A Touch of Heaven

by Samantha Chase

“Why don’t you let me present to you and your mother what I have planned for the house before you make a decision?” he suggested.

  “I really don’t think…” she began but Sawyer brazenly placed a finger over her lips to silence her and they both stared wide-eyed at one another at the charged contact.

  “Promise me,” he began softly, “that you’ll at least let me make my presentation to you before you say no. Your mother is very excited about this project and I know we can do everything that needs to be done here and please you at the same time.”

  If that wasn’t a loaded statement, he didn’t know what was.

  Regan wanted to speak but his finger was gently caressing her bottom lip. She wanted to be outraged that he was being so forward with her but she honestly couldn’t find it in her to fight it. When Sawyer finally pulled his finger away, Regan delicately licked her lips and saw the heat in Sawyer’s eyes at the action. He looked at her expectantly and then she remembered that he had asked her a question.

  “Okay,” she said finally. “I will wait until you come up with some sort of plan for the renovation but I have to be completely honest with you, there’s nothing you’re going to come up with that’s going to make me get on board with this. I don’t want to see anything changed in this house; I love it the way it is.”

  “Then why sell it? Why don’t you buy it?” he asked, genuinely curious.

  “For the same reason that my mother is selling it, it’s too big for one person to live in and take care of. There are four bedrooms, three bathrooms and we’re on almost an acre of property as I’m sure you’ve already seen. It’s not practical for a single woman to have this much space.”

  “But someday you’ll be married and have children,” he countered. “Wouldn’t it be nice to raise your children in your childhood home?”

  It bothered her that Sawyer seemed to know all of the buttons to push with her. Of course she had thought of that; as a matter of fact, it had been all that she had thought of. The problem was that as much as she hated to admit it, the house did need some work and it wasn’t a project that she wanted to take on. Plus, she had her townhouse in downtown Raleigh. It was new and sleek and modern and she didn’t have to do a thing to maintain the grounds. That would not be the case here.

  No, as much as she hated it, there was no husband or children in her near future to make the idea of keeping the house feasible. And now she was angry at him all over again for reminding her of that depressing aspect of the whole damn thing. Taking a step back she laid down the rules.

  “Look, what I want and what is practical are two different things and they don’t concern you.” There was an edge to her voice now and she noticed that Sawyer arched a brow at her tone. “For whatever reason, you and your crew latched on to my mother. Maybe you saw her as some weak older woman and thought she’d be a pushover, maybe you figured she’d be so thankful to be chosen that she’d allow you to do whatever it is you want here but I’m here to tell you that that is simply not the case. I don’t want you here; I don’t want your crew here. I’ve agreed to sell this house because the situation is hopeless. You can renovate the hell out of the house and it won’t change the simple fact that it has to be sold so you’ll have to excuse my lack of enthusiasm on the subject. Maybe you should wait for the next homeowners so that you can customize the house to what they want but no amount of renovation is going to give me what I want.”

  She let out a breath and was proud of herself for her little speech, or she was until Sawyer stepped so close to her that they were practically touching from head to toe. “How do you know that I can’t give you what you want?” he said in a quiet, husky tone and was surprised by his own forwardness.

  Regan raised her eyes to him and had to fight against the urge to lean into him and feel all of the hard muscles her eyes had been feasting on. With a fortifying breath, she met his gaze. “Because you want to destroy everything I hold dear and because of that we’ll never be in agreement.” And before she did anything stupid like wrapping herself around him, Regan fled the room.

  ****

  “Weren’t they just delightful?” Caroline asked an hour later as she poured herself a glass of wine. She held up a glass to ask Regan if she wanted one but Regan declined. “I think they are going to come back with some wonderful ideas. Max told me a little about what he was thinking and if they can pull off even one-tenth of that, I’d be thrilled. What do you think?”

  I think I’m ready to poke my own eye out because it would be less painful than this conversation. Taking a seat next to her mother at the kitchen table, Regan reached out and placed a hand on top of Caroline’s. “Look, I know that you are very excited about this whole thing but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Caroline looked devastated and pulled her hand from Regan’s. “Why? How could you even think that? They were both professional and polite and you’ve seen the show so you know what kind of work they do!” she cried defiantly.

  Regan wanted to point out that Sawyer’s stroking of her bottom lip was far from professional but didn’t want to open that can of worms right now. “All I’m saying is that it seems pretty pointless to do all of this work on the house when we have no idea who the new owners are going to be or what it is that they might want to do. Which is why I suggested to Sawyer that maybe they should wait until the house sells to do the renovation.”

  “You did what?” Caroline cried, jumping to her feet. “Why would you do that? You know how excited I am about this and you just went and sabotaged it like that? I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Regan, but I am beyond disappointed!” With that, Caroline did exactly what Regan had earlier and fled the room.

  Regan thought about following her but decided that the best thing she could do right now was leave and head to her own place and let the two of them settle down and talk about it again tomorrow when they’d had some time to think about the whole situation.

  Regan just hoped that she’d be able to simply think about the renovations and not the man who wanted to do them.

