by Natalie Ann
Part of him wanted to know more about her and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the mystery of her that drew him. Either way, he hoped he could get her to open up some more with him.
She cleared her throat. “I guess that remains to be seen.”
“Huh?” What was she talking about?
“You said you were handy to have around. I haven’t seen you actually do anything other than cut a hole in the wall and talk to the guys.”
He snickered at her. No, she wasn’t timid. He didn’t think she was trying to insult him either. It was almost like she blurted it out without thought, because now her face was even redder. The lack of filter she mentioned the other day, possibly.
“I guess you’ll have to keep an eye on me then, won’t you?”
Slowly, a smile started to form on her face, and then she nodded. “I actually came down here to thank you.”
“For what?”
“I know the suggestion for the web design came from you. You were the only one who knew I did it.”
He was glad that he made the right choice in bringing it to Brynn’s attention. “How did it go? I assumed that was why Brynn was here.”
“You don’t know?”
“No. I’m not privy to everything that goes on at Harper’s,” he said. “Brynn and Alec do the scheduling of the jobs and who goes where. I go where they tell me to, but other than that I’m not sure what goes on in the office.”
“Oh. It went well. She was happy with what I sent her yesterday and was able to show her today before she had to leave because someone cut our time short by waking up the baby.”
He laughed. Her eyes were squinting at him, but he saw the laughter behind them. Nope, positively not timid at all, just shy, but slowly warming up it seemed by the rose color in her cheeks.
“Sorry. I don’t get to see Grace that much. It’s my first niece, and I need to spoil her.”
“I noticed you were fast to hand her back when she dirtied her diaper.”
“Hell yeah. I’m not sure how someone as cute as her can stink so much.”
“Don’t all babies?”
“From what I’ve seen, they do. And that is why I give her back just as fast.”
“Don’t you know how to change a diaper?”
She looked serious when she asked that question. “I do, but it’s more fun to run as fast as I can. Trust me, I’ve changed them.”
“Oh. That’s good. You should help your sister out.”
Drew shook his head; this conversation was too odd for him, but he honestly could see she had no ill intent in her questioning. It was more that she was curious.
Then again, she did say she didn’t get out much. Maybe she didn’t talk to too many people either.
“Anyway, back to my question, do you want to keep your laundry room here?”
“I’d like that. I don’t want to take away from any of the bedrooms upstairs, or my bathroom. It’s tucked out of the way here.” She stopped and looked up over her head, then around the room. “This room is really big and there’s a hallway above it. Since you’re cutting into walls for the electrical, I was thinking…is it possible to have a laundry shoot?”
“I don’t see why not. I’ve got to go and check upstairs, but that should be easy enough to work in. Once I get upstairs I’ll look around and run it by my father or Alec.”
She frowned again. “Why your father?”
“He works for Harper’s, too. He’s the foreman for all the rehabs. You’ll meet him at some point. Probably sooner rather than later if we make this change. He signs off on any changes to the plans, or gives the specs to Phil.”
“Phil, the other owner?”
“Yes. Phil draws up all the plans after my father or Brynn goes through and gets specs on what needs to be done.”
“What does Alec do?”
“Are you really interested in this?” He had no idea if she wanted adult company, or she truly was interested in these things.
“I’m sorry. I tend to ask a lot of questions. I like to know how things work. I guess that’s why I’m a programmer. It’s really all about building something too, just with code. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks again for the suggestion to Brynn. I really appreciate that you thought of me.”
He watched her walk away, embarrassment riding high on her face. He hadn’t meant to make her feel bad about the questions; he just didn’t understand why she was asking.
She thanked him for thinking of her though. Yeah, he thought of her all right. Probably more than he should.
Look Pretty
At the end of the day, Drew still felt bad that he might have caused Jordyn any discomfort over what seemed to be natural curiosity, if not some light conversation. He’d always been one to chat up a client on the site, so why he reacted to Jordyn doing the same was beyond him.
He’d kept an ear out the rest of the day hoping to run into her again, but he never did. He wondered if she ever ate or came out for air. Her office door had been shut since she’d left him hours ago.
Doing one more quick check of the house to make sure it was buttoned up for the weekend, he rapped his knuckles on her office door.
“Come in,” he heard yelled through the glass panes that she had covered with curtains.
He opened the door and tried to hold back the gasp after the heat hit him. How did she work in here? It was like an oven to him, and she still had on her big baggy sweatshirt.
“Everyone has left. I did a final walk-through to make sure we moved everything out of your way for the weekend. We’ll get to your office and living room on Monday.”
“Thanks,” she said, then turned her head back when her computer dinged.
He watched her open a screen, scan it quickly, then turn back to him. It was all foreign to him, all those tiny numbers and letters. He was surprised she didn’t get a headache staring at that all day.
He cleared his throat for a second while she continued to look anywhere but directly at him.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, but she wasn’t making eye contact with him, proving he really did embarrass her.
