14. Shep
14
SHEP
Anson looked up at the old farmhouse and let out a whistle. “You really went for it with this one.”
“It’s not as bad as Rho’s Victorian,” I defended.
He shook his head as he started walking around the side of the house. “Maybe not, but it’s bigger, and we’ve only got the two of us working on it for the most part.”
It would’ve gone a lot faster if I could’ve put a full crew on it, but we had too many other projects, and being the owner of Colson Construction meant I had to make choices that were the best for the company as a whole. I couldn’t delay someone else’s job because I wanted more workers on mine, especially when one of those undertakings was my sister’s.
The best I could do was to steal Anson. And that was a lot. Because my friend did damn good work, and his attention to detail was unparalleled. It had to be the profiler in him. His time working for the FBI and burrowing into deranged minds had left him attuned to even the slightest things. It came in handy on construction sites .
“Bigger just means I’ll be able to flip it for more of a profit.” But the moment the words were out of my mouth, I wasn’t sure they were true. Something about the ole girl called to me. And the quiet beauty of the landscape around us put me at ease.
“True,” Anson said as he studied the house. “You get an official offer on your Craftsman?”
I nodded. “Above asking. We close next week, and Jennie got them to hold move-in for two weeks. Should give me enough time to find a place.”
“Good luck with that,” Anson muttered. “Tourist season is in full swing, and it keeps lasting longer and longer.”
That was true and definitely a concern. I scrubbed a hand over my face. “If I’m not careful, I’ll end up living with Cope’s nosy ass.”
Anson chuckled. “The good thing about that is you know he’ll only be home for a few weeks at most.”
Cope never stayed long. He always said it was due to work commitments, but I wondered if it was more. “He’s too pushy to live with for even two weeks.”
Anson was quiet for a moment before turning to me. “They’re worried about you.”
I stiffened. “I’m not the person they should be worried about.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not, but it doesn’t change that they are. Because they care .”
“You know,” I mumbled, “I think I liked it better when you refused to talk to anyone.”
Anson barked out a laugh. That action alone showed how much had changed over the past few months. How much Rhodes had changed him. “You’re the one who always wanted to talk about my feelings . How’s it feel to have the tables turned?”
“Feels like shit. Thanks,” I muttered.
My phone dinged, and I glanced down at the screen.
Mara
I got two tickets to the Design Fest in Roxbury next weekend. Want to come with?
I frowned at the device. While Mara knew plenty about construction thanks to her job at the hardware store, she found all my architectural design talk boring. She’d gritted her way through it because she wanted to make me happy, but she did a bad job of pretending.
“Why do you look like someone just dropped rotting trash on your phone screen?” Anson asked.
I sighed, flipping the device around to him. “Mara.”
He shook his head. “Were you clear with her that things were done?”
I scowled at my friend. “Of course, I was.”
Anson held up both hands. “I’m just saying that sometimes you aren’t clear enough because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. It’s better to cause pain in the present to prevent agony in the future.”
“Who are you? The Yoda of Sparrow Falls?” I snapped. “I told her that my feelings for her didn’t run deeper than friendship and that we should leave it there.”
Anson nodded. “That’s pretty clear. But it looks like she might need you to hammer that point home if she’s still asking you this sort of thing.”
I glared down at the phone but knew he was right. Mara and I had broken up in early spring, and she was still trying to maneuver opportunities for us to spend time together, even when I ignored previous messages. My fingers flew across the screen.
Me
I appreciate the offer, but I think it’s best if we don’t spend any one-on-one time together. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I think you’re amazing, but I don’t see a future for us.
The moment I hit send, those three little dots appeared. Then they disappeared. Then they reappeared.
Mara
Stings that you feel that way. Especially after everything we shared. But I’ll back off.
I winced.
“Ooof,” Anson muttered as he peered over my shoulder.
I gave him a shove. “Nosy much? ”
“Hey, you showed me the first one.”
That was true enough, but I didn’t want to think about Mara or her guilt trips. “Come on, I want to show you the back. I’m thinking swimming pool.”
Anson let out another low whistle. “Going full five stars with this place.”
“I think it fits.” I didn’t always go with full luxury. I let the houses and property set the tone for the reno. I had never been one of those builders who put a McMansion on a quarter-acre lot. But this property? It fit. There was a way to blend the luxury into the land.
“Damn,” Anson said as we rounded the corner of the house, and the backyard and surrounding property came into view. “If Rho and I weren’t moving into the Victorian, I’d be making you an offer on this place.”
