One Last Dance

by Nancy Stopper

  Joey leaned in close, his voice low enough for only her to hear. “I volunteer with Jayden’s Hope. They build accessible housing for wounded veterans.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Brittany responded, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t know organizations like this existed.”

  “Yep. In Derek’s case, his house will be wheelchair accessible, with widened doorways and lowered counters. We’re also building ramps in the front and back.”

  Before Joey could stop her, Brittany threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much for bringing me here today.”

  Startled by her affection, he dropped his toolbox and wrapped his arms more fully around her, wanting desperately to take her lips in a searing kiss. But considering their location and the audience, he settled for feeling her soft curves against his body before redirecting her to the task at hand.

  “If I could have everybody’s attention again, I want to divide everyone up into teams and hand out your assignments for today.”

  The men and women started milling around, talking among themselves as jobs were parceled out. He and Brittany made their way up to Bryan. Before Joey could open his mouth, Brittany jumped in. “I’m so excited to be here, but I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of construction skills to offer. I can carry some supplies, get water for people. I don’t know. Something. I just want to help out.”

  “Anything you can do will be a great help, Brittany.”

  “Where do you want me?” Joey added.

  “Joey, if you don’t mind, can you help with some of the framing on the east side of the house?”

  “Sounds great. I think Brittany and I can handle that.”

  After a few more words to the crew, the people surrounding the makeshift workbench dispersed in small groups, heading to different parts of the work site. Joey grabbed the handles of Derek’s wheelchair and maneuvered him up the ramp that had been laid over the ground. The temporary wooden incline would eventually be poured concrete, giving Derek a house without steps so he could wheel easily in and out.

  “Derek,” Joey said, “I want to introduce you to Brittany. Brittany, this is Derek.”

  Brittany extended her hand and Derek took it in his. “Nice to meet you, Brittany.”

  “What can I do to help?” Brittany asked after Joey got Derek settled.

  Joey loved seeing Brittany’s excitement. He’d thought she’d enjoy working here today but was afraid her big city ideas wouldn’t scale. But her little-girl excitement and willingness to jump in bubbled over and made everyone around them happier. “The wood has been stacked in the respective rooms, so you can get it laid out and measured. I’ll then cut the pieces to size and Derek will help assemble them before we lift them into place.”

  “I can do that.” The three of them worked in silence for a few minutes, gathering the supplies for the living room they would be framing.

  Brittany bent to pick up a box. Her rounded backside called to him, just begging for his hands to grab it. Like he’d done last night. Damn, having her around today wasn’t such a good idea.

  “That’s one sexy ass right there.”

  What in the hell was Walt doing here? And regardless, he had no business commenting on Brittany’s, or anyone’s, backside. Joey grabbed Walt’s T-shirt in his fists, pulling him up and looking him dead in the eye. “I hear another word like that out of your mouth, and I swear to God, you’ll never know what hit you.”

  Walt backed up, holding his hands up in surrender. “No harm, man. Since when do you have a problem with someone admiring a good-looking woman?”

  “When your admiring turns ugly, I got a big problem with it. And keep your leering comments away from my woman.”

  “Geez, man. Since when do you have a woman?”

  “Since now, so keep your eyes, your hands, and anything else off of her. Got it?” His heart raced as he yanked at Walt’s shirt and threw him back again. Joey’s fingers itched to punch the smug look off his face.

  When had he gotten so possessive, so protective? When it had to do with Brittany, that’s when.

  Walt scooted away from Joey. Good thing, too, before Joey did something he’d regret. He walked over to Brittany. She hadn’t heard their exchange, but he still needed to touch her, to know for himself that she was okay. He placed his hands on her hips before leaning over her shoulder. “Everything okay over here?”

  “Everything’s great. You okay?” Her eyes were filled with concern.

  “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” Had she heard what Walt said? Joey didn’t want her to be uncomfortable here, her excitement tempered by Walt’s appearance.

