Hammer, Nails, and Happily Ever After?

by Mitzi Kelly

  “So this guy down the street is actually Todd’s cousin,” he stated in disbelief. “Man, I never knew deception was something that ran along bloodlines.”

  She swallowed the last of her pizza and wiped her hands on a napkin. “I suppose it is.” She grinned. “I thought Rick was strange, and Jack didn’t like him at all, but I just assumed he was lonely and awkward. I never would have thought he was spying on me for Todd. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps.”

  He leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. “I have a good friend who’s an attorney in California. I think I’ll give him a call and tell him about Todd falsifying his assets on his divorce proceedings.”

  She shrugged. “That would be great, but I don’t know how much that would really affect him. I got the impression Todd is moving to Texas. Even if his wife got him for fraud, I don’t know if it would affect his reputation here.”

  “Todd won’t be relocating here.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “He won’t?”

  “Nope. I think he’s decided he needs to move on.”

  “Is that right?” She grinned. “What gives you that idea?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Could have something to do with the connections I have with the legal community here. I may have mentioned that fact to him while telling him he’s not welcome here.”

  She laughed and clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful news! To be honest with you, I was dreading having him in the same city, not to mention the same state. That’s why it took you so long to come inside, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” He made a show of flexing his muscles. “I wanted to make sure he got the message loud and clear.”

  She jumped up and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “My hero! Just for that, I think there’s another beer with your name on it.”

  “I’m staying the night. I doubt if Todd is going to bother you anymore, but I’m not taking the chance.”

  She almost dropped the beers she was carrying. There was nothing more in the world she wanted than to spend another night wrapped in his arms. But then tomorrow morning would come, and she’d have to start the healing process all over again. As it was, she was going to have to live with the painful memory of how good she and Greg were together.

  She walked to the table and sat down. “Uh, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I appreciate the offer, though.”

  He looked at her, but she refused to meet his eyes and reached for another slice of pizza she didn’t want. After a moment, he reached over, gently took the pizza from her hands, and laid it on her plate. Grabbing both of her hands in his, he waited until she finally raised her eyes. “Ginger, what’s wrong?”

  She looked into the soft, brown depth of his eyes, and a lump formed in her throat. You have failed two important items on my list. You haven’t said you are in love with me and that you are completely devoted, and the final nail in the relationship coffin is you are my boss.

  Greg had been honest with her from the beginning. He’d been kind, generous, and considerate. He’d gone out of his way to help her. He’d made her laugh, and in just a few short weeks, he’d broken through her shell of reserve. It wouldn’t be fair to let him know she’d broken her own rule and fallen in love with him. He didn’t deserve to have to deal with that kind of pressure, especially since he’d made it plain he wasn’t interested in a serious commitment.

  Gently, she pulled her hands from his. “I won’t even try to pretend last night wasn’t amazing, and I’m glad we got that out of our system,” she said with a grin, hoping he would believe she didn’t consider last night should be included as one of the world’s greatest wonders. “But if you spend the night, there’s every chance we’d end up in bed again. Todd isn’t going to try anything tonight, so you can go home and get a good night’s sleep in your own bed, and I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”

  He was silent for several moments as his eyes stayed focused on hers. She tried not to squirm, but if he didn’t say something soon, she was going to fall apart and blurt out that she loved him and wanted him to spend this night, and every night, with her.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it a minute longer, he said, “So last night got the sex thing out of our system, and now we can go back to working on our respective houses and sharing a pizza every once in a while, right?”

  She forced a smile. “Actually, I’m at a point where I need to take a break from the repairs on my home. Time to build up the cash flow again. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all your help, Greg. I would never have made this much progress if it weren’t for you.”

  He winced as though he’d been hit. He wouldn’t understand why she had to end the friendship. In his mind, everything was perfect. Oh, she knew he cared about her. A great deal, in fact. But as much as that meant to her, it wasn’t enough. The relationship would never grow into anything more. He’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in a long-term commitment, and she wasn’t going to settle for anything less.

  Even if she quit her job and he was no longer her boss, she wouldn’t accept a casual relationship with him. Not when he had become her entire world.

  He slowly turned his head and looked out the window, watching a squirrel run along her back fence. Finally, he took one last swig of his beer and stood. “I see. Well, I guess I’ll see you at the office, then.”

  She couldn’t move. She stayed in her seat until the front door closed.

  She thought she’d been protecting her heart by refusing to get emotionally involved with someone until they met all her requirements, but she’d actually been setting herself up to miss the whole reason God blessed humans with a heart in the first place.

  To love somebody was such a beautiful emotion that to intentionally shield oneself from it was cowardly. The heart wasn’t made to be shielded. It was meant to feel, to expand with love, and yes, to sometimes break with pain.

  But given the opportunity, the heart would mend itself and welcome the chance to once again experience the miraculous wonder of love. To run from that was turning away the greatest gift there ever could be.

