He held up his hands as a promise not to pry. “I’ll just let my imagination run wild then. For what it’s worth, right now I’m picturing a battle between you and a wall. It involves jackhammers and chain saws.”
Her laughter rang out again. “Close enough. All I can say is that it was epic.”
Then she gave his toolbox a glance that could only be described as envious. “Are all those toys yours? Looks like you came prepared for anything.”
For anything except meeting someone like her. “I wasn’t sure what kind of work I’d be doing, and I’d rather use my own tools.”
“I’m glad you came prepared. God knows there are all kinds of jobs around here that need doing. Enough to keep an army of volunteers busy for months.” She glanced around the gym, maybe checking on the progress being made. “Speaking of which, I’d better get back to work myself.”
Tino should’ve let her walk away. He had his own assigned task to finish, but he couldn’t resist spending a few more minutes in her company. “I was about to cut out some more damaged drywall. Want to try out my reciprocating saw?”
Her blue eyes lit up with interest. “Are you sure?”
“Why not? I’ve already marked off the section that needs to come out. All you need to do is cut along the lines. And if things go off the rails a bit, I can always make the patch a little bigger to hide the evidence. It will be our secret.”
For a second, he thought she might hug him before she finally said, “I promise to be careful.”
He put on his safety glasses and dug a second pair out of the toolbox. “Here, put these on.”
After giving her a quick tutorial on how the saw worked, he positioned her in front of the damaged area. When she had the tip of the saw aimed in the right spot, he stood directly behind her, ready to coach her as necessary. For both their sakes, he needed to concentrate on the job at hand, but he was way more aware of the sexy woman than he should have been under the circumstances. It didn’t pay to get distracted by the faint scent of her perfume or the halo of wild curls that had escaped from one of those scrunchie things meant to hold her hair back out of the way.
“Okay, let her rip, Natalie.”
She hit the ON button and jumped a bit when the saw took its first bite of the drywall. He steadied her arms with his hands, but then left it up to her to continue on her own. All in all, she did a pretty credible job, taking her time and biting her lower lip as she guided the blade along the lines he’d marked. In just a couple of minutes, she finished the last cut.
After turning off the saw, she stepped back from the wall to critique her work. “It’s a little crooked.”
He brushed away some of the dust. “Not enough to matter. You did a fine job, especially if that was your first time using a power saw. I can fudge the edges a bit when I put in the replacement piece. Once it’s taped and mudded, no one will be able to tell.”
His words clearly pleased her as she surrendered the saw and safety glasses to him. “Thanks for letting me do that, Tino. I’d hang around to help with the patch, but it’s almost eleven thirty, and everyone stops to eat lunch at noon. I’m supposed to help serve today, so I’d better go get cleaned up.”
Then she frowned. “You are going to join us for lunch, aren’t you?”
Actually, he’d planned on finishing the last few patches and then heading over to his brother’s place to hang out for the rest of the day. However, eating with a bunch of strangers suddenly sounded a whole lot better than beer and watching a ball game with Jack.
“Sure, I can stay.”
“Great! I hope you like pizza and salad.” She picked up a small backpack and took off across the gym at her usual speed. Halfway across the room, she stopped and turned back to face him. “If there’s room, save me a spot at your table.”
Okay, then. So maybe this whole attraction thing wasn’t a one-way street. “I will. See you then.”
“Great!”
She shot him another one of her bright smiles and disappeared through a door on the other side of the room.
—
Natalie forced herself to cross the rest of the gym without looking back a second time even though she dearly wanted to know if Tino Gianelli was watching as she walked away. She suspected…no, she hoped he was.
He was the first interesting—not to mention attractive—man she’d met since she ended her engagement to Benton Humboldt last month. She liked Tino’s dark, wavy hair and teasing eyes the color of bittersweet chocolate. It probably wouldn’t amount to anything, but a girl could always hope. Besides, flirting with a handsome man over pepperoni pizza and Caesar salad was a harmless way to dip her toes back in the dating pool again.
“Hey, Miss Natalie, how’s it going?”
She smiled at Clarence, the janitor who kept things running here at the center. Despite spending more than forty hours there during the week, he showed up every Saturday to help with the ongoing effort to restore the building to its former glory. She looped her arm through his. “We should get at least half of the gym painted today. One of the new volunteers is about finished patching the holes in the last two walls. I’m really hoping to convince him to come back again. He seems to really know what he’s doing.”
“That’s good, girl. You’re going to have this place shining soon.”
“I hope so. I know having all our stuff underfoot makes your job harder.”
He smiled. “Now, you don’t go worrying about that. I don’t mind one bit, and it’s only temporary, anyway.”
That was true, but it seemed to take forever to make any real progress. She had to remind herself that the faded paint and outdated furnishings were slowly disappearing.
“There’s so much more we could be doing for the people in this area once we get the building back up to code and the new computer lab finished. We’re also hoping to have the after-school daycare program up and running soon. Kids around here need a safe, affordable place to go until their folks get home from work. I’ve also spoken to the community college about getting some volunteers to tutor and help with homework.”
