Chapter 2
Chapter Two
P almer stood outside of the restaurant, cursing himself for being so stupid. He should have walked in like ten minutes ago. No doubt his brother was already in there, waiting on him.
Sophia was there.
It had been a month since she’d returned home after her mother’s sudden death.
In that time, he’d done everything in his power to avoid seeing her. Not because he was embarrassed about anything from their past. Okay, so there were a few things he was embarrassed about, or at least should be.
No, he was afraid that if he saw her, he’d fall in love with her hard and fast. Again.
“Is there a problem here?” someone asked behind him.
He spun around and, in the process, lost his footing on a patch of ice. He reached out for something—anything—to steady himself. What he found was something soft, warm, and very much Sophia. The woman that had filled his mind for the past… lifetime.
“Hey,” she said, just as she too started to slip on the patch of ice.
“Steady,” he groaned and finally found purchase on a patch of dry sidewalk. Thankfully, he pulled her with him and held on until their movement stopped. “I’ve got you,” he said with a smile when she laughed.
Her dark hair was longer than the last time he’d seen her and had a few streaks of yellow—not blonde, but yellow. Somehow, it only made her look more attractive. She was wearing black pants, boots, and a heavy purple coat.
Her skin was flawless as usual. Her dark eyes ran over his face as she smiled up at him.
“I think that’s enough ice skating for me today,” she said with a chuckle. “You can let go now.”
“Do I have to?” he asked, then kicked himself for coming off creepy. He dropped his hold on her quickly.
“You’ve been standing out here for a while,” she pointed out, dusting the fresh snow from her jacket.
“Have I?” He frowned down at his shoes.
“Well, since I turned the corner, you’ve been just standing here.” She motioned to the spot where he’d been. “Afraid to go in?” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a blind date or something?”
“No,” he answered a little too quickly. “I’m meeting Parker for lunch.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you two fighting?”
He shook his head. “No, we’re… He’s… I’m telling him that I passed my last test. I’m officially a contractor.”
She chuckled. “I thought you were already a contractor.”
“Licensed. Up until now, I’ve just been a grunt working for my brother. Now I’ll be able to take charge on job sites. Make decisions. That sort of thing.” He shrugged, feeling his face heat. “I finished my schooling, passed the test earlier this morning.” His chin rose slightly.
“Wow, congratulations.” She pushed a fist into his shoulder.
Such a friend move. He shrank back instantly.
“Thanks.” He glanced at the restaurant. “I thought you were working?”
“I will be, once I get in there. I’m a little late due to the snow. Good thing my boss isn’t an ass.” She laughed at her own joke.
“I’m keeping you.” He moved slightly towards the door and slipped on the ice again.
This time, Sophia reached out to steady him.
“How about we do this together?” she said, holding on to him.
He nodded and they made their way slowly across the icy sidewalk. Together.
“There,” she said as he opened the front door of the restaurant. “We made it.” She laughed and removed her coat when she stepped inside. She wore a button-up black shirt with the restaurant’s logo on it. “And now I’m officially working.” She straightened her shirt and glanced around. “Your brother is just there.” She motioned.
He glanced over to see Parker smiling at them.
“Right.” He turned back towards Sophia. “Thanks.”
Before she could respond, someone called out, “Sophia,” and she turned and helped a coworker.
“Hey,” he said to his brother when he sat down.
“Did you ask her out this time?” Parker asked.
He groaned and glanced over to make sure Sophia was too busy to hear his idiot older brother.
“Piss off,” he said under his breath, causing Parker to laugh.
“If you weren’t such a dork you could have had at least one date in the past year,” Parker pointed out.
“I’ve gone out on dates,” he countered.
“Right.” Parker laughed. “When? With whom?”
“Last month. Lisa,” he said as he felt someone step up beside him.
“You went on a date with Lisa? Lisa Roberts?” Sophia asked, and he silently cursed his luck. “Isn’t she, like, seventeen?”
“No.” He glanced up at her. “It wasn’t with Lisa Roberts.” Sophia cocked her head and waited. “This Lisa is from Edgeview.”
She nodded slowly. “Water?” she asked and he nodded, feeling totally frustrated. “Ready to order?” she asked Parker.