  “Hey, Joey, got a sec?” Bryan walked up, a roll of blueprints in his hand.

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “I need you guys to hold up. We’ve got a problem with the plans for this room.”

  “What kind of problem?” Brittany asked.

  “We’ve got a few tweaks we need to make based on my conversation with Derek this morning.”

  Joey jumped on the perfect opportunity to get Brittany more involved. To show her another great aspect of his small town. “You’re in luck. Brittany’s an architect.”

  Bryan’s gaze snapped to her. “Really?”

  Brittany shuffled her feet. Her sudden meekness shocked Joey. She’d spoken so confidently about her job when he’d first met her, but now she shied away from it. “I’ve never worked on a project like this, but, yes, I am an architect.”

  “Then I know exactly what you’ll be doing today.” Bryan tugged Brittany to his side. “Joey, you and Derek work in the kitchen for a while. Brittany, you’re with me.”

  BRITTANY FOLLOWED BRYAN out of the house and to the worktable in the yard. She shook her head. How could she still be surprised by Joey? But she was. Over and over again she’d seen a side of him she wouldn’t have expected when she’d first met him. With each minute that passed, her desire to leave him at the end of the week diminished. But she would. Leave, that is.

  “So, Brittany, tell me about the projects you’ve worked on,” Bryan requested, drawing her thoughts away from the sexy man currently working in the kitchen.

  “It’s mostly been condos in high rises. I’ve been an apprentice for the past couple of years, but I recently passed the certification exam.”

  “That’s great. Just what we need.”

  “I don’t know, Bryan. I’ve never designed homes equipped for disabilities.”

  “We’ve got all the specs here for what we need to do. Let’s dive in and see what you got.”

  Her stomach fluttered and her pulse raced. Excitement grew in her gut, much like the feelings she’d had when she’d first started her career. She didn’t know where her sudden bout of nervousness came from, but all of a sudden, she really wanted to impress Bryan. “What’s going on?”

  “We have two doorways that are too narrow, and the zero-entry shower space we designed for the master bath won’t work, so we need to widen the doorways and adjust the bathroom.” He gestured to several locations on the blueprint. “We’ve got a problem with this load-bearing wall adjoining the living room.”

  She studied the plans for a moment. She felt comfortable, at home. It didn’t matter what types of structures she’d designed before, because she understood what she was looking at and what needed to be done.

  “If you shift this around in the master bathroom…”

  For the next hour, she and Bryan worked side by side, making changes to the plans to accommodate all of Derek’s needs without having a major impact on the timeline or budget for the project. After discussing each of Bryan’s concerns and coming up with a solution together, he rolled up the blueprints. She straightened, a sharp pain shooting through her back. Dang, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so focused that she lost track of time. She worked out the stiffness but couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

  She felt great. For the first time in a long time, she was doing work that mattered. This was no cookie-cutter cond
o for the up-and-coming yuppie population. This was a house, custom-designed for a man who had given so much of his life, including use of his legs, in service of his country. She couldn’t think of anything more meaningful.

  It made her think about her own life. “Bryan, can you tell me more about this organization?”

  “Sure. We’re a not-for-profit organization with a mission to build houses for disabled veterans. We’re a lot like Habitat for Humanity, in that we are a combination business and volunteer effort, but our homes are obviously for a different group of men and women and families. We’re a public and private partnership, and while a lot of the build is done by contractors…” He gestured to the group of volunteers who worked diligently in every room of the house. “Much of it is volunteers like you and Joey. Because of the specialized needs of our veterans, we custom-build each home. We start with a standard design for each house, but then we consult with the customer to meet his or her needs to accommodate their disability.”

  “I’m impressed. I wish we had an organization like this in New York City.”

  “You might. I can check the database when I’m back in the office. I’m sure any organization would love to have you.”

