Chapter 5
Five
“You don’t have to be here for this.”
Brax leveled Jonah with a flat stare. “I’m fine.”
“That why you’ve been pacing like a caged tiger since we got here?”
Brax stopped in the process of doing exactly that around the perimeter of the bar. He was fine. It was natural to feel a little dread at seeing his wife again. Christ Almighty, why should that rattle him so much? It changed nothing. It was just a formality that hadn’t yet been disentangled.
And he hadn’t been able to stop wondering about that since Holt had brought it up.
Now wasn’t the time or place to ask her. They’d had enough delays getting this consultation meeting rescheduled. Delays that had given them enough time to attack the interior of the building with more commercial cleaners than he’d been aware existed in the world. Perhaps that had been a waste of time, if they were only going to demo the place for a renovation, but it had given them something to do. And at least he didn’t feel like he’d get tetanus just from walking inside.
The sound of tires on gravel had his gut tightening. Time to put his game face on. The idea of having to use it with Mia felt unnatural. For so many years, she’d been the only one he could let his guard down around. The only one he’d been able to trust. And she’d betrayed him. He’d never imagined she could or would. Before she’d left, he would have staked his life on her loyalty. Which just went to show that he wasn’t as good a judge of character as he’d believed.
She came through the door with Porter, and this time Brax let himself look, to soak in the sight of her. Her body was a compact package of lean muscle, no doubt built on the job, but she still had the curves he’d always loved. She didn’t hide them now, as she had when they were teens. Then again, the oversized shirts and jackets she’d favored would likely be a danger on a construction site. She’d pulled her thick, sable hair back into a low ponytail, leaving her face unframed. Her cheeks were sharper now, and he recognized the signs of poor sleep in the shadows beneath those long-lashed eyes. It annoyed Brax that his first thought was concern.
Mia’s gaze settled on him for a long moment. Assessing his mood, perhaps? He concentrated on betraying nothing, simply crossing his arms, and waiting.
She swallowed and put on her fake-it-’til-you-make-it smile. “Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for meeting with us again. How about you tell us what it is you’re thinking about doing here so we can get started?”
Straight to it, then. That was probably best, before the awkward could take over. If she was going to act like a professional, so would he.
As it was Jonah’s building, they left him to answer. “Well, we’re looking into what it would take to convert this place into a bakery.”
“A bakery?” Mia blinked and looked over at Brax. “That is… not what I was expecting. Okay.” She swung her attention back to Jonah and Holt. “Are you looking at a combination bakery and coffee shop, with a need for lots of seating or more of a carryout business model?”
It was a good question from someone not in the business. Then again, bakeries had been one of her favorite places to go on the rare occasion they could afford a treat. He supposed that hadn’t changed, and she was a woman who paid attention.
“We’re skewing toward more of the latter. The kitchen needs expanding, for sure, to accommodate all three of us.”
Brax wasn’t at all sure he’d take the offer, but now wasn’t the time to mention it.
Mia darted another quick look in his direction. Curiosity. Surprise. But she held in whatever questions she had. “Let’s take a look.”
They all trooped back through the swinging door into the less disgusting kitchen. Brax had tackled the range himself. Without the layers of grease and grime, the unit appeared to be half decent. Likely it would do for the caramels, jams, and other fillings that needed stovetop cooking. If they could keep from having to replace it for a year or two, it would save them several thousand dollars.
Mia wandered the space, eying the location of power outlets, pipes, the drain. “I expect you’ll want to put in—what?—two sets of double commercial ovens? You’ll need bigger prep sinks, at least one more stainless-steel counter.” She muttered to herself, making notes on the clipboard she held. “Hmm.”
Giving the existing stainless counter a testing push, she smoothly hopped up onto it, reaching up to shift over one of the tiles in the drop ceiling.
“I wouldn’t stick my head up there,” Holt muttered.
Mia flashed a wry smile. “Part of the job.” But she did tap the frame with a flashlight. When nothing moved, she rose to her toes, attempting to peer into the darkness. “Damn. Not tall enough. Porter, you want to come play ladder?”
Brax didn’t know why he did it. Maybe as a challenge to himself. But he found himself beside the table before the other man could move. “Use me.”
Startled, she glanced down at him. “I don’t?—”
He simply made a basket with his hands and waited as questions flitted through her eyes.
After a long, long moment, she stepped into his hands and up onto his shoulders. The tread of her work boots dug into his skin, weirdly grounding. When she wobbled, he offered his hand. Her fingers closed around his, and Brax felt the fine tremors in the touch. She wasn’t anywhere near as unaffected as she wanted him to believe.
