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

by McDonell, Monique

  Livi, who couldn’t do these things, which was why Sarah didn’t usually. Then, it hit him how hard it must be to have your whole life and your career geared around your body, using it like a tool, and to have a child whose body didn’t work that way. How did you balance that without seeming to rub your prowess in the kid’s face?

  Zach swam over to him and Sarah. “Did you see my mom?”

  “I sure did!” He smiled at the boy, and then his eyes clicked with her. “She’s awesome.”

  “Yeah, she is,” he said, heading out of the water to Ollie.

  “You didn’t tell me you were an acrobat, too,” he said, looping an arm over her shoulder when she swam over to him.

  “I have many skills you’ve not seen yet,” she teased. He wished she wouldn’t. He wasn’t wearing much clothing and he was very turned on.

  “Is that right?”

  “Oh yeah.” She stepped out of his reach and gave him a mischievous glance over her shoulder.

  Sophie raced up to her. “Can you show me how to do that?”

  “Sure, Soph, but the jetty isn’t the best spot . . . splinters.” The girl’s face fell. “That path would be better, and it’s shady.”

  And she was gone, and for the next hour along with the help of Chase who held their ankles, she taught the kids to handstand and walk or rather wobble forward on their hands. She was kind and patient and encouraging, and Todd felt his heart swelling.

  “She must be an amazing dance teacher,” Lucy said to him as they sat watching. “She’s so patient.”

  “Yeah, she’s hoping to set up a studio.”

  “Well, I think it’s safe to say those kids would come for classes. Who doesn’t want a pretty, young dance teacher?”

  Who indeed? He knew he wanted her, that was for sure.

  Todd had wanted to get Sarah alone all day, and now they were standing side by side in the kitchen washing up the last of the dinner dishes.

  “You must be tired,” he said. “You’ve had a very active day. And you didn’t get much sleep.”

  “It’s a good tired.” She looked up at him from beneath her long lashes. She had a white cover-up over her red bikini. Her hair was loose, and her nose was just a little sun-kissed. Todd had dated models and he’d never seen a woman as beautiful as Sarah. “Today was almost perfect.”

  “Almost?” He felt his brows arch.

  “Well, it would have been perfect if I could have wrapped my arms around you and kissed you every so often.”

  She was right about that. “Maybe we could do that later. I’d hate your day to be anything less than perfect.”

  “Such a considerate host.” She gave him a sweet smile and handed him a dish to dry. Their fingers brushed. How could he be getting turned on drying dishes? This was crazy.

  Lucy and Chase came in and broke the moment. “So, the kids are all in your room . . . or slumber party central as it has been renamed, Sarah.”

  “Cool. I think my kids have had more campouts and sleepovers since they arrived in New Hampshire than in their whole lives. Not a bad way to start your transition to a new town.”

  “Not at all,” Chase said. “It’s good for our kids, too. Katie likes watching Livi, and it’s good for the others to do normal stuff.”

  “Any word from their mom?” Todd asked in hushed tones.

  “We know she’s in Tahoe now. I think her boyfriend has gone, so we think that will mean she’s either going to come back or get worse.” Lucy shrugged. “Part of me hopes she comes back, but the kids are settled. That is a lot of upheaval. The thing is, though, I miss her. Not this crazy version, but she and I were so close for a long time. And then, she’s just gone. If I feel like that, well, how must the kids feel?”

  “They’re great kids; they’re going to do fine, Lucy.” Todd looked down at her. She was such a great girl. He was so pleased she had Chase to help her through this. “And you know I realize your mom was not at all great as your mom, but she’s stepped into the grandma role really well.”

  “I know. It was a big risk trusting her and Kevin. But sometimes in life you need to take a chance, right?”

  Todd had a feeling there was a bit of double entendre in that comment. “I guess so.”

  “So, anyone want to go skinny dipping then?” Chase asked to lighten the mood.

