Teach Me (The Gems & Gents Series)

by Bolling, Iris

Richard looked over his shoulder as Zack walked towards the door then turned back to Diamond. “He doesn’t seem to be in too good of a mood this morning.”

  “He was fine a few moments ago.”

  “Then it must be me. I tend to have that effect on some people.”

  “Richard!”

  Richard sighed, “I’m afraid I must go. I sincerely hope we cross paths again soon.”

  “Have a great day Mr. Hasting.”

  Zack rolled his eyes skyward as Richard walked by. Looking back, Diamond was smiling at Richard; and for some reason, he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one damn bit.

  As the two men entered the construction trailer Reese and several of the crew were leaving. “Morning Chief,” Reese nodded his head then turned to Zack. “One of the men found some items in one of the homes. Looks like we may have a squatter.”

  “Let’s take a look.” Zack walked into the trailer, grabbed his construction hat and one for Richard then rejoined the men.

  As the men walked to the lot in question, Richard asked Zack, “So what’s the story on Ms. Lassiter?”

  Reese smiled, “You met Diamond?”

  Richard turned to him, talking over Zack who was walking in between them. “Man. Did I.” He shook his head. “I could wake up to that face every morning. Did you see those dimples? Seeing a woman like her let’s you know there is a God upstairs.”

  “Yeah, she is a looker.” Reese nodded, “Of course, she has nothing on my wife, but if I was a free man, I’d be on that like white on rice.”

  “Don’t you two have something else to talk about like who in the hell’s been squatting in the house?” Zack growled and walked off towards the lot.

  Reese and Richard just stared at each other. “Is he always in a bad mood?” Richard asked.

  “Only when Diamond’s around.”

  “Oh” Richard smirked, “It’s like that?”

  “Not yet. But believe me, I wish like hell he’d stop fighting the inevitable.” Reese said, “It would sure make life a little easier on the rest of us.” The men laughed then followed Zack in the shell of a house.

  After collecting the items from the site, Zack, Reese and Richard sat in the trailer discussing their next move. “I’ll have these items checked for prints and see if we can identify who may be trespassing on the site.” Reese stated as he placed the items in plastic bags.

  Richard, who sat in the seat in front of Zack’s desk, leaned forward. “I may have something for you on that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Zack’s father’s ring. He placed it on the desk. “We didn’t get any prints from the ring. But we did DNA testing on the cigarette butts Reese sent over and we did find a match.”

  Zack sat up as he took the ring and put it in his top drawer. “Who is it?”

  Reese walked over to the file cabinet next to the desk and waited with Zack for the reply.

  “Zack, I want you to listen to all the facts before you jump to any conclusions.”

  Sitting up, Zack glared at Richard. “You have gotten on my last nerves this morning. Don’t push your luck.”

  “Me? How am I getting on your nerves?”

  “First you take my damn coffee. Then you’re hitting on my—my---on Diamond, then you won’t stop talking about her. Now who in the hell does the DNA belong to?”

  “She’s your Diamond?” Both Reese and Richard asked together.

  “No she is not…..” he had to calm himself down, for he was pissed. But he just didn’t know why. He sighed and lowered his voice. “Whose DNA did you find?”

  Richard sat back in his chair and sighed. “Ann Davenport.”

  Chapter 16

  The week that followed was one of excitement for Davenport Industries. Headquarters was abuzz and after the board meeting everyone descended to the office to pitch in with preparations. The grand opening celebration was scheduled for Saturday and the guest list was growing with VIP attendees. In addition, Zackary was named as one of the finalists to receive the award as Metropolitan Business Man of the Year. There was a wonderful article in the paper detailing how he became involved in the construction business and the sacrifices he’d made to raise his younger brother. As Diamond read the article, she was very pleased to see the reporter was able to capture the true spirit of the man. She was surprised to read about the arson allegations and even more surprised to see that the man in the picture with the reporter was none other than Richard Hasting, the Fire Chief. “Well, I’ll be,” she had just said when she heard the bellow she thought only took place when she was in his presence.

  “What in the hell happened?” The anger was clear in his voice.

  “You’re yelling,” JoEllen calmly said. “Now, calm down and listen. The arrangement was for her to live there until the house was complete.”

  “Your damn right I’m yelling. I now have to complete a house in five days.” With everything else that was going on, he did not have time to deal with stupidity. After finding out his mother was apparently sleeping in one of his houses, he contacted Joshua to find her. So far, there had been not a word. To top that off he asked X-man about his father’s ring, and as he expected he had not seen the ring since the funeral. So, how did the ring get from his house to the site? That question was still plaguing him. To make matters worse, he couldn’t get Diamond off his mind. He tried keeping his distance from her, that hadn’t worked. He tried working from sun up to sun down, but he still found himself stopping by the model home just to see that she was there. Now this.

  “It’s not your responsibility Zack. You did your part by finding a place for Barbara and her son. You helped with the Habitat for Humanity housing application and process. Since then you have been there every free moment you had helping build her home. I believe you have put in more of the needed hours than she has.”

  “Hi, I heard the bellow, is everything alright?” Diamond stood in the doorway. “The last time I heard you yell like that it was about me. So I thought I’d save you time and come to you.”

