Plug Me In

by Jeannette Winters

  When they arrived at her building, from the outside, it looked like it always had. This should be an easy, in and out, one day job.

  “I see you found the place okay,” Monique said.

  “When you live on the island, you know everything that changes.” But somehow he’d missed her arrival. Or maybe he’d thought she was just one of the many tourists and he tried to avoid those. Or my buddies intentionally kept me out of the loop. Monique was a complete mystery. However he was sure he could rectify that with one more stop at the café.

  “So, do you think you can help me?” Monique asked.

  He was used to woman smiling and flirting to coax him into what they want. Monique did neither. She was all…business. Caleb could respect that.

  “I’ve got a week. So let’s get going and make it count. Want to show me what you need me to do inside?” No better time to start than the present. Before she could answer, Caleb’s phone rang. “Sorry. I need to get this. It’s the office.”

  “Take your time. I’ll be inside whenever you’re free.”

  Caleb answered the call and instantly realized he wasn’t going to be able to start Monique’s job today. One of his regulars just broke a pipe and his business was going to be closed until it got fixed. Mary-Lou had given him Monique’s number, on believe it or not, a dollar bill. He searched his wallet and located it. He wasn’t much for small talk so he opted for a text.

  URGENT MATTER CAME UP. WILL BE BACK FIRST THING IN THE MORNING.

  It didn’t matter what her answer was. Tomorrow was the best he could do.

  2

  “Wynde, I loved the manuscript. It just needs…more.”

  “You mean…sex?” Wynde asked.

  Monique rolled her eyes. Wynde barely could say the word, how the hell was she going to write it? “Can I make a suggestion?”

  “Sure. I really want this book to be a hit,” Wynde answered.

  “For the next week, read.”

  “Read what?” Wynde asked.

  “Some hot and spicy books. I don’t want you to copy them, but get a feel of what others are writing. It might help you with your story.”

  “My whole story sucks?” she asked.

  Monique snickered. “No Wynde. Your story is fine. It’s just lacking some…heat.”

  She heard Wynde let out a heavy sigh. It never was easy to hear your book needed work. Some writers took it personal. It was tough trying to guess what their reactions were going to be, but Monique had no choice but to address it. It was her reputation going on this book as well.

  “Maybe I need a boyfriend. You know so I have something to draw upon when I’m writing. Like I love your sex scenes. I can only imagine what you love life is like.”

  Like nonexistent. It wasn’t that she was opposed to having a man in her life, but right now her plate was too full. Actually more like overflowing. Dating took time. And so many of the first dates she’d had over the past year, never had a second. Not because they weren’t interested, but because she wasn’t. Sitting in a bar and drinking wasn’t her at all. Even though she needed everything here to look glam, she really liked the simple things. Quiet nights watching the stars. She got plenty of that right now, just alone. But her job was encouraging others, like Wynde. No need to share her reality.

  “Well dating is definitely one way, but don’t forget, you’re on a deadline and dating might not be the fastest way,” Monique said. And if it does work out, it might actually hinder your writing. She wasn’t about to tell Wynde that there are those who do, and those who write about it. Some of her best spicy novellas were written during a dry spell. Hell, I bet I could steam up a sauna after this year.

  “Okay Monique. I’ll read this week and next week, you’ll have the updated manuscript, all juiced up.”

  “That’s the attitude.” It was the best type of homework to give. Who minded having to curl up with a romance novel? Monique used to do it all the time. Now she wasn’t reading for enjoyment. It was…work. And when she found a book that made her forget it was work, she signed the author on. Wynde had a lot of potential; she just needed a bit of guidance.

  “Okay. But for now, I’m going to go back to bed. The sun hasn’t even come up yet.”

  Monique looked at the clock and had totally forgotten about the different time zones. “Sorry Wynde. Not used to being on the east coast.”

  “Island living sounds like the life to me. I bet you’re calling me from the beach right now. Probably with one of those fancy fruity drinks in your hand too.”

  It was funny, because she’d been on the Vineyard almost a week and hadn’t even stopped to look at the ocean yet. “I think you’re already dreaming Wynde, because I’m not on vacation. I’m working.”

  “Good, then let me go finish this dream. Good night.”

  Monique chuckled and ended the call just in time too, because she heard the beeping of a horn below her window. She got up off the folding chair and walked over. Sure enough there was a white Ford Super Duty truck parked out front. She slipped on her shoes and rushed down to meet him.

  When she opened the door, Caleb was already standing waiting for her. “Hi. Guess you meant it when you said early. I thought you’d have stopped at the café first.”

  “I did. If you don’t start, you don’t finish.”

  Monique smiled. “Then I hope you had plenty of coffee. This place needs a lot of TLC.”

  Caleb shot her a questioning look. “I thought you said paint.”

  “That too. Come on in. You’ll see what I’m talking about.” She led the way and as soon as they entered the office space she heard his cursing. “Mary-Lou said you were the one who could pull it off.”

  “Can? Yes. Want too? That’s a different story. This is not painting. Hell, there are no walls up. What the hell happened here?”