  Chapter Three

  To say that things were tense the next morning would be the understatement of the year. Every time Regan asked her mother’s opinion on something, Caroline merely shrugged and said, “Whatever you think is best, dear.” Regan hated when she did that. By lunch, however, she’d had enough.

  “Okay, look,” she began as she dragged Caroline into their office. “I know that you’re disappointed in the way I handled things yesterday but let me remind you that it was your idea to sell the house and you were the one who wanted to sell it ‘as is’ because you didn’t want to do anything to it. You said it was too much work, too much of a hassle, and you didn’t want to spend the money. I was the one who suggested just slapping on a coat of paint to freshen up the place a little and I had to twist your arm on that one! Now, all of a sudden, you’re all psyched to have some silly television show come in and fix the place up!”

  Caroline sat quietly and examined her nails while Regan spoke. Then she waited another solid two minutes before speaking because she knew it would irk her even more. “Yes, I know how I felt when we first talked about selling the house and I know what I said. I’m entitled to change my mind, aren’t I? I mean, I didn’t carve my opinion in stone anywhere so what’s the big deal?”

  “Don’t be so dramatic, mom. Sheesh…”

  “And just for the record, has it occurred to you how much more the house will be worth once the renovations are done? With even just the little bit of info that Max shared with me yesterday, it sounds pretty darn impressive. I think that we are going to greatly benefit from this and since you are half owner of the house that means that you are going to benefit, too. Wouldn’t you love to have a little extra money in savings to do something that you want to do? Or to have to do improvements here at the spa?”

  “What’s wrong with the spa?” Regan demanded.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the spa,” Caroline sighed. “I’m just
saying that there may come a time when you want to do work here and it would be nice for you to have a little nest egg. Or maybe you’ll want to move out of that sterile townhouse you call a home.”

  “Now there’s a problem with my townhouse?”

  Caroline shrugged. “All I’m saying is that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain here. Why are you fighting it?”

  “Because then it means that dad’s really gone!” Regan cried and quickly turned her back so that Caroline couldn’t see her tears but she wasn’t fast enough.

  “Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed, coming up and wrapping her arms around her. “Is that what this is all about?” Regan nodded. “Your father has been gone a long time, Regan. The house isn’t going to change that.”

  She wiped away the tears that were clouding her vision. “I know that here, in my head, but in my heart…well, it just hurts. Whenever I come home I can walk around the house and I can still picture him there.”

  Caroline helped wipe the stray tears away. “Your father loved that house but he wouldn’t want it to be a burden to either of us. We had always planned to retire to Florida or someplace warm. It was never going to be a forever kind of house for us.”

  “Sometimes when I’m there,” Regan began, “I’ll sit in his recliner and I swear I can still smell his cigars.”

  Caroline smiled sadly. “Those darn things stunk up the whole house but he enjoyed them so.” Taking Regan by the hand, she gently tugged so that they were sitting on the leather sofa they kept in the office. “The house is just a place; we’ll take the memories with us. You can have the recliner or whatever else it is that you want from the house but it’s time, Regan,” she said softly but firmly. “It’s time for us both to move on.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “You’re stronger than you think. You’re an intelligent woman with a successful business and I know that you are going to be okay no matter where this whole house thing takes us or no matter where I end up.”

  Regan was almost in agreement until that last part registered. “Where you end up? Are you planning on going somewhere?”

  “That’s just it; I don’t know. Once the house sells, I don’t have to stay in Raleigh. I can retire like I had planned or move and do something new.”

  “But what about the spa?”

  “Sweetheart, you and I both know that I’m not really needed here. I am more than happy being a silent partner. This will give me an income to keep going and I’ll have the money from the house to get settled someplace new.”

  This was so not the conversation that Regan thought they were going to have. It was like her entire world was spinning out of control and she had no idea what to do to stop it. “But what about me? What am I supposed to do?”

  “Regan, you’re twenty-seven years old; you really don’t need your mother hanging around you all the time. I think you spend too much time worrying about me and not enough time taking care of you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means when was the last time you went out on a date?”

  Regan wracked her brain and she must have zoned out because Caroline jumped in. “Exactly! It’s been so long that you can’t even remember! That’s not healthy. You’re a young, beautiful woman. Why aren’t you out there dating?”

  “This successful spa keeps me quite busy,” Regan said defensively. “You know that the first couple of years are the hardest and we’re finally at a point where we’re making a decent profit. Maybe in another year or so I can take some time off but for right now, this is the way it has to be.”

  “Nonsense. I think that if the right man came along that you’d find the time.”

  Regan’s mind immediately went to Sawyer of the sexy muscles and rough and callused fingers and wondered if her mother had a point. Regan had a feeling that if Sawyer Bennett penciled her in for a little one-on-one time, she’d more than readily take the time off.

  ****

  Two days later Regan found herself cooking dinner at Caroline’s house. “So, what’s the occasion?” she asked as she chopped vegetables for what seemed like an awful lot of steak kabobs.

