“Who are you telling? You’d kick my butt from here to Thursday.”
“Yes, I would,” Renee laughed.
“When did you get all possessive over this man you just met?”
“Since he saw me naked.”
Penelope’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “It was an accident,” Renee explained. “He came by yesterday to look over the damage to the house, and he walked in on me as I was getting dressed for my date with Rashad.”
“Oh my God, I would have died.”
“I know!”
“I would have died. You have no reason to. If I had your body I would have given him a tour of the house completely naked. I, on the other hand, have this muffin top to hide.”
“You do not have a muffin top,” Renee chided.
“Thanks to you. I guess I shouldn’t complain about these six a.m. workouts anymore, just in case some hot guy decides to barge in on me when I’m naked. What am I talking about?” Penelope snorted. “That stuff never happens to me.”
“I’m starting to regret that it happened to me,” Renee said. “I can’t stop thinking about him. My body has been in that hot, just ask me to strip and I’d do it in an instant mode ever since he walked in on me.”
“Oh, all hot and tingly. I remember that feeling,” Penelope said with a wistful sigh. “It’s been a long time since I felt that way.”
“Me, too, which is what scares me. Granted, I only went out with Rashad a few times, but I wasn’t tempted to so much as take off my shoes around him. Alex Holmes comes over to assess Aunt Lorna’s house, and I’m ready to drag him on the sofa and rip his clothes off. It’s crazy.”
“It’s not crazy, it’s instant attraction, baby. Don’t fight it.”
“I can’t allow anything to happen with him. He’s the parent of one of my students.”
“You’re his daughter’s librarian. What kind of favoritism can you show?”
“Not the point. It’s unethical.”
“Whatever.” Penelope waved her off. “If you want him, you’d better go after him because a horny single gal like me will be waiting to scoop him up.”
“Keep your hands off,” Renee laughed. “He’s coming over again this morning, along with a crew from his construction company.”
“Wow, he works fast, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, they’re going to start with demo.”
“Well, this is what I suggest.” Penelope clasped her hands around Renee’s. “Bypass the showers here, invite him in the trailer for his morning coffee, and do a little innocent striptease.”
“You are no help at all.”
“Oh, come on. You have to do this. For both of us, because I expect you to give me the play by play when you’re done.”
“You are worse than a guy,” Renee laughed. “Are you coming over to watch football?”
“It depends on what time I finish with the meeting with my contractor. How did I get stuck with a sixty year old grandpa with a beer belly for a contractor, and you get Alex Holmes? Life is so unfair.”
“Don’t envy me just yet. I’ll most likely end up making a fool of myself. Let’s get our stuff together. I want to make sure I’m home before the work crew arrives.”
“Take my advice,” Penelope said. “Wait to shower.”
Alex stopped Jasmine as she came up the hallway from her bedroom. He pointed to her feet. “Where are the pink socks I laid out for you?”
“I don’t want to wear the pink socks,” Jasmine said in that whiny voice Alex had heard more than he had the patience for this morning.
“Jasmine, get the pink socks.”
“But I want to wear my SpongeBob socks.”
“You’re the one who said you wanted to wear your pink jumpsuit. Those SpongeBob socks are yellow and blue. Now, if you want to wear SpongeBob, go in the closet and get your jeans and that yellow shirt Uncle Eli bought you.”
“But I want to wear my jumpsuit.” She stomped her feet.
“Jasmine!” Alex tried hard to keep his voice at a tolerable level. His shoulder had been hurting the hell out of him since yesterday, and had kept him up most of the night, along with that stupid European history paper he’d been working on for a week. He wasn’t up for dealing with a tantrum.
“I’m putting an end to this right now. I’ve already ironed the jumpsuit. Put on your pink socks.” She started to speak, but Alex stopped her. “I don’t want to hear it. Get the socks.”