  Damn if she didn’t look good standing there in a simple black skirt and white blouse with those damn legs showing. He sighed, “It’s not you.” He threw the note on the desk.

  “Okay, what’s the problem? Is there something I could do to help?”

  Yes, he thought, stop showing your legs, but did not voice the thought. “Barbara, the waitress at Doc’s is being evicted. Apparently her son was fighting and the subsidized housing they live in saw it as another violation and gave her notice.”

  “Zack was helping her get a house through Habitat,” JoEllen explained.

  “But the house isn’t finished,” Zack exclaimed, “and I’m not sure we can finish it by Monday. Damn!”

  “Anything I can do to help?” Diamond asked.

  Smiling at her offer Zack walked over and squeezed her hand. “No, thanks for the offer—I’ll figure something out.” He said and then walked out the door very angry.

  JoEllen raised an eyebrow and looked at Diamond, “Did I miss something?”

  Diamond sighed, “I don’t think so. Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help?”

  “Unless you have a small army that could help finish the house over the weekend, I don’t think so.” JoEllen stared at Diamond, “You and Zack seem to be getting along better.”

  Without responding Diamond smiled then returned to her office. She stopped at LaFonde’s desk, sat on the edge and sighed.

  “What did you do this time, kiss his feet?” Diamond turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “Anytime you do anything for him, good or bad he yells at you. I heard the bellow just like you did. So what did you do?”

  She had not shared what transpired between her and Zack with anyone, not even her sisters. So she knew LaFonde had no way of knowing things were a little different between her and Zack now. “No, he needs help with a friend and I’m not sure if I should intercede.”

  “What’s the situation?”

  “A friend of his is being evicted n
ext week and the Habitat house they are building for her is not ready. I know if I call my family together they could have it done by the weekend. I’m just not sure how he would take my interfering.”

  “Let me get this straight—you want to help him help another woman.”

  Standing, Diamond sighed, “It’s not like that. This is someone with a son that is being put into the streets. If the house isn’t finished and inspected by Monday they won’t have anywhere to sleep.”

  “Diamond, Zackary Davenport is a very resourceful man. I’m sure he can get the men from the site to help out if need be. It’s not like he has open arms for you. Let it ride.”

  She stood and walked towards her office, “Maybe you’re right.”

  Sitting at her desk the thought of Zack working on the house alone bothered her. If the truth were revealed, he did open his arms to her, contrary to what LaFonde said. Those arms were gentle, warm and powerful. The least she could do was offer to help with the painting or something. Truth be told, it would give her a reason to spend time with him. She stopped the thought, now that is selfish. The woman needs a place to live and she was thinking of a way to benefit from it. That was wrong, and she kicked herself for thinking it.

  After leaving the office Diamond stopped by her parents home and spoke with her father about the situation. He advised her to leave it alone, if Zack wanted her around he would let her know. She went home changed her clothes and went running to burn off the frustration of wanting to be with him.

  That evening, Zack and Xavier were placing sheet rock in the master bedroom of the three bedroom house being built on the east end of town for Barbara and her son, when they heard someone enter the house. “I’ll check it out,” Zack said as he walked out of the room. Walking down the hallway, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the six-eleven, Joe Lassiter standing in the front doorway.

  “Hello Zackary. I understand you could use some volunteers to help with the house. I figure I have about two hours to spare—I thought I could give you a hand.”

  Shocked, Zack extended his hand, “I appreciate that Mr. Lassiter. The more hands the merrier,” Zack smiled.

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” He stepped back out the door and yelled, “We could use a few more hands in here.”

  To Zack’s surprise, in walked Samuel, Matt and Luke Lassiter. After everyone spoke, they laid out a plan for completing what the six of them could by night fall. By night fall the kitchen, living room and bedrooms walls were up. The men made plans to meet the next three nights to get the house completed by Saturday morning at which time the women would join them to help paint and decorate. Between working on the Estate site by day and Barbara’s house in the evening, Zack didn’t have time be concerned with Diamond interfering. To be honest he was grateful for the help. There was no way he could ask the men from the crew to help out after working all day at the site. So having the Lassiter men there to help out was a godsend.

  Saturday morning at precisely seven a.m. Diamond pulled up in front of the three bedroom ranch and parked behind Zack’s truck. She knew he would be there as she climbed the steps on the front porch. Knocking on the door, she called out, “Zack.”

  He walked into the living room and saw her standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a simple pair of jeans, a tee shirt and sneakers—nothing special. He was sure if there were a picture to show sexy work clothes, she would be the centerfold. He smiled. “If I wasn’t so tired I would be tempted to take you where you stand.”

  She blushed. “I don’t think splinters in my backside would be a good look. Besides we have a number of people about to pull up and I don’t think my dad would appreciate the scene.”

  This was the first time he had seen her in a few days and it occurred to him that he had missed her. A frown formed on his face, he didn’t like the thought.

