by Stacey Wilk
Beau unfolded himself from the floor. “It’s about all I can give Jud to do for now. When we’re lifting the heavy stuff, I’ll have him do that and you can step in and be my goffer.” Beau patted him on the shoulder and turned back to the bathroom. “Need to get this finished today, or Miss Grace and Chloe will be using the facilities at your place.”
It looked like they might anyway. “Do you have enough help?”
“I called some of my old guys. They’re coming next week. A final favor for me. We’ll be done by the end of summer, just like Grace wants.”
Blaise went down the hall toward the bedrooms. Hers had two on the left and one on the right, the master with a second bath. She wants to be gone by the end of summer? He’d be on tour by then. He liked the idea of Christmas. Then she’d be here when he got back.
The rooms were empty, so he headed back to the kitchen and out the slider onto the patio. Grace sat with her back to him at a glass table with Savannah and Chloe. He watched for a second without moving. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, exposing her slender neck. He wanted to kiss that neck even with his sister watching, but probably not a good idea in front of Chloe. Not that Grace would let him. They hadn’t gotten to the necking yet. He laughed at his own stupid joke.
Grace turned at the muffled sound of his guffaw. Her smile spilled across her face, and her blue eyes lit up. A tightness spread across his low belly. This woman was starting to wreak havoc on him.
Savannah looked from him to Grace before she leaned back in her seat with a smirk. Chloe kept her face in her phone and didn’t even notice him.
“What are you doing here?” Grace stood. “I mean, that didn’t come out right.” She laughed, and her cheeks turned red. She smoothed out the bottom of her shirt. “Hi. We’re talking about the fundraiser. Did you come by to discuss something with Savannah?”
He opened his mouth to say something and realized he didn’t know what to say. What was he doing stalking around the house? He couldn’t help, or better yet Beau didn’t want him to. Everyone had something to do except him, and his excuse for looking around for her died on his lips. “Um, that thing you asked me to do last night. I have an idea that might help. I’ll come back later to discuss it with you.”
Savannah stood and shoved folders into her bag. “I was just leaving. You stay. Grace, I’ll call you. Blaise, tell Cash he needs to be at the library later today, in case I don’t catch him on the way out.” She offered Grace a quick hug and leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You have that look,” she whispered against his face.
He squinted back at her. She smiled and patted his arm. “Bye, Chloe,” Savannah yelled over her shoulder.
“Chloe,” Beau pushed past as Savannah went inside. “I’ve got something for you to do, love.” He pulled money from his pocket. “Run over to May’s and get me one of those cruller things she makes and another cup of coffee. Ask the blockheads what they want too, but go alone. I don’t want anyone taking a break unless I say so.”
Blaise had never heard Beau use a term of endearment on anyone. Chloe must’ve warmed that old cold heart of his.
“Looks like it’s just us. Do you want to sit? You can tell me what you know.” Grace pulled out a chair for him. “Do you like the patio table? Sady Bucknell was getting rid of it and thought I could use it.”
He sat beside her and stretched out his legs. He took the brace off and rubbed at his wrist. “Sady and Mo are good neighbors. Always helping out.”
“I have neighbors right next door back in Silverside who I’ve never spoken to. Sad. How much longer do you have to wear the brace?”
“A few weeks. Maybe longer. I remembered something last night after I dropped you off.” The thought came to him while he tossed and turned, coming up with ways to keep Colton away from Grace.
She pulled a notebook and pen into her hand and leaned forward with all her attention on him, as if he were a teacher or something. He laughed.
“What?” She wiped at her face. “Do I have something on my nose?”
He leaned closer too and could smell her sweet scent. “Yeah, right here.” He dragged his thumb across her lips, unable to ignore the pull in his belly for much longer. He didn’t think about what he was doing. He leaned in the rest of the way and placed a quick kiss on her lips. She didn’t pull away, and he let the kiss linger. She tasted as sweet as her scent, but unlike anything he ever did, he stopped the kiss. He didn’t want to embarrass her making out with him on the patio while his son and nephew were a few feet away on the other side of that window.