  “Not that kind of a chance, Chase.” Lucy gave him a slap.

  Todd didn’t know, the idea of skinny dipping with Sarah sounded pretty good to him.

  Sarah had a shower and changed. It was different to last night. First of all, she was pretty sure tonight was a sure thing, and second, something about the way Todd was looking at her and speaking to her and watching her today felt different.

  She lathered up and let the bubbles run down her back. She could feel where the sun had kissed her skin during the day. Her muscles were tired from swimming and walking on her hands. Her heart was full. It was a good day.

  She thought about what Marissa had said to her, that Todd was likely to pull back and she expected that. He hadn’t promised her anything except friendship. She knew her heart had already fallen for him, but maybe that had been inevitable. She had a feeling that her aunt had hoped for this. She remembered her talking to Sarah about Todd on the phone whenever she called or visited. About how kind he was and how intelligent. She spoke of him with love, and she’d remembered thinking there had to be something wrong with him. He’d sounded too good to be true.

  And he was. He was happy to give his attention and care to everyone, as long as they didn’t come to expect it. As long as he had space and no one tried to actually love him back.

  She stopped short. That was it. He didn’t think he was worth loving. A small moan escaped her throat. How could he think that? His mother must have been quite distant and the stepfathers were clearly more destructive in their ambivalence than anyone realized.

  Well, she could love him no strings attached if that’s what it took. She could prove to him that he was worth it. Worth the time, worth the effort, worth hanging around for.

  She stepped from the shower and toweled off. She rubbed strawberry body butter all over. She pulled on a simple sleeveless denim shirt dress and pulled her hair in a ponytail. It wasn’t super sexy but this wasn’t about that.

  She found Todd sitting alone on the porch, looking over the lake. His bare feet were resting on the railing. She crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

  He tilted his head to look up at her and smiled. That smile. That moment would stay with her forever. That was the moment she knew one hundred percent that she loved Todd.

  She pressed a finger to his lips. And he kissed it. She stood and reached out a hand to him. He took it, and she led him out of the house and down to the boatshed. They were silent as they walked. The moon was peeping out from behind a stray cloud. There was a soft summer breeze. It was a beautiful night.

  She led him into the boathouse, but she didn’t turn on the light. She just turned to face him.

  “I missed you today,” she said.

  “I was right here, watching. You are quite talented and very flexible, Sarah.”

  “Yeah, it comes in handy for a lot of things.” She leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss.

  “It was very hard not touching you today as you flipped about in your bikini. I was really wishing this wasn’t a family vacation a few times.”

  “Were you now?” Her arms were looped around his neck, and his hands were on her lower back, holding her close.

  “Yes, I definitely was.” He looked so earnest. “Then, I saw how happy Zach was and I felt like a total heel.”

  “You shouldn’t. I was thinking the same thing, how fun it was to be here with everyone and how fun it would have been to be alone with you. Like now.”

  “Like now.” He leaned in for a slow sexy kiss that had her very glad she was holding on to him. “I don’t suppose you still have the cute bikini on so I could peel it off you?”

  “Sorry.” Sh
e took a step back. These days she wasn’t really all that brazen, but she undid the buttons on her dress to show him that she was in fact wearing nothing underneath but strawberry body butter.

  She watched his pupils dilate as he took her in. He licked his lips like she was dinner. “Ohmygosh, Sarah, that is even better than a bikini.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  #

  Sarah was lying against his chest. Todd was propped against the headboard, one arm around her, one behind his head. She let out a soft sigh that made his heart kick.

  “That was . . .”

  “Yeah, it was!” She let out a small laugh. “We’re kind of great together, or maybe it’s always this great for you.”

  It wasn’t. “No, I think maybe it’s us together.”

  He picked up a strand of her silky hair and got another waft of strawberries.

  “Good to know.”

  He laughed. She was so easy to be with. It was strange how it wasn’t at all weird after.

