50. Shep
50
SHEP
“You’re whistling again.”
I stilled my finger on the nail gun, easing off. Hell. I had been whistling along to the tune of Wild Horses .
Anson chuckled. “I really thought after everything that happened yesterday, you’d be all snarls and demo. Nice to see I was wrong.”
I shot a nail into the two-by-four we were using to frame out the transition from the entryway to the living space. “Fuck off.”
That only made Anson laugh harder. “I gotta find out what drug Thea is injecting you with. We should bottle that shit. We’d be billionaires.”
I just shook my head and shot another nail. It wasn’t like either of us was hurting for cash. Anson had written a few books on the criminal mind that kept him flush, and business was booming for Colson Construction. So much so that I had a waiting list out almost a year.
Anson released the plank the moment I shot the final nail we needed. “How are you really?”
“Trying to keep my cool.” It wasn’t easy, though. Just knowing Brendan was walking around free as a bird ate at me. “Trace sent the official letter to Brendan’s lawyers this morning.”
Anson straightened, mulling that over. “How he reacts to that will tell us a lot. It’s possible he moves on in search of another target.”
As much as I wanted Brendan far away from Thea, I hated the idea of him doing this to another woman. “Dex making any progress at all?”
It was a dumb question. If Anson’s hacker had found anything monumental, he would’ve shared.
“He thinks he’s making progress on finding a way in. He’s got Brendan’s email, and if he can get him to click on a link, he’ll be able to gain access. I’m trying to come up with something that will make him bite.”
I studied Anson for a long moment. “You’re profiling him so you can hack him.”
One corner of his mouth kicked up. “I am.”
“Thank you.” My words had a rasp to them, carrying an emotion I didn’t have the ability to express. Because thank you wasn’t nearly enough.
Anson clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll always have your back.”
A honk sounded from the front of the house, making both Anson and me look in that direction.
Anson turned back to me. “Expecting someone?”
I shook my head.
We both braced. There’d been too much bad shit these past few months. It wasn’t like an assassin was going to honk before they shot us dead, but we were prepared for anything.
As we headed outside, I caught sight of the approaching flatbed truck. Not an assassin, after all. My windows.
“Damn, those look pretty,” Anson muttered.
“I was right to go with the black frames.”
He nodded. “I wasn’t sure if that would look too modern, but it’s going to be perfect.”
“Especially with the worn gray tones we’re going with for the exterior,” I agreed. A familiar twitchiness spread through me, but the good kind. The kind that meant I couldn’t wait to dive into work.
The truck pulled to a stop, the engine shutting off. The driver’s door opened, and Mara slid out, a smile across her face. “Delivery, boys.”
I hated the way my gut soured at her arrival. Mara hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. I just didn’t have the energy to deal with tiptoeing around feelings this afternoon.
“Thanks,” I said, forcing a smile out of politeness.
She crossed to me, blond hair pulled up into a ponytail of loose waves. She handed me a clipboard. “They came in this morning. Hal wasn’t going to deliver for another three days, so I offered to bring them out. The only payment I require is a tour. This place is awesome.”
I could feel Anson’s eyes on me, part assessment, part warning. I took the clipboard and quickly scrawled my name. “We’re pretty slammed today. Maybe when we’re farther along.”
Mara’s smile stayed in place as she gave me a playful smack with the board. “Aw, come on. Five minutes. I just want to see her guts and how you opened her up.”
Hell.
“Sure,” I gritted out. “A, why don’t you come with us?” I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t want to give Mara the wrong idea either.
Anson coughed in an attempt to hide his laugh at my discomfort. “Sure thing, boss.”
I flipped him off behind Mara’s back as she headed into the house.
“This is incredible,” she called from inside.
I kept the tour as brief as possible, not even venturing to the second story. Anson moved through the house with us but kept his distance. As we reached the entryway, Mara grinned at me. “You are going to make a mint when you sell this place. And it’s going to make some family ridiculously happy.”
Her words were kind, but they still grated. I didn’t care about making millions. I wanted to do good work. And usually, I loved the idea of a family making a home in a space I’d created, but this was different somehow. This place felt like mine more than any other. And maybe that was because Thea had been a part of it, too.
From the walls she’d helped me knock down to listening to me incessantly talk about my plans and ideas, she was woven into the fibers of the farmhouse. And I couldn’t imagine giving that up.
“Thanks,” I muttered, my tone a bit crisper.
Mara’s brows drew together in confusion, and I didn’t blame her.
At the sound of tires crunching gravel, we all moved outside. At the sight of Thea’s ancient sedan, a grin spread across my face. But it quickly died when I remembered who was here. Shit.
Anson clapped me on the back. “Good luck with this one.”
I would’ve flipped him off again, but we were in plain view of everyone.
Thea pulled into a makeshift spot in the front of the house and climbed out, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings.
I scowled. “Did you come out here alone?”
She sent me a droll smile. “My deputy detail followed me to the drive to make sure I got here safe and sound.”
A little of my anxiety eased at that, but it was still risky. What if I hadn’t been here? What if Brendan had been watching, waiting? I struggled to let those fears go. She could see my vehicle and Anson’s from the road. She was being careful.
I crossed to Thea, dropping my head to give her a quick kiss. “Work go okay?”
She knew what I was asking. “Everything was good. Other than the fact that Luca was hanging with us today and ate his body weight in icing. He was bouncing off the walls when I left.”
I chuckled at the mental imagery of the seven-year-old pinballing around the bakery. “Sutton deserves a medal and a crown.”
“And a day at the spa,” Thea agreed, then turned her focus to the others present. “Hey, Mara. How are you?”
The woman’s answering smile was strained. “Good. Just got a tour of Shep’s new baby.” Her gaze came to me, going soft in a way that made me want to wince. “He’s doing such an amazing job, don’t you think? ”
Thea stiffened slightly but kept an easy smile in place. “It’s pretty incredible.”
Mara’s eyes flicked back to me. “He’s always dreamed of fixing up one of these old, historic farmhouses. Love that it’s finally happening.”
Annoyance surged. Mara spoke as if she knew all my innermost dreams, but we’d never had that kind of connection.
Thea stayed quiet, not taking the bait, and her play worked. The silence had Mara shifting in place. “Well, I guess we’d better get the windows off the truck.”
Anson and I moved then, unfastening the tethers holding everything in place and setting the windows against the house.
Mara hovered for a moment, not getting into the truck. “Call me if you need anything else, Shep. I’ve got some days off if you need extra hands for anything.”
I ignored the offer. “Thanks for driving them out here.”
“Anything for you.” With that, she hopped into the rig, made a wide turn, and headed for the road.
Jaw tight, I shifted to look at Thea. “On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you right now?”