HOT MEN: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Ashlee Price

  “Hey, Miss Jay, just wanted to tell you that I decided to stick with my dad’s plumbing job.”

  “Now hold on a sec, Ryan, you said you hated being his apprentice. You want to be an electrician, right?” Hannah shifted into work mode seamlessly.

  “Yeah, but Mr. Hannity’s running the next few projects for Dale Construction, and he never lets us have the time to do things right. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing, but every time I try to correct stuff, the guys tell me to just do what I’m told. Right now they’re working on that bar, The Wheel, and they don’t need any electrical work so I’m out for now anyway. But when the next project comes up…” He trailed off as disappointment stained his words. “I just don’t want any problems, and my dad told me that if I do a great job with him this year, he’ll put in a word for me with his buddies at the utility company. But thanks for everything, Miss Jay. You really helped narrow my options down. I’ll see ya around. Well, if the apprenticeship doesn’t work out, I’ll definitely see you! Take care.”

  “Okay, Ryan, take care.” Hannah waved uncertainly.

  As soon as he left, Jenna turned to Hannah with a wide-eyed glare. “Hannity’s making them do shoddy work?!? For what?!? What do you think they’re going to do at the bar? We can’t let this happen!”

  “Relax, breathe,” Hannah told her. “We don’t know what they’re doing at the bar. I thought you said it was mostly woodwork anyway.”

  “They’re replacing the floorboards! What if they don’t do it properly, or skimp on the materials?!? Someone could get hurt!”

  “You’re jumping the gun here. Chill out. Let’s get back to Tanner. That’s a problem we can address now without peeling up the floors at your dad’s bar. So he says he’s not getting back with Brandy. You need to believe him until he gives you a reason not to. Okay? And about this Hannity thing, please, please, please let your dad take care of it. You gotta learn to listen to people and let them do what they say they’re going to do. You can’t fix the world in a day, Jenna.”

  But that was just it. Jenna wanted to fix every problem in her life before her birthday, or at least before she left town in the next few weeks. Heading into the next phase of her life as chaos drenched her with anxiety didn’t feel like the best way to start grad school. Even worse, she still hadn’t chosen one yet. It would be easy if she’d only been accepted to one or two, but there were too many options. And what was she going to do about Tanner?

  Jenna wished there was a clear-cut answer for every aspect of her life, but she supposed it wouldn’t be life if things were that easy. So she left Hannah’s office without any direction or solutions. One thing, though, seemed to be a no-brainer: she had to get Sean Hannity out of her dad’s life. After that, she’d learn to relax—and maybe even listen.

  Chapter 15

  Jenna found herself driving toward the outskirts of Doveport. While she’d been warned and yelled at by practically everyone she knew, there was a part of her that wouldn’t give up the idea that she could fix all of her dad’s problems. If negotiating with Mr. Hannity had gone so well when they first met, perhaps now she could figure out a feasible way to ease the burden her father was carrying.

  It hadn’t taken long to find out where Mr. Hannity spent most of his time. When one of The Wheel’s regulars asked her about their re-open date, she took the chance to get an answer for one of her life’s many questions. It sent her to a flower shop at the edge of town. It was the oddest place for a florist; there were nothing but factories and warehouses around it.

  She stopped her car right out front. There were no people walking up and down the street. There were only parked cars and silence. When she closed her car door, the sound rang out in the stillness. She got a weird feeling as she stood outside the florist. Her eyes darted up and down the street while the butterflies danced in her stomach.

  Jenna kept squeezing her fingers, one hand and then the other, wondering if she was crossing a line. Of course she was. Anxiety wouldn’t be coursing through her body if this was a good idea. But she’d already driven all the way out here. Taking a deep breath, she decided to go inside.

  The chime of the door made her pulse race as she walked into the shop. Her heart was in her throat and she felt like she was on the brink of tears. The flower shop was gorgeous, but it seemed a bit dark. The only window was next to the door, and even that had its shades drawn. Jenna kept listening, but there was nothing to be heard; not a shopkeeper in sight. The longer she stayed in the shop, the faster her heart beat.

