Everything Changes

by Bybee, Catherine

  This year, Dameon was looking forward to the week between the holidays so he could put some time into the ranch house. There were a few things he wanted to do to make it more livable when he was there. Nothing too extensive since the plan was to level the house and make way for the development. But where the place stood was in the third phase of houses, which meant it was a good year away from demolition. The fact that he’d be closer to Grace hadn’t slipped his mind. And after the previous night, he especially liked that he’d be ten minutes away.

  He’d driven back to the city after he’d dropped her off and finished the evening with a kiss. She’d been soft and responsive and looked up at him like a woman wanting more. That look had filled his dreams and put a smile on his face since he left her side.

  Then his thoughts turned to Sokolov and the reason Grace had called him in the first place.

  He had spent an hour looking up the property owner’s full name and information on the mobile home park. Anything that was in a public record, he dug up, or would. Not that he knew what he would do with the information, but it felt good to know more about his enemy.

  What he really wanted was a picture of the man. But there wasn’t anything online to help him out.

  Dameon put aside the small amount of information he’d gathered on the man to tackle the things he needed to finish before the end of the year. Unlike his staff, he’d be bringing work home with him.

  Chelsea had given him a small file with names and portfolios of potential investors.

  Just looking at it put a bad taste in his mouth. Last resort, he told himself.

  A knock on his office door drew his attention away from his work. “Yeah?”

  Omar popped his head in. “Got a second?”

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  He walked in waving a piece of paper. “What’s up with the Santa Clarita project and this expense report?”

  “I’m making the property livable.”

  “For who?”

  “Me.”

  Omar stopped short, tilted his head. “Come again?”

  “Part time. I will be working remotely one day a week. Stay there on weekends.”

  “This doesn’t have something to do with a certain woman, does it?”

  “She factors in. But I think it’s the best way to really know what the community needs. Sometimes what’s on paper isn’t the reality. Like cellular towers. The place is lacking cell service. We’re going to need a budget for that, or some kind of cooperation with one or more of the major carriers.” All of which was true.

  “And then there’s the girl,” Omar said again.

  Dameon dismissed Omar’s smirk. “Think about it. Every project we’ve done has been in developed areas that needed revamping or a small block of homes. This is the largest project we’ve done to date. And we’re doing it without a net.”

  Omar nodded a few times. “We can get a net.”

  “Investors mean dividing the profits.” And they both knew they didn’t want that. Not that Dameon needed Omar to be on board with what he wanted to do, but having him understand made everything easier.

  “You haven’t led the company wrong yet,” he said.

  “I don’t plan on starting now.”

  Omar turned to leave. Right before he walked through the door he said, “I hope she’s worth the commute.”

  “She is,” he whispered to himself as Omar left the room.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Normally Grace wouldn’t spend a lot of time figuring out what to wear to a holiday party with a bunch of people she knew and saw almost every day. Her colleagues didn’t require special clothing.

  But Dameon was coming.

  And whether she admitted it or not, she wanted to make him drool.

  A red cocktail dress and black stilettos was exactly the thing to achieve her goals. Grace pulled her hair off her neck and into a loose bun and wore dangling earrings that sparkled, even if they were crystal rather than diamond.

  The neckline of her dress plunged enough to show off her curves, but not so much as to be considered indecent.

  After a final pass by her full-length mirror, she considered herself as perfect as she ever managed to get, and left her condo.

  She arrived twenty minutes into the party and the room was already swimming with people. The line for the bar was by far the longest.

  Peggy, who worked as a receptionist in the city building, beelined straight for her. “Ooh la la,” she said as she looked Grace up and down. “Look who is dressed to impress!”

  “My black dress is at the cleaners,” she lied.

  “And what, this was hanging in the back of your closet?”

  “Actually . . .”

  Peggy laughed. “Maybe Richard will finally call you by your first name.”

  “I’m not holding my breath.” Grace looked around Peggy. “Have you seen my brother?”

  “Not yet.” Peggy joined her in watching the other people in the room. “Who’s going to get drunk this year?”

  They turned together and looked around the crowd. Every office had at least one or two lushes who made a name for themselves at the party. “I’m sure Pete learned his lesson last year,” Grace said.

  Pete had managed to get stumbling drunk and collided with the mayor’s wife as he rushed to the bathroom. Their heads bumped, and he stepped on her high-heeled foot with enough force to bloody a toe. The worst part was he didn’t stop to apologize or anything. He rushed to the bathroom and lost the liquor he’d been drinking. The following Monday he didn’t remember a thing. When the mayor presented him with the clinic bill for X-rays and another for a new pair of designer shoes, Pete realized just how bad it was.

  “Something tells me Pete will be the designated driver tonight if he comes at all,” Peggy said.

  Grace felt heat down her spine. The kind that meant only one thing. She turned her head to the right and then the left . . . that’s when she saw him.