  “I wish I knew. This is not what it looked like when I purchased the building.” If it had been, she’d have walked away from the deal. “I guess someone came in and…”

  “Trashed this fucking place.” She gasped and he said, “Excuse my language. Just…shocked. This doesn’t happen on the Vineyard.”

  “So I was told when I called the police. I…I don’t think he really believed me that it was like this when I arrived.” It also might have been something she’d said, like how this would make it into her next book. Comments like that usually were red flags that something was staged. This however, hadn’t been.

  She watched as he walked around. “So you’re that lady.”

  “What exactly does that mean?” Monique was concerned that his tone implied something…she might not want to know. This wasn’t like a review of a book she’d written. It was her personally they were speaking about.

  “You…like to talk a lot,” Caleb said.

  She crossed her arms and asked, “What’s wrong with talking? It is the way humans make their wishes known.”

  Caleb laughed. “I know several hand gestures that accomplish the same thing quicker. If you’d like I can teach you them.”

  Monique huffed. This was ridiculous. She wasn’t paying for his time to show her how to flip people off. And he might be shocked, but she probably knew more than he did. “In my books, I needed to be creative on such things. So maybe I could teach you a few you don’t know.”

  “Exactly. One finger would’ve done the same thing.”

  She was about to snap when she noticed the smirk on his face. He’s joking? Yeah. Not funny. Caleb obviously had no clue what she’d been through lately. Then again, he’d seen what this place looked like. Maybe he was just insensitive to her emotional status. Or maybe I haven’t had any coffee yet. Monique rolled her eyes and decided the best thing she could do was beat him at his own game.

  “Sorry, I save the appendages for something more useful.” She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers in the air as though there was a keyboard in front of her.

  “Play the accordion?”

  She laughed. “Is there an extra charge f
or the jokes? I’m only asking so I can”

  “Budget appropriately?” he asked with a grin.

  “Deduct them from your pay,” she chuckled.

  Caleb pretended to be hurt, covering his heart with his hands. “Are you saying that I”

  “Shouldn’t quit your day job? Yes.” Monique was enjoying this playful banter. Fun for a date, but he was supposed to be here on business. And she never mixed the two. With a more serious tone she added, “But I hear if someone is in need of any type of repair, you’re the guy to call.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “Didn’t what?” she asked.

  “Call me?”

  Monique wasn’t about to tell him that she had and had been told no. She wasn’t even sure who she’d spoken to at his office. Had it been Caleb? Did it even matter? He was here now and she still wasn’t sure he was going to accept the job. So it was time to play dumb and hope for the best. Which right now was difficult.

  “I’m new to the Vineyard, remember? I don’t know who to call. If I did, I wouldn’t be in this mess to start with.”

  “True. You just don’t strike me as the type of woman who’d write her number on dollar bills to get noticed.”

  I’m not. She knew listening to Mary-Lou would have consequences. But it did work. She had a contractor standing in what she hoped would soon be a functional space.

  “I was desperate. And look, here you are now. What I need to know is can you do it?”

  “I can do anything. The question is will I.” Caleb walked around and flipped a switch to what should turn on the overhead lights.

  “They don’t work. I’m not sure what is up with that. Hence the lovely daylight I have shining in through the windows.

  “No electricity at all?” he asked.

  “I have some. My bathroom and part of my bedroom. The refrigerator works, but most else, I don’t think so. I got tired of walking around and trying them all. So I…gave up.”

  “You’re lucky that I’m a licensed electrician. Most of the contractors here are not. That doesn’t mean they can’t do the work, it just gets more complicated.”

  “So you’re going to do it?” Her heart raced and she held her breath.

  “This was going to be my vacation week because of the mixup at the other job site,” he said flatly.

  Softly she replied, “Sorry. If you want, I can help in any way you need me to and maybe it will go faster.” Of course she didn’t have the faintest idea of where to even start.

  Caleb shot her a look and asked, “What’s the difference between a miter saw and a circular saw?”

  “One is round?” A guess was better than nothing. Circles are round.

  Caleb burst out laughing. “How about you just pay me, and I’ll do the rest.”

  “Sound good. Consider the dollar my deposit,” she teased.

  “That and a coffee will do. If you don’t mind, let’s sit down so I can get some details of what exactly you need and I can go to my shop and get the supplies.”

  Yes! Finally something was going right. “Sure. I’d say follow me to my office, but we’re standing in it.”

  “Tell me what you envision, and I’ll tell you if I can pull it off in one week. How does that sound.”

  “Fair.”

  She spent the next hour telling him what she wanted and he told her how that wasn’t possible. But he didn’t leave it all negative. He promised her it would still look like an office, just not the one she’d wanted. Or had already paid a piece a crap contractor for. At least it would be done.

  * * *

  Caleb walked into his office and headed right for his desk. He needed to draw this out. Monique seemed so easy going, but under it all, she was a savvy businesswoman who knew what she wanted. It was all going to need to be custom built, by him. Granted, she had great taste, but time wise, he was going to need to use what he had on hand.