  There was an interior door just behind the counter. She entered it. Curiosity was guiding her. Her logic? Must have left it in the car, because all she wanted to do was talk to someone. Anyone. And anyone was who she found at the end of the hallway.

  A woman with big white hair and shocking green eyes stared at her with a pair of shears in her hands. A bouquet as big as her beehive was sitting in a vase with roses and other blooms waiting for her to finish trimming. After snipping another leaf, she stood back and eyed the finished product. Turning to Jenna, she looked her up and down before she spoke. “So tell me what ya think, dear.”

  “Excuse me?” Jenna was confused.

  “Don’t just stand there, girl. Tell me what ya think? Should I trim some more off the side? I don’t want it to be uneven as it leans against the coffin,” she said, tilting her head from side to side.

  “Um,” Jenna stuttered, “I think it looks fine, but I’m no florist. I don’t have an eye for those kinds of things.”

  “So what are ya doing here, then? Yer lookin’ for Sean, aren’t ya?” she asked, still eyeing the bouquet.

  “Yes!” she stated, reaffirming her purpose to herself as well. “No. I don’t know.”

  “Who owes him money?” she laughed.

  “My father.”

  “That’s a tough one.” She nodded. “I remember what it was like being daddy’s little girl. I’d do anything for him. Which is undoubtedly why you’re standing here now. But I’m going to tell ya that Sean isn’t a reasonable man. I suggest that if ya don’t have his money, leave and don’t come back until you do.”

  “It’s not that.” Jenna wasn’t sure what she wanted this complete stranger to do, but she sounded like someone who could give her a bit of advice. “My father has been making his payments, on time, to the best of my knowledge. But Mr. Hannity has too many different things going on in our business. It’s disruptive, and I think, maybe, illegal.”

  “Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha!” the woman laughed hysterically. “Oh, honey, you’re in the wrong shop, talking to the wrong woman. I can’t help ya. And with that attitude you won’t be able to help yer dad, neither. What do you think my son does, exactly?”

  “Well, he’s a loan shark, right? I just wanted to talk to him and see if there’s a simple, flat number me or my dad can pay so he can just get out of our hair. It’s becoming too much, and when I go away to school I don’t want my dad overwhelmed with the responsibility of paying him back on his own.”

  “I understand, believe me I do. But you’re trying to negotiate a deal that’s got nothing to do with you. It’s best you leave things as is. When Sean makes a deal, he’s a man of his word, and he holds everyone he does business with to the same standard. But if you leave me your name, I can let him know you came by. Maybe he’ll take a meeting with ya,” she shrugged.

  The bell over the door chimed, but the woman didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t even glance in the direction of the door Jenna had walked through, but that’s where all of Jenna’s attention was focused.

  Sean’s voice carried through the shop like a hot knife through butter. “Ma! Ma! I’m going to need ya to take care of this suit. Johnnie got blood all over it!”

  “Boys will be boys,” the woman smiled to Jenna, getting up from her stool. When Sean surfaced in the back room he was surprised to see that his mother wasn’t alone.

  “Well, Miss Ferris. To what do I owe the pleasure? One of those lovely envelopes yo
ur father loves to give me?”

  His mother started laughing. “She’s here to negotiate a deal for her father. Take it easy on her. She honestly has no idea who you are.”

  “Yeah, Paul keeps telling me that, and the fact that she’s here makes it a fact. So what do you want from me exactly?” Sean asked her bluntly as he removed his jacket. There were splatters of red all over his shirt, and Jenna suddenly realized that her vague suspicions of illegal activity had fallen far short of the reality. Sean was an out-and-out gangster.

  “Maybe this was a mistake. I just wanted to ask how my dad can finish up his business with you so he can run the bar how he likes. I want him to be happy. I want him not to worry so much. I want him to be able to make money without having to hand it all over to you.”

