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

by McDonell, Monique

  “You want to come to the lake this weekend?”

  “Why, so we can sneak around and make out like teenagers?”

  “Yep,” he said with his lopsided grin.

  “Okay. I’m in.”

  And then he kissed her again. A long, slow, delicious kiss that promised so much.

  Todd stood under the cold stream of the shower, replaying the events of the afternoon in his mind. Baseball, kissing Sarah at the field, the bar, and making out in her foyer played on a loop like a movie reel that was stuck. The smell of her, the taste of her, and the feel of her body pressed against him.

  He didn’t know quite why they were going to stay in the make out zone because it would be so, so easy to take it further. It was clear they both wanted that. The problem was neither of them were emotionally strong enough to get screwed over, or for that matter, to screw anyone else over.

  The cold shower wasn’t exactly helping but it was something.

  It would have been smarter not to have kissed her at all. He knew that. This was a crazy limbo of a compromise and they both knew it. Still, he supposed they were both getting a little of what they wanted.

  He wanted to be her friend and yet that attraction was obviously there. They fit together so well. The minute he’d kissed her he’d known. It wasn’t like it was with other women. Well, there’d been Emma way back when, but she’d wanted things he couldn’t give and he’d been right to let her go. That was a long time ago, and here he was all these years later still not a guy who was likely to commit.

  If Sarah had been childless, he knew they’d have been in bed together now. Then again, it would have happened long before now. But she wasn’t. She was the mother of two kids and she was his neighbor. He liked her, and she was going to have to adjust to small-town life her own way. Worrying about Todd and whatever passed between them would just make that harder.

  It would be way too easy for her to think things with Todd might become more than they were. Heaven knows the whole town was already gossiping and that was with no reason. Todd didn’t want to be accused of breaking her heart or using her, and he really didn’t want her accused of using him.

  He didn’t think there was anything wrong with two consenting adults having a relationship for sex and intimacy alone, but he was pretty sure much of the town would hold a very different point of view. In fact, when he thought about it, she had a lot more at stake than he did.

  He hoped maybe they’d get each other out of their systems and return safely to the friend-zone any day now. Although, if he was honest, the taste he’d had of Sarah had left him wanting so much more.

  “You’re an idiot,” he told himself, and cranked the shower up to full capacity.

  Chapter 9

  Sarah wasn’t sure who had been more nervous about the baseball tryouts: her, Todd, or Zach. Now that they were here she was pleased only because she hoped now Zach would stop talking about it nonstop day and night.

  They were down at the field way too early, but the boy was chomping at the bit and couldn’t be stopped. She had the car loaded for the drive to the lake. Todd was taking his car as he was flying from Nashua to California straight after the weekend. She’d hoped they could drive together, but she reminded herself they were not a happy little family unit and Todd was not her chauffer.

  He was just her sexy neighbor who she kissed when the opportunity arose, which sadly hadn’t been for two days. She was kind of embarrassed to acknowledge even to herself how much she had missed those lips in the past forty-eight hours. It was insane and it did kind of prove the point that no strings attached sex would have been an even greater challenge.

  He was tossing a ball to Zach and she didn’t know if she’d ever seen a sexier sight. He had light stubble, and he wore faded navy shorts and a soft gray T-shirt. He caught her eye and gave her a lopsided grin. Hot damn, she didn’t know what it was about him.

  Katie had come over and wheeled Livi over to another section of the field, so she was alone and free to check him out until Sally came over and sat down next to her.

  “The boys are very excited,” she said. “It’s so sweet.”

  “Yeah, I hope they both make the team.”

  “They will, Dave will make sure of it.”

  “He doesn’t even know Zach.”

  Sally shook her head. “He knows Todd, and apart from the fact the kid can hit, the whole point of the team is to have the kids active and socializing, he knows Zach is new in town . . .”

  “Ah, I see. So, I can stop being so nervous then?”

  She laughed. “I think so.”

  Sarah’s eyes fell back on Todd.

  “He’s a fine-looking man.”

  “Oh, I . . . ah . . .”

  “I know you think I’m an old lady, but I know a good-looking guy when I see one.” She chuckled. “And he’s a good man, too. Always has been. He was a good kid, too.”

  “I forget how everyone knows everyone here . . .”

  “Yeah, well, I was pretty involved with all the kids up until my husband left me. PTA, Girl Scouts, you name it. Their dad died not long before my husband ran off, their mom coped better than I did, not super-well but better.”

  “I get the feeling he didn’t have a happy family kind of childhood.”

  “Yeah, he was really close to his father and he had some below-average stepfathers. I even dated a couple of them before I wised up.”

  “Kevin’s a good guy.”

  “Yeah, and you know Todd was one of the first people to give him a break when he got sober. He believes in people.”

  “Not enough to let them in . . .” Oops, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

  Sally gave her a sideways glance. “Some people don’t want to risk getting their feelings hurt, or worse, hurting other people, it makes sense. It’s pretty obvious he likes you, and you’re his worst nightmare.”

  She felt her eyes bug. “Nightmare? I’m not that bad.”

