by Jill Sanders
*******
His eyes roamed over her tight body and his mind was flooded with pictures of what he’d like to do with her, to her. Shaking his head clear, he forced his eyes and mind to focus on the empty building that stood in front of them. It needed a lot of work before any inspector would allow customers to set foot in there.
The front windows would need to be replaced. Maybe even enlarged so product could be shown to passersby. The awning and the old sign above it would have to go; even standing here he wondered what was keeping them up.
Shaking his head, he stopped her from walking towards the front door. “Those need to go.” He nodded above the door.
She stopped and looked up with a slight frown. When she nodded, her eyes slowly made their way down to their joined hands. He hadn’t realized he’d kept hold of her or how much he enjoyed feeling her cool, small hand in his.
Dropping her hand, he shoved his deep into his pocket to fight off the chill in the air and to keep himself from touching her again. “Is there a back door?”
She nodded and started walking to the side of the building. He followed her and tried not to wonder if the rest of her would feel as good as her hand had.
When they stepped into the place and she flipped on several lights, flooding the main floor with bright light, his mind changed gears.
The room was silent as he walked around and took mental notes of what would need to be done. Old carpet would need to be ripped out. A wall could be taken down to give the appearance of a larger space. Paint. New lighting.
All in all, it was a good space. Nothing he hadn’t transformed before. He’d have to officially sit down with her and go over her thoughts and plans for the space, but he had a few ideas swimming around in his mind.
The electrical and plumbing would have to be checked and updated. He knew that much from his experience working on the other buildings along the boardwalk.
There was a small staircase along the back wall that had been boarded off at the top, reminding him that she had living space upstairs that she’d mentioned needed some work.
When he was done assessing everything, Shelly was leaning against the back countertop, watching him.
“Don’t you need to take notes?” She rested her chin in her hands and watched him.
“No.” He shook his head and tapped his temple. “It’s all locked up here.”
“Well?” she said as she straightened and walked towards him. “What do you think?”
He smiled and moved closer to her. “I think there’s a lot to do here before you can open your doors.”
“I know that.” She frowned a little. “But do you think you can handle it?”
He chuckled. “Lady, I can handle anything.” He glanced around again. “We’ll need to go over exactly what it is you want in here first, but I can work up an estimate and have it to you by tomorrow afternoon.” He started walking towards the back door and then turned towards her again. “Use this door instead of the front one until I can have my men come tomorrow and take down the sign and awning out front. It’s a hazard.” He shook his head.
“Wait,” she called after him and rushed towards him. “I’d like to see the estimate before I agree to…”
He stopped her and shook his head. “It’s on me. Don’t worry about it. They need to come down for the safety of people walking by.” He turned back towards the door. “See you tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder.
By the time he stepped out on the boardwalk again, he was wishing for his bed. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he texted his brother and stood on the empty boardwalk, watching the dark waves hit the beach as he waiting for a reply.
When he heard the door open and close behind him, he glanced over and watched Shelly lock the back door. She looked over at him and nodded, giving him a nervous smile, then she started up the stairs towards what he could only assume was the apartment.
“Didn’t you say you need some work up there as well?” he asked, moving a little closer to her.
She stopped, her hand on the railing, and nodded at him. “I can show you around there tomorrow, when it’s light. Goodnight.” She turned and started heading up the stairs and he watched her disappear. He knew that he’d dream that night about a sexy, hazel-eyed woman with pouty lips that just begged to be kissed.
Chapter Four
Shelly wasn’t fully awake when she heard the crash. At first, she thought it was something lingering from her dream, but then she heard a string of curse words and her eyes flew open. Rushing to the window, she looked down and was shocked to see the old sign above her front door splattered all over the walkway below.
Glass and plastic pieces were strewn everywhere. There were also large metal chunks that looked very sharp and dangerous.
“What the hell! I told you to wait.” She hunted for the voice and when her eyes landed on Marcus, she sighed at how handsome he looked in his work jeans and a button-up flannel shirt. “Damn near landed on top of me.” He took off his hard hat and swiped a handkerchief over his forehead. Then, as if she’d willed it, he glanced up at the window and stilled.
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t even breathe. His blue eyes seemed to laugh until they caught hers. Then she swore she could feel the heat from them up here. He slowly smiled, causing heat to spread through her entire body. Her knees even felt a little weak. How could one look from him cause her body to react so?
She knew. It was because of the dreams she’d had last night. She’d fallen asleep thinking about how sexy he’d looked and how kind he’d been, and he’d stayed in her dreams all night.
Someone walked over to him and slapped him on the back while laughing, which caused his attention to drift from her.
She used that opportunity to dash from the window and head towards the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she walked into the restroom, she glanced at her reflection and gasped. She’d forgotten that she’d fallen asleep in a white tank top and her silk undies. Glancing back towards the window, she realized that the windowsill was low enough to give Marcus quite a view.