“Asking if you were really interested in what Alec did. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about asking questions.”
“I know. I tend to ask questions a lot.”
He leaned on the doorjamb and crossed his arms. Two could play that game. “Why’s that?”
She leaned back in her chair and mimicked him by crossing her arms. Good for her.
“Do you really want to know, or are you being nosy?”
He laughed. “Maybe a bit of both.”
She smiled back at him, and he was happy to see it. “Just a bad habit, I guess.”
“Finding out things isn’t a bad habit. Why would you think that?”
“See, you like to ask questions too,” she said softly, angling her head, her smile never leaving her face, making her look not so plain anymore. “Not everyone is happy to be questioned, I’ve learned.”
“That’s true. I don’t mind though. Matter of fact, since it’s Friday night, and I still feel bad that I made you feel bad, let me take you to dinner.”
“What?” she croaked out, losing her smile quickly, looking uncertain.
“Dinner. You know that meal,” he paused and looked at his watch, “that people eat after five o’clock.”
“Ah, don’t you have plans?” she asked, hedging, her fingers starting to wiggle around on the desk almost nervously.
He smirked at her behavior, partly thrilled he was making her nervous, and shook his head. “If I had plans, I wouldn’t have asked you to dinner. Come on, it’s the least you can do. Keep me company since I recommended you to Brynn for the web design.”
She hesitated a little longer than he felt comfortable with and he regretted saying that. Maybe he was coming on too strong. He already figured she was shy and awkward, so he really shouldn’t be pressuring h
er.
“If you’re sure.”
He couldn’t believe she was acting this way, like she was shocked someone wanted to spend time with her. It was just dinner.
“Listen, I know you’re new to the area. You said you don’t get out much. I thought since it seems you haven’t left your office all day that maybe you’d like to grab a pizza and a beer.”
“I don’t drink beer,” she blurted out quickly.
Somehow that didn’t surprise him. “A pizza and a soda,” he amended. “But no pressure. I can take a no,” he said, flashing her a hundred-watt smile.
He held his breath until she finally said, “I’d like that.” Then she looked down at her clothes and back up to him. “I should change though.”
“I need to run home and shower. How about I come back in an hour? Does that work for you?”
“Sure.”
***
What had she gotten herself into? Jordyn hadn’t been on a date in years, not since long before her mother had even taken ill and she had to move in and help care for her.
She was too busy to date.
Yeah, that was it…she was too busy. It had nothing to do with her lack of confidence to initiate a date in the first place.
Plus, it’s not like she ever really came in contact with many people working from home. Just when she had client meetings.
Stop making excuses, she scolded herself.
Still, she couldn’t figure out what possessed her to agree to this. Her mother tried to get her to date plenty, but Jordyn never felt up to it.
Between work, caring for her mother, and her lack of social graces in most instances, she kept her distance from other people. She was happier alone anyway. Or so she always told herself. Even if deep down it was a lie.
Rummaging through her closet, she tried to figure out what to wear. She never realized how few pants she owned. Then again, it wasn’t as if she had much need for them in Florida. She’d have to change that soon though.
Pushing hangers of sweats and leggings aside, she finally found her jeans. All three pairs of them.
The first pair was so old, there was no way she could wear them. They were probably stained on top of it.
The next pair she pulled out had a tear in the thigh, she discovered. She couldn’t even remember where she got it.
With no other choices besides the few pairs of dress pants she had, she pulled out the dark-wash skinny jeans.
She still to this date didn’t know what made her buy them. Envy, maybe? She’d seen so many women in them and always thought they looked so fresh and modern that she wanted something like that herself. She wanted to feel that confident in them, so she bought them—only she never wore them.
Once she’d gotten home with them and looked at herself in the mirror, she’d realized they showed off more than she felt comfortable with.
Always scrawny as a kid, she tried to hide under baggy clothes so that she wasn’t called a toothpick anymore. These jeans brought back bad memories from her childhood, the fear of rejection and never fitting in.
With nothing else left to do, and not enough time to go buy something, her only options were to cancel the date or wear them. Too bad she didn’t have Drew’s cell number.
Tossing them on the bed, she walked further into her closet looking for a shirt to wear. Pushing T-shirt after T-shirt and more sweatshirts aside, she finally found a shirt that was suitable.
Walking out of her closet, she grabbed her jeans off the bed, plus a change of undergarments, and ran into her bathroom for a quick shower.
She was wiping off the steam from the mirror when she realized how the shirt looked on her. Now she remembered why she hadn’t worn it in so long—the top two buttons pulled tighter across her chest than she cared for.
She wasn’t large-chested by any means. She figured she was average, but the rest of her was so thin she had to either buy her clothes baggy to give the illusion of weight, or buy something fitted and run the risk it might be tight on her chest.