I stiffened at Anson’s words because I wasn’t sure I wanted to give up this house. “At least you share my vision. I’m thinking pool here.” And taking in Thea’s incredible landscaping yesterday had given me ideas. “Natural rockscape all around, and no perfect shapes, so it feels more like a pond than a pool.”
“That’ll look great. You could do a water feature that reads like a small waterfall.”
I could see it as Anson spoke. Something that made you think of a brook spilling over into a lagoon. “I like it.”
He turned back to me. “And how the hell are you going to have time for all of this? Rho said you took on a project at Thea’s, too.”
I forced my muscles to stay relaxed at the mention of her name—even though she’d crossed my mind more times than I could count. Her ridiculous overalls and that cat the size of a lion. Her incredible meal and guarded kindness.
“Hoping that doesn’t take too long,” I lied.
Anson snorted. “Sure, you are. Got a chance to win over the one woman who’s shot you down in the past decade. You’re hoping that job lasts till Christmas.”
The chuckle slipped out unbidden. “All right, I’m enjoying having a chance to get to know her. ”
He studied me for a long moment. “And what have you found out?”
It didn’t surprise me that Anson was curious. He couldn’t turn off the profiler’s urge to analyze all the pieces of a person. Especially if they were mysterious in any way.
I mulled over the words I wanted to say, trying to figure out if talking about Thea was a betrayal. But I knew Anson was a vault, and I also knew that Rho had likely already talked to him about much of this. “She’s been hurt. I know that much for certain.”
Anson’s face hardened to stone. He’d seen a lot of horrible things during his time with the FBI, but he especially hated anyone who harmed women.
“I’m not sure how, but the idea of having me in her house totally tweaked her. So far, I’ve only been able to do work outside.”
Anson mulled over my words, sifting through them in his mind. “No matter what ways she’s been hurt, she’ll need control now. You have to let her lead. If she draws a boundary, do not cross it.”
I nodded. “I haven’t pushed. But I’m not sure how I can get her to trust me.”
Anson’s gaze locked with mine. “Time and letting her see the vulnerable parts of you. Then maybe she’ll be brave enough to show you the same in her.”
My truck bumped along the gravel road to Thea’s house. I couldn’t help but wonder if the road was privately owned or county jurisdiction. It desperately needed to be regraded. I added that to a mental list of things to look into.
As I rounded the bend, I saw a flash of dark brown hair. Thea straightened, her hand tightening around the hose she held in her hand as she watered the front yard. I knew she’d had to drag it all the way from the greenhouse to get any water.
A flicker of annoyance mixed with the frustration swirling inside me. I needed to find the source of Thea’s leak so we could get the water turned back on in her house.
She watched as I approached, but when she confirmed it was me behind the wheel, I saw a little of the tension leave her muscles. That tiny easing felt like I’d won the goddamn lotto.
As I pulled into the makeshift lot in front of her house, I saw Moose bounding after a bug in the grass. I couldn’t help but shake my head. I was sure if someone studied the creature, they’d find he was some sort of mutant crossbreed and not a cat at all.
Throwing my truck into park, I shut off the engine and grabbed the bag and drink holder next to me. I’d cursed myself for not asking what Thea liked to eat yesterday, but thanks to the turkey sandwiches, I at least knew she wasn’t a vegetarian.
Sliding out of the truck, I headed in her direction. “Garden’s looking good. Well, minus the trench I put in it.”
Those plump lips twitched. “Dirt going back in place is way easier than moving it out.”
“True enough.” I lifted the bag in my hand. “How do you feel about takeout from The Pop?”
Something flashed in Thea’s deep brown eyes. Pleasure, I realized. Then, a hesitant smile tipped the corners of her mouth. “They make the best onion rings around. I’ve tried to replicate them at home, but they’re always seriously lacking.”
“Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve got onion rings in this bag.”
Her hesitant smile turned into a full grin. “Let me just get this water shut off.”
I was about to say I’d do it for her, but Thea was already jogging in the direction of the greenhouse. So, I just made my way to the back deck where we’d eaten yesterday. As I approached, Moose eyed me warily. It was then that I saw he had a harness on, which was connected to a leash, which was clipped to a stake in the ground.
“Doesn’t trust you to roam freely, huh?”
Moose hissed in my direction.
“Hey, I’m not the one who put you in a harness, pal. ”
Moose plunked his ass on the ground and began licking his paw and washing his face. What a weird mutant beast cat.
I set down the drinks and bag groaning with food, and removed everything so Thea could have first pick. Since I hadn’t known what she liked, I’d gone with options. There was a club sandwich, a cheeseburger, a Rueben, and a cheesesteak. Then there were the sides. Regular fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries, and tater tots.