Her face turned red and she closed her eyes on a moan.
“Great! Give everyone a show, why don’t you?” She flipped on the shower. The old pipes groaned and she held her breath as cold water poured from the showerhead.
The upstairs of the building had originally been part of the furniture store. Somewhere along the way, the stairs had been demolished and moved to the outside of the building, only allowing entrance from outside.
The upstairs was as large as the lower level, and housed a small bathroom and kitchenette area. Her air mattress sat along the wall with a stack of her boxes.
She felt lucky that the upstairs bathroom was equipped with a small shower. She had high hopes of adding a bathtub, but knew that if it wasn’t in her budget, she’d have to make due. After all, the downstairs was more important than her own living space.
After one of the quickest and coldest showers she’d had in a long time, she piled her hair up in a clip and donned an older pair of jeans and a work shirt. Slipping on her old tennis shoes, she grabbed the sketches she’d drawn up last night and headed outside to see the progress.
When she reached the bottom of the outside stairs, she wrapped her arms around herself and watched as Marcus and three other men used a small lift to take down the awning that hung over the whole storefront.
It took all their concentration to work it down to the sidewalk in front of the doors.
When it finally rested on solid ground, she stepped forward.
“It looks very heavy,” she said coming up behind Marcus. He turned and nodded.
“The thing is old. They use a new, lighter material now, but they used to be made from steel.” He nodded to where the sign and awning used to be on the building. “If you want an awning, I can give you information on a good company in town that will give you a great price. But for now, at least you won’t have to worry about it coming down on anyone’s head.”
She smiled. The building looked better without them. She planned on having a sign above the door, but something smaller and more elegant. As for the awning, she was glad the ugly thing was down. The torn brown and green material was the only thing she hadn’t liked about the front of her building.
Turning back to Marcus, she held out the folder she’d carried downstairs with her. “I have a few things I’d like to go over with you, if you have the time.”
He nodded. “Let me just have these guys haul this all away.” He nodded to the mess, then turned back to her and frowned. “You forgot a jacket again. Head inside. I’ll be just a moment.”
She nodded and pulled out her keys and stepped carefully around the mess. Unlocking the front doors, she walked inside and headed straight back to what would become her cashiers’ area. Currently there was a large display case that she had plans to renovate and utilize for some of her smaller items.
She knew exactly what she wanted to have in her store and she looked around the space and imagined just how it would be. She’d always had an eye for design. She loved looking at a space and planning what would make it look more inviting, more personal, or more professional.
She’d wanted to go to school for design, but her parents had had other plans. She frowned, thinking of her parents, as she looked down at the growing list on her tablet.
This was the only thing she’d ever done without their approval or without them even knowing. She’d told them her plans several years ago, but they had laughed and assumed she was joking. She hadn’t encouraged them to believe that she’d take her inheritance from Nanna and move south to follow her dreams. Her parents still believed she was living in the large townhouse they’d bought her near the school and that she was finishing off the last two years they demanded from her. After all, no Harrison would ever be caught dead without at least a PhD. She sighed and closed her eyes and tried not to think of how much she was going to disappoint her family.
“Problem?” His voice instantly stole her attention from her family issues. Since her eyes were closed, she could hear just how sexy he sounded. When she opened them, she tried not to let her thoughts show on her face, but she could tell that he’d guessed, because his smile was quick and potent.
Shaking her head no, she coughed and focused on what she’d wanted to talk to him about.
He walked over to her and placed his jacket over her shoulders. “I told you it’s pretty cold outside and in here.” He walked over to the thermostat on the back wall. Shaking his head, he cranked it up a few notches and then turned to her as he rubbed his hands together. “This may be a lot warmer than where you’re used to, but it’s still cold enough to make you sick.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sick.” How could she tell him that the cough was a nervous twitch he caused in her?
“Right.” He nodded. His smile and eyes told her that he didn’t believe her.
Still, she pushed her chilled arms through the long sleeves of his jacket until the room warmed up a little.
“What’s all this?” he asked and nodded to the drawings she’d set out. He walked over and started looking through her sketches.
“Some ideas I had.” She stepped next to him and watched him flip through her sketches. His eyes scanned every detail. Then they ran over her notes and the supply lists she had printed out.
When he was done, he turned towards her and leaned on the cabinet. “We could make this work.” He tapped her sketches.
“Which parts?” She itched to go over every detail with him, step by step.
“All of it.” He chuckled. “There’s nothing in here that isn’t doable. I suppose it will all depend on what you had set aside for your remodel budget.”
She grabbed up her tablet and opened the spreadsheet that showed the amounts.
She handed it to him, but he backed away a little, putting his hands behind his back.
She chuckled. “It’s just a tablet. I have my budget—”
He shook his head again when she tried to hand it to him. “I… I’m not good with those things. It surprises me that my cell phone is still ticking.”
