”
“And you are?”
Sophie couldn’t help herself. “The woman he’s with right now. Are you a client?”
There was no response from the neighbor as Zach eased forward in his seat. Sophie sent him a wink, suddenly feeling a bit saucy. This wasn’t her. She was quiet and reserved and didn’t get in the midst of other people’s issues.
But there was something about Zach that made her want to stake her claim. Not that she had a claim over him, but she sure as hell did over this woman.
“I can take a message,” Sophie stated when the silence stretched too long.
“No. No message.”
With a wide smile, Sophie disconnected the call and handed it back across the desk. “She didn’t have anything to say.”
Speechless, Zach kept staring at her. Sophie didn’t know whether to applaud her performance or cringe at her boldness. On one hand, the neighbor was beyond beautiful, but on the other, Zach had made it perfectly clear he wasn’t interested.
“Did I go too far?” Sophie asked, biting her bottom lip.
“Not at all,” he told her, taking the phone and just barely grazing his fingertips along the back of hers. “I’m just . . . I have no words.”
Sophie shrugged. “I didn’t think before acting. I’m sorry I grabbed your phone and just . . . well, implied things that aren’t true.”
Zach shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Don’t worry about it. Maybe she’ll stop harassing me. I tried to steer her toward one of my employees, but that didn’t last long.”
He wasn’t addressing the fact that she’d pretty much told someone that she and Zach were together . . . as in, together. In this small town, if his neighbor started talking, everyone would know. Granted, Sophie hadn’t identified herself.
This is why she preferred a game plan. She was the one to always think things through, looking at the scenario from all angles so she could choose the best option. And she truly wished she knew what was going on between Zach and her.
“You’re overthinking this,” Zach chimed in, interrupting her wayward thoughts. “Forget the phone call.”
He obviously wasn’t too concerned as he relaxed in the chair, fingers laced over his flat abs, so why was she?
“Okay.” Sophie blew out a breath and glanced back down to her notes. “We’ve got the basics down. I’ll have an appraiser go through the house and get back to me. Then you and I can discuss the price. I’m sure you’ll want to talk with Braxton and Liam about that as well.”
Sophie came to her feet, wincing when that familiar pain gave her pause. Zach instantly stood, reaching across the desk.
“No, it passed.” She stepped around the desk to face him. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
His eyes roamed over her, affecting her body just as if he’d actually touched her. Those beautiful lips thinned as his eyes narrowed in on hers.
“I’ll call the appraiser tomorrow,” she told him, purposely trying to keep tension from settling between them. “I’ll let you know what he says.”
Zach took a step forward, minimizing the space between them and effectively towering over her. “Are you always going to ignore the pain? Are you expecting me to ignore it every time I see you hurting?”
“I don’t ignore it,” she replied, tipping her chin up to meet his gaze. “I’m used to it and it will pass. It’s really nothing more than a twinge most times. Besides, you’re pretty good at ignoring things. You’ve pushed aside your feelings for years, so just add this to the list.”
“I’ve not pushed them aside.” He leaned in, still not touching her, but his warm breath tickled her face. “I live with them every single day.”
“Well, you should be commended for your self-control. After what happened at my house the other day, I would’ve thought . . .”
Sophie shook her head and pursed her lips. After a moment of staring at each other in some sort of modern-day standoff, Sophie sighed. “Go home, Zach. Go to the Sunset Lake property or wherever. We’re done here. The ball is in your court, so whatever happens next is up to you.”
Just as she turned, he reached for her shoulder. He didn’t grip her or demand she stop, but that subtle touch halted her movements just the same.
“Soph.” His soft tone washed over her. She closed her eyes, absorbing his words. “The last thing I want you to think is that I’m rejecting you.”
“What am I supposed to think, then?” she whispered, her heart hurting for the years of angst that remained between them.
His hand dropped. “It’s difficult to take something so precious from you.”
Sophie whirled on him. “I’m not a virgin, Zach.”
“Damn it.” He slid a hand along his jaw and smoothed his beard down. “I’m not saying that. I’m saying I know you wouldn’t take intimacy so lightly and there’s no way I would ever take that from you. You deserve more than . . .”
Sophie nodded. “You can’t even say it. It’s fine. Just go.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded and headed toward the doorway. Just as he started to leave, he
slapped his hand on the frame and muttered a curse.
“Is it always going to be this push-pull between us?” he asked, throwing a glance over his shoulder. “Because I don’t want you hurt. You have to know that everything I’m doing, I’m doing to protect you. I won’t hurt you again, Sophie. It would kill me. I know you said this doesn’t have to be anything more than what we desire, but that’s not fair to you. I won’t be that man to you.”
She said nothing. What could she say? She’d never heard such vulnerability in his tone before, let alone heard him utter such heartfelt words.
She didn’t get to respond. Zach was gone and the front door chimed as he exited the office building. Easing back, she sat on the edge of her desk and stared at the doorway where he’d just been.
In the span of thirty minutes, so much had happened. Zach had opened up more than ever before, revealing that he truly did want her. Between the house going on the market, the untimely call from his neighbor, and Zach’s comments on her sketches, Sophie really didn’t know how to process all of this.
She did know one thing, though. She was done making this situation between her and Zach so complicated. It didn’t have to be that way. They didn’t have to be that way.
Now he could either listen to her or he could truly be alone, because he had one more shot.
Chapter Thirteen
If he were a drinker, tonight would be one of those nights Zach could get lost in the bottle.
But the bottle was what got him into this damn mess to begin with.
Zach fed the baby puppy, noticing the little guy was finally bulking up. He needed to take them into the vet’s office for an official checkup and to get shots scheduled. That would be time away from work, but these fur balls had no one else, and he couldn’t just abandon them. He knew what that felt like all too well.
Great. Now not only was he angry with himself over Sophie, he was equating himself to a stray dog. He was definitely sleep-deprived.
He had no desire to do anything but crawl into bed. Wow, it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Wasn’t he just a party animal?
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