Her bottom lip poked out and her eyes welled with tears, but Alex held his ground. His daughter had inherited her mother’s manipulative streak, along with her light brown eyes and naturally curly hair. Jasmine could turn those tears on and off like a faucet, and had learned to use them to her advantage. As hard it was to see his little girl cry, Alex was learning to refrain from giving in to her demands. The battle over the socks would probably be just the tip of today’s iceberg.
A car horn blew.
“Jasmine,” he called. “That’s Kayla and her mom. You’re going to be late for Campfire Girls.”
Jasmine trudged up the hallway, her pink and white backpack hanging over one arm. Alex captured her by the ponytail and slipped the backpack from her arm. He unzipped it, took out the SpongeBob socks, and stuffed them in the front pocket of his jeans.
Sneakiness. Another trait she’d inherited from Chantal.
Alex shook his head. The girl was only six years old. If she was already trying to pull the wool over his eyes, how would he get through the teenage years?
He followed Jasmine as she stomped out of the house to the silver SUV in his driveway. Leslie Morgan sat behind the wheel, her daughter, Kayla, in the front seat.
Alex took a deep breath, gearing up for this morning’s encounter with the Queen of Horny. The newly divorced Mrs. Morgan had made her feelings more than clear when she’d come up to him at Jasmine and Kayla’s first softball game and not so innocently brushed her hand across his fly while handing him this season’s game schedule. If he ever had the urge to engage in a little casual sex, Alex knew of at least one willing participant.
“Thanks for picking Jasmine up for the meeting,” Alex said by way of greeting as he walked up to the SUV. He looked over to the passenger side and gave Kayla a wave.
“My pleasure,” Leslie Morgan said. Her eyes traveled from the top of his head to his slipper clad feet in a slow, blatantly sexual perusal. He needed a shower after that dirty look.
“I’ll pick Jasmine up around four?” Alex confirmed.
“That’s fine. These girls have no problem keeping themselves occupied for hours on end,” she said. In a lowered voice, she continued. “If you want to come by a little earlier, I have ways to keep you occupied, too.” She ran her tongue along her lips.
Alex backed up a step. “Uh, yeah. Okay, then. I guess you all better get going before you’re late for the meeting.” He peered at Jasmine sitting in the back of the SUV. “You have on your seat belt, Pumpkin?”
“Yes, Daddy,” came her reply.
Leslie put the SUV in reverse. “See you later, Daddy.” She whispered the last word, her mouth tipping up in a sensual smile as she backed out of the driveway.
“Lord, have mercy,” Alex said under his breath.
This celibacy thing wasn’t easy, and women like Leslie Morgan made it a hundred times more difficult. Just because he’d chosen to abstain from sex didn’t mean it wasn’t on his mind a hell of a lot. And after yesterday, it was about the only thing on his mind. The thought of Renee’s wet, naked body wrestled a groan from deep in Alex’s throat. He ran his hand down his face, clenching his eyes shut as the image of her incredible body assaulted him.
“Just stop thinking about her,” Alex pleaded with his brain.
As if that would happen any time soon. He needed to head back in and get ready to meet the twelve man crew that would be at her aunt’s house in another half hour. If everyone who’d signed on to volunteer showed up, it wouldn’t take his men long to get through the demol
ition. They could possibly start the washing down process and dehumidifying the house to rid it of the toxic mold by next weekend.
The phone was ringing when Alex reentered the house. He picked up the cordless in the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter.
“This is Alex,” he answered.
“Hey, man, have you heard from Mama?” came Eli’s voice over the line.
“Not since yesterday. Why? What’s up?”
“I called her a couple of times last night, and then again this morning, but she’s not answering the house phone or her cell phone. She asked me to check the hot water heater.”
The apple was arrested halfway to Alex’s mouth. “What do you know about hot water heaters?”
“I’ve helped you on enough home repair jobs. And you shouldn’t be doing that kind of work.”