  “Todd.” She turned and rested her head on her hands, which she crossed over on her chest.

  “Yeah, honey?”

  “Thanks for, you know, everything since I came to town. I know we’ve been kind of high maintenance . . .”

  He put a finger on her lips. “I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with you guys. Honestly.”

  “Okay. Well, thanks and thanks for inviting us for the weekend. I know Mike kind of backed you into a corner, but I’m glad he did.”

  “Me, too.” He leaned in for a soft kiss. “So you know, I’ll be away this week.”

  “For work.”

  “Yep.”

  “The work you never talk about that clearly you are very good it.”

  He smiled at her. “Yeah, that work.”

  “You’re not into anything illegal, are you? I really don’t want to find out you’re a drug dealer.”

  He laughed. The thought of himself as a drug dealer was more than a little comical. “I’m definitely not. Do you want to know what I do?”

  He wanted to tell her. That was new for him.

  “Sure, I do.” She looked up at him with those eyes as if he was the most amazing man on the planet.

  “You ever played that Jungle Jam app on the phone?”

  “Sure, the kids are bananas for it.”

  “Funny girl.” He flipped her so she was on her back and he was lying beside her. “I invented it, back in college.”

  “Get out!”

  “It’s true. I was mucking around out at Caltech and that’s what I came up with. Anyway, the timing was good, all the games started popping up on phones and social media.”

  “It wasn’t just the timing, Todd. You’re a freaking genius to do that.”

  “Not really. Anyway, I’ve designed a few more games since.” He listed off a few of the most popular ones that she might know.

  “So, all those games at your house the kids were playing. You had a hand in those?” Her brow was furrowed as she tried to process this.

  “Mostly, a few are ones my friends made.”

  “So okay, wow, that’s huge.” She bit her lip. “Why don’t you tell people? I mean, most people would be shouting it from the rooftops.”

  “Not my style.” He shrugged. It was complicated and he didn’t want to ruin the mood.

  “There’s more to it than that.”

  “I just want to be normal. I don’t want people liking me for my money.”

  “What people? Your friends like you anyway.”

  “I know they do, and I’m totally sure of that because they don’t know about the money, only Marissa and Mike.”

  “And your mom.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, not my mom.”

  “You didn’t tell your own mom?” Her voice was high and incredulous. She sat up now and stared at him. “Todd, why not?”

  He felt ridiculous saying it out loud, petulant even. “I give her presents. I mean, I just sent her and Clint on a cruise.”

  “She’d be so proud of you.”

  He shook his head. “I know it sounds stupid, but I want her to be proud of me even if I’m a struggling designer. I wanted her to love me for who I am, I wanted it to be enough. It just never felt like it was. I don’t want to have to buy my own mother’s love.”

  Sarah couldn’t get close enough to Todd. She straddled him and held his beautiful face.

  “Honey, she wasn’t perfect but I’m sure she loved you. I am sure she would love you no matter what.”

  “Well, it never felt that way. I wanted her to choose me for me, and it never felt like she did.”

  She leaned in and gave him a slow, tender kiss. Her arms slid around his shoulders and she whispered in his ear. “I choose you for you. I love you for you.”

  Oops, she probably shouldn’t have used the L word. That might freak him out. It was true, though. She did love him for him. She didn’t even know about the money until right now. All she knew was the kind, sexy guy who made her smile and her heart skip a beat when he walked in the room.

  She was aware he hadn’t moved or said anything. “You want me to show you how much?”

  “Sarah, I . . .”

  “Shh,” she said, kissing her way down his torso. He didn’t want words and she wasn’t going anywhere after that revelation, so this was the best way. And it would be fun as well.

  Chapter 11

  It was Wednesday night and Todd felt like he’d been in a fog since he’d left the lake.

  He’d taken a red-eye to LA, and then been locked in meetings and seminars for days. He hated the fluorescent lights, the stale coffee, and the air-conditioning. Sure, the people were great and it was stimulating, but he missed home.