He managed to make it through the entire meal without embarrassing himself in front of Sophia again. His brother was so excited about him passing his exam that he stood up and shouted the news to the entire restaurant. Cheers broke out and, shortly after, a shot of tequila appeared in front of him.
“On the house,” Sophia said with a wink, then disappeared.
He wanted to tell her that he was on the clock, but his brother motioned for him to drink it. “You deserve it. I can finish the Leslie’s fireplace rebuild today for you.”
“It’s only one shot,” he pointed out.
His brother slapped him on the shoulder. “One of what I assume will be many.” He motioned towards the other guests in the restaurant. Sure enough, before their food had been served, several more shots had been delivered for his celebration.
By the time he was finished eating, his brother had to steady him as they walked out the door. “I’ll drop you off at your place first, then head over to finish that fireplace.”
“I can walk.” He motioned down the street to the building. He’d rented a small cottage on the beach not far from there a few years back and had stuck with it since the rent was cheap and he liked the solitude.
The snow was falling even harder than before, with over an inch sticking on the ground already.
“Nope,” Parker said, moving them towards his truck. “I’ll drop you off.”
When his brother shoved him in the passenger seat and got behind the wheel, Palmer glanced over at him. “You know, before you came into my life, things were hell.”
“I know.” Parker smiled at him as he turned on the truck.
“Our folks are shitheads.”
Parker chuckled. “Locked-up shitheads.”
“Right.” He laughed. “When I found out about you…” He glanced over at his older brother. The one he hadn’t known about most of his life. Until their father and mother had plotted to kill Parker and steal their grandmother’s inheritance. “I never thought I’d get so lucky.”
“Me either,” Parker said with a nod. “The day you came into our lives was the happiest day of my life.”
Palmer laughed. “No, the days Ethan, Ellie, and Liam were born were the happiest.”
“That and the day Sara married me,” Parker agreed. “Okay, lots of good days.”
“This one is up there for me.” He sighed and rested his head back, instantly remembering the feeling of his arms wrapped around Sophia.
“Because you passed your exams or because of that little dance you did with Sophia on the street?”
“You saw that?” He groaned.
“Everyone in the restaurant saw that.” Parker chuckled.
Palmer shut his eyes and leaned his head against the window.
“She just lost her mom,” he said as he enjoyed the feel of the cold glass against his heated head.
“Yeah, but sometimes the timing is messed up. Sometimes…” He dropped off, and Palmer glanced over at him.
“What?”
“I proposed to Sara while she was lying in a hospital bed after our dad tried to kill us.” He shrugged. “Timing is what it is when it’s meant to be.”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t think Sophia feels about me the way Sara feels about you.”
“You might be surprised,” Parker said, stopping behind Palmer’s truck, which sat in front of the little cottage he was calling home.
“Thanks for the ride.” He reached for the door handle.
“Oh.” Parker threw the truck into park and reached towards the back seat. “I meant to give this to you.” He smiled as he handed him a long thin box. “Congratulations on getting your license.”
“Thanks.” Palmer smiled and took the gift.
“See you tomorrow. We start the Owen’s barn renovation.”
“Right.” He nodded and then jumped out and headed through the snow to the front porch as his brother’s truck disappeared.
Needing the cool air to shake him from the drunken stupor, he sat down on the porch swing and opened the gift.
Inside was a framed certificate and a black polo shirt. He looked at the shirt first.
The polo shirt featured white embroidery with the company’s signature double-C logo. Normally, beneath the logo, the words Clark Construction would appear in smaller text. But instead, his name was stitched there, bold and unmistakable.
Palmer Clark, co-owner.
He stared at it for a moment, running his fingers over the lettering as the words sank in, realization dawning on him like a wave. Then he shifted his gaze and read the certificate.
Parker and Palmer Clark. Owners of Clark Construction. There was a seal from the city and the mayor’s signature.
Owner? His brother was officially making him his partner. This is how he told him?
Pulling out his phone, he punched his brother’s number.
“You jackass,” he said when Parker answered.
Parker laughed. “I thought you’d like it.”
“Get back here so I can hug you,” Palmer said.
“No can do. My business partner has decided to slack off today. As it is, I’m late finishing a fireplace. Tomorrow you can hug me.”
“Fine.” He leaned his head back. “Parker?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being my brother.”
“Thank you . Love you.”
“Love you too,” he said and hung up.