Clarence patted her arm. “I love the way you look at this old gal and see all the possibilities. Most people only saw how rundown she’d gotten, and the only thing they wanted to do was tear her down. I know at least one member of the city council pushed real hard for that to happen. Wanted to bring in a bunch of fancy stores or something else just as useless. Folks around here need a place to gather. You know, to come together as a community. Outsiders don’t understand that and should just stay out of our business.”
He wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t told her a dozen times before. Once again, Natalie didn’t bother to point out that she had been an outsider the first time she’d visited the building or that it was outsider money pulling his beloved community center back from the brink. Besides, she agreed with him in large part. The people who lived in the immediate area should have the biggest say in how things were done.
They were about to pass the door to the ladies’ room. “I’d better stop in here and clean up a bit before I serve lunch. I’ll be sure to save you a couple of those brownies you like so much.”
“You spoil me, missy.” He smiled down at her and winked. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Let me know if you need me to set up any more tables or anything.”
“I will.”
She headed into the restroom. One look in the mirror had her wanting to bang her head on the wall. “Well, don’t you just look lovely?”
Not only did she still have the remnants of the paint streak smeared across her cheek, but her hair was an unruly mess. She looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed and hadn’t even bothered to brush her hair before leaving home. Sigh. And here she thought Tino’s smile had been flirtatious. Now she suspected he’d been having a hard time holding back his laughter. All things considered, she couldn’t even bring herself to blame him.
After soaking a paper towel with water and soap, she scrubbed the rest of
the paint off her face. It was tempting to put on a bit of makeup, but she settled for just a touch of lipstick. Next, she tackled her hair, dragging a brush through it before quickly braiding it. As usual, despite her best efforts, a few strands still escaped to frame her face with soft curls. She’d spent years trying without success to tame her hair. It was as good as it was going to get.
Regardless, she had better things to do than primp in front of a mirror all day. It was almost time to start serving lunch. They normally had plenty of other volunteers to help with that task, so it wasn’t imperative that she show up. However, passing out pizza was the one chance she had to personally thank everyone who had shown up today to help. The foundation’s money might be footing the bill for the project, but it was the volunteers who made it happen. She liked letting each of them know that she appreciated everything they did to help.
She headed down the hall and grabbed one of the aprons with the foundation’s name on them that she’d purchased with her own money. She’d designed the logo herself and was pretty pleased with how they’d turned out.
The kitchen was already bustling with activity. She automatically sought out Rosalie Earle in the crowd. The older woman ran the kitchen like a benevolent drill sergeant, marshaling her forces to operate with amazing efficiency. The kitchen had been one of the first areas to be renovated in the building. Instead of a bunch of mismatched appliances that were hopelessly out of date, now the place was filled with gleaming stainless-steel counters, a commercial-grade refrigerator, cooktop, and dishwasher.
Natalie had also convinced a local company to deeply discount the cost of the dishes and cookware to complete the transformation. Well, strong-armed was a better description, but that was her job as head of her grandfather’s charitable foundation. She was rather proud of what they’d accomplished in what would be the heart of the community center.
She wove her way through the others in the kitchen to reach Rosalie. “I’m here. Put me to work.”
Rosalie held up a finger to acknowledge that she’d heard her. Natalie hadn’t realized she was talking on the phone she had stuck in her other ear and stepped back to afford the other woman some privacy. A few seconds later, Rosalie ended her call.
“Sorry about that, but I’ve been talking to some other restaurants in the area where we might be able to order food for future work parties. I think it’s important to spread our purchases around the neighborhood.”
“Good. I’m sure they would all appreciate the business.”
Buying locally only made sense. The practice also encouraged local businesses to get involved with other projects the foundation might sponsor in the area. A lot of them made nice donations when she needed them for auctions and other fundraising events.
“Is everything set for lunch?”
Rosalie nodded. “We should be ready to go at the stroke of twelve. I’m assuming you want to serve the pizza again, so I’ve saved that spot for you.”
“That’s great. By the way, I promised Clarence I’d set aside a couple of the brownies for him. Where can I stash them?”
Her friend rolled her eyes. “He can come get his own brownies if he wants some that bad.”
But even as she spoke, Rosalie grabbed a small paper plate and stalked over to the counter where the desserts had been set out. She picked out three of the brownies, two of the chocolate chip cookies, and a lemon bar. After covering the goodies with plastic, she wrote Clarence’s name on a sticky note and stuck it on top.
Natalie hid a smile. Rosalie and Clarence circled each other like a pair of feral cats trying to establish their territories. Natalie suspected that there was more to it than that. Like maybe they were both fighting a strong attraction that neither of them was ready to acknowledge. She knew for certain that Clarence was a widower and Rosalie was divorced, so there was nothing keeping them apart except for sheer stubbornness. It was tempting to play matchmaker, but she didn’t want to risk her own friendship with each of them if things didn’t work out.
One of the other women called out, “Heads up, everybody. The hungry mob has arrived.”