  She’d been foolish to set up prerequisites for a future partner. The heart wanted what it wanted now.

  Tears slid down her cheeks. She could prevent the scope of her broken heart by not continuing a relationship with someone who had forewarned her a serious relationship was out of the question.

  ****

  The next afternoon, Ginger turned onto her street, barely registering that the house Todd had rented appeared deserted from this distance, but she really didn’t care if he and his cousin had hightailed it out of the neighborhood or not. Todd was irrelevant.

  It had been a quiet drive home; she hadn’t even turned on the radio. If it wouldn’t have been a cowardly move, she would have called in sick and avoided going into the office today. But she would have to face Greg sooner or later, and it was important he believed she was fine. As it was, he’d made an appearance late in the afternoon and only given her a casual greeting.

  Justin and Steve had been in the office when she arrived this morning, and she could have sworn they treated her with extra kindness, but it could just be her overactive imagination. All of her senses had been on high alert trying to hide the signs she hadn’t slept the night before and that she was an emotional mess. Exactly what she’d feared. Her personal life was seeping into her professional life.

  Jack greeted her with his usual exuberance when she entered her house. Dropping her purse on the floor, she bent down and wrapped her arms around his head. “It looks like it’s you and me, boy,” she whispered. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment to stall the pressure building. “We’re going to be fine.”

  It had been her decision to end the relationship, and it was the right move. It might hurt like hell now, and she might end up having to quit her job, but still, there was no doubt it was the right move. And the worse thing she could do now was to sit around and mope.

&nb
sp; Fitting action to words, she changed clothes and got to work on her kitchen. She might not be able to afford to start the renovations, but it didn’t cost a thing to proceed with the demolition. After an hour of strong, physical work, though, she gave up. Dropping the hammer on the floor, she pulled the clip from her hair and shook her head.

  She’d created a mess. Drawers and smashed door panels were pushed into one corner of the room, and the old brass hardware was scattered over the floor, resembling twisted gaudy jewelry, but a strange thing had happened while she worked. Her anger had started to grow. And she’d gotten angrier the more she thought about Greg’s behavior today.

  He was obviously relieved she didn’t want to continue a relationship. Everyone knew women considered sex an emotional commitment, not just a physical act. So before things got uncomfortable, he’d gladly taken the excuse she offered him to break off the relationship.

  He was a chicken shit. Worse, he was a blind chicken shit. Greg Tucker loved her whether he realized it or not. He’d proven it with his actions too many times. And he might be willing to let this beautiful thing growing between them wither and die, but she wasn’t. Not any longer. She might never find anything so right and so perfect again.

  She narrowed her eyes and turned to walk to her bedroom where she headed straight for her nightstand. She opened the drawer, reached in, and grabbed a folded piece of paper. She read over her list of requirements for the perfect partner:

  Nobody she worked with

  Single

  Honest

  Kind

  Self-confidant

  Charming

  Self-reliant

  Animal lover

  Respectful

  Handsome

  She was able to check every single item on her list except number one. But since Greg far exceeded every other requirement, shouldn’t that negate the whole co-worker thing?

  Yes, it should.

  She looked at her beloved rabbit on the bed, and then she looked again at her list. She looked once more at her rabbit before she tore her list into a hundred pieces.

  Ten minutes later she was hurrying down her front steps. She almost tripped and fell when she saw Greg climbing out of his truck. Her gaze locked with his, and then her eyes widened when he marched purposefully toward her. He pulled her close with one arm and lowered his head to devour her lips.

  Finally, he raised his head and rested his forehead against hers. “Is that the rabbit off your bed?”

  She pulled back and looked at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was—”

  “No, wait,” she interrupted. The kiss had thrown her off course, but she wasn’t going to be distracted. She gathered her courage and took a deep breath, clutching her rabbit tightly to her chest. “I was actually on my way to your house. I have something I want to say to you.” She might be making a fool of herself, but she loved this man. And he was worth the risk.

  “You’re wrong,” she blurted out.

  He tilted his head. “Okay. What am I wrong about?”

  “About me. About us. We’re good together, Greg. I’m not like Shandra. I’m not like your mother or any of the other women you’ve known. And you’re nothing like the men in my past. There are many blessings in life, and one of the greatest is finding your soul mate. I’ve always thought that sounded cheesy, but now I know exactly what it means. We can make this work.” Tears started to fall from her eyes. “You need me. And I need you.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but she rushed on.

  “You can’t decide on your own we’re not workable. I have a say in this, too. You’re going to give us a chance.”

  “Ginger,” he said quietly as he took a step toward her.

  She took a step back, though, and held up her hand. “You said you don’t want to make a commitment, and you don’t want a serious, long-term relationship. You’ve said every other woman in your life only wanted things from you. Well, I’m going to prove I’m not like every other woman. I don’t want anything from you,” she said with a hiccup. The tears were almost blinding her now, but if she stopped, she might never be able to continue. “This is my most precious treasure.” She nodded at the big, stuffed rabbit in her arm. “It’s yours. I want to give you something. And if that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

  There. It was done. She’d said what she wanted to say, and now the future of her world depended on his reaction. His eyes softened to dark liquid. She braced herself, but she refused to shift her gaze.