  Dameon’s eyes locked with hers as a slow smile crept over his face. He was too far away to say anything, but when he moved his lips, she could swear he said the word wow.

  “Whoa, who is that?” Peggy said at her side.

  “Excuse me?” Grace shifted her gaze.

  “The guy who is devouring you with his eyes?”

  She looked around, feigning innocence. “Who?”

  Peggy nudged her with an elbow. “Nice try. I saw you staring.”

  Grace met Dameon’s gaze again and widened her eyes as if to give him some kind of telepathic message to stop staring. He grinned and turned away. “That’s Mr. Locke.”

  “Mr. Hotness. How do you know him?”

  Grace felt her face growing warm. “He has a development that’s getting off the ground here.”

  “Oh yeah . . . where?”

  Damn if Grace didn’t glance up to see him staring again.

  “Up the canyon . . . you know what, he looks a little lost, I should make him feel welcome.”

  Peggy laughed. “You go, girl.”

  Grace reminded herself to walk slowly as she crossed the room to stand before Dameon. The last thing she wanted to do was call attention to the two of them together.

  She reached out a hand when she stopped moving. “Hello, Mr. Locke.”

  It appeared he was trying not to laugh as he took her hand in his. “Miss Hudson. You look absolutely radiant.” His hand squeezed hers before letting go.

  Squeezing hands . . . really? She knew her cheeks were warm. She just hoped they didn’t look like she was flustered. “Why thank you. Did you have trouble finding the place?” She kept her questions easy and generic in case anyone had noticed them.

  “Not at all.”

  She motioned toward the line to the bar. “Why don’t we get a drink and I’ll introduce you to some of the community.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” He indicated for her to walk in front of him.

  The closer to the bar they moved, the louder the music grew. People wer
e either trying to talk over it or leaning in close to hear what the other person was saying.

  Dameon ducked his head closer to her ear. “You’re killing me in that dress,” he said in the deep baritone that only he could manage.

  And because she couldn’t help herself, she said, “That was part of my plan.”

  The line inched forward.

  Dameon bent his head, his lips pressed together with a slight grin.

  Yeah, speechless was a good look on the man.

  When it was their turn at the bar, she ordered a glass of red wine, and he asked for a whiskey soda.

  “Well, Miss Hudson . . . who should I meet first?”

  “You can call me Grace.”

  “You sure?”

  She motioned for him to bend down so she could speak in his ear. “You say Miss Hudson like I’m the naughty high school teacher.”

  He tilted his head back and laughed.

  She saw Evan and pulled Dameon toward her colleague. “Evan.” She tapped his shoulder. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

  Evan smiled and shook hands during the introductions. “Welcome to Santa Clarita.”

  “Your city is growing on me,” Dameon said, his eyes glancing at Grace.

  “Is that right?” Evan looked between the two of them, his grin a little too obvious. “You look fabulous, Grace. Is that a new dress?”

  Okay, maybe introducing Dameon to Evan was a mistake. “I wore the same one last year,” she lied.

  Evan shook his head several times. “Nope. Last year you wore slacks and stilettos.” He turned his attention to Dameon. “To be fair, Grace always wears spikes on her feet. And if I’m not mistaken, you were working right up to party time last Christmas and your shoes didn’t match your outfit.”

  “Then I wore this dress the year before.” Grace frantically looked around for someone else to introduce Dameon to.

  “I would have remembered if you had. That dress is hard to forget.”

  Okay, now she was blushing . . . she felt her body temperature soaring.

  “It’s pretty spectacular,” Dameon said, chuckling.

  And on that note . . . “Okay, then. Onward.” Grace tapped Dameon’s elbow and started to move away.

  “You’re adorable when you blush, Hudson.” Evan never called her Hudson.

  “Slow down on the drinks, Evan,” she said as they were walking away.

  Dameon lowered his lips to her ear. “Is he my competition?”

  That had to be the funniest thing she’d heard in some time. “Ah, no! Even if I was his flavor, he’s like a brother.”

  “Got it. He’s right about the dress.”

  They’d stopped a few feet away, Dameon standing entirely too close.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” she whispered under her breath.

  “Like what?” His eyes widened and he took a sip of his drink.

  She was surprised the ice hadn’t melted in his glass for all the heat coming off the man.

  Or maybe that was her.

  “Like I’m lunch.” She tried hard not to smile.

  Dameon sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes before looking away.

  “That’s better.” Grace turned. “That’s the mayor. His wife is a busybody, so exercise that discretion you said you had.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said in her ear.

  She moaned. This was going to be a very long night.

  She introduced Dameon to three members of the city council, the mayor, and a well-known contractor in the area. There were owners of smaller businesses, from plumbers to concrete companies. Members of the school board were in attendance, and of course the rest of the engineering team in her office.