  “Maybe.” She looked toward the house, construction in full swing. Joey and Derek were still cutting the frame in the living room. Joey bent down to hear Derek and then threw his head back in laughter. Joey looked so happy and carefree. Maybe she had painted all small towns, and their residents as a result, with the wide brush of her childhood.

  Just then, Joey turned toward her, a huge smile on his face. The intensity of his look bore into her, even from across the yard.

  Bryan nudged her. “Now’s a good time for a break. I bet the crew could use some water. There’s a cooler right here.”

  She shook her head, barely hearing Bryan over the sexy thoughts of Joey running through her head. “Oh, yeah, okay, right.” Now wasn’t the time for her mind to head in that direction, no matter how much she wanted Joey. She grabbed two bottles of water and headed across the yard and into the house.

  “Hey.” Joey tucked his hammer into his tool belt and wrapped his arms and body around hers. She sank into him for a moment before his sweat soaked through her T-shirt. She pushed him away, laughing.

  “Ick. You already need another shower.”

  The steamy look he shot her told her he remembered everything that happened in the shower this morning. Heat rose on her cheeks.

  Focus, Brittany. “I brought you guys some water.”

  She handed Joey and Derek each a bottle. They both ripped the caps off and turned the bottles up, quickly emptying them.

  “I spent some time with Bryan going over the plans. It’s a great house.”

  Derek inspected the wooden frames that formed the outside of the structure, a wistful look in his eye. “I think so, too. I can’t wait until it’s done. My fiancée wants to get settled before the wedding.”

  “You’re engaged? That’s great. When’s the wedding?”

  “September. We want to have it right here at the house. We’re inviting everyone who helped build it. I hope you’ll come.”

  “I’ll try.” As much as she wanted to commit to Derek right then and there, she didn’t know where she’d be in September or how things would be with Joey. She didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for him in his own town. In the meantime, they were here to work. She wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity Joey had given her. “What can I do now?”

  Joey wrapped his arm back around her waist. “We’re getting ready to assemble the framing for this wall. You can help us assemble it if you’d like.”

  “Sure.”

  “Great. Can you grab us some nails from the yard?”

  “Oh, I understand. You were just looking for a gopher.”

  “You figured us out, babe. Do you mind?” He gave her a cute, pouty look. She resisted the urge to either smack him across the shoulder or kiss the pout from his lips.

  “Sure, babe. I’ll be right back.”

  She laughed as she left the two men, both of them chuckling, and headed toward the supply bins in the yard. She dug around for a minute, and right when she located the box of nails, warm hands grabbed her waist.

  She righted herself, ready to turn into Joey’s embrace. But it wasn’t Joey’s hands touching her. She wheeled around, her heart beating rapidly, to see the creep from the bar, a sleazy grin on his face.

  “Hey, babe, you can help me nail anytime.” He leaned forward, his hot breath a putrid smell in her face. “Or maybe I’ll just nail you.”

  Brittany sputtered, unable to come up with a response to his ridiculous line. But the expression on his face was anything but ridiculous. The grin had been replaced with a penetrating stare, one that had her scanning the yard, hoping someone else would walk up.

  “They’re all around back with Bryan. It’s just you and me, babe. No sign of your boyfriend, Joey.”

  Her eyes widened. How did Walt know Joey was her boyfriend? Obviously that had spurred Walt on. Where were the street smarts that served her so well at home? She never let her guard down in New York. But here, she’d felt safe. Her mind blanked, unable to figure out what to do. She froze like she had so many times as a child, waiting for the wrath of her father. Behind her, the workbench blocked her escape route, Walt inching ever closer to her. He towered over her, heat pouring off him in waves. She gritted her teeth and held her breath.

  “We’d be good together, babe. I can show you how a real man likes it.”

  Brittany shoved him and he fell back… right into Joey. She stood immobile as Joey’s fist flew out, punching Walt across the jaw. Joey had several inches and a good fifty pounds on Walt, but Walt didn’t go down. He slammed a fist into Joey’s gut and Joey doubled over.

