by Vella Day
Pete’s face brightened. “I’ll show you dull.”
He tickled her and she let out a shriek then stepped back. Her breath whooshed out, but she wasn’t fooled by his behavior. His sudden change was his way of avoiding something painful—like the reason for being a workaholic.
“You want me to follow you?” she asked. They had driven separately. It might give her time to mull over his need to check on the building.
Thad grabbed her hand. “You’re not getting away that easily.”
He brought back some sanity to the whole dynamics. “Who says I want to get away?” Having someone to watch out for her was a nice change.
“Come on.” He led her to Pete’s truck. “We can pick up your car later.”
Charity work was up there with running into a burning building and saving a child, so Zoey wanted to support Pete. “When you finish this shelter project, will you get to meet the women who will move in?” Their happy faces would be wonderful to see. It also would help Pete realize what a good guy he was.
“Probably not. There can’t be any fanfare since we don’t want their abusers to know where they’ll be living.”
“That makes sense.” Without a lot of thanks, his contribution was even more impressive.
The new digs were about fifteen minutes northwest of town. When they arrived, the area looked like an ordinary construction site. The only sign belonged to Banks Construction. Nothing else indicated its future use. The unfinished building was two stories tall, but no style was evident yet since the outside was wrapped in Tyvek. A large dumpster filled with scraps of building material sat on the east side, next to a white van. Near the front entrance was a stack of planks. No landscaping had been done yet, but she bet the half-acre would look like a park when Pete was done.
“Alex is here.” From the surprise in Pete’s voice, he hadn’t expected him.
Cool. Zoey was excited to meet his friend and learn more about Pete, especially from someone who’d known him since he was eight. “I didn’t realize you demanded such dedication from all of your employees.”
He glanced over at her, but from his serious demeanor, she’d touched on a sensitive topic. Damn. She’d been trying for a more casual tone.
“If he’s here, it might mean there’s trouble. Let’s hope he’s just double checking something for me.” Pete slammed the truck into park and swung out.
She and Thad followed, but as soon as she stepped onto the thick dirt, she sank down a few inches.
Thad immediately cupped her elbow. “Watch your step.” His care meant the world to her.
The inside was framed out, but no one had installed wallboard yet. A man at the end of the building stood and waved. Alex.
“Hey.” With a smoothness to his step, he hustled toward them.
His dirty blond hair was a bit shaggy, but except for the difference in hairstyle, he kind of looked like Pete—broad shouldered and fit.
The man stepped over to her and stuck out his hand. “I’m Alex Hendrix. In case my former partner here failed to mention me, my role in life is to keep Banks Construction’s finances in order and to keep Pete from working himself to death.”
“Good for you.” She liked Alex. He seemed to care very much for Pete. “Zoey Donovan.” She’d love to get some one-on-one time with him.
Pete dragged a hand over his head. “There trouble?”
“Not anymore. Sanders was out here yesterday. Before I call the inspector to sign off on the installation, I wanted to check that he’s finished the job.”
That might have been what the phone call from Alex to Pete had been about when he was at her house the first time.
Pete’s shoulders sagged as he hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets, looking like a huge weight had been lifted. “Appreciate it. That’s why I stopped by, but I also wanted to show Thad and Zoey the progress.”
Alex shifted his gaze from Pete to her. “Try to keep him away from this project. He can’t be everything to everybody.” He looked back at Pete. “Ian was sick for the last two days, which was why things fell by the wayside. He’ll be back tomorrow, so you can concentrate on the two projects that bring in money.”
She liked Alex. He seemed to have a good work ethic and wanted the company to be a success like Pete did.
Pete saluted. “Yes, sir.”
Alex slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Gotta go. See you tomorrow.” He turned to Zoey. “Nice meeting you, and make sure he has some fun.”
“You, too, and will do.”
As soon as Alex left, Pete faced her. “Want to take a tour?”
Of what? It looked like a big empty warehouse with two-by-fours everywhere. Pete claimed his dad never took any interest in what he did, so the last thing she needed was for him to think she didn’t care, especially when she did. “Sure.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Pete would step into a space that looked like the previous one, and paint a picture for her of where the kitchen, bedrooms, living room, and hallways would be. She closed her eyes and imagined a finished apartment. It would be a dream come true for a woman, especially one who had nothing.
Pete Banks might have some anger issues regarding his father, but he’d channeled it for a good cause by pouring his heart and soul into building things. She admired his passion and direction, but sometimes a single focus in life could undo even the best of intentions.
Zoey crossed her arms. “Didn’t you two promise me some fun?” Her goal was to sound enthusiastic. She didn’t want them to think she was complaining.
“You bet.” Pete immediately transformed from workaholic to carefree man. To be able to change on a dime like that was an enviable trait.
They both escorted her out of the building. “You ever ice skate?” Thad asked.
She chuckled. “Not in a long, long time. Besides, there’s no frozen pond around here.” It was only September.
“You’ve never been to The Rink?” Pete asked, acting like she was the most sheltered Rock Hard citizen to ever live.
It made sense that the town would have an indoor facility. “No.”