  “Oh, Miss Ferris, he doesn’t hand over as much as you think. He has good sense about how to do business with men like me, and I don’t think you give him enough credit. And you surely don’t give him enough respect, coming down here and trying to strike a deal for him behind his back.”

  “How do you know he doesn’t know I’m here?” she questioned combatively.

  “Because you are here. Paul doesn’t want us anywhere near each other, and for good reason. You’re lucky you came when Ma was here and that all you’ve seen is this shirt I got a… nosebleed on. You really ought to listen to yer father, but if you want to be partially responsible for his debt, then fine. I’m never opposed to getting paid sooner, and knowing yer dad, he’ll need another loan from me soon enough anyway. So his total balance is…” He took out a small book from his pocket and thumbed through the pages. “Ah, here we go. His total balance is 12,743 dollars. You can pay that in cash or by money order. When can I expect your first payment?”

  “I don’t know yet. Soon,” Jenna said nervously.

  “Oh, I know that tone. Did you think it was going to be something a little more possible for an unemployed twenty-something-year-old to pay in one shot? You’re in over your head. Leave now, before I get angry that you came here. This isn’t how I do business. You’re lucky I did the first deal in the bar with you like that. I was doing your old man a favor. Now get out,” he ordered her.

  “Wait, but—” Jenna’s face flushed a pale white.

  “Sweetie, do what he says and go,” Sean’s mother insisted.

  “Yes, you got the information you came here for. Now leave,” Sean told her again. “If you don’t have my money, then there’s nothing else for us to discuss. You can go out the same way you came in.”

  “Okay, Mr. Hannity. Thank you for your time, and I’m sorry for barging in in like this. You’re right, I’m just sorry…” She choked up and ran out of the shop. Once she was in her car, she didn’t dare hang around, but soon after getting that neighborhood out of her rearview mirror she pulled over. Her hands were shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. Staring at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t believe what she’d just done.

  She was so shaken she couldn’t even release the tears that were fighting so hard to come. Her chest heaved up and down. Panic and fear ran through her as she tried desperately to catch her breath. Making her way back toward her side of town was the only thing she knew she could handle without messing it up.

  With her emotions all over the place, Jenna took her time driving toward home. She was approaching one of Doveport’s parks when she saw a familiar car. Her heart began to race again just after she had managed to calm herself down. It was Tanner’s car. Normally, she wouldn’t have cared, but the glimpse of long blonde hair made her pause.

  Jenna pulled into the parking lot, leaving her car in a space as far away from Tanner’s as possible. She stared at her reflection in the rearview mirror. “Well, you’re already on the train to Crazy Town; why stop now?”

  Throwing caution to the wind, she got out of the car and began to walk the trail. Insane didn’t begin to describe what she felt as she pulled out her phone and dialed Hannah.

  Hannah answered right away. “Hey, how are you feeling? I know you left my office a little out of whack.”

  “Oh, I did, and I did something completely stupid because of it, but what I’m doing right now takes the cake.”

  “Jenna, what is going on?” Hannah sounded exhausted.

  “I was driving home when I thought I saw Tanner’s car. Well, it is his car, but then I thought I saw Brandy inside. So I parked my car and I’m now walking through Grove Street Park to see what they’re doing here.”

  “You’re losing it. Jenna, get back in your car and go home. Go focus on planning your party and picking a grad school. Tanner is supposed to be fun for the summer and that’s it. You’re acting like his crazy girlfriend, when you don’t even want to be his girlfriend!”

  “Shh! Wait, I see them!”

  “Don’t shush me! They can’t hear me!”

  Jenna hung up the phone before Hannah could talk any sense into her. She found herself crouching behind trees, skulking around bushes and ducking under branches. That perfect messy bun of Brandy’s golden blonde strands was undeniable. Even worse, they weren’t arguing. They were laughing.

  Jenna would have had to be sitting in their laps if she wanted to hear what they were saying, but the expression on their faces as they gazed into each other’s eyes was enough. She was right and Tanner was wrong. They looked way too happy to be fighting, which meant they were probably back together. She slid down into the dirt, her eyes drifting from the grass at her feet to the leaves above, wondering why she couldn’t simply listen. Brandy’s high-pitched cackle told her everything. Tanner had lied to her.