She would have laughed at him, but the sincerity in his eyes stopped her.
She sighed and glanced down at the numbers and spouted them off quickly—how much she had set aside for construction, for the sign that would hang above the door, how much she estimated new flooring would cost. She’d done her homework and she’d been very thorough.
When she was done, he chuckled. “Want a job?”
She looked up at him and hugged the tablet to her chest. “I’m sorry?”
He shook his head. “That has to be one of the most accurate and detailed lists I’ve ever heard.”
She smiled a little. “Thank you.”
“There shouldn’t be a problem with those figures, if you could…” He looked down at the tablet in question.
“I can email these to you?”
He nodded his head. “Send them to my brother’s email.” He handed her a card. “He’s the financial genius in our family.”
“Your sister told me there were two of you. Does he just work behind the scenes?”
He nodded his head. “Most of the time, but sometimes I let him out and shove a hammer in his hand.” He smiled and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling with him.
“I always wished I had a brother or sister around.”
He leaned a little more on the cabinet. “Only child, huh?”
She nodded. “Are there just the three of you?”
He shook his head no. “Another brother.” He chuckled. “If he’s still alive today. And a sister we haven’t seen in a while.” She blinked and looked at him in question. “My brother is Cole Grayton.” He waited and when she shook her head, he laughed. “Oh, this is rich. Wait until he meets you.” He chuckled some more. “Cole’s head could use a little deflating.”
“Is he a movie star or something?”
“Not yet. He’s a surfer. Been on too many billboards to count, flaunting everything God gave him in just his boxers.” He shook his head and a little of the smile died away. “’Bout killed himself riding some crazy storm waves. Almost finished the job last year in a motorcycle accident.”
She vaguely remembered hearing something about a surfer who had been in a bad motorcycle accident, but couldn’t remember the details.
“He’s back in Sydney this month.” He shook his head. “The accident didn’t even slow him down.” He sighed.
“What about your sister?” She leaned a little on the cabinet and watched his eyes turn soft. He looked a little lost. “The other one.”
“Took off on us a few days after her seventeenth birthday.” He closed his eyes and she could see that he was fighting back some emotion. He shook his head and when he opened his eyes, he’d changed back to humor. “Now it’s your turn.”
“What?” She stood up again, putting a little more space between them.
“Share and tell. I shared a little, now you get to tell me something.” He smiled and leaned on the countertop
Her smile fell away and she felt her heart skip a little. She didn’t like talking about her family. To be honest with herself, she didn’t like even thinking about her family.
“So, your family is from Boston?” The question hung in the air.
*******
Marcus watched her whole demeanor change. She went from relaxed and friendly to ice princess in under two seconds flat. Her entire body went rigid.
Reaching out, he gripped her arm before she could walk away. “Hey?” he said softly. “Didn’t mean to spook you.” He would do anything to see the smile and laughter he’d witnessed a few minutes ago return.
She shook her head and started gathering up her sketches. Sketches, he had to admit, that equaled the ones that he’d drawn up of her place. She had talent and, he’d bet his teeth, education.
What he couldn’t put his finger on was why she was here, trying to open a nickel-and-di
me store. But after seeing her reaction to the mention of her family, he’d wager it had everything to do with them.
“You didn’t. I don’t like talking about them, that’s all.” She sighed and closed the folder with her sketches tucked away. “You can take these, if you need.”
He took them from her, knowing she’d effectively ended the conversation. There were a few ideas she’d drawn up that he hadn’t thought of. It was always a good idea to follow what the client wanted, anyway. Besides, they would help Roman with the estimate, which he’d planned on getting to her later that evening.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to take a look upstairs now.”
She nodded and walked slowly towards the door. He followed her and saw her back relax a little as she walked. Then at the top of the outer stairs, she turned to him.
“I’m sorry.” She sighed. “It’s just that I’m not very close with my family.”
“Hey, no need to apologize.” He smiled. “I know the feeling.”
Her eyebrows shot up and then a little line formed between them. “But, you just got done telling me…”
He chuckled and interrupted her. “I don’t talk about my real family.” He shook his head. “We were all adopted by the Graytons.” He smiled. “Great people. But my real folks…” He shook his head and stiffened when memories of his mother’s face popped into his mind, just like Shelly had a few minutes ago. “They’re a different story,” he said in a low voice.
He watched understanding cross her eyes. “I wondered when I didn’t see the resemblance between you and Cassey.” She smiled. “You would have never guessed it by the way she went on talking about you.” She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Do you know, I actually thought at one point she was thinking about setting us up?”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. Since she and Luke started living a happily blissful life, she’s been trying to set me up more and more.” He had luckily escaped the first two attempts, but he was starting to wonder if his sister hadn’t succeeded in her third attempt.
She smiled and pushed open the door to what would be her apartment. Downstairs, his creative mind had been focused on business, but up here, his design imagination started going wild.