Any Way You Build It: An Upper Crust Novel, Book 6 (Upper Crust Series)

by McDonell, Monique

  “My reputation proceeds me.” He extended a hand and she shook.

  “It’s the shoes. Chloe warned me.” He handed her a beer. She wasn’t really a beer drinker these days, but she could nurse that one all night. It was poker night. She supposed beer was in order.

  Kevin approached. She guessed he’d been here since Katie was dropped off. “Good to see you off the crutches.”

  “Thanks again for the ramp. It’s really made Livi so happy.”

  “You’re welcome, honey. If you need anything done in that house, just call me. I can fix most things. I’m not much for talking, but I’m good with my hands.”

  “That’s so sweet. And thank you for bringing Katie.”

  “She’s a great kid. And she appreciates being asked.”

  “Do you mind me asking why the kids live with you? If I’m prying . . .”

  “That’s fine. Their mom is going through some stuff and not coping. Lucy, their aunt, was minding them for a bit, but it made more sense for them to be here with us. Been here nearly a year now.”

  “They’re lucky to have you.”

  “Yeah, or maybe we’re lucky to have them,” he said sweetly. “My wife and I both kind of screwed up our lives when we were younger . . . this is our second chance.”

  Todd joined them, but Sarah couldn’t help but think there was something familiar about Dave as he walked away. She had been in this town before, anything was possible.

  “You came.”

  “I did. I notice there aren’t many women.”

  A guy who looked like a young politician in his polo shirt with seams sewn into the seams intervened. “Marissa ditched you for your brother, huh? Is she going to be a no-show?”

  She felt Todd’s shoulders tighten beside her, but just as he was about to respond, the back door flew open and in came Marissa and Mike. Her dark curls were flowing behind her, and she wore a cute denim shirt dress and a big smile.

  “You can stop talking about me now, I’m here,” she said. Sarah didn’t know if she had guessed or it was a lucky coincidence, either way it was a blessing.

  “Late again,” called Dave, and she poked her tongue out at him.

  “Yeah, that’s because I got dressed before I came, smarty-pants. Shoes and all.”

  “Right, let’s start then.”

  Todd made sure he wasn’t sitting at the same table as Sarah tonight. They had two tables of eight going. She was sitting with Kevin on one side and Jacob on the other. That should be safe enough. Neither should hit on her because that he didn’t want to see. Unfortunately, where he was sitting she was in his direct line of vision.

  He was having trouble shaking their conversation that afternoon. If he hadn’t misinterpreted the energy and the conversation, then she’d as good as said she was up for a no strings attached arrangement. He was pretty sure he hadn’t, but he’d keep telling himself he had made a mistake because if that was true that was way too much temptation for him.

  He folded. He actually had an okay hand, but he was aware that he’d been winning most of the night. He didn’t need the money. When he was anywhere near a casino, he went in and played. He usually walked out doing okay. He was good at poker. He wasn’t exactly throwing the game.

  Marissa folded beside him.

  “Eyes on our table,” she whispered, giving him a nudge. “It’s rude to stare.”

  Shit. Had he been that obvious? He could lie to her but she wouldn’t believe him anyway. “I’m hoping she’s managed to mention to Jacob she needs a job. He might know of something.”

  “I know of something if not,” Marissa said. “Betty from the paper is off on the trip of a lifetime. Three months of travel. Mike will need a secretary for the summer.”

  “He’s on that table, so maybe he’ll put two and two together.”

  “If not, I’ll help him connect the dots.”

  Todd took a moment to look at her. She looked really happy. In fact, she had a glow he hadn’t seen on her in a long time. Being with Mike was making her happy. He missed her like crazy because she wasn’t as free to hang out with him, but he needed to get over that. She was his friend and she was happy. He had to be happy for her.

  “And, by the way, I know you have a little crush on Sarah.” He felt his jaw drop. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone you’re feeling all the things.”

  “You two, shut up. I can’t concentrate,” Dave said from across the table.

