by Eva Moore
“Rough day?” he asked as she strolled into the dining room he was flooring with hardwood laminate.
“No, filming was fine.”
“Everyone else has gone home for the day. Cameras off. So, rough day?”
Her shoulders dropped even farther and the smile disappeared.
“You could say that. I need an extra day on the island, but I found a solution that’s going to fit our budget if Seth can make it work.” She leaned up against the doorframe and crossed her arms.
“That’s great! Why aren’t you more excited?”
She turned to face him, her heart in her eyes.
“Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Nothing is going right, and I feel like it’s my fault that we aren’t better able to handle it. I’m running out of corners to cut. I just asked Seth to do me a huge favor to make this work. Is it worth it?”
Adrian needed to touch her, to console her, so he reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. When she didn’t shrug it off, he counted it a win.
“Listen, we are all juggling crazy expectations to make this work. You’ve never done TV before, and it’s been years since you’ve designed anything. You’re doing fine under the circumstances, and next time we will work it out together. Just don’t forget the unofficial company motto. Keep it simple. Is there any way to scale back on your designs?”
“I’m trying, but the whole point was to make a wow statement.”
“A wow on a budget and a timeline.”
“If I take it too bare-bones, it will look like crap on TV, and I’ll never convince Jake and Dad to let me design full-time.”
“Screw that. Focus on this client, this house. It’ll come together.”
“Easy for you to say. It’s not your company that might go under if this backfires.”
The smart-ass comment hit him right in the heart. He knew he shouldn’t let it bother him, because she was right. Until Dom made his decision, it wasn’t his company, not even a little bit. He was just an employee, trying to look out for his crew. “You’re right. It’s not.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“But I still care about it, and your dad, and you. So don’t you go second-guessing yourself. Own the plan, and make it happen.”
She placed a hand on his arm, and he turned to look her in the eye. “I don’t know much about this partnership plan, but you know I didn’t mean it that way, right?”
“I know.” But did he know? Did he know that she was on his side for the partnership plan? He wasn’t a fool. He knew Dom’s children had just as much say in the business as the patriarch. What if she wasn’t on his side? He needed to spend more time with her, convincing her that he was the right guy for the job. He could think of one way to do that. “Come home with me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come to my home. You’re done working now, right?”
“Yes, but I’m exhausted and covered with hairspray and makeup from the show. I just want a hot shower and my bed.”
“I have a shower and a bed at my place.” He wiggled his eyebrows, hoping to make her laugh but only half joking. If she wanted to get in his shower or his bed, he certainly wouldn’t argue. Ever since she’d agreed to figure out what was growing between them, all he’d been able to think about was the next step. He wanted to spend some time alone with her. He wanted to figure out why she’d backed away from his kiss. If she didn’t open up to him, he was bound to make the same mistake again. He’d waited for her to elaborate on her “It wasn’t your fault,” but she’d remained stubbornly silent. She’d shared her words and opinions all day long with everyone on the site. He closed the door behind them and set the alarms. Now that work was done and the cameras were off, he wanted her all to himself.
“I think it’s a little soon to be talking showers and beds.”
“Simply trying to be a good host. Come to my place. We can talk, relax, watch a movie, maybe make out a little on my couch. What do you say?”
“My, after an invitation like that, how can I refuse?”
“Good. Grab your coat. It’s chilly.” He deliberately ignored her sarcasm and took her hand in his.
The night cooled around them, the scent of freshly turned earth and juniper floating in the damp spring air. It was fairly dripping with dew, waiting to paint the lawn now that the sun had dropped behind the mountains. He inhaled deeply, hoping that the blast to his lungs would help cool his blood, to no avail. They walked hand in hand out to the curb, and Adrian couldn’t remember the last time the simple pleasure had felt so right. But when he opened the door to his truck cab, she turned and headed for her own car.
“I’ll follow you. That way I can get myself home if it gets late.”
Damn it. Logic scored another point. At least the quiet ride home would give him time to think. He needed to convince her to give this flicker a chance to flame. He had spent too many years quietly waiting for it to burn out due to lack of fuel.
A girly movie. A glass of wine. A little snuggle on the couch. He plotted his strategy to give her a relaxing evening. She had earned a break from juggling basically three full-time jobs. He felt a little guilty for the extra work his paperwork had caused her and for all the mishaps on the project. First with the inspection fixes, then with the leak repairs, he’d added more to her stress than he’d ever intended. Time to fix that.
He had a twenty-minute drive to plan his strategy. When Sofia pulled into his driveway a few seconds behind him, Adrian was waiting to open her door for her.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s just this way.”
He led the way around to the back of the house, and realized that she was a good five feet behind him. She warily walked through the back gate. He laughed.
“I promise there’s nothing weird or creepy.”
“I’m sure that’s what every weird or creepy dude says.”
“Am I weird or creepy?”
“I’m reserving judgment.”
“Ouch.” Adrian rubbed a hand where her arrows of snark hit him square in the chest. “I have the second floor apartment, and the stairs go up the back.”
