by Jen Peters
He left and Justin spoke up. “I’m pressing charges, Cat, no matter what you want.”
Her eyes met his, then she looked away. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything else.” Still, something hung in the air between them.
“Um, what do you want me to do now, ma’am?” Todd’s voice seemed far away, and Cat tried to focus her thoughts.
“Are you hurt? Do you want to go home?”
The teen shook his head.
Cat rubbed her temples. “Just keep on with the sanding, then, if your fingers aren’t worn to the bone by now.”
“I don’t mind. I like thinking about how they made the designs, and I can see the separate pieces when I sand.” He grabbed his piece of sandpaper off the floor and headed to the bottom newel post.
She felt Justin watching her. “What?”
“He’s not a thug—he really is different than the others. How’d you know?”
Should she tell him? She wondered how much he would judge her and was surprised at how much she cared.
Except she did. Relationship or not, leaving or not, she wanted him to think well of her. But she wanted his acceptance of all of her, not just what he saw on the surface.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was just like Todd. Worse, actually.”
Justin’s eyes widened. “No way—you never stole anything in your life!”
Cat looked away. “I did. I shoplifted, I broke into places. Didn’t get caught much, but yes, I stole. And I was headed for a lot more serious stuff.”
“You?”
Cat looked back at him, into his incredible, incredulous green eyes. “Yes, me. But there was a guy I stole from who saw something besides a future criminal. He put me to work, taught me to hammer a nail, to make a straight cut, to measure twice and cut once. I worked for him the rest of high school—kept me out of trouble and showed me the pleasure of building something.”
Justin started to speak, then closed his mouth again. His gaze wandered around the room, then came back to her. “That wasn’t easy to tell me, was it?”
She dropped her eyes. “No, it wasn’t. But sometimes you get to a point that sharing things is important.”
He didn’t take the hint, didn’t say anything at all.
“So what now?” she asked.
Justin put the ice pack down and stood. “Now I get back to work—I'm still behind schedule. And you ought to see if Marty can take Todd under his wing when he’s put in his time here. He seems really interested in woodworking.”
She watched him take the stairs two at a time before she let herself sag against the wall. He seemed okay about Todd now, but what about them? Could there even be a “them” if she shared her secrets, and he still wouldn’t share his.
Chapter 17
Justin spent the evening at home, tossing a ball for Pip and trying not to knock things over. He wished it wasn’t raining again. He wished Cat were there with him. He’d give a lot to see her sparkling blue eyes right now, but things were strained between them. He understood her better, and also understood he couldn’t be what she wanted. She was leaving when the job was over anyway—she’d already talked about restoration jobs in Portland.
He clamped down on the feelings and threw the ball down the hallway. Over and over, trying to throw Cat out of his mind. Each time, Pip pounced and brought it back for praise and a do-again. Each time, Justin mentally sent Cat farther down the road out of town.
The doorbell jarred him out of his thoughts. Cat!
He scooped Pip into his arms and reached the door in three long strides, his heart leaping in anticipation. He yanked the door open and found his mother standing there, lemon meringue pie in her hands.
“Justin, sweetie, how are you?” She kissed his cheek and headed for the kitchen.
His body sagged like a leaky tire, and it was a long moment before he could trail after his mother. “I didn’t know you were coming. I, uh, you can bring pie anytime you want.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” She waved the words away. The pie was already on the counter. “I just never got a chance to say hello when you were in last.”
This was not normal. He gave her a tight hug, then reached in the drawer for the pie server.
“Thanks.” His mom cut slices while he got plates and forks. “So how have you been?”
They chatted about the mansion while his mind searched for explanations for his mother’s visit. He hadn’t forgotten Sunday dinner. Robin wasn’t in any trouble. Was Mom here to pry about him and Cat? Encourage him in a useless endeavor? He didn’t think she was that desperate for him to get married, but it was all he could think of.
Ruth Anne licked the last crumbs off her fork. “One of my best, if I do say so myself. Here, have another piece.” She served him seconds before he was hardly done with the first. Then she leaned back and crossed her arms over her stomach. “So, son,” she said pleasantly, “tell me how it is you think you should control my finances.”
Lemon filling squished out the side of his mouth. He wiped it with a knuckle, half-choking as the rest slid slowly down his throat. “Uh …”
Ruth Anne leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. “This is my business and my employees. And it’s my job to know what’s going on. Not yours.”
“Mom, I just—”
“Your father and I raised you to do what’s right, even if it means accepting hard truths and making tough decisions. That means you have to allow other people, even people you love, to do the same thing. Am I right?”
“But Mom, I—”
“Am I right?”
The steel in her voice came through loud and clear. Justin sighed. “You’re right. Robin said the same thing.”
His mother sat back. “I know. I overheard.”
Justin played with his fork. “We never could keep anything from you. So you know about Hazel?”
“I found out about Hazel a week and a half ago.”
He bolted upright. “How? I tried hard to—”
“I finally hired a proper accountant to do an audit, something I should have done long ago. I’d been looking at the books and couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t come out straight.”