  There wasn’t anything she could do to change that, so she went home. Her heart was breaking for a relationship that never was. Instead of sulking about losing Tanner, she moved her grief to someone worthy of her emotional heartache.

  The garage was full of boxes, not just the stuff from school she’d yet to unpack, but also the remnants of her mother’s belongings. Her father had made it his business to downsize everything except the big items, like her desk and bedroom furniture. Those memories would be around forever if Paul had his way.

  So after pushing her own boxes out of the way, Jenna found the trunk she was looking for. It was about two feet high and three feet wide. There were gold grommets around the edges and a gold latch in the center. The clicking of its opening echoed around the garage. The first thing Jenna pulled out was a wool coat. It was dark brown, with a huge collar that folded down into buttons. Jenna remembered it being one of the prettiest things she’d ever seen her mother wear. It was her business coat. She couldn’t help but pull it out and put it on.

  Wrapping herself in her mother’s coat, she realized that it still held the faintest wisp of her scent. Jenna took several deep breaths, trying to contain the tears she’d been holding back all day. Her world was still spiraling, and she was almost certain she’d made it worse.

  As Jenna attempted to shake the feeling away, she found her hands rummaging through the coat’s pockets. There was a soft rattling in one of them. She figured it was just a receipt, but after pulling it out she had to sit down on the trunk. Pain ripped through her chest, her eyes welled and the tears fell again.

  The lettering on her high school graduation ticket had faded, but the memory hadn’t. Marie Ferris had barely been able to walk in her condition, but she swore to everyone, doctors and family alike, that she’d be at her only child’s graduation ceremony. They had to get there an hour early so she could take her time getting to her seat without being in anyone’s way, but when Jenna walked across the stage, she stood up and gave a resounding cheer for her baby girl. It was the last time she saw her mother’s smile that wide, her eyes that bright, her face so proud.

  Uncontrollable sobbing seemed to come far more easily when Jenna was home than when she was away at school. At least there there were midterms and papers to block her emotions so she didn’t have to deal with them. At home, it was as if the floodgates opened and she couldn’t hold them b
ack. But with her emotions at the helm, she was running amuck. It was time to get her life together. So with a heavy heart, Jenna slid out of her mother’s coat. She folded it meticulously, the way her father would want, and placed it back inside the trunk.

  Jenna left the garage to sit down at the kitchen table. Envelope after envelope, she went through her options to map out her road trip and make plans to get out of Doveport. It was possible that her father was right. Staying there for the summer was proving to be more troublesome than relaxing. After the day she’d had, she was done trying to solve her life’s problems. She only wanted to run from them.

  Chapter 16

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!?” Paul shouted, slamming the door behind him. “Jenna! Jenna! get your ass in here now!”

  Jenna cringed as the sound of her father’s angry voice bounced off every wall in the house. She had been hoping that Hannity would leave their conversation between them, but she supposed that was asking for a lot from a man like that. So she put the pen down and ditched her grad school paperwork in hopes of getting the lecture over with.

  “Are.. you… crazy?!?” Paul was a shade of red Jenna had never seen. It was worse than the night she’d fallen asleep in Tanner’s pickup truck during her junior year in high school. He’d driven around all night until he found them and then busted the windows out thinking that Tanner had kidnapped her—only to find them sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms.

  Jenna hated seeing her dad this upset. It was rare. They argued, bickered, and even shouted, but now he was fuming; irate.

  “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, Daddy.” She forced a smile, hoping to bluff her way out of his warpath.

  “Don’t do that. Don’t you dare do that. What in the hell did you think you were doing going to the other side of town to speak to Sean Hannity, alone?!?”

  He was red as a tomato, and a pulsing vein stood out from just above his eyebrow until disappearing under his hairline. He ran his fingers through his hair just before he yanked convulsively on the short strands.