Natalie took her usual spot at the head of the line and put on her plastic gloves before opening the first three boxes of pizza. They always ordered an equal number of pepperoni, cheese, and vegetarian pizzas. The volunteers weren’t normally picky about what they were served, but she preferred to offer them something they actually liked.
It would be interesting to see which one Tino would ask for. She was betting a big guy like him would go for the pepperoni, the only one with meat on it. She spotted him making his way toward her as the line snaked forward. He noticed her looking at him and nodded with a smile. She smiled back. At the same time, she had to fight to keep from checking her hair to make sure it was behaving itself.
When his tray was finally in front her, she asked, “What kind of pizza do you want, and how many slices? We always order more than we need, so don’t hesitate to take as much as you like.”
He studied the selections. “In that case, I’ll have two pieces of the veggie.”
Okay, so she would have lost that bet. She dished up two of the bigger slices and handed him the plate. “There you go, and thanks again for volunteering today, not to mention the lesson in repairing drywall.”
“Anytime. Let me know if there are any other skills you’d like me to demonstrate.”
One problem with having such fair skin was that she blushed too easily. Right now, she suspected her cheeks were bright red, because the skills that came to mind had nothing to do with fixing up the community center. He knew it, too, because he winked at her as he moved on down the line to the salad bar.
“He’s new, isn’t he?”
Natalie glanced over her shoulder at Rosalie. “Yes, today is his first day here. I’m hoping he comes back. He’s definitely got the kind of skills I could really use.”
When her friend started laughing, Natalie replayed what she’d just said. Once again, she wanted to bang her head on something. “Lady, you have a wicked mind. He said he knows basic carpentry, plumbing, and stuff.”
Rosalie patted her on the shoulder. “You just keep telling yourself that’s all you’re interested in if it makes you feel better. I might be old enough to be that man’s mother, but I’m not blind to his particular…skill set.”
Normally, Natalie loved Rosalie’s husky laugh, but not at this particular moment. For one thing, she was pretty sure she was blushing again, not to mention Tino had just glanced back in her direction. Had he figured out that he’d been their topic of discussion? From the small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, she suspected he had.
To make matters worse, she’d fallen behind in her duties. Time to get her head back in the game. She turned her attention to the next person in line. “Thanks so much for coming today! What kind of pizza would you like?”
—
Tino had a call to make. As he waited for his brother to answer, he guarded the empty spot next to him and kept an eye on Natalie Kennigan. The long line of volunteers was finally winding down, and he wanted to see if she would make good on her promise to join him for lunch. When he’d glanced back at her while he’d still been filling his tray, she’d looked almost guilty, like maybe he’d caught her and her friend talking about him. If so, he wondered what they’d said. Something interesting, for sure, considering she’d also started blushing.
He realized he’d missed hearing his brother answer. “Tino, I’m guessing you called me for some reason other than so I could hear you breathe in my ear. Because, I’m telling you straight up, that’s kind of creepy.”
“Stuff it, Jack.”
His brother laughed, something he seemed to do a lot more lately. Tino tried not to envy his brother’s newfound happiness with his wife and adopted teenaged son, but it was hard. Once again his gaze wandered over toward Natalie, the reason he’d called his brother in the first place.
“So what’s up, Tino?”
“I wanted to
let you know that I don’t think I’m going to make it today. Something’s come up.”
There was a second or two of silence before his brother responded. “Is everything okay? I thought you were putting in a couple of hours of volunteer work at that community center just to keep Mom off your back.”
“Yeah, I was. It’s turned out to be more complicated than I thought.”
More silence. “Any chance the complication is female and attractive?”
No way was he going there, not with his brother’s tendency to give him grief every chance he got. “They don’t have anyone else here today who can do a decent job patching the walls. I’d like to finish what I’ve started. If I get the drywall taped and mudded, next week they can finish painting the gym.”
“Need a helping hand? Ricky and I could be there in twenty minutes.”
Oh, hell, no. Considering Jack now ran their family’s construction company, he definitely had the necessary skills. What he didn’t have was the ability to keep his nose out of Tino’s business.
“No, I don’t want to take you away from Caitlyn and the kid on your day off. I can handle it.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Ricky will be disappointed that you’re not coming over. He mentioned something about kicking your ass at that new video game you got him. He’s been practicing.”
“Tell him I also bought a copy for myself, and my avatar will eat his for breakfast. Apologize to Caitlyn for me for ducking out on dinner.”
“Not a problem, little brother. See you on Monday.”
Tino bit back the need to remind Jack yet again there was only a four-month difference in their ages. “I’ll be there.”
Jack did the bulk of the work in the family business, but Tino had been helping out on some of the bigger jobs whenever his brother needed an extra set of hands. He’d also taken on all the paperwork that their mother had done when their late father had run the business. As always, a sense of loss washed over Tino when he thought about the man who had been his anchor in this world. Joe Lukash’s sudden death several months back had left a big hole in all their lives.
Always for You: Jack (Sergeant Joe's Boys #1) Page 26