She exhaled audibly, and he prayed it was good nerves and not the bad kind making her short of breath. He wasn’t really scary, was he? Was she having second thoughts about getting involved with one of the crew? To his knowledge, she had never dipped a toe in that pool, though she certainly could have. She’d always kept a careful distance. Was she going to try and back away from him, too? Was she worried about his proposal? To be so close to what he wanted and still doubt that he would ever truly belong pinched at the heart beneath his hand. But fortune favors the bold, so he pushed ahead.
“It’s just up here.”
He offered his hand and was reassured when she took it. He led her up to his deck and opened the dead-bolted door to his apartment. The door creaked as it opened, giving its best imitation of a haunted house after weeks of neglect.
“Nope. Not creepy at all.” Her laugh cut through the night air and hit him square in the throat. At this rate, he’d need a medic by morning. But she walked inside, and that was all that mattered.
“Wow! There’s a lot more space up here than you’d think, looking at the house from the outside. Did you build this?”
“I did, a few years ago. I needed my own place that wasn’t overrun with little sisters, but Mamá still needs me too much for me to move far away.”
“I know all about that headache. Dad bought an apartment building as an investment property about fifteen years ago. Frankie, Enzo, and I all have apartments side by side. It’s a freaking Valenti dorm!”
He liked hearing her joke and watching her explore his home. He’d worked hard to make it his.
“You’ve got a way with design. The way you tucked the kitchen under the eaves with floating shelves is genius. And I love the dormer window over the sink.”
Adrian felt his face warming. Blushing? Was he blushing over a little compli
ment? Time to get his plan rolling, before she turned him into a panting puppy. “Thank you. Would you like something to drink? I’ve got wine…”
“Actually, I’d kill for a cold beer right now.”
He was surprised, but pleasantly so, that he’d pegged her wrong.
“That I can do.” He dramatically opened his small refrigerator like some game show host, and she laughed again. So far, so good. “Ladies’ choice.”
“I’ll have a Pacifico, please.”
As he opened their beers, he heard telltale footsteps on the stairs.
“¿Mijo? Is that you?”
“Yes, Mamá. I’m home. Come on up and meet Sofia.” He had no qualms about this. He loved his mom, and he knew she didn’t get much company, so he always invited her up to meet his friends. His mom had been hearing about her for ages, and he was hoping that Sofia in his apartment would be a frequent occurrence. Then again, Sofia was more than just a friend.
He flashed back to his conversation with his mom earlier… Okay, maybe one qualm. Make that two. His mother was a loose cannon around women she wanted him to date. All of the mothers on the block with daughters of marriageable age had been called in and vetted over many cups of coffee. She could be intimidating, but it was too late to turn back. He didn’t want Sofia to think he didn’t want her to meet his mother. He’d just have to bulldoze through it now.
“Mamá, meet Sofia Valenti. Sofia, my mother, Graciela Villanueva.”
“It’s so nice to meet you.” Sofia reached for his mother’s hands and held them in her own while she spoke. “Adrian brought me some of your pollo en mole. It was divine.”
“Did he, now? Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. He’s a good boy, my Adrian. Strong but thoughtful.”
“She’s a good woman, my mamá. Sweet but meddlesome.”
“What? I’m not telling her anything she doesn’t know.” His mother let go of Sofia’s hand long enough to pat him on the cheek.
“Enough, Mamá.”
Sofia laughed along with him, and warmth flooded his chest. He’d heard more laughter from her tonight than he had in the last year in the office.
“You sound like my mother. She likes to list my attributes to any single man who will stand still long enough to listen. You don’t have to sell me on Adrian though. I already know he’s a great guy.”
Adrian watched this woman charm his mother, and desperately hoped she’d be his woman soon.
“I’m sure your mother wants the best for you, too. My Adrian…”
“Mamá, stop!” He laughed along, since Sofia was laughing, but he knew his mother was deadly serious and would not be deterred. “We are going to watch a movie and relax. I’m in for the night, so you can lock up.”
“Okay, I can take a hint. I’m glad to put a beautiful face with the name. Good night, you two.”
“I could say the same Mrs. Villanueva. Sleep well.”
Adrian leaned over and kissed his mother’s forehead. “Night, Mamá. I’ll be down to double-check the locks later.”
“Don’t worry about it tonight. You have a guest.”
“I’ll be down later. Te amo, Mamá.”
“Te amo tambien, mijo.”
As he closed the door behind her, he let out a sigh of relief with the breath he’d kept trapped in his chest. That had gone well. Or at least, as well as could be expected, when one had a nosy mother with no filter.
Chapter 14
“That was sweet. I’m glad to finally meet her. Why didn’t you ever bring her to one of the company picnics?” Sofia tucked her hair behind her ear, and deliberately kept the small talk rolling as she wandered down his hallway. Her nerves were nipping at her heels, and she was afraid to slow down in case they caught up with her and ruined everything.
“I would have had to drag her.”
“Wow. Are the picnics that bad?”
“No.” He chuckled. “She hasn’t left the house in years. Even her doctor comes to her.”