“Oh.” She placed her fingers against her lips. Her cheeks and neck blossomed red. She looked into her lap. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
“No.”
She looked back at him. He winked, hoping to ease her nerves. What was this woman like in bed, if a simple kiss got her flustered? She had never been loved the right way. He could tell. He wanted to show her what it was like to let go.
“I remembered Nancy Templeton has a niece, her sister’s daughter. Her name is Claire Phillips. I wasn’t in town when Nancy moved out, but I had heard her niece came and helped her. We could try and find Claire. She might know who Nancy sold to, or if Nancy was already sick, it might be Claire who sold.”
“How do we find Claire Phillips? I don’t want to ask around town.”
“I hear there’s this thing called the internet. We could try using that.”
She gave him a full, rich laugh, like the crescendo of a song. Blaise liked that laugh and the ease that settled over her when she did it. He laughed along with her because it felt good, and being with her felt good. He thought of what Colton said last night about Blaise being in love with love. He was wrong about that. He wasn’t sure if he was ever in love. Not really. He wasn’t feeling that with Grace either. He wasn’t dumb enough to fall in love with a woman who had one foot out of the state already.
If he did fall in love, it would have to be with someone who could stay in Heritage River. This was his only home now and where Cash wanted to live. And probably the only place he could get a job if Colton kicked him out of the band. Which might happen if Blaise continued to insist they play new music.
“Um, Chloe and I were going to get dinner at Jake’s tonight. Would you and Cash like to come along? After dinner we could try and research Claire Phillips.” She stood. “You don’t have to answer now. You can think about it. I really need to get back to helping Beau.”
“Grace, there you are.” Colton appeared in the doorway right on cue. Was he listening? “Beau’s been looking for you.”
“Thanks.” She had to sidestep to get by Colton. She offered him a half smile as she tried to keep from rubbing up against his brother blocking the doorway.
Blaise’s blood cooked.
“Hey, Grace,” Colton called her back. “You and Chloe can’t really have dinner in this house. Why don’t you both come over to our place tonight?”
Our place? Blaise wanted to deck him.
“Thanks, Colton, but Chloe and I have plans. Maybe some other time.” She pressed her lips together and turned away.
Colton messed with the measuring tape on his tool belt. “I’ll get her next time.” He shrugged.
“Why are you so interested in her? She isn’t really your type.”
Colton gazed off in the direction Grace went. “I don’t know. Maybe I like her because she isn’t my type. Time for something different.”
He saw the dare in Colton’s eyes. He wanted Grace simply because he suspected Blaise did.
“What’s with you helping out Beau?” Blaise said. Colton hadn’t mentioned anything about wanting to work while he was here. There had to be a reason.
“The man needs a crew. He can’t expect to build a house with Jud and Cash. The girls aren’t much help. I think he might be losing his mind, taking on this job at his age without the regular guys who work for him. Figured I’d do the right thing. I’m just marking time here anyway.”
It was odd that Beau had agreed to this job without sufficient help. “Don’t take on this job and leave the man standing with his pants down because you’re ready to move on to something else.”
“I don’t plan on spending six months on this job. When it’s time, I have to go. I already told Beau that. He was okay with it.” Colton squinted at him. “You trying to take care of everyone? That’s not like you.”
Savannah usually took care of everyone. She was always the mother hen even when she was little. She would write plays and assign parts and then make herself the director and boss everyone around. Colton would last about an hour before something more interesting caught his attention. Blaise stayed until Savannah said time was up. Even back then, he adored his little sister.
“I’m not taking care of everyone. I’m just trying to make sure the right thing happens with Beau.” Blaise certainly had made enough mistakes in his life. He didn’t want to make any more big ones. “When are we getting back on the road?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Joe can hold those dates, after all. I think I’d like to stick around for a while. Give your hand time to heal. Get Grace to go on that date with me.” Colton turned and went back in the house, leaving Blaise standing in the hot sun, his skin burning from the inside out. Colton didn’t mean that. There was no way on earth he would postpone that tour for a woman. Never happen.