Pete held open the truck door for her. “You game for a little adventure, then?”
She hadn’t skated in years. “If you both make sure I don’t fall, I’m willing to give it a try.” This certainly would test their patience. She’d do her best not to slip, but they might give up when she had to grip their arms real tight. She considered suggesting a movie, but she couldn’t get to know them if they weren’t able to talk.
The skating rink was on the east side of town, and the parking lot was quite full when they arrived. “This must be the happening place,” she said.
Thad nodded. “I remember when my parents would drop me and the cousins off every Sunday at noon and not return for hours. Looking back, I think my parents used the rink as a cheap babysitter. We didn’t care. We loved it.” That meant he’d be a good skater. Darn.
“What about you, Pete? Do you skate?”
Pete found a parking spot close to the street, shut off the engine, and faced her. “When I was sixteen, Dina decided she wanted to be an Olympic ice skater.”
Zoey smiled. “That was every girl’s dream. I always wanted to be able to do spins and jumps, but since I wasn’t willing to practice often enough, I barely learned to skate in a circle. Books were more my style.”
Pete chuckled and shook his head as if her comment didn’t come as a surprise. “I drove my sister here from school twice a week for over a year. They let me practice off to the side. Got fairly good, too.”
She loved his self-confidence and thought it said a lot about him that he’d do that for his sister. “Oh, come on. You probably just came to watch all the girls in tights and short skirts.”
Pete laughed. “Caught me.”
What she wanted to ask was whether Russell Banks ever showed up to watch Dina practice. The answer would shed a lot of light on the family dynamics, but today was about fun, not psychoanalysis.
As
soon as Thad pulled open the worn-looking entry doors, the booming music hurt her ears, but the tune was wonderfully upbeat. The rink was full of both old and young people. Most were traveling around the perimeter, but a few of the more adventuresome were in the center executing spins and doing fancy footwork. That was one place she’d never venture. She wasn’t the take-a-chance type of girl.
Since Zoey had left her purse locked in Pete’s truck, she didn’t need a locker. After the three of them were fitted with skates, she walked on rather weak ankles toward the ice.
Thad stepped into the rink first. He faced her and held out his hand. “I’ll make sure you don’t fall.” He always seemed to have her safety in mind.
Pete hooked his arm around her waist and guided her behind a group of kids. With both men there to help, she didn’t even need to move her legs. But she wouldn’t get any better if she let them pull her around. Gaining confidence with each glide, she pushed off on her own and was surprised when her ankles didn’t buckle.
After one time around the rink, Thad darted backwards to skate face-to-face again. He took both of her hands and pulled her around the rink at an increasing speed. While she was a bit scared, the joy she felt more than made up for it, and seeing Thad’s wide smile made her happy. When they returned to the starting point, Pete’s hands clamped onto her waist. Cool air blew in her face, but fortunately, she wasn’t chilly. With the men’s guidance, she was slowly becoming accustomed to being back on the ice.
Pete moved away and skated on one leg, clearly showing off. “Still got it, right?”
“You’re really good.” She meant it.
Thad let go of her hands. “Watch this.” He moved more toward the middle of the rink where there was some empty space and spun once.
She wasn’t surprised that Pete tried to impress her, but she hadn’t thought Thad would. He wasn’t the type to seek acceptance. “Be careful,” she called out as he did a small jump. She worried he’d fall and land on his bad arm.
If she hadn’t needed her hands for balance, she would have clapped at his completed spin. Once more Pete slipped an arm around her waist and increased her speed. “Whoa. This is fast.” Too fast.
“You’re doing great,” Pete said.
If he was trying to bolster her confidence through flattery, it wasn’t going to work. After a few more loops around the rink, the men began to one-up each other. When they seemed tired of that challenge, Pete flipped her around and had her skate backwards. It was scary not being able to see where she was going, but she trusted Pete. Then Thad skated behind her and placed a hand on her waist, making her gain control once more. The exhilaration gave her a glimpse of what things could be like with these men.
With each completed circle, they pushed her limits farther. After about a half hour, her legs began to tire. “I need to rest, guys.” She needed to be more consistent about running.
Pete and Thad led her off the ice where they all removed their skates. She’d had so much fun today. “What do you all think of stopping by the store to pick up a few things and have lunch at my place? I haven’t had much time to even use my new kitchen.”
Should they end up in bed again, that would be a bonus.
Chapter Nineteen
Zoey loved to cook, but shopping wasn’t high on her list of things to do—it was merely a necessity. If Thad and Pete ever volunteered to go with her again, she’d look forward to the chore. Grocery shopping with those two still had her laughing. Pete had been a real goof. One time he picked up a jar of peanut butter along with some grape jelly and pretended they were battling to get in the cart. As much as she wanted to give in to him, eating a PB&J sandwich wouldn’t have made for much of a cooking experience.
Thad had been serious about which foods he ate. He’d insisted on checking every ingredient on the can or box to make sure she bought only the healthiest products. How they ended up with anything in the cart, she didn’t know. After a bit of friendly discussion, she convinced them to go with vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato slices.