That caught her attention, and she turned back to face him. “So when you said stealing her might be the only way to get her out…”
“Yeah, I meant it. She’s terrified of the outside world. Ever since Dad…”
Wow. What would it feel like to be afraid of the outside world? Her mother had reacted to losing Gabe by chasing life. What if she’d chosen to hide instead? Sofia had a hard time picturing her mother hiding from anything, but wasn’t that exactly what she’d done herself? She could tell herself that she’d stepped into the office to help out and gotten stuck, but she hadn’t done anything to get unstuck either, before this whole TV thing. She’d spent three years hiding from life. It had been safe, but safe wasn’t enough anymore.
“I get that. The world seemed like a pretty scary place after Gabe died, too.”
She turned away again, afraid of sharing too much, opening too many dark closets. Instead she opened the door in front of her. His bedroom. Seeing his large bed covered by a smooth expanse of navy blue comforter, just begging to be messed up, took her mind down a much more pleasurable path. She slammed the door shut before she got herself lost in the forest. Didn’t the story with the wolf warn of straying from the path? But oh how she longed to step into temptation and let herself be taken…
His voice in her ear startled her.
“You seemed to handle it pretty well.”
Handle what well? What had they been talking about? Gabe. Right. That pulled her back into harsh reality fast enough. She moved back toward the safety of the living room.
“Did I? I’m glad it looked that way from the outside. Inside, it’s been a bit of a dumpster fire for the last three years.”
“Hey, didn’t you want to shower?” He stood poised on the threshold of the bathroom she’d skipped.
She froze. Should she? Shouldn’t she? She absolutely wanted to wash off the layers of product she was covered in. She peeked inside the doorway and saw the most tempting shower she’d ever seen, but the idea of getting naked anywhere near Adrian made her gut clench. “Um, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“Your choice. I need to take one quick, because I’m filthy. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable on the couch, and I’ll be right out.”
Sofia took her beer and sat on the couch, which conveniently left her with a view of the bathroom door. She would like to say that she didn’t picture Adrian naked in the shower, hot water sluicing over his fine body. She would love to claim that she didn’t think of all the ways she’d like to get him filthy, before she helped him get clean. But she wouldn’t lie, especially not to herself. She might not know how she felt about his interest in her, but her own interests were shockingly clear. When he emerged from the shower with a skimpy white towel wrapped around his waist, she nearly swallowed her tongue. Drops of water still clung to his bare arms and shoulders, and she was dying of thirst.
Needing a minute to pull herself together, she ducked into the bathroom he’d just left. His scent in the steam filled her head and made her dizzy. Her reaction to him was potent, but it wasn’t her reaction she was worried about. She borrowed his shower soap and scrubbed her face clean. It took some effort to get the thick makeup off.
When she’d succeeded and her own pink face stared back at her in the mirror she almost wished she hadn’t. The woman staring back at her looked far too vulnerable, but she didn’t want to hide behind a pretty mask anymore. If she was going to take a chance on him, he needed to see the real her. No makeup was a good first step. If he backed away now, it would hurt but she’d be able to recover.
When she came back out, she found him in the kitchen. He was wearing those damn gray sweatpants that made her mouth water, and a white T-shirt. He was bent over, pulling a foil-wrapped package out of the freezer, and she tried and failed to not stare at his ass. He unwrapped the foil and tossed the contents on a plate and into the microwave.
“Tamales.”
“Huh?” She looked up to meet his smiling eyes.
“I
’ve got tamales for dinner, if that’s okay.”
“Sounds great.”
“So besides the show making things crazy, how are things at work?”
Sofia sat down on the couch, and Adrian took the opposite end. It seemed he really was looking to get to know her better. She didn’t know what it said that she was a little disappointed by that. “It leaves much to be desired.”
“How so? You’ve done a great job taking over for your mom as office manager when she needed to step back. I think most days you are the glue holding that place together.”
“Yeah, but Gabe was supposed to be the glue. I took responsibility because there was no one else who could. I’m the oldest now…” Her voice thickened and cracked, but she bit back the tears. “I never wanted this. Three years of all work and no play. Between work and being sad, I haven’t managed to have much of a life.”
“No play?”
“Nothing beyond a few lackluster first dates. But that isn’t the worst part. I was doing all this so I’d have a chance to chase my dream. I miss design so much. It’s all been a dead-end. Finally, with this show I have a chance to get back to that. So even if I have to keep working crazy hours to hold it all together, I will.” She peeled the yellow paper label off her bottle, worrying it into little balls.
“I had no idea you hated the office side so much.”
“Looks like I’m better at hiding my feelings than I thought.”
“I’ll have to remember that.”
What was wrong with her that the cockiness in his voice made her grin? “Oh, you think I’ll have feelings for you that I’ll need to hide?”
“I think you already do. And if I’m doing this right, there will be more.” He slid closer to her on the couch and dropped an arm around her shoulders.
“Smooth.”
“As Skippy. So, what do you want to watch?”
“Listen, I know how this Netflix and chill is supposed to work, but I’m not… I mean… I’m still trying to figure out why I agreed to come over here tonight.”