  “Somebody, please, help,” she yelled, hoping some of the other workers heard her screams.

  As the two men traded punches, the rest of the crew rounded the corner of the house, several picking up the pace when they spotted the fight. One man grabbed Joey, another grabbed Walt.

  “You stay away from her, Michaels. You hear me? I don’t ever want to see you even speak to her again. And you better think twice before you consider stepping foot into J.J.’s.”

  Walt swiped at his mouth, smearing the blood dripping from the corner. “Fine with me. Your food sucks anyway.” With those words, he stormed off, hopped in his car, and tore out of the parking lot.

  Before Brittany could catch her breath, Joey wrapped her up in his arms, his hand stroking her hair like he would a child. “Are you okay? I couldn’t believe it when I saw him in front of you. I don’t remember ever being so mad in my life. I wanted to kill him.”

  “I’m fine. He didn’t do anything. He just said some things.”

  Joey pulled away from her, keeping his hands on her arms while he looked into her eyes. “What did he say to you? Damn, I wish he’d come back here so I could kick his ass again.”

  “It was nothing. Really.” She plastered a smile on her face to hide exactly how much Walt had rattled her. While he stood in front of her, the flashbacks of her childhood were so real that she could almost smell the stinky alcohol breath of her father. When he would tell her she was worthless, just like her mother. When he’d raise his hand to her.

  She shivered as the reality of her life figuratively smacked her in the face.

  Joey pulled her into his arms again. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was going to be here today. How about we call it a day and get some lunch?”

  Brittany drew in a deep breath. She opened her eyes to see the rest of the crew heading back to their jobs, leaving her and Joey alone next to the worktable. Joey’s expression was filled with caring and concern and a strength that socked her straight in the gut. “I’m okay. I want to be here. This is important work. I’m so sorry I ruined it.”

  “Baby, listen to me.” He tucked his finger under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You didn’t ruin
anything. Walt did.”

  Joey’s words, combined with his sole focus on her, had her almost believing him. Most of the time, she’d tried and failed to deflect her father’s attention from her mother. The times she’d succeeded, he’d turned his wrath on her. She’d learned that nothing she could do would stop her father from coming after her.

  But she’d let her well-honed defenses down, thinking this town was something special. She was wrong. Walt confirmed that bullies and abusers lived in every small town. It took everything she had to not climb in her car and rush back to the safety and security of her apartment. But unlike before, this time she had a defender.

  Chapter Fifteen

  JOEY POUNDED HIS hammer into the two-by-four until the nail was flush with the wood. He grabbed another nail, positioned it, and slammed his hammer against it, driving it in with one stroke. He pounded several more times. If only the work would keep him from hopping in his truck, tracking Walt down, and beating him some more.

  Joey’s heart had skipped a beat when he’d rounded the corner and seen Brittany cowering beneath Walt. Joey’s vision had narrowed. He didn’t remember breaking into a run or pulling Walt off her. Joey’s next memory was slamming his fist into the creep’s face, watching his angry punch slam into Walt’s jaw. Someone had pulled him off, he didn’t know who, and that was probably all that prevented Joey from beating Walt unconscious.

  Joey had seen red. His vision had focused on Walt, and everything else had faded away. Even with Rachel’s situation, Joey hadn’t felt the anger coursing through his veins he had when he’d seen Brittany, her shoulders hunched over, shrunken into herself like a small child. She looked nothing like the strong woman who’d jammed her heel into Walt’s foot on Friday night.

  After Walt left, Joey had hugged her, as much to assure himself she was okay as anything else. His gut wrenched and his arms shook, his fear for her coursing through him. Her effect on him scared him as much as seeing her cowering in front of Walt. This was supposed to be a fling, a week of fun with a girl from out of town, but Joey’s feelings had grown serious for her quickly… maybe too quickly.