Her mother had bought her this shirt, which was why it wasn’t quite the style she was used to. Rather than take it off, she unbuttoned those two buttons, knowing she was still covered enough, and could have sworn she heard her mother chuckling. She spun around quickly and looked, but there was nothing there, no one. She was by herself.
Still, she could hear her mother’s voice in her head, telling her to loosen up a little. Just because a shirt had buttons up to the neck didn’t mean you had to fasten them. She didn’t always have to cover every inch of her body in big baggy clothing either.
Sighing deeply, Jordyn realized she didn’t have much choice in the matter and time was running out.
Maybe this shirt would give her a little confidence. If nothing else, it was a sweet reminder of her mother—one that she welcomed.
She still needed to do her hair and throw a bit of makeup on. Another thing she hardly ever fussed with.
The doorbell rang as she was slipping her feet into a pair of black flats. It was all she had to wear besides flip-flops or sandals. The way the jeans fitted to her ankles so tightly, the shoes actually looked cute. When she’d caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she realized for just a second she looked like one of those women she always envied in the stores.
There was no time to analyze those thoughts though, not with Drew waiting for her.
Racing down the stairs, she swung the door open to see him standing there looking too good to be taking her to dinner. Then again, this really wasn’t a date. Didn’t he say “keep me company”? He was only being friendly.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” she rushed out. “Come in.”
“No, you didn’t. You look pretty,” he said, smiling at her.
She fought hard not to blush. She couldn’t remember the last time a man told her she looked pretty. Hell, the last time anyone told her she looked pretty.
“Thank you. You look good too.”
He laughed at her. Was she not supposed to say that? Now she remembered why she hated dating so much—too much self-doubt. This wasn’t going well.
“If you’re ready, why don’t you grab your jacket and we can head out? I’m starving.”
“Okay.” She reached over and grabbed her fleece off the hook since it was the only jacket she had. She really needed to go shopping. When she was looking for shoes in her closet she’d wished she had a pair of boots like Brynn had on earlier. They looked comfortable and stylish too. Not that she knew the first thing about style either, but Brynn looked pretty put together.
Twenty minutes later they were pulling into an Italian restaurant. “This place has the best pizza I’ve had.”
“Sounds good. I haven’t had pizza in years.”
They walked to the front door and he held it open for her. “It seems to me you don’t experience a lot in life.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, looking at him nervously.
She’d always thought she was naive, but she didn’t want people to know it by looking at her. Just what every guy wants to do: date a homebody. If he hadn’t been in her house already, he’d probably ask how many cats she owned.
“You’ve said you don’t get out much, you don’t know anyone and now you said you haven’t had pizza in years. What did you think it meant?” he asked, looking perplexed.
“Oh, nothing,” she mumbled. “Pizza isn’t something that I eat when its hot out, so living in Florida I didn’t eat it often. And I’m still trying to get acclimated here.”
They followed the waitress to a booth and each slid in, sitting across from each other.
“So where have you eaten since you’ve been here? It’s only been a month or so, right?”
“Yes, not long. And I haven’t eaten anywhere other than my house.”
“You haven’t gone to any restaurants? Not even takeout?”
He looked so shocked she was afraid to say no. “Not yet.”
“Do you eat?” he asked, tilti
ng his head and smiling at her sweetly.
She knew he was joking. He had to be, right? “Of course I eat.”
“Your kitchen is torn apart,” he reminded her.
“True, but only for the last week or so, and I have a mini fridge in my office and a microwave.”
“That sounds worse than when I lived in a dorm.”
“Is that really how kids eat in college?”
“Don’t you know?”
They paused and placed their drink orders. Some beer she’d never heard of for him—then again, she didn’t like beer and didn’t know the names of any beers other than what she’d seen advertised—and a soda for her. She was too nervous to order a glass of wine.
“No. I lived at home and commuted to college.”
“Never had the college experience then?” he asked, looking curious.
“I guess not. I don’t know. I was happy living at home and going to school. I was too busy studying and working to worry about partying, if that’s what you mean.”
“You’re unique, aren’t you?”
Was he insulting her? She didn’t think so since he was still smiling so sweetly at her, but she really couldn’t tell.
“So I’ve been told before,” she answered honestly.
“Really?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
“Well, yeah. I thought you figured that out already.”
“I was joking. Why would people say that about you?”
She shrugged. No use going into her past. She was an adult now and trying to make changes. One thing she’d learned was life is short and can change at any moment. She’d made the move here for that reason, and had to remember that.
Maybe Drew could help her. He knew the area and he seemed open to conversation, if she could only steer the topic away from her and her awkwardness.
“Smart, shy, nerdy kids that are thin and awkward tend to be told they are unique. And that’s one of the nicer things they’re told.”
“I meant it in a nice way. There is nothing wrong with being shy. Smart is always a good thing, I don’t care what anyone says. And you don’t look nerdy to me right now.”