“You never said.”
“You’ve been busy,” she said gently. “Busy with work, thank goodness, and busy with Cat.”
He mashed a corner of the crust into tiny bits. “I tried so hard to protect you. I knew what good friends you and Hazel were.”
She stood and took her plate to the sink, squeezing his shoulder on the way. “It’s a good instinct to want to protect someone from danger, Justin, but you can’t protect them from life. We all have trials and disappointments. That’s how we grow.”
She fixed some instant coffee, then grimaced as she took a sip. “Don’t know how you drink this.”
He grinned. “I mostly don’t. That’s why I’m down at the restaurant so much.”
“So let me be a nosy mom for a bit. How’s Cat?”
Justin stared at the far wall. “It’s not going anywhere. I can’t be the man she wants. And she’s leaving anyway, so there’s no point in trying.”
His mother’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I thought you were good together.”
“I thought we were too. I know we were. But like you said, you have to deal with life’s disappointments, and this is one of mine.”
She nodded, absently took another sip of coffee, and grimaced again. “There will be someone to match your heart someday.”
Maybe. But he had really thought that someone was Cat.
Chapter 18
The next morning, Justin began his final check on the fully-installed wiring. Marty and Todd were at the bottom of the grand stairway, bent close, speaking in low murmurs, examining the grain and the joins.
Justin paused and watched for a moment, thinking about how much they’d accomplished in a month and how close he’d grown to Cat before things went haywire. Then he scowled. “Be honest, Cooper,” he muttered to him
self. “You weren’t just close, you fell in love.” After the last fitful night of wayward thoughts, he knew he loved her like he’d never loved anyone before. And despite what his mother said, he couldn’t imagine anyone else filling the place she occupied in his heart.
But no matter how Cat had once responded to his kisses, how well they fit together or how much of her past she had shared with him, she was actively looking for her next project. In Portland.
He looked across the room to where she was checking the plumbing. He yearned to set things right between them, to dissipate the tension and rekindle their stalled relationship. But even if he did, how could he handle being around her, listening to her laugh, enjoying the sweet touch of her lips, if she was leaving?
No, his electrical work was done, and she could carry on as a sole general contractor, just like she’d wanted in the first place. He’d take the IGA project that was waiting for him, help his mother with the recovery of the restaurant finances, and let Cat finish the mansion on her own. And not let her know how he really felt.
All he had to do was make things right with her. If they had to part company, he didn’t want to do it while she thought so badly of him.
His legs felt like jelly, but he finally hunkered down next to her. “You got a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
He shook his head. “Outside?”
With a puzzled look, she followed him out the back door.
He plucked a twig off the ground and stood staring over the creek. “You complained before that I kept secrets, that I wasn’t being completely honest.”
“Well you weren’t.” She crossed her arms and took up the familiar stiff stance. “I told you things I don’t usually tell anyone, and all I got was you clamming up.”
Justin avoided her eyes. “I couldn’t do anything else. They weren’t my secrets to tell. But I have permission now, not to mention a little sister railing on me.”
“Robin? This is about her?”
“No, it’s about Mom and the restaurant.” He explained about the embezzlement, about trying to protect his mother and make up the stolen money himself. By the time he was done, he’d taken all the bark off the twig and snapped it into tiny pieces.
Cat was aghast. “But that’s—”
“I know, impossible. Mom and Hazel were best friends, and I knew she’d be crushed, but still... never try to put one over on your mom, even if it’s for a good reason.”
“Of course not! You can be a knight in shining armor and help with money, but not in secret. We don’t like someone making decisions for us.”
“That’s what Robin said.”
“Robin?”
“I let it slip a while ago, and she told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t my decision to make.” Justin grimaced at the memory.
Cat grinned. “Of course she did. And you should always listen to your little sister—she knows what she’s talking about!” Then she sighed and looked away, seemingly focused on something downstream. “That explains your feelings about criminals always being criminals, and your need for justice.”
“Some of it goes back to Dad and the way I was raised, but yeah. And even when I got to know Todd and that big lunk came gunning for him, it didn’t sink in.” He rubbed his jaw, remembering. “Not until you told me your background.”
Cat stepped over to him. “Still sore?” She reached a hand up and touched his jaw lightly.
Justin caught his breath. He didn’t think it was going to be this hard. She was leaving, it was time to move on, but geez. The way her touch made him feel. “No, not really.”
“Just your pride, huh?” Her hand trailed down to his arm. Her eyes had turned the color of a summer sky. He ached to hold her, to recapture those moments from the picnic and Warm Springs.
He stepped back. This was why he needed some distance. He just couldn’t continue to work with her, to be with her every day, when she’d be leaving in another month or two. To be in love with someone when the relationship couldn’t go anywhere—he couldn’t put himself through that. Wouldn’t survive that.
He knew Cat wouldn’t either, and he didn’t want to leave her with a broken heart. The only consolation was that she’d managed to lower a few of her defenses, so maybe she’d be able to fall in love with someone later, someone who could travel around with her.