On the way back from the store, she picked up her car from the Valley Café. Having them with her had helped banish the horror of Gloria’s death.
Zoey glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled. Thad and Pete. Wow. She couldn’t name one person who treated her so well—let alone two at the same time. How had she gotten so lucky? She did worry what would happen after the “honeymoon” ended. A construction project would need Pete’s immediate attention and he’d have to cancel a date, or Thad would get a call about a rash of gang-related thefts, requiring him to spend long hours on the job. That was why having two men would be so nice.
Pete pulled in behind her in her drive. Wanting to help with the groceries, she rushed to the back of his truck. Thad picked up both bags.
“I’ll get those. They’re too heavy for you.” Pete said, holding out his hands.
“Fuck you, man. I’m good. I’ll be released to full duty in less than a day.”
While Pete did seem overly cautious, she loved how they cared for each other’s well-being. Thad carried the groceries without Pete saying another word.
Thank goodness he winked at her as they followed Thad up the porch steps. “Appeal to his macho side,” Pete whispered, “and you can get Thad to do anything.” His laugh confirmed there were many sides to Pete Banks.
She opened the door and turned off the alarm. “Put the bags on the counter.”
Like a well-oiled machine, the three of them emptied the groceries. “Why don’t you boys sit at the counter while I cook?” Zoey wanted to do something nice for them for a change.
She had the vegetable soup recipe memorized, so it wouldn’t take her long to prepare the meal.
“I can cook, you know.” Thad sounded a bit defensive.
“I’m sure you can, but I want to do this for you.”
Pete stood. “Mind if I grab a beer for Thad and me?”
That much she’d let them do. “Sure. Help yourself.”
“You want one?”
“I’m good.”
Pete pulled open the fridge and nabbed two beers. Zoey washed the vegetables and placed them on a cutting board. Since she wanted to be with her men, she brought everything to the center island.
Pete tipped back his beer. “Was your mom a big cook?”
“Hardly. With five kids, she either didn’t have the time to cook after she came home from work, or she didn’t want to hear any complaints if she picked out a meal everyone didn’t like. So Mom went with simple—like hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, or easy casseroles.”
Pete ran his thumb down the beer bottle label. “When I was little, I liked to watch my mom cook. She was a whiz.”
Zoey sliced the carrots, onions, and zucchini then diced the potatoes. “I would have enjoyed working side by side with her, at least during the holidays, but times like Christmas and Easter were super busy for her.”
Thad pushed back his chair, walked to the end of the counter, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck. “I’m sorry. Having family traditions are important. I think some of my fondest moments are being with Nana while she prepared meals.” He stepped to the side. “She never let me sit, though. She always put me to work.”
“Fine. If you want to butter both sides of the bread for the grilled cheese sandwiches, you can do that.”
“Whoopee.”
Thad did have a need to be useful. Zoey heated the oil in the pan while she finished chopping the Swiss chard. “Pete, how about you open these two cans of Northern Beans for me? I have a hard time using the hand can opener.”
“I’ll be happy to.”
Once all of the ingredients were simmering in the pot, she set out cheese and tomatoes for the grilled cheese sandwiches.
“Now we wait.” She put the coffee container in the machine and turned it on. Once seated, she wanted to learn what her men had been up to. “Thad, what have you been doing at work?” She knew he’d been tied to a
desk.
“Not a whole hell of a lot. On Friday, one of the fire inspectors brought me photos of some small fires that had been set not far from Pete’s new building. Some of the structures were still standing and had graffiti on the side. Max, the inspector, thought they might be gang related and asked if I’d compare the lettering and style to the different gangs.”
“I bet being able to lend a hand to another department was rewarding.”
“It was.”
A few minutes later, the timer dinged, signifying the soup was done. “Now for the grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Pete jumped up. “I’ll get the dishes, if that’s okay.”
“My house is your house.” She wasn’t referring to the fact Bank Construction had gutted and built her a new kitchen.
“I appreciate that, sugar.” Pete walked to the cabinet that held her dishes and pulled out three bowls and three plates. After he placed them on the island, he finished setting the table.
In no time, the sandwiches were finished cooking. After she served the soup and placed the grilled cheese sandwiches on the counter, the men dug in. After expending all that energy skating, the food tasted especially good.
“Mmm,” Pete said. “This is fantastic.”
Thad waved his soupspoon. “Nana couldn’t have done any better.”
“Thanks, guys. I can see I’ll have to treat you to more meals.”
Pete grinned, but Thad continued to focus on wolfing down the rest of the food. When they were done, Zoey insisted they leave the dishes for later.
“We can help,” Pete said.
“Let’s relax first.” Zoey had plans. First they’d rest in the living room and then hopefully move to the bedroom.
Thad pushed back his chair. “I hate to do this, Zoey, but I drew the short straw at work.”
She groaned. “You have to go in?”
Thad stepped close and kissed her quick. “Afraid so. Got the three-to-eleven shift. I’m covering for Nick. He was the cop who helped me out while I was in the hospital. Crime, unfortunately, still occurs even on Sunday.”