  His hand came up and softly cradled her face. “My God, Ginger,” he said, his voice thick and tender, his thumb brushing her tears away. “You’ve stolen my thunder, but I couldn’t be more humbled by your words.”

  She drew in a quick breath. Humbled? She didn’t want him to be humbled. She wanted him to be blown away! And then his words sank in. “What did you mean when you said I stole your thunder?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “We need to go in the house.”

  All the energy suddenly drained from her. Hugging her rabbit close, she turned to walk inside.

  As soon as they entered the kitchen, Greg stopped as Jack jumped around him. “What in the hell happened here?”

  “I was working.” She crossed to the dinette table and sat down, plopping her rabbit in one of the empty chairs.

  He joined her at the table. “I think we’re going to be able to add to your duties with Tucker Construction. Next time we have a job that involves demolition, I’m going to let you head up the crew.” He opened the sack of food and passed out the burgers and fries.

  It wasn’t a good sign he was more concerned about food than her declaration of love. At least she wasn’t going to feel lonely and devastated on an empty stomach tonight. She unwrapped her cheeseburger while he went to the refrigerator for drinks.

  He placed a glass of milk in front of her. “Eat your fries. You’re out of beer and soda, by the way.”

  She nodded. She couldn’t care less about what was in her fridge right now. “What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked, as if she didn’t know. But there was no point putting it off any longer. She’d made her pitch, and it didn’t seem as if her words had changed his mind.

  “Eat your fries,” he said again as he emptied his own container of french fries on top of a napkin. Unwrapping his hamburger, he took a bite.

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake,” she grumbled. Mimicking his moves, she shook out her own bag of fries. Right in the middle of the pile was a small piece of carefully folded clear cellophane. And inside the cellophane was a beautiful diamond ring, a large solitaire set in a silver band.

  Slowly, she set her burger down. She peered closer at the ring. She blinked. She swallowed and blinked again. Then her gaze lifted to Greg with a questioning look. This was the biggest damn friendship ring she’d ever seen.

  He smiled tenderly and reached for the ring. He unwrapped it. “First of all, thank you for the rabbit. I think we’ll be able to keep him on your bed, though. This is what I meant about you stealing my thunder.” His gaze searched hers. “I was going to invite you to go to the River Walk with me tomorrow night so I could do this in a more romantic setting. Just you and me,” he said with a pointed look at the rabbit. “I couldn’t wait, though.” His voice was soft, his words deep and thick.

  She was speechless.

  He rose from his chair and knelt at her knees. “Ginger, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met in my life. And I want you in my life…forever.”

  She stared at him. “Forever?”

  “Yes.” A slow grin crossed his face. “Marry me. I came to the same conclusions you did, evidently. You are my soul mate, and I’m not afraid to drown.”

  “I would never drown you,” she said as pressure built behind her eyes.

  “I know. And that’s why I’m not going to take no for an answer. Marry me.”

  The tears started to fall, but her smile was huge. Laughing, she stood and pulled him to hi
s feet. “Yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!”

  He swept her into his arms. His mouth was hot and hard as he kissed her in a way that made her heart stop beating. She held on to him as if she would never let go.

  He pulled back slightly and cradled her head in his hands. “I love you, Ginger. I have for a while, but I didn’t realize it. I thought we could just have a fun time with each other and always stay friends. Your friendship is important, but I want so much more. I was afraid you had realized I was falling for you, and that’s why you were pushing me away. You can trust me. I won’t ever lie to you or cheat on you. I’ll always have your back in whatever you do, and I will never try to smother your dreams or control your actions. I want to share your dreams and make them my own.”

  She was floating. She couldn’t believe this was happening, but it was. Greg Tucker loved her. She stared into his dark eyes. “I love you, Greg. Never in a million years would I have thought I could find a man who could make me trust and love him, but I think you did that the day you helped me rescue Jack. I was just too afraid to open my eyes and see what was staring me in the face. I thought you were afraid I was getting all mushy, and you wanted no part of that. We were both so wrong.”

  His eyes softened, and he lowered his head. She stopped him, though, with her hand over his mouth.

  “What about your brothers? Are they going to be upset about this?”

  “Hardly. I told them my plans, and they’re thrilled. It seems they both saw this coming, something about me not going out every weekend anymore. But they did say if you quit your job, they are going to hold me responsible.”

  She sighed and nestled against his chest. “I can’t put into words how happy I am.” This man met all the requirements on her list of traits she wanted in a partner, even the most important one that she had written in all caps and underlined about not being a co-worker. He wouldn’t be a business associate, she reasoned happily. He would be her husband.