“Hey, you two!” Mitchell Blake crossed the yard toward them. “I came through the mansion, and it’s looking good.”
“Thanks,” Cat replied. “The woodwork is still to come, but the drywall crew is lined up, and Marty and Todd are working on the staircase and the gingerbread trim.”
The lawyer nodded in satisfaction. “Lights are on inside—all the electric’s done?”
“Yes sir,” Justin said. He took a deep breath and locked his heart down. “And I’m pretty much done here. I’ve got a project at the IGA to rework their freezer wiring, and they’ve been waiting a while for it. I’ll send you my final invoice.”
Cat stared at him. She blinked for a moment, then her face seemed to freeze. “You’re quitting? Just like that?”
Justin clenched his jaw, biting back the words he’d love to say. “You wanted to be the boss all along. Now you get to.”
“But I thought—”
He gave a sharp shake of his head. “There’s nothing to think about. You can finish this with no problem. I need to move on.”
Cat blinked rapidly, but turned her face so he couldn’t see if she was really crying. She nodded at Blake. In a steely voice, she said, “He’s right. I can wrap the project up myself. That was the plan all along, wasn’t it?” She looked back at Justin for a second, eyes clear, then touched Blake’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs.”
Justin watched the sun glint off her hair as she led Blake back to the mansion. A woman worth loving, a woman who cared for him, but he couldn’t bear to be around her when she wouldn’t be staying.
Chapter 19
Cat’s mind was only half on the tour she gave Mitchell Blake. Even as she showed him how the central chandelier lowered for cleaning and took him upstairs for a tour of the bedrooms and private baths, her mind swirled with Justin’s mixed signals.
He had finally opened up to her. He had honorable, good intentions for his family, but only by sacrificing himself, trying to rescue them when they didn’t need rescuing. He probably wouldn’t change much, but at least he wouldn’t do it in secret anymore. She grinned at the thought of quiet little Robin letting her brother know how things really were.
She wouldn’t want to be rescued either, even if she needed it someday. Especially not behind her back. She could take care of herself, thank you very much.
That didn’t mean she wouldn’t like a little love and companionship along the way. She had thought Justin was the one. She loved him, for heaven’s sake, and that had certainly never happened before. Not the way they laughed together, not the way they worked side by side, and certainly not the way his kisses made her tingle all the way down to her toes.
She led Mr. Blake into the finished kitchen, now gleaming with black granite counters and professional quality appliances. “There’s still a ways to go—drywall, flooring, trim and paint—but we’re on schedule.”
“Excellent, I knew you two would work well together,” Mr. Blake said. “It would be nice if he could continue, but… Anyway, I’ve been in touch with a decorator and it’s time to get her down here for an actual tour.”
Time dragged through the end of May and into June. Cat told herself she didn’t need Justin. Didn’t need a man in her life. She and Bella would do just fine, just like they always had.
She read in the paper that Chance and one of his gang were in juvenile detention now, although the other two got off with warnings. Hazel Crump had also been arrested clear out in Memphis.
Cat went on ordering material and paying invoices. She checked the drywall installation. She and Todd, working now for money, helped Marty with the staircase woodw
ork. And she was almost finished with the fireplace.
Sanding gave her pleasure. The repetition was soothing, almost meditative, and she loved the cool smoothness under her hand when she was done. The carved leaves and flowers would glow when the finish went on. The only problem was that it gave her time to think.
And there wasn’t much to think about besides Justin. She saw his red pickup around town and had to take slow breaths and focus on her own driving to not follow him with her eyes. He never looked at her, yet she knew his eyes must be drawn to her truck the same way.
It was time to move on, she reminded herself. The decorator was almost done, and Cat needed to find her next city. She did want to stay in Oregon, but not a small town in the mountains. Not where everybody knew everybody, and you ended up getting close to someone.
She’d taken a day off and toured a restoration project in northwest Portland, finally submitting her bid an hour before the deadline. Other than that, nothing had really grabbed her attention.
Cat was busy, though. The weeks passed as she worked with the designer to hire a lighting crew. She supervised the bathroom fixtures and flooring installation and oversaw the exterior painting.
And still she couldn’t get Justin out of her mind.
It was more than his green eyes and broad shoulders. It was the gentle teasing, the long nights on not-great air mattresses. It was exploring his favorite places with him, and the security she felt when he held her, the love that shone deeply in his eyes right before his lips met hers.
If she were honest, she didn’t want him out of her mind. Or her heart.
She wanted him with her, part of her life, part of her.
She’d run into him once at the IGA. He was buying steaks, and her heart clenched as she wondered who he was inviting up for dinner.
The lighting was installed, and the chandelier glowed and cast soft accents across the foyer at night. She remembered him sleeping there, sprawled across the air mattress with Pip at his feet, waking with sleepy eyes and tousled hair. She remembered his laughter every time she had poured orange juice on her cereal.