“I’ll stop by there on my way home later today,” Alex said, cradling the phone between his ear and left shoulder. “I can look at a hot water heater without injuring myself,” he snorted before taking a bite out of his apple.
“Where are you going today?” Eli asked, and Alex realized he’d said too much.
“Nowhere,” he answered.
“Alex.” Eli’s voice was filled with accusation.
Alex emitted a long suffering sigh. He was not up for hearing his brother’s mouth this morning, but Eli wouldn’t stop until he got the information he sought.
“I’ve got a crew going out to look at a house today,” Alex said. “One of the teachers at Jazzy’s school got ripped off by a crooked contractor. I offered to put one of the volunteer crews on it to help her and her aunt rebuild.”
“What happened to taking it easy? You’re still recovering from major surgery.”
“I’m supervising, E, that’s all.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?” Eli muttered.
“I’m hanging up,” Alex said, and pressed the end button on the phone. He immediately dialed his mother’s number.
She picked up on the fourth ring with a groggy “Hello?”
“Mama? What’s wrong? You sound sick.”
“I’m sleeping,” she said. “And I think I have a hangover.”
Alex took the receiver from his ear and stared at it, certain he hadn’t heard what he thought he’d just heard.
“Mama, what’s going on with you? Eli said he’s been calling you since last night about the hot water heater, which I could have fixed, by the way.”
“Alex, please. I can’t think about the hot water heater. I’m going back to bed.”
The line went dead.
Alex listened to the dial tone for a full ten seconds, until the recorded voice came through the line telling him to try his call again.
What had happened to his neat little world? First he nearly got killed on the job; then his daughter decided to turn into a demon child. And now his fifty nine year old, upstanding, churchgoing mother had just hung up in his face after admitting she had a hangover?
Alex didn’t know what to make of his mother’s behavior these days. Ever since that weekend she’d mysteriously taken off about six months ago, she’d been acting strange.
He noticed the time illuminated on the microwave. He had to be over at Renee’s house in twenty minutes. Not enough time to go over to Mama’s this morning, but he would be there later today. It was time for whatever was going on with Mama to come to an end.
Alex showered as quickly as he could. With the help of the plastic covering Eli had brought him, he’d finally mastered the art of not getting his bandages wet. Putting on his clothes was a little more difficult, but he still managed to dress himself in under six minutes. He filled his travel coffee mug and left the house.
When Alex pulled up to Lorna Davis’s home, his crew was already there, surveying the outside of the structure. Even though it shouldn’t have mattered, relief rushed through his veins when he spotted Renee’s car parked next to the trailer. Sure, she could still have spent the night with Richards and just come home early this morning, but Alex wouldn’t know either way. He’d rather believe she’d slept the night away in the tiny little FEMA trailer.
Alex walked along the outer fence to the back of the property.
“Boss.” Jason Deering waved and started toward Alex. He shoved out his right hand, but took it back as if he thought Alex couldn’t return the handshake. “How’s the recovery going?”
“According to the doctor’s schedule,” Alex answered, stretching out his hand. It hurt like hell, and stung even more when Jason pumped their clasped fists two times. “I’d hoped the recovery wouldn’t take as long as predicted, but it looks like the doc knew what he was talking about.”
“But you will recover, right?”
“It’ll take a while, but with physical therapy, I’ll eventually get back to normal.”
“You don’t have to worry about the business while you’re out, Alex. It’s going to do just fine.”
“I know it will,” Alex answered. “That’s why I put you in charge.”
Jason had worked for Holmes Construction since its inception nearly twelve years ago. If Alex could not be there himself, Jason was the only man he would trust in running his business.
“What do you think about the house?” Alex asked. He and Jason started a slow perusal of the perimeter of the property.
“It isn’t as bad as it could have been,” Jason said. “The house was solidly built. Did you see that cedar?”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Man.” Jason shook his head. “What I wouldn’t give to have a steady supply of that wood.”
