Chapter 3
It was annoying as hell to have to drive all the way to Fairville to argue with an old lady about decisions she made herself. One of the perks of being foreman, I guessed. Not that I would complain, at least not out loud. I’d worked hard for the promotion and I liked being one of Nick’s most trusted employees. I took that shit seriously. But it meant that if there was a problem on a job, it was up to me to resolve it.
To be honest, I’d expected Mrs. Falchuk to create a lot more problems than she already had. It became obvious early on that she was the type that liked to complain, even if there was no reason to. Sadly, that wasn’t a good enough reason to cancel a job and we’d all dealt with worse. So I headed back to her house to go over, yet again, all the choices and decisions she’d okayed. I had the proof, showing her the signatures and initials. In the end, she gave in easily enough, though it wasn’t without a scowl. All that mattered was that it was another job well done, and hopefully she wouldn’t bad mouth us too much.
The only upside of being back in Fairville was that I got to stop at this amazing bakery called Sugar Rush. I liked Sweet Treats, the bakery in Landry’s Fall, just fine. But this place was a whole other level. They had the most outrageous confections and they all looked so good. I took my time, standing in front of the display case, really weighing my options.
“Can never go wrong with a Unicorn Fart,” a voice rumbled beside me.
I turned just my head to find a large, flannel wearing, Viking looking man. Who was also wearing a broad grin and had a twinkle in his eye. Since he was recommending a cupcake that had a mound of rainbow frosting and was dusted with edible glitter, I figured his looks were deceiving and I didn’t need to be worried.
Since I was having trouble choosing, I decided to go with the stranger’s suggestion and ordered two. Then I set them on the floorboard of the passenger side before turning on the truck and adjusting the air conditioning so that it was also blowing into the footwell as well as the cab. Hopefully, that would keep them from melting before I got back to Landry’s Fall.
Before I pulled out of the parking lot, I shot Leith a text.
I’m done and headed home. I can be at your place in a little over an hour if that works.
I backed out of the spot and made it about eight feet before his response came through. Since the phone was connected to the truck through Bluetooth, I was able to tap the screen on the console and it read Leith’s text to me.
“I’m still at work until three. If you want to stop here and get the keys, you can get to work,” the robotic voice said. It somehow had an Australian accent which meant Nina, Nick’s daughter who was acting as receptionist this summer, had gotten ahold of my phone. “Would you like to respond?”
Oh. That was right. He’d mentioned that the reason he’d taken a half day yesterday was because of the doctor’s appointment, where he’d gotten the news he still had two more weeks—a fortnight, my mind supplied—on crutches. I thought about how to answer as I headed south on Route 9. On the one hand, it felt strange to be in Leith’s house without him there, because we didn’t really know each other that well. On the other, it would be the perfect opportunity to get some shit done, because I didn’t have to go back into the office today. We were starting a new job next week, and my hours to help Leith out would be even more limited. Plus, I could deliver his cupcake to him.
The time had run out, my phone tired of waiting for me, so I tapped the screen again.
“What would you like to say to Leith?”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll stop by the school.”
It read the text back to me, then asked if I wanted to send it. A few minutes later, another text from Leith popped up. I touched the screen.
“I’ll let them know you’re coming. Sign in at the office.”
I sent back a confirmation, then switched over to Spotify, pulling up a playlist full of upbeat songs to match my mood and help the drive go by faster.
* * * *
I hadn’t been back in the elementary school in years. At least five anyway, because I’d helped Nick and Emmett build sets for school plays until Quinn had moved onto the high school. The voice that kid had was amazing, he could make a career out of it, but last I’d heard, he was looking at colleges that had good pre-veterinary programs.
Not much had changed since I’d been a student here myself. Except for the security of course. Which made me sad when I thought about it too hard. Only the front door was unlocked, and that was because a security officer sat at the desk just inside the doors. I had to show ID, and then explain I was here to see someone in the library. She first checked with the office, and then sent me down the hall to sign in there and get a visitors pass. I wasn’t quite sure why I couldn’t do that with the security officer, but I followed the rules.
The receptionist was a matronly woman I didn’t know, and I tried not to laugh as she scrutinized my ID for much longer than was necessary before she handed over the pass. Her mouth pinched together and she looked over the top of her glasses at me.
“Do you know where the media center is?” She sounded suspicious.
I blinked innocently. “Has it moved since I went here?”
All I got was a harrumph, and I smiled back. Apparently, that was all the answer I was going to get so I picked my box back up and headed into the hall, taking a left and walking quickly. It was quiet in the halls, but I could occasionally hear loud chatter when I passed some of the doors. I swear it smelled the same, even all these years later, and I was swept up in a moment of nostalgia I wouldn’t otherwise normally have. I hadn’t been the best student, and I probably would have given up school all together if my parents had allowed it.
I made it to the library, now called the media center, and pulled open one side of the double doors. It had changed drastically, and I was glad to see it. Back in my day, it was a boring place. Now it was filled with color and displays, an inviting space. If it had looked like this when I was a kid, I might have been more interested in reading.
It took me a minute to find Leith, but eventually I found him behind the circulation desk, taping up a book. He was concentrating hard, fixing the damage, and it wasn’t until I was less than five feet away before he caught sight of me. He jumped, and then blew out a breath, even as he smiled.
“You gave me a fright.”
I chuckled. Man, I adored the way he spoke. It was fussy and proper, which contrasted with his tone which was so warm and inviting.
“I’m sorry. Here, to make up for it.” I held the box out, and when he reached for it, his eyebrows rising, I pulled it back. “You only get one of them.”
His curiosity made him stand, but I waved him back down because he didn’t need to be putting any extra stress on his healing knee. I set the box on the desk and pushed it closer to him. He glanced at me one more time before he opened it. He stared for a solid five seconds, before he lifted his gaze to me, eyes wide.
“What in the world is this?”
“Unicorn Fart.”
He blinked. “Pardon?”
I couldn’t help the deep laugh that escaped. I told him about the bakery, and how all the cupcakes were named after mythical creatures. Leith found that highly amusing. I wasn’t surprised. He probably knew all about that kind of stuff.
“Well it looks delicious. And I appreciate you thinking of me. It wasn’t necessary.” Leith’s cheeks pinked, and he looked away. There was something in his tone that gave me pause. It was as though he didn’t know what to do with the attention. That thought saved me from blurting out that I’d been thinking about him a lot.
Christ, I needed to get myself together. I didn’t even know if he liked dudes, though I had my suspicions. And anyway it was bad form to ask him out now, when it might seem like I wanted to date him in return for fixing up his house. That wasn’t the case. At all.
I cleared my throat. “You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy it. I know I’m going to enjoy mine.” I made a show of snatching the box back and squinting at him like I thought he was going to steal it. My antics were rewarded with a smile and a lowering of his shoulders. That was better. He had no reason to worry about me.
But damn, what I wouldn’t do for one of his smiles.
“So, here’s what I was thinking,” I said, needing to get us back on track. “Since I have the extra time today, I’m gonna tear out that drywall in the bedroom, see what we’re working with, and if NJ was right, which I’m sure they were, get the new drywall up.”
Leith’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “You can do that all yourself?”
“Sure. It’s just one wall.” In the back of my brain, I knew it seemed like a big deal