  The smiles and glances her way simmered, and Dameon eased into conversations like he already knew the people he was with.

  They were an hour into the evening before Grace noticed her brother and Parker join the party.

  She left Dameon’s side while he was talking with a city council member to greet her brother.

  “I was starting to wonder if you guys were going to make it,” she said as she hugged Parker.

  “We were a little . . . busy,” Parker muttered, her cheeks flaming red.

  “Is that what we’re calling it? Busy?” Grace teased.

  Parker shrugged.

  Grace reached up to hug her brother. “You need to give the woman some down time.”

  Colin pointed at his wife. “She started it.”

  “Don’t pull that. You walked into the closet when I was getting dressed.”

  “You were wearing lace.”

  Grace tossed her free hand in the air. “I really don’t want to know more about your sex life.”

  Colin winked at her and looked over her shoulder. “I see Dameon made it.”

  Parker peered closer. “Is that him?”

  Grace nodded.

  Dameon must have sensed people watching and turned around. After saying something to the people he’d been talking to, he walked toward them.

  “Dameon, I’d like you to meet Parker. The newest member of the Hudson family.”

  They shook hands. “A pleasure.”

  “And of course, you’ve already met Colin.”

  Grace watched them shake hands. This time it didn’t seem to be a struggle to determine who had more testosterone coursing through their veins.

  “Nice to see you again,” Dameon said.

  “We’ll see about that,” Colin uttered.

  Grace gave him the stare. “Be nice.”

  “How about we get the ladies a drink,” Dameon suggested to Colin.

  Her brother kissed Parker’s cheek. “Red?” he asked.

  She nodded and the men walked off.

  As soon as they were out of earshot Parker leaned close. “He is so much hotter in person.”

  “Tell me about it.” Grace lifted her glass to her lips, realized it was empty, and set it down.

  Dameon waited until they were well outside of earshot before turning to Colin.

  “What do you know about Stefan Sokolov?” he asked.

  For a second Colin looked lost. “You mean the guy who owns the mobile home park?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “I know he’s lousy at maintaining his property . . . why?”

  Dameon looked around, leaned closer. “A certain person we both know had a run-in with him earlier this week. Scared her enough to call me.”

  The pleasant expression on Colin’s face fell. “What do you mean, ‘scared her’?”

  “Just what I said. You know her better than me. I have a feeling she doesn’t spook easy.”

  Colin looked toward his sister. “No, she doesn’t.”

  “Do you know what this guy looks like?”

  “No.”

  “If you find an image of the guy, will you pass it on?”

  Colin turned back. “She called you?”

  “She was concerned that you or your brother would take it too far if she called you.”

  “She’s right about that.”

  They moved forward in line. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

  Colin regarded him with a sideways glance. “Why tell me this?”

  Easy answer. “Because my office is in LA and I can’t always be in town. Regardless of what you might think of me, I only want to see that woman smiling. Not shaking in fear.”

  Colin patted him on the shoulder as they stepped up to the bartender.

  It appeared to Grace that Colin and Dameon had made some kind of peace. Her brother wasn’t snapping or cutting barbs at the man, nor was he attempting to make him uncomfortable.

  The four of them found a table and grabbed some food from the buffet.

  “I understand you’re building a pretty big development in town,” Parker said to Dameon.

  “I am. Grace has given me a lot to consider about the build. Some things we already factored in and others we didn’t.”

  “My sister knows her stuff,” Colin
said with pride.

  “You mind telling my boss that?” Grace asked.

  “Richard still playing hardball?”

  She looked at her brother and nodded. “You’d think he’d grow bored after a while.”

  Colin looked around. “Is he even here?”

  “I saw him earlier,” she said. “These things aren’t in his skill set, he probably left already.”

  Parker shifted the conversation. “So, Dameon, where do you spend Christmas?”

  “My mom lives in Glendale.”

  “Any siblings?” Parker asked.

  “A brother. Sometimes he shows up. My uncle and his family come in every other year. What about you guys?” he asked, his gaze moving to Grace.

  “Our parents host. Mom loves to cook and we’re all pretty good at helping out.”

  “Nothing more important than family,” Colin said, his eyes narrowed on Grace.

  She pushed her plate of food aside and looked up to find Richard staring at them.

  “Looks like my boss didn’t leave after all.”

  “I should probably be mingling,” Dameon said.

  “That might not be a bad idea.”

  Colin stood when Dameon did. “I’ll introduce you to some of the guys I work with, not that they have time to do anything for your project, but they do know most of the people in town who could.”

  Dameon leaned close to Grace. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

  He walked away before she could respond.

  Parker moved over to the seat Colin had just vacated. “He’s charming.”

  “I know. It’s unnerving.”

  “I don’t get the stalker vibe Erin talked about.”

  “Me either.”

  Before either of them could say more, Richard walked by their table. Their eyes met and he looked away without saying a thing.