And damn it, that got to him.
Mia straightened, her head and shoulders disappearing through the ceiling. She peered into the darkness, panning her light inside the hole. As she shifted, Brax wrapped his hands around her lower legs, keeping her steady. He tried not to notice the muscles of her calves and really tried not to think about the last time he’d been this close to her legs.
This was a terrible idea. He shouldn’t have laid a hand on her. Shouldn’t have let himself be reminded of the feel of her skin against his.
“Well, there’s good news and bad news. Let me down.”
When she would have stepped clumsily down from his shoulders, Brax simply reached up and gripped her hips, plucking her from her perch. Mia squeaked, her hands flailing for a moment before landing on his shoulders.
Oh boy. That was another terrible idea.
Those strong fingers dug in, and for a moment he thought she’d wrap around him. The fact that he wanted it so damned much had him setting her on her feet and stepping hastily back.
She swayed for a moment, eyes wide. Brax resisted the urge to swipe away the streak of dust on her cheek.
“Um. The good news is that the wall between the kitchen and the dining space isn’t load bearing. That means we can move it without a lot of fuss. The bad news is that, although nothing is moving up there right now, a colony of something has set up nests in the ceiling, so there’s a good chance the wiring has been gnawed on. The entire system will need inspection to determine what may need replacement or upgrade for the heavier load the ovens will take.”
She added a few more notations to her clipboard. “How set are y’all on keeping the kitchen entirely separate from the dining area?”
“What do you mean?” Holt asked.
“You could get a more open feel for the entire space if you left the kitchen in more or less plain view of the dining area. People could watch you work. It could be a nice mix of functional kitchen and sort of industrial rustic. Knock out that wall there, move it out about fifteen feet, and case it with heavy beams. Raise the ceiling, maybe put in some skylights.”
“Like that place in Spokane,” Brax murmured, remembering exactly the image she was outlining. How many times had they hit up that bakery for special occasions, to indulge her sweet tooth?
Her look was hesitant. “Yeah. Exactly. Then you either leave it fully open, with counters dividing the space, or have a large pass-through, maybe with a rolling garage door sort of deal, so you have the option to open or close for more privacy to work.”
Brax didn’t know how to feel about the fact that she was suggesting something from their past. He didn’t get the sense she was trying to manipulate anything, but it felt weird to have any of their shared history coming out here. Still, it would be a solid use of the space.
They continued to discuss the options, including the prospective addition of a wrap-around porch, which would offer outdoor seating when the weather was nice and would change the face of the building without as much expense as raising the roofline. By the time they’d gone through everything, Brax could sense the humming excitement of his friends.
“I’ll work up a quote and design by the end of the week, dividing things out by different phases,” Mia promised.
“Sounds good.” Jonah shook her hand. “You’ve got a lot of good ideas. We look forward to seeing them.”
She nodded and turned to Brax. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”
After only a moment’s hesitation, he followed her out to her truck, wondering if this was where the awkward would rear its ugly head. She opened the door, tossing the clipboard inside and rummaging around a bit before coming up with an envelope.
“This is what I found about divorce laws in Tennessee. Everything you need to know is inside. Unless you want to file in whatever state you have residency, I’ll have to get the ball rolling here. Look it over and let me know what you want to do.”
Surprised she was this on top of things, Brax took the envelope. “Thanks.”
She shifted restlessly, as if she wanted to say something. “Well, okay then. I’ll get to work on that estimate.”
Brax tapped the envelope against his palm as she dragged open the driver’s side door again. “Why didn’t you seek this out before?”
He hadn’t meant to ask, but hell, he’d resisted getting answers of any kind for years. His willpower to keep holding out was sapped.
Mia turned back, dark eyes searching his face. “Because you were deployed for most of it, and I didn’t want to do anything that might distract you and get you killed. And because—” She cut herself off, looking away toward the mountains in the distance.
“Because what?”
Her hand flexed on the door. “Because I never wanted this.”
Stunned, Brax could only stare as she slid into the truck and slammed the door. He was still staring as she drove away, leaving him with even more questions than he’d had before.
By all rights, Mia should’ve been heading to a job site. They had several in various stages around the county just now. But she’d bailed, sending Porter a text to say she wanted to work on the prospective designs for the bakery. Which she would. Later. During the wee hours when she inevitably couldn’t sleep because she was over-analyzing every second of her interaction with Brax today and remembering how it had felt to have his hands on her again in any capacity.
For now, she’d driven to her project house, needing some solo time to get her head on straight. If they got this job, she’d be seeing Brax on a regular basis. Hell, he could be moving here to Eden’s Ridge. It wasn’t a big town. She’d see him. And he wouldn’t be hers.