  He wanted to work in his tree house, play ball with Zach. He needed to kiss Sarah.

  The last day at the lake had been a repeat of the previous one. It seemed to him that she was able to flip a switch and go back into mother and friend mode. Then again, wasn’t that what he’d insisted upon? He didn’t want the kids to know or to be put aside for him. She was doing everything he asked, and yet it hurt. It left him standing on the edge, almost a spectator.

  He didn’t like it. He wanted all in. But he didn’t.

  She wasn’t treating him any different. His revelation that he was really a multimillionaire didn’t have her throwing herself at him or asking for anything. In fact, she seemed really excited to be starting at work the next day as Mike’s part-time assistant. He was really jealous that Mike was spending all that time with her.

  Todd had managed to grab her alone and drag her into the kitchen pantry for one scorching kiss before he left.

  “I guess I’ll see you when you get back,” she’d said as she left him breathless and longing for more.

  “I guess so.”

  She’d used the L-word. Love. And he’d said nothing. This amazing, sexy woman had put it all out there and he’d just sat there, mute. Now four days later, he was terrified that would ruin everything. Maybe she’d change her mind or take it back.

  That was why he’d avoided love for all these years. He didn’t like the feeling that the blanket could be ripped from beneath him at any turn.

  “You look like shit, boss,” Gary his second in charge said as they finished up.

  “I left some unfinished business back home, personal business.”

  “A girl.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Todd, I’ve known you since college and I’ve never seen a girl turn you inside out before.”

  “I know, it sucks.” He gave a hollow laugh.

  “It sucks that you’re here, the bit about the girl is great. I wondered when the bug would bite you.”

  “Yeah, well, I think the bite is infected. It’s gone viral.”

  “Todd.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Go get the girl. I’ve got this. I can manage this.”

  Gary was right. He didn’t need to be here. Heck, he could sell the whole company and
never visit again if he wanted, although he really would like to show Sarah California. Sarah. Yep, she was in his mind and in his heart.

  He could try and fight, but he wasn’t going to win.

  Sarah stood behind the ugly brown desk at the paper. She liked working here, but the decor looked like it was right from the set of a 1970s sitcom. Browns and oranges and vinyl. The venetian blinds were older than she was, and yet she was having fun. She’d met so many of the townsfolk and the rumor mill was rife about her dance studio. So much so she’d gone and had cards printed with her number and name on it and Mike had helped her set up a basic website with a mailing list so she could let people know when she was ready to open. They’d printed up a couple of posters and one was up in the diner and of course Chloe had insisted on putting one in Two Scoops.

  She was as busy as she’d ever been, and yet her mind couldn’t quite drag itself away from Todd.

  He was due back on the weekend and it was only Thursday. It felt like a lifetime since she’d seen him last. A piece of her was missing. She knew he didn’t feel the same way, and she was well aware she’d scared the crap out of him by saying the L word, but still, she didn’t regret it.

  She had it bad. As long as she could see him, talk to him, and okay, maybe kiss him again, she’d be okay.

  The front door rattled open and a warm breeze came in. It brought with it the man she’d been thinking about. There in a crushed T-shirt, with ruffled hair and an unshaven face, was Todd and he was the best thing she’d seen ever.

  “Hey, you.” His face lit with a smile.

  “You’re back early.”

  “I had something I needed to tell you.”

  “Oh.” It came out as a whisper.

  He leaned down on that hideous vinyl counter and took her hands. “And show you.”

  “Oh.”

  Mike stepped out from his office and Todd addressed him. “I need to borrow Sarah. Now.”

  “Okay,” Mike said. His brother’s voice brokered no argument.

  Five minutes later, she was climbing out of his car in his driveway. He pulled her inside his house and shut the door. Pressing her back against it and kissing her. A greedy kiss that had her boneless in seconds.