  For a moment Diamond thought she saw warmth in his eyes as he stared at her, but just as suddenly it disappeared and a frown took its place. “I’ll get the others,” she said as she turned quickly away. She thought for a moment to tell him she did not ask her family to help, but from the look of things she was glad they did; other than painting and the flooring, the house was just about ready to move in. While she was certain he was appreciative for the help, the fact remained he may feel she should not have interfered.

  Throughout the day there were moments when Zack was distracted by the sight of Diamond in those jeans. Every time she walked by or he saw her from a distance all he could think about was holding what was being concealed by those jeans in his hand. The softness of her bare skin in his hand caused him to stumble a time or two. At one point she had gotten a splinter in her finger. Without thinking he took her finger into his mouth and pulled it out with his teeth. He then put a bandage on it and stormed off. Touching her sent shock waves throughout his body, settling where his jeans seemed to suddenly become tight. Then he did something that he had not done since he was on his first construction site. He hit his finger with the hammer. The curse that escaped caught everyone’s attention. He walked over to his truck and pulled out an icepack.

  “Got to be more careful,” Diamond said jokingly as she walked over and took his hand to look at the injury.

  The smile and her touch was more than he could take or wanted, regardless of how consoling her voice was or the gentle touch of her hand. He snatched it away and stared at her as if she had burned him. “I don’t want this Diamond. I don’t know what you told your family to get them to come out here. I appreciate the help but I don’t want this whole family scene—the caring woman. I made it clear to you that this is not me. I don’t need or want a woman in my life. Don’t try to get close to me, you won’t like the outcome.” He threw the ice pack into the cooler and stormed off. His attraction to her was growing and it seemed to be going beyond his control.

  By noon the painting was complete, the food prepared by Barbara and the staff from Doc’s was being enjoyed by the women on the front porch and the men who sat out back in the yard. They had taken Barbara’s son, Jay to task on the gang members he had been hanging with. The men decided his punishment for all the trouble he had caused was spending his summer working at the construction site. Jay wasn’t thrilled, but the size of the men surrounding him quickly convinced him it was in his best interest to cooperate.

  Zack walked out front to gather the boxes of hard wood flooring to put down. As he looked around he noticed Diamond was not there. All her sisters, her sister-in-law, Cynthia, and her mother were still on the porch, but she was nowhere to be found and her car was gone.

  Watching Zack look around Sally smiled, then said to Cynthia, “I wonder if he knows who he is searching for?”

  Cynthia looked up to watch Zack, “I doubt it.” She laughed. “Shall I school him or do you want to handle it?”

  She took the sandwich and chips from Cynthia’s hand. “I’ll take this one,” Sally said as she stepped down off the porch and walked to the back of the truck. “Take a load off for a moment Zackary and have some lunch.” The look he gave her clearly indicated that was the last thing he wanted to do, but he took the sandwich she offered anyway. “You have worked non-stop for days and seriously cut into my cuddle time with my husband. Surely you can give me five minutes.”

  Looking down at the very petite woman it was evident where Diamond’s looks came from. She had her father’s eyes, but everything from the high cheekbones to the kissable dimples came from her mother. He sat on the back of the truck and smirked, “We have a little ways to go but I can take five.”

  “This is a wonderful thing you are doing Zackary. How did you get involved with Habitat?”

  Biting into his sandwich, he smiled. “It’s my way of giving back. Construction kept me off the street and provides me with a way to make a living. The least I can do is use that skill to help others do the same.”

  “It takes a very caring man to do something like this for a friend.”

  “It wouldn’t be this far al
ong if it hadn’t been for your family. I owe you all a lot for this.”

  She waved off the statement. “You don’t owe us anything. We were more than happy to help.” She waited a moment and then began talking. “Family is something you don’t get to choose—just like love. You can run from it, ignore it or fight it—but if it’s real, it won’t go anywhere, it will be right there and smack you on your butt when you least expect it. And there isn’t a thing you can do about. Just like we don’t get to choose family, we don’t get to choose who we fall in love with. It’s as natural as breathing and in the end you learn, just like air, you can’t live without it.” She stood to walk away but stopped and looked at him. She could see why her daughter had fallen head over heels in love with this man; he was a mesmerizing specimen. “She did not ask her father to come here, you know. She told him what you were doing and he liked it. He spoke to the others and they came to help on their own. The last thing she wanted to do was upset you, so she left. I wonder what it means when someone puts your feelings before their own. Hmm,” she shook her head and walked away.

  Sitting on the back of the truck Zack watched the little woman walk away, not sure what to make of the conversation. Neither love nor family had a place in his life--that reality he had accepted years ago. The only person he needed in his life was X-man. As long as his little brother was happy nothing else was important.

  “Zack,” Joe called out. When Zack looked up, he tossed him a cold beer. “I thought you could use one of these.” He took the seat Sally vacated. “Damn,” was all he said. “Every time I look at my wife that one word just sums it up.”

  “I know the feeling,” Zack replied before he thought about it. Joe’s laugh was a low rumble that seemed to make the ground shake. He was a big man. But over the last few days, Zack found the man to be easy to talk to and they had had a few serious and not so serious conversations about just about everything. He liked the man. “What?” Zack asked curiously.

  “Man, it’s a good thing you had the regular hammer and not the nail gun in your hand when Diamond walked by in those jeans.”