Grace stuck her head back out the door. “Oh, good. You’re still here.” She met him on the lawn. Plaster dust coated her cheeks. She looked like a teenager in her sweat shorts and loose T-shirt with her hair pulled back and no makeup on.
He was starting to notice too many things about this woman, and yet he didn’t want to stop. “I was just about to walk around to the front. You guys are pretty busy today.”
“Thanks for coming up with the Claire Phillips idea. That might be the big break I’m looking for. If you want, I can look her up myself. I still have Wi-Fi here, even if most of my rooms have turned to rubble.” She looked down at her hands, then back up at him, the light in her blue eyes bright. “I’m sorry. I’m rambling.”
“It’s fine. I like it.”
“My offer for dinner still stands.” Grace glanced over her shoulder. “Your brother is welcome to come too, if he’d like.”
Maybe Blaise could smack Colton over the head with a hammer first. “I’ll ask him.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The house was finally quiet. The sun was getting ready to tuck in for the night, and so was Grace, but her stomach rumbled for food. Chloe was taking a shower and promised to hurry since they were down to one full bath now. Thankfully, the bedrooms needed little more than some paint and the floors refinished. They were habitable, and all Grace and Chloe had to move around in.
That didn’t stop Grace from taking inventory of their work. She ran her hands across the new kitchen walls. Plumbing stuck up out of the floor where the sink and dishwasher would go. A large space sat empty, waiting for the new refrigerator. She’d go tomorrow to pick out the appliances and cabinets and counters. Her time would be better served doing that than working here. She didn’t know the first thing about construction, and Beau never wasted a second reminding her. He definitely had some old opinions about what women should do as careers. But he took a real liking to Chloe, and she seemed to take to him too. Maybe because she never had a real grandfather. Larry’s dad had died when she was four.
Grace was doing it. She really was, despite the naysayers. She was building a home in a town she didn’t know. Heritage River was growing on her. Every time she ran into town, someone else waved hello. The lake Blaise took her to was beautiful. Just the kind of place she could spend her days.
She liked Savannah and the fact she had opened her arms to Grace and took her in, asking advice on the fundraiser and using her ideas. She wished she’d had a sister like Savannah. She wished she had any family at all besides Chloe, and in little over a month, Chloe would be off at school to begin a new life and Grace would be left behind, alone.
“Mom, I can’t blow-dry my hair.” Chloe stood in the kitchen doorway in shorts and shirt, her bare feet on the filthy floor. Her hair hung long and wet around her shoulders. She held the hair dryer in one hand, as if it were a weapon.
Grace had to bite her lip about saying anything, but dirt wasn’t the only issue. What if she stepped on a nail or something? “Why not? I think we still have electricity.” She flipped a light switch, and the overhead light popped on. “See?”
“There isn’t a mirror in the bedroom and you said you wanted to get in to take a shower so I had to hurry out. Now my hair will look like crap.”
She took a step toward her daughter and without thinking, brushed Chloe’s hair behind her shoulder. Chloe flinched as if she had smacked her instead. Watching her beautiful daughter standing there, Grace had forgotten touching wasn’t allowed. Hadn’t been allowed since she was about twelve. Even though this was part of the process of exerting independence and nothing personal against Grace, the flinching still stung.
She covered her mistake by fussing with sandpaper left on the windowsill. She tried to smile and hoped her face showed disinterest and not something more. “You could let it dry natural.”
“My hair looks gross like that.”
Grace took a deep breath and forced her shoulders down. “I’ll be quick in the bathroom. You can dry your hair then.” She brushed past her.
“Why do we have to have dinner with them anyway?” Chloe called after her. “Don’t you think it’s weird?”