Could she handle that? Being faced with the aftermath of her mistakes? Having a front-row seat to everything she’d lost if— when he moved on with someone else.
Oh Jesus, he’d thought they were divorced for the past decade. He probably had moved on. He wasn’t bound up with the past like she was. What if he had a girlfriend somewhere? A whole other life somewhere? He’d had the time and opportunity to build one, same as she had. And with the information he’d been given, he had every right to move on. The divorce was just a formality for him. He’d let her go a long time ago. She was the only one who had to deal with this as a fresh wound.
Feeling ill, she braced herself on the kitchen island.
What the hell was she doing here? Was working on this house, the thing the two of them used to dream of, really going to exorcise the ghost of their relationship when the man himself was here? When he wanted to end things? Wouldn’t this turn out to be just another reminder?
The screen door squeaked open, and she straightened, hastily wiping at the tears she hadn’t intended to shed.
“You’re avoiding me, my girl.” Luca’s teasing voice preceded the footsteps into the kitchen. “So, I came to beard the lioness in her den and offer my back for help with whatever project you have going.”
Of course, he had. Because their friendship was long-standing enough not to stand on ceremony or invitations.
The smile she’d heard in his tone faded as he circled around the counter and caught sight of her face. “Mia? What’s wrong? What happened?”
He closed the distance between them and would’ve folded her into an embrace if she hadn’t held up a hand.
She wasn’t ready for this. She’d barely processed the news herself. But she had to tell him about Brax being in town before he got blindsided with it as part of the crew if they got the job. God, she didn’t even want to think about the gossip that would run rampant through the crew when this came out. Her relationship status, or lack thereof, had been a major point of curiosity at Mountainview Construction. But one thing at a time. Luca was the one in front of her, so she’d deal with him first.
The long exhale did nothing to calm her racing heart. Better to spit it out quick, like ripping off a Band-aid. “Brax is in town.”
Luca’s hands curled into fists and fury leapt in his eyes. “What did that son of a bitch say to you? What did he do?”
That instant readiness to defend was both endearing and exhausting. Just being in the same room with his snapping temper left her even more drained than she already had been.
“Calm down. There’s no reason for this over-protective routine. He didn’t come here looking for me.”
“Then what the hell is he doing here?”
She rubbed at the ache blooming in her temple. “Prospectively opening a bakery with a couple of military friends. Mountainview got called to work up a quote on the renovation of the building.”
Luca’s brows drew together. “So, it’s just a fluke that he’s in town?”
“Looks that way. Convenient, really, since he wants a divorce.”
“Good.” Luca’s fierce tone had her flinching. He gentled at once. “I’m sorry, honey, but this is way overdue. I know you’ve had your reasons for not pursuing it, but it’s long past time to press play on your life again.”
Even as part of her knew he was right, she resented it. And on the heels of the resentment came guilt, because Luca had been there for her through her darkest days, and she loved him for it.
He ran a hand down her arm, and Mia fought the urge to step back, bristling like a porcupine.
“You’re not gonna take the job, are you?”
“This is my business. Mountainview Construction is the best in the area, so yeah, we’re gonna work up an estimate, and if they choose to hire us, we’ll take it.”
“Is that really a good idea?”
“I’m not letting my disaster of a personal life get in the way of a lucrative opportunity. There are too many people counting on us for a paycheck. You included. It’s a matter of professional reputation.”
A muscle ticked in Luca’s jaw. “Is that all it is?”
“I have my pride. That may be all I have left when this is all over, but by God, I’m hanging onto it. So, if we get the job, we do the job. It’s not like he’s going to be underfoot while we’re working. I don’t even know if the rest of them will be around during the renovation. Right now, it’s a bunch of blanks, and I’m not going to waste my limited energy worrying about things that haven’t happened yet.”
“And the divorce?”
Mia held in her wince. She’d have to get used to the word. It would apply soon enough. “We’ll do what’s necessary in order to finalize it. In a couple of months, it’ll be resolved, and we’ll be on to the next job.”
He studied her in silence for a long minute before nodding. “Okay. I know you don’t feel like it right now, but someday, when this is all over, you’ll want to celebrate being free of this burden. When you are, I’m there. Your ride or die.”
She couldn’t imagine that day ever coming. But she knew Luca meant well, so she worked up a wan smile. “Thanks, pal. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He swung an arm around her shoulders. “You’d take a shit-ton longer on this flip. C’mon. Let’s find something for you to demo. You’ll feel better if you break something.”