  He had wanted to ask who she had hired before him. Not that he could do anything about it, but they watched out for each other on the Vineyard, and some asshole from the mainland wasn’t going to ruin their reputation. Caleb had placed a call to the sheriff who confirmed his initial thoughts. There wasn’t anything they could do. It was up to Monique if she wanted to pursue it through the court system. But from what the sheriff told him, she was going to have one hell of a time finding him. Everything he used to communicate with Monique didn’t exist any longer. The asshole even used a burn phone.

  Maybe that is why he was helping her, because he felt bad for her. Business wise, that was a dumb reason to do anything. He hadn’t even taken a deposit from her. It was as though he was being as stupid as she had been.

  Caleb hadn’t worked all these years to prove to his father he was up for the job, just to start being swayed by a pretty woman now. Was she pretty? Hell ya! She didn’t flaunt it, nor dress sexy, but she had that classy, can’t touch this prim and proper look. Not what usually turned his head, but somehow on her, it turned him on. And the look on her face, how her nose wrinkled as he teased her, was cute as hell. Both were good reasons why he shouldn’t be taking on this job. It was too late. He’d given her his word, and he never broke it.

  He looked over the work he’d jotted down and knew he should call his crew back in and cancel their vacation. But they needed it as much as he did. Work was non-stop and if he wasn’t careful, he’d burn them out. Dear ole Dad wouldn’t be pleased if his long term employee’s started dropping like flies. They were an older bunch, but knew their shit. And just as important, they could be trusted.

  He was going solo on this job. It was how he used to work, before returning to the island and working for his father. Like most young adults, he’d wanted as much distance as he could get from his parents so he could have fun. What he’d found was making a name for himself meant hard work, and little time for play. But it had earned his father’s respect and that made it all worth it. Caleb’s father was…not easy to please. He demanded perfection in every aspect. Caleb might have been a disappointment in a few things, like not being married with kids, but as far as workmanship, he was spot on.

  Monique probably had no clue how lucky she was. He just hoped this act of kindness, or slip of judgment, wasn’t going to bite him in the ass in the long run. Caleb just made a commitment that he wasn’t sure how he was going to pull off. His inventory was good, but she was going to be taking quite a bit of it. Caleb couldn’t wait till he needed something before he reordered. Everything needed to be shipped to the island and it would be his luck that something would be delayed. Even before returning to her office, he needed to settle his first.

  It took longer than he’d hoped. Most of the morning was gone. But his truck was loaded, and he should be able to start at least the demo part today.

  When he arrived the door was wide open. He called out, but she didn’t respond. He could wait, but she’d probably be more upset if he just stood around doing nothing. So he started to unload his truck and lean the wood and sheetrock up against the one wall which he figured could stay. By the time he was finished unloading, Monique returned.

  “No wonder the place got trashed. You can’t leave the door open.” Of course he wasn’t sure what more they could do besides burn the place down.

  “What do you mean? I shut the door and locked it before I left. I figured you’d call me if you needed to get back inside.”

  There was no reason she’d lie about something like that. That meant this building was not as secure as she might have thought. He walked over and checked the locking mechanism. It seemed to be in order, but when he shut the door it wasn’t lined up properly. He hadn’t noticed it last time because she’d opened it before he had the chance to knock. Probably would’ve opened right up. Damn it.

  “How long has it been like this?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. When I first arrived on the Vineyard, I found the place in this condition. Maybe they broke the door when they came in?”

  “Or they
came in because the door was open. We’re really not a high crime type of place. Not saying that it’s perfect here, but…”

  “This was one heck of a welcome. One I could do without. I’m not even sure where you should start,” Monique said.

  “I do. Fixing your door.”

  “True. I don’t want you fixing it and then it gets ruined again,” Monique said.

  Or all my tools get stolen. “Why don’t you go and do whatever it is you do, and I’ll get started.”

  Monique huffed and responded, “I’m a publisher, and I think that’s a good idea.”

  He watched as she practically stomped away and up the stairs to the apartment. Caleb had no idea what he’d said that pissed her off. Then again, he’d been thinking more about securing her building than what she might have been feeling. Caleb made it a point to work in places which were vacant. It made life so much easier without dancing around the customer.

  As he went over it hit him. It’d been like he’d told her to get out, when in fact, this was her place. It wasn’t quite that rude, but it easily could’ve been taken that way. She probably was feeling a bit vulnerable right now, not just being broken into once, but knowing that anyone could’ve walked through that door at anytime, must’ve been a reality that’d been shocking. He wasn’t always good with words, but his actions hopefully would help ease her mind.

  While he repaired the door, Caleb also called in a favor with Billy, the local locksmith and had him rekey the external doors. If anyone out there might have a copy of the old key, they were going to be very disappointed if they tried using it.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly Billy.”

  “No problem Caleb. You’ve bailed me out a few times.” Billy looked around and asked, “What the hell happened here?”

  “Guess the Vineyard is changing.”

  “Damn it Caleb. I remember the days when I was a kid. My father was the locksmith and I used to tease him that he hardly ever worked. Now I get calls all hours of the night. The money is great, but I liked it better when we didn’t need to lock up.”