“Is there any food left at The Pop?” Thea asked, surveying my spread.
I straightened, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Wasn’t sure what you liked.”
“So, you bought the entire menu?”
I chuckled. “Not even close.”
A piece of Thea’s hair slipped from the braid it was in as she took it all in, then she lifted her eyes to me. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
“I wanted to. It won’t be nearly as good as your creations, but I didn’t get the cooking gene like some of my siblings did.” I watched as her focus returned to the food, a sort of longing on her face. “You’ve got first pick. I like it all.”
She studied the boxes carefully and then bent, selecting the cheeseburger. I made a mental note of that.
“There are chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry milkshakes. And Cokes,” I added.
Thea lowered herself to the deck step and reached for the chocolate shake. Then her eyes came to me. “Thank you. I don’t get takeout very much, so this is a treat.”
My gut twisted as I sat because I had a feeling money was the reason she didn’t get takeout all that often. And I instantly knew I’d be bringing her meals from as many places around here as I could. I reached out and took the cheesesteak, resting it on my lap. “You’re welcome.”
Thea took a bite of the burger, and her eyes fell closed. She didn’t make a single sound, but her expression said it all. Pure pleasure coasted across her face. And I couldn’t help but think about that look in other sorts of circumstances.
Hell.
I cleared my throat, trying to shake myself out of anything resembling those thoughts. “So,” I said, trying to distract myself, “what are your food likes and dislikes? Give me the heavy hitters.”
Thea smiled as she reached for her shake. “Likes: cheeseburgers, anything Italian, falafel, and Indian samosas.”
My brows lifted. “Falafel, huh? I’m not sure we have that around here.”
She laughed then, the sound hitting me square in the chest. “Sparrow Falls is sadly lacking in both Mediterranean and Indian food, but there’s actually a really good Indian spot in Roxbury.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Definitely worth a stop if you have to head that way.”
Roxbury was a bigger town about thirty minutes from here. Occasionally, I’d head out that way if a project required specialty fixtures. “What about dislikes?”
Thea drummed her long, slender fingers against her cup. “Shellfish and melon. I think they’re both a consistency thing.”
“Fair enough.”
She was quiet for just a moment before asking, “What about you?”
It was pathetic how happy I was about her asking me a single question. “Likes: steak, my mom’s sausage and egg casserole, and Rho’s peanut butter poke cake. Dislikes: parsnips, carrot cake, and beets.”
Thea’s lips twitched. “What did root vegetables ever do to you?”
“Maybe they were meant to stay in the ground.”
She chuckled at that, and the sound made me feel like I’d won another damn prize. “Fair enough. I’ll have to get that peanut butter poke cake recipe from Rho. That sounds good.”
“It’s amazing.”
We kept eating, letting a comfortable silence settle around us. Every now and then, we’d ask each other an easy question, nothing that took a lot of thought or had any chance of stirring up demons. But it was still the best non-date I’d had in years. The simple ease of it was nice.
When we were done, I pushed the remaining boxes toward her. “Why don’t you keep the leftovers? They’ll just go bad in my truck.”
“I can put them in my fridge, but you should take them home. Especially if you don’t like to cook.”
I tried to think about the best approach to get her to keep them. There wasn’t much I could do to fix whatever was going on in Thea’s life, but I could do this. “How about we split it? Neither of us will be able to eat it all.”
Thea arched a brow at me. “And whose fault is that, Mr. Buys-the-whole-menu?”
I grinned. “Impulse control issues.” I quickly bagged up the remaining food and handed it to her. “Here. I’m going to get back to the trench. I should be able to survey the whole waterline tonight.”
Thea twisted the bag around her fingers, tightening it with each revolution, but she didn’t move toward the house.
A heaviness settled back in my gut. “There’s no rush, Thorn. I don’t set foot inside that house until you’re ready for me to be there.”
Her brown eyes cut to me. “Why are you being so nice?”
There was suspicion there, and I knew that if I didn’t tell her the truth now—and all of it—I’d lose any shot with Thea. For friendship or more. She needed to know that I wouldn’t hide things from her. Wouldn’t lie. So, I gave it to her.
“I like you. Even when you were prickly as all hell, I admired it. There’s something real about you. An honesty you don’t see a lot these days. And there’s kindness. You might try to hide it beneath those thorns you love so much, but I’ve seen it. And, somehow, it’s more potent since you’re not using it for show. You’d rather have no one see you extending a hand to someone else. That’s why.”
“Oh.” Thea’s mouth formed the shape, along with the word.
I stood, taking my Coke with me. “And you’re damn nice to look at, so that doesn’t hurt either.”
With those parting words, I walked away.