  “That’s just you, Dave, nothing to do with us,” Todd said with a smile. The guy lost every time. He had the least effective poker face Todd or anyone else had ever seen. He was a walking tell. It was hilarious to them all that the most laid-back guy they knew was the local cop.

  At the end of the night, they were clearing up.

  “Dave, did you ever work at Woodland Meadows Camp?”

  Todd watched his friend’s eyes widen. “Yeah.”

  “Me, too. I have a feeling you dated my friend Tasha for a while.”

  “Tasha.” Her name came out as a sigh. “I sure did. I remember you now. But you had short spikey hair back then, and wasn’t it purple?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, it was.”

  “So, are still in touch with Tasha?” “

  “A little bit. I know she’s living in California; she does something in IT.”

  “I remember she was really smart and driven. That was one of the reasons she dumped me. I wasn’t ambitious enough.” His face had kind of fallen.

  “As far as I know she’s still single, so maybe it wasn’t you, Dave,” Sarah said, giving him a pat on the arm.

  “Woodland Meadows . . . wow.” He folded a table and carried it down to the basement.

  It was just Todd and Sarah left in the room. “Thanks for a good night.”

  “Did Marissa tell you Mike needs someone at the paper?”

  “No, I didn’t really get a chance to talk to her.”

  “Call her tomorrow. Or just pop into the library. Tell her I sent you.”

  Her head was cocked to one side. She was looking at him like he was chocolate and she’d gone without in a while.

  “I will. Thanks again.”

  Then, she stood on her tiptoes and brushed a soft kiss on his cheek before turning on her heel and making a hasty retreat.

  Dave came up from the basement. “Have you got Tasha’s details?”

  “She’s gone, dude.”

  “Oh.”

  “You know where she lives, go ask her tomorrow.”

  “That might seem weird.”

  “She broke your heart this Tasha, huh?”

  “Oh yeah. Big time. Teen love and all that crap. Sarah was her wing man now that I think back. Barney Shore was mine.”

  “They hook up?” He really hoped the answer was no. He couldn’t think of much positive to say about that idea. The thought of Sarah and Barney together was not a happy one. Barney Shore was now a used car salesman in Atlanta.

  “Nah, you’ve met Barney. Would you hook up with him?”

  Todd let out a low laugh. “Well, no, but I’m not in to dudes.”

  “Yeah, well, Sarah was way too smart to fall for Barney and his brand of crap. We hung out a bit. She was really edgy, and I got the feeling she was pretty wild back in Ohio.”

  “Probably why she ended up here for the summers.”

  “Yeah. Tasha. I’ve spent a lot of time trying not to think about her. I don’t think I’ll be getting much sleep tonight. See you, man.” Dave headed out.

  Todd didn’t expect to sleep much either. Images of Sarah as a wild purple-haired teen would be mixed with images of her now, and her offer for a no strings attached fling would no doubt intermingle for him.

  #

  The library was an air-conditioned oasis after the journey from their house. It was only ten minutes, but Sarah was well aware of a small river of sweat running down her front and she hoped the cool air would halt the flow. The library, however, wasn’t the whisper-quiet encl
ave she expected. It was full of small children and their mothers. Then, she noticed a sign on a sandwich board announcing Summer Story Time.

  Well, that would be a bonus. Still, she was very aware of the eyes that fell on her as she wheeled Livi toward the section of the library where story time looked set to start. Marissa was seated at the front of the circle and when she noticed them sent her a huge smile.

  “I’m so glad to see you here.” She gave Livi a wave. “Hey, Livi.”

  Her daughter mumbled back a hello.

  It was always going to be hard adjusting to the stares. They’d left the hospital back in Ohio and almost instantly moved here. They weren’t used to it. She wasn’t so she was sure the kids weren’t.

  “Everyone, Sarah, Livi, and Zach have just moved to town. Zach will be starting at the school in first grade. Everyone be sure to make them very welcome. Now, I’ve got a special treat for you today . . .”