  “Does a mother need an occasion to have her daughter over?” Regan shot her mother a glance that clearly conveyed her disbelief. “Okay, fine. I just thought that things have been a little tense with us lately that maybe it would be nice to have a peaceful dinner together.”

  Well how could she argue with that? “Well, that does sound much better than what I was thinking.”

  “What were you thinking?”

  “That you invited me over for that presentation that the Bennetts want to do.”

  “You’re going to have to hear it eventually, Regan.”

  “I know, but not right now. I’m not ready.” She looked around and saw that the wine was already open. “Can you pour me a glass?” Caroline nodded but something was definitely off. Regan couldn’t put her finger on it but there was definitely something wrong. “Mom? Are you okay?”

  “Hmm? What? Oh, yes, everything’s fine, sweetheart. Did you see that I booked that Miller bridal party for the full-on day of pampering? There’s twelve in the party. It’s going to be wild on that day, that’s for sure.”

  “Did you offer them the brunch package?”

  “Of course. I’ve already made arrangements with Posh Delights to do the food.”

  “That’s awesome. That makes three bridal parties this month.” Regan did some quick math in her head. “If we can get the word out on these packages, we’d definitely have a leg up over the competition. Remind me to look into when the next bridal expo is coming to town and we’ll see about getting a booth with them to advertise and maybe offer a package to one of the brides to drum up excitement.”

  “That’s my girl; always thinking. You’re a natural with the business.”

  Regan blushed at the praise and was getting ready to pull the marinated steak from the refrigerator when the doorbell rang. “Mom? Are you expecting anyone?”

  “What? Oh, don’t worry; I’ll get that.”

  Worry isn’t exactly what she was feeling but it seemed odd for anyone to be showing up at their door at dinnertime. She was reaching for the platter of meat when she heard male voices coming from the foyer. Oh, no…

  “Regan, you remember Max and Sawyer Bennett, don’t you?” Caroline said in an overly cheery, high-pitched voice and Regan had the urge to smack her.

  “Yes, of course,” she recovered quickly. “This is a surprise. My mother didn’t mention that you’d be coming by tonight.”

  Both men looked at one another and then at Caroline. “Did we get the date wrong?” Max asked.

  “No, no, you’re right on time. It just slipped my mind to mention it to Regan. We’ve been so busy with the spa and she was just telling me about a new marketing plan she’s trying that I forgot to let her know you were coming tonight to show us the plans.” Caroline fluttered around the kitchen pouring wine and making small talk and when she finally made eye contact with Regan, she was sure that she got the point across.

  Liar, liar, liar.

  “I think you’re going to be thrilled with what Sawyer’s come up with,” Max said after taking a sip of his wine. “You’ve got a good, solid house here and we’ve run it by the producers and they’re equally excited at what we’ve got planned.”

  Regan tried to smile but it just didn’t reach her eyes. As a matter of fact, nothing much was meeting her eyes except for the meat she was meticulously placing on the skewers. She wasn’t ready to face Sawyer and see his confident smirk. Not that she knew whether or not he was a smirker but being that he was confident she was going to fall in line and gush over whatever design plan he came up with, it made her feel better thinking he’d do that.

  “Can I help with anything?” Max asked, taking a tray of cheese and crackers from Caroline and placing it on the table.

  Caroline was about to tell him no but Regan took that opportunity to do what she co
uld to remove the Bennett men from the room. “Actually, if you wouldn’t mind lighting the grill, that would be great.” Max stood and went to leave when Regan added, “Actually, Sawyer, I think the tank may be a little low on gas. Maybe you can check it for me? There’s a second tank in the garage if you need it.” She pasted that fake smile on and thanked them both as they walked out.

  Then she rounded on her mother.

  “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “Oh, for crying out loud. If I had told you that they were coming you would have found an excuse to not be here. This is going to happen, Regan, so you need to just get used to it.”

  “I knew that they’d be coming back, mom, but did you have to invite them to dinner? I mean, really? Isn’t that a little unprofessional of them?”

  “They have to eat, don’t they?”

  “Well then let the network pay for them to eat,” she snapped. “Or better yet, maybe let the network pay to take us out to eat! You knew how I felt about this and now you’ve trapped me into being here.”

  “Stop with the theatrics please and try to have an open mind,” Caroline begged. “Please, Regan; this means a lot to me.”

  “Fine. But if I don’t like something about his stupid design I’m going to speak up.”

  There was the sound of a male clearing his throat and both women turned to see Sawyer standing in the doorway. “Well, as long as you’re keeping an open mind, how can I go wrong?”

  “Oh, Sawyer,” Caroline gushed, “don’t mind Regan. She’s going to be a tough sell but I know you’re going to win her over.”

  That’s the plan, he thought as he took in the sight of her tonight. Gone was the snug, bedazzled t-shirt and in its place was a gauzy, sleeveless blouse that hid those phenomenal curves as it landed just beyond her hips and a pair of white Capri pants. She was barefoot and looked much more petite than he remembered. Her toes were painted a shade of neon pink that almost had him looking away but he kept his gaze there long enough to notice the small tattoo on her ankle.