  The other woman let out a loud laugh that had a few heads, including Todd’s, turning their way. “Sorry, honey, that came out wrong. You’re pretty, young, and sexy. You’re a single mom with two kids trying to find her footing.”

  “So?”

  “He grew up in a house like yours, and his mother picked the guy over the kids, the wrong guy, more than once. He doesn’t want to be that guy. He doesn’t want you to pick him over the kids, but he wants you in his life. It’s a nightmare.”

  She was one smart cookie. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, he’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.”

  “That means so am I,” she replied on a sigh.

  “Yep. It sure does.” They sat there and watched the kids taking turns at bat for a while. “Still, I think you can work it out if you have a mind to.”

  Did she though? She liked Todd a lot, but she could see his point. He didn’t want to be the guy that came in and messed up her kids’ lives or hers any more than they were. And he definitely didn’t want to drop in and out. As friends, he could do all the things they were doing now and no one got hurt. Life stayed neat and tidy. She could see the logic.

  Except for the fact that there was a sizzling attraction between them and they both wanted more.

  Then, Zach hit a home run and she was on her feet cheering, all thoughts of Todd vanished as her boy ran around the bases, fist-pumping all the way.

  Todd was pumped from the tryouts. Zach had totally nailed it. There was no way he wasn’t making that team, and furthermore, he had real potential. It was just what he needed to boost his esteem and help him settle into the town. Todd had always been sporty but never a star. Then again, he’d never moved towns as a kid and he’d always had Mike, he hadn’t needed to fit in or be the new guy. The truth was, though, that he knew a kid who excelled at sports usually found his feet faster, so he was happy for Zach and for Sarah.

  She’d rewarded him with a huge thank-you hug at the end of the tryout.

  “You did this. I mean, I kno
w Zach did it but he couldn’t have without you,” she’d said as her arms wrapped around him. Sure, it was a platonic hug on a baseball field but it held a promise of something more.

  The house was already good to go when he pulled up outside. He had a local housekeeper who had been in and made sure the beds were made, and the fridge was stocked. He’d stopped for beers and ice along the way, and the drinks would be chilled when everyone arrived. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to explain the cabin was really a six-bedroom, lake-front property with a boathouse, but maybe no one would comment.

  The truth was when it was just him he often just stayed in the boathouse, he didn’t really need a house this large unless he filled it with people. That was the dream when he bought it, a house he could bring people to. He remembered seeing families in movies that did that as a kid. They’d go to the same house at the same lake year after year and that was part of his dream back then. Admittedly, he didn’t have a family to bring, which was the boyhood fantasy for a while. A big house, a beautiful wife, and lots of happy kids. He had the house and that would do. He no longer believed in the other part, at least not for himself.

  He carried the beers in the house and filled some ice buckets out on the deck. He took in the ducks on the pond, a few lone kayakers, and some kids playing on a beach across the water. It was certainly idyllic. He hoped this weekend went well for everyone.

  Then, he heard tires on the gravel and headed out to meet the first guests who happened to be Moose and Chloe. They had come from opposite directions but turned into the drive in tandem. He had a feeling they met elsewhere before coming here if the tousled hair and happy glow were any indicators. Good for them. Chloe had certainly had a tough time in the past. Todd was really pleased that she’d found Moose, who looked at her like she was Christmas. They were a great couple.

  “Hey, man.” Moose pulled him in for a man hug and clapped him on the back. Todd was not a small guy, but Moose was a big bear of a man and he felt kind of dwarfed. “This place is awesome.”

  Chloe stood off to the side surveying the house. “Todd, this is gorgeous. This is not a cabin. It’s a mansion.”

  “It’s a lake house.” He shrugged.

  “You, my friend, are a man of mystery.”

  He gave her a wink. “You know it. Now, come on in and I’ll show you to your room.”

  He just had shown them the way when Marissa and Mike arrived. They knew their way around just fine.

  “Hey, guys. It looks like we got lucky with the weather. It’s going to be blue skies all weekend.”

  “Great.” Mike headed off with the bags, and Todd wrapped an arm around Marissa as they walked out to the deck.

  “So you invited Sarah, then?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You should go for it.”

  “Marissa, you know that’s not going to happen.”

  “Does she?”

  “Yes. We have discussed it more than once.”

  “You said you didn’t like her.” She turned up to him with a frown on her face.

  “No, I said I don’t do relationships, and I’m certainly not breaking that rule with a neighbor . . .”

  “However hot she is?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So, you do think she’s hot?”

  “Who’s hot?” Chloe and Moose came out.

  “Sarah,” Marissa answered for him.

  “Oh yeah, she is,” Moose said in a low sexy rumble, which Todd didn’t appreciate and Chloe clearly didn’t either because she gave him a whack. “It’s a fact. That doesn’t mean she’s my type. I have you, honey, you’re my type.”

  He leaned down and kissed her temple, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

  “She is cute,” Chloe agreed. “And very sweet.”

  “Who are we talking about?” Mike asked, carrying out a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine.

  “Sarah,” they chimed in unison.

  “Nice girl,” Mike said, handing beers to the boys before stopping to open the wine. “Why are we talking about her?”

  “Todd thinks she’s hot,” Marissa said.