  The kids settled and Sarah moved herself to the back of the group where there was a community noticeboard with fliers about services and activities around the town and surrounding districts. She started amassing a small pile. Hayrides, Scout troops, art classes, swimming lessons, farmers’ markets. Several things she probably couldn’t afford anyway but aspired to at some point.

  She got a waft of a sickly perfume and looked to her left to see a woman with a pinched face and dark hair standing next to her. They were probably the same age, but the other woman stood with the command of someone older and the fashion sense of a far more mature woman.

  “I’m Patty,” the woman announced as if that meant something.

  “Sarah, nice to meet you.”

  “You sat next to my husband at poker last night.” Ah, golf shirt with pleats, boring accountant.

  “Did I? I’ve had so many names to learn I’m struggling to keep them all straight right now.” She smiled. This was a woman marking her territory. Why anyone would want golf shirt when Todd was in town was a big mystery to her. Not that she could have Todd either, but still, she didn’t want golf shirt.

  “Well, he’s married.”

  “So you said, to you, that’s lovely, which are your kids?” She pointed them out. A sweet little girl sucking her thumb and small boy who wore a frown like his mother.

  “Well, I know you’re new in town, but we have a way of doing things here and that includes not flirting with other people’s husbands or stripping.”

  Sarah wanted to laugh. She just went straight there. “First of all, I’ve not now nor have I ever been a stripper, if I decide to change my mind, I’ll let you know. Second, I have been married myself so I understand the whole vows concept, but I was not flirting with your husband, don’t worry, he’s not my type.”

  “You’re not married now . . .”

  Oh my gosh, who was this woman? “My husband was killed in the line of duty, lady, excuse me.”

  She left Patty with her mouth agape and headed over to sit cross-legged next to Zach on the floor. She wasn’t even mad at that narrow-minded woman. It was laughable that anyone could be that insecure. Sarah wasn’t even dressed in a sexy outfit, just some daisy dukes and a linen top. Crazy. She was no more a threat than any other woman with a pulse.

  Story time ended, and it was time for the kids to make crafts.

  “Can we get library cards?” Zach and Livi asked.

  “Sure. We’ll wait until the end when Marissa has some time to help us.”

  Zach took the role of helping Livi very seriously, so Sarah took herself on a little tour to cool off and avoid that woman who seemed to be staring at her. In the computer section, she found Moose sitting, working.

  “Hey, Moose.”

  “Hi, Sarah. Story time. I forgot. I usually avoid it here during story time.”

  “You hang here a bit?”

  Moose explained to her that the only places in town with free Wi-Fi were the ice-cream parlor and the library. “Chloe is slammed in there, but she’s got staff on. I didn’t want to take up a chair.”

  “You’re a sweet guy,” she said, taking a seat opposite him.

  “Shh, don’t tell anyone. Saw Patty talking to you.”

  She felt her eyebrows rise. “She’s somewhat territorial. She’ll probably hotfoot it straight to the ice-cream parlor to report this conversation to Chloe.”

  He let out a laugh that was like a low rumble. “She’s an interesting character. Ignore her.”

  “She just called me a stripper.”

  Another laugh. “I’ve been called worse things. Still, hardly a friendly welcome to town.”

  She laughed herself. Really, it was so ridiculous. Zach came over. “Marissa says I can borrow five books, Mom.”

  “Cool. See you round, Moose.” She stood and made her way over to the front desk while Zach ran and wheeled Livi over. She felt better after talking to Moose. One bad egg couldn’t spoil the bunch. She wondered what Patty would have said had she known that Sarah had almost thrown herself at Todd the day before. Probably best not to share that.

  “Hey, Marissa,” she said. “What a great way for the kids to spend the morning.”

  “Happens every week.” Marissa grinned up at her. Then, she gave the kids her full attention, showing them the library cards and getting them to sign them. They looked so proud signing their names. She remembered getting her first library card as a child and how grown-up she’d felt.

  When they were done, she felt awkward about bringing up the job Marissa had told Todd about. How did one do that without sounding grasping?

  Marissa made it easy. “Todd told you about the job at the paper?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “You should call him. I told him you would. It’s just temporary, but it would be something while you all settle in. It’s got to be a big change for you.”

  “Absolutely, but I also need to make a living.”

  Marissa wrote the number for the paper down for her. “Not that you couldn’t just find it on the front lawn I suppose.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I saw Patty grilling you. Ignore her. Her bark is worse than her bite.”

  “Good to know because she was barking pretty hard.”

  “Yeah, she doesn’t always play well with others unfortunately.” Marissa sighed. “And because she’s married to the Mayor’s son, she kind of thinks she doesn’t have to.”

  “Ah, delusions of grandeur as my aunt would have said.”

  “I believe that was the exact expression she did use to describe her. I miss Esme.”

  “Me, too.” It hung between them for a moment, the longing.

  “Yeah, so does Todd. It’s good you’re here. He needs people to look after.”

  “So I’m his project, huh?”

  “Not exactly, if you were his project he’d have installed a lift, not a ramp by now. He’s just a guy who likes to help. He spent a lot of time with Esme, they were good friends, and there’s a void now.”

  She knew how that felt. “That makes sense. He seems like a really good guy.”

  “The best,” she said. “He’s also an idiot, but then again, he’s a guy so . . .”

  “I hear you. They’re a strange species.”

  “Yeah, but what would we do without them?” A loved-up, I’m in a happy relationship and I’m thinking of Mike kind of smile lit up her face. “Anyway, call Mike. It’s a start. Not much dancing in that office, though.”

  “Ah well, one thing at a time. And thanks so much.”

  “No problem at all, happy to help.” She looked like she was going to say something. “About Todd?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Just don’t expect too much . . .”

  “I’m not expecting anything,” she said, hoping she wasn’t lying to either of them.

  “Okay . . . if you say so.”

  She hadn’t believed her.

  Of course, the kids wanted to stop for ice cream, but the groceries Todd had given her that Dermot had topped up were starting to dwindle and she did
n’t have a job. Then, she remembered they still had ice cream at home.

  “We’ll make our own sundaes.”

  “It’s not the same,” Zach said as they walked past the crowded ice-cream parlor. It wasn’t. He was right. No one wanted to stand on the outside looking in, but for now, that was all they could do.

  “It’ll be fun,” she said, slapping a brave face on for everyone’s sake. They’d get there one day.

  Todd was out the front at five to three but Zach beat him. He wasn’t really surprised. He knew the kid was itching to play ball and being cooped up in the house on a hot day was never fun. He really should ask Sarah about Livi’s condition and if water would help. He shook his head. No, he really should keep his distance.

  “Hey, buddy, did you have a good day?”

  “Yeah, I got a library card and borrowed lots of books.”

  “That’s awesome!” Hopefully that meant she’d been in touch with Mike about the job.

  “Yeah, I wanted to go for ice cream, too, but Mom said no. I think she was worried about the money, but she didn’t say that.”

  “Oh.” No, well, she wouldn’t.

  “Yeah, because you know when Livi had her accident, it cost so much money, and then Mommy couldn’t work.”

  “That’s tough, buddy.”

  “Yeah.” He kicked a pebble on the drive. “I feel bad because I want stuff and Livi can’t even walk and Mom’s trying . . .”

  Todd heard the kid’s voice crack. Crap. He wasn’t really equipped to counsel a seven-year-old. He put his hand on the kid’s shoulder. He didn’t want to give him the “you’re the man of the house” talk because he was a little kid and should get to be one. Growing up too fast was a raw deal and Zach didn’t deserve that. He’d already lost his dad, he had an injured sister, and he’d just moved across the country. This kid needed a break. He really did deserve an ice cream.

  “Zach, you guys have had a pretty rough time of it lately, and I’ll be honest with you, that really sucks.”

  Zach looked up at him. His face was shocked. Had he really said sucks? “Yeah, it does.”

  “Your mom is going to try really hard to make it better for you guys now you’re here, but it might take a few weeks for everything to settle down. You think you can hang in there a bit longer?”