She turned. “Why is it weird? I thought you liked Cash.”
“He’s all right. I guess.”
“Well, I think he’s a good kid. I want to do something nice for his father since he treated me to dinner last night. Don’t you want to have dinner with a rock star?”
“Mom, please. Blaise is like completely old. No one my age cares about his band anymore. His fans are all like your age. Like Jenn is. She gets all corny every time you even mention his name.”
“Still, it’s neat. I’ve never met anyone famous before.”
“You would say that.”
“What does that mean?” Her shoulders began to creep back up.
“You think it’s neat”—Chloe dragged out neat as if she were dragging a body—“because Blaise is from your generation. Would you think it was neat to meet a singer I like?”
“Sure.” Would she?
“No, you wouldn’t. You’d think I was being all stupid and acting immature if I wanted to have dinner with someone famous. You’d say he only wanted to have dinner with me because he was up to no good. I couldn’t trust him. You would never let me go, but because it’s you and Blaise is old, it’s okay.”
“I would never call you stupid. How could you say such a thing? And Blaise is also our neighbor. We didn’t just meet him in a diner someplace. This is absolutely not the same thing as a random meeting with a stranger. Then no, I wouldn’t want you to go. It’s my job to protect you.”
Chloe glared at her. “You don’t have to keep protecting me. I’m leaving for college soon.”
“It’s part of the job. I will always want to protect you.” Though at the moment she was ready to resign from the job. Were they really arguing about Chloe having dinner with a stranger versus dinner with Blaise? Chloe could find any subject to argue about, and no matter what Grace did or said, she would always be wrong. All of a sudden, she didn’t want to go to dinner. “I need to shower.”
By the time she was dressed, the anger had washed away some. The idea of eating alone was still appealing. She could take a book and sit with her food and read. She wouldn’t eat without Chloe no matter how mad Chloe made her, but maybe Grace could ease up on her no-phone rule at the table so she could read.
Would Blaise understand if she canceled at the last minute? Of course he would. He couldn’t really care if they ate together. He had his son and his brother. She wouldn’t be missed. Voices drifted down the hall. Befor
e she could open the door, Chloe burst into the bedroom.
“Oh my God, they are all standing in the house, and I’m not done with my hair and makeup.” Chloe pushed past Grace and slammed the bathroom door.
Grace hoped Colton had decided to stay home and one of those voices was not his. She only asked him to come along because she didn’t want to seem rude. His slick moves and sultry looks might work on some women, but not her. He was all show. Blaise had heart. She saw it in the way he looked at Cash and in the way he played his music or talked about Heritage River.
The three Savage men stood tall in her exposed living room. The sun had dipped lower, covering the room in ribbons of gray. A lamp would be nice. By the time they returned, the room would be in complete darkness. She turned on her heel and ran back to the bedroom to unplug a lamp and returned to her guests. “For later,” she said.
Blaise wore his hair slicked back—she liked it like that—and that silly Xs and Os shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. His fingers tapped on the top of his thighs. Colton was dressed in black, showing off his muscular frame. His gray eyes danced as he smiled. Cash was also dressed in his signature black shirt, black ripped jeans, and black sneakers. The eyeliner had made its reappearance on his face.
“Are you ready to go to dinner?” Colton took center stage. Something he was probably used to. “We’re starving.”
After Chloe made her grand entrance, they headed to Jake’s. They took two vehicles, and Cash slid into the back seat of hers. He and Chloe chatted on the way while Grace listened. She had learned a lot about her daughter just through the years of playing chauffer. It was as if the kids could forget she was there and be themselves, sharing stories and sometimes even secrets. This night was no different.
Chloe told Cash about her plans for school while he sat quietly. When she asked about his, he said he wasn’t sure because he was moving to Heritage River permanently, though his mother didn’t know yet. Grace also learned he loved music but didn’t want to play with his dad. He clearly admired his uncle as well. Those two things left Grace wondering why.