  “Well, he’s a single man with a pulse, of course he does.” Mike handed the ladies a glass of wine each. That was Mike, matter-of-fact, not caught in the drama. “So what?”

  “I just think . . .”

  “Marissa, leave him alone . . .” Mike’s tone had an edge of warning.

  “I was just going to say . . .”

  “Don’t. I beg of you.”

  She didn’t say a word; she just gave Todd a pointed look over her wine glass. She didn’t need to speak because he knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. It went along the lines of him being an idiot with his crazy rules and that if he really liked Sarah he should take a chance. He knew because he’d tossed the same thought around more than once himself, but then he’d see the kids and he’d think about the possible collateral damage and he’d decide he could be a grown-up if he had to.

  Then, there were more wheels on the drive and Todd heard a car door fling open and a boy’s voice yell, “Mom, this place is awesome.”

  Todd laughed. “I think Zach might have arrived.”

  He headed out to the driveway to greet Sarah, but there was no moment alone, everyone followed, unloading their bags, Livi’s wheelchair, and Livi herself.

  “Cabin?” was all Sarah said to him with a raised eyebrow.

  “That’s what I said!” Chloe linked her arm through Sarah’s and dragged her toward the house. “So. Many. Questions.”

  “Your secret millionaire secret may be out of the bag, Todd,” Marissa said, shoving him with her shoulder.

  “Nah, it’s not that amazing. Moose and Chase both have amazing houses.”

  “They have family money, man. For a part-time graphic designer, if that’s still your front, who comes from nowhere, it is.”

  She kind of had him there. Oh well. What was done was done.

  “You guys are in the blue room, downstairs on the right.”

  “The rooms are color-coded?” Sarah asked, tossing him a look over her shoulder.

  “Kind of.”

  The truth was when he bought the house it had been in the hands of the one family for eons. The place was full of dusty old furniture with tired floral covers and generations of dust. He’d had a decorator help him keep the nicer pieces and refurbish them and mix in some newer pieces. Marissa had helped him as well. Luckily, she intervened, “I’ll help explain.”

  “Back to the beers,” Moose said. That was a plan Todd could get behind.

  The blue room was amazing. It sat on the corner of the ground floor. There was a queen bed and a foldout as well. It sat in the corner and had windows on two sides with views across the lake. Sarah knew they’d been given the room due to the lack of stairs, but she had a feeling it also wasn’t the worst room in the house, it even had an en suite.

  “Wow. This is gorgeous,” she said, taking in the view.

  “It’s my favorite room,” Marissa said, leaning on the doorjamb holding a glass of wine. “When Todd bought this place, this room smelled like old ladies and mothballs. Now, it is just so pretty. You need a wine, Sarah?”

  Marissa walked to the window that opened onto a wraparound porch, stuck her head out, and called down the porch for one of the boys to bring her a drink. A minute later, Mike’s hand appeared with a drink.

  “I could get way too used to this,” she said, flopping down on the bed. “A room with a view and service.”

  Chloe landed next to her. “Marissa, you’ve been holding out on me girl. Good old Todd clearly has a few secrets he’s kept hidden from his hometown.”

  “Everyone knows he bought a lake house,” Marissa said in Todd’s defense.

  “Ah no, everyone thinks he has a dumpy fishing cabin. This is no fishing cabin.”

  Marissa gave a shrug. “He’s a private guy. People can believe what they want.”

  “I guess, but most people tend to up
sell not downplay.”

  “He’s not most people, that’s what I like about him. The man dances to the beat of his own drum.”

  Sarah had to admit she found it a bit odd, but Marissa was right. If the guy had enough money to buy a fancy vacation home, whose business was it anyway.

  “So, you helped decorate then?” she asked Marissa, changing the subject.

  “I sure did. Come on, I’ll take you on the express tour.”

  She kind of hoped Todd would take her, but he was playing it cool. So, she took the tour with Marissa, and by the time they got outside, she was even more impressed. The place was beautiful.

  “Find everything?” he asked.

  “Yeah. What a gorgeous spot.”

  “I know. I actually was water-skiing on the lake and I saw the for sale sign from the water. It was meant to be.” He topped up her wine as a car pulled up. “That’ll be Lucy and Chase and the kids.”

  She hadn’t met Lucy, but she knew a bit about her from her mother and her other friends. Sarah was aware she had stepped in big time to help with Oliver, Katie, and Sophie and she couldn’t help but admire her for that, even before meeting her. She was a pretty woman with blonde hair and Chase looked like Mr. GQ himself.

  Everyone hugged and there were introductions all around. Oliver and Zach were off down the wharf in a matter of seconds.

  “Be careful, you two,” she called after them. She looked over at Livi who looked after them running off.

  She knelt down next to the chair. “You want me to take you down for a swim, before it gets cold?”

  “Mama, you know I can’t swim.”

  “No, honey, but we can go in the water, and you can swim with your arms.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure.” Her little face lit up. Okay, it was weird being on a weekend away with people who all seemed to be old friends, and yes, it was weird that Todd and she had made out more than once this week, but her kids were happy and that really was all that mattered. “Let’s go get into our swimmers.”