“Hey, boss, you’re looking good,” Cory Williams, one of his best carpenters, called as he strode up to where Jason and Alex stood. “We’re ready to get started,” he said.
Alex flipped him the key. Cory let out a loud whistle, and the rest of the crew descended on the house, carrying sledgehammers, crowbars, and hammer drills. In a matter of minutes, they were in full work mode.
“Are they rebuilding the interior as is, or are they looking to do a little redesign?” Jason asked.
“I’m not sure,” Alex answered. “I haven’t discussed anything other than demo with the owner’s niece. We’re going to go over the house plans a little later today. I promised I would come up with a ballpark figure of what this is going to cost them.”
“How’s it going, boss?” a worker called as he carried a load of mold laden ceiling tiles and dumped them into a waiting wheelbarrow.
Alex patted the guy’s back when he passed on his way back to the house.
“Too bad Lance couldn’t make it,” Jason said. “He would have a better idea of what the materials would run for a house this size.”
“I’ll get with him later. His daughter’s volleyball team is in the state semifinals, and I wouldn’t let him miss her match.”
Lance Poche was another who had been with Alex since the early years. After Hurricane Katrina, he had put Lance in charge of the special volunteer rebuilding project.
The storm had been a financial windfall for his company, and it didn’t sit well with Alex to reap benefits from something that had been so devastating for so many. The crews that worked on the weekends helping to rebuild homes did so on a volunteer basis, but Alex provided as much incentive as he could to get his workers to give a little of their time. A raffle for a pair of New Orleans Saints tickets would be given away on Monday for the guys who’d showed up to help today. Alex had wanted to make sure he had a good turnout.
“Hi there.”
Alex turned to find Renee in running shorts and a workout shirt made of a meshed, breathable material. She had an iPod strapped to her upper arm, her skin covered in a fine sheen of moisture.
“Look at all of this,” she said, turning in a full circle. Exertion lent a breathy quality to her voice that set Alex’s heart on a familiar, accelerated pace. It happened whenever he was around her. “Sorry I wasn’t here when the crew arrived,” Renee continued. �
�I hadn’t expected so much activity so soon.”
“I asked the guys to show up a bit earlier than usual this morning. I wanted to get a head start on the interior demo,” Alex answered.
“You have a great house,” Jason said. “They don’t build them like this anymore.”
“Well, it’s my aunt’s house, but thanks on her behalf. She loves this place. I love it, too.”
“Is your aunt here?” Alex asked.
“No. She left early this morning to head on over to the West Bank. She’s teaching an acting class at a community center out there. She’s picking up a set of plans from the architect and should be back here around noon.”
“Once your aunt returns we can go over exactly what she’s looking to do with the house. After going over the house plans I can possibly give an estimate on what the materials will cost for the rebuild,” Alex said.
“Is she looking at just renovating?” Jason asked.
“She wanted to change a few things about the inside,” Renee said. “But since being ripped off by that contractor, she’s convinced she won’t be able to afford it.”
“What did she have in mind?” Alex asked.
“It was just a few things here and there, like making the living room a little bigger, and adding a walk in pantry to the kitchen. She’s going to tell you those things aren’t important, but don’t listen to her,” Renee said. “I’ll cover the extra cost.”
“It may not be as expensive as you think,” Jason said. “It’ll depend on how much has to be revamped.”
“Aunt Lorna just wants her house back. That’s the most important thing, to get her back in the house.”
“Yeah, that trailer can get pretty cramped,” Jason said. “My family and I were in one for eleven months while we rebuilt the house.”
“The trailer is a bit cozy,” Renee answered with a light little laugh that had Alex’s skin getting hot. “It’s not bad with just the two of us,” she continued, “but I know how much Lorna loves that house. The sooner she gets back in it, the happier she’ll be. I’m going to shower; then I’ll be back out to help,” she said.
“No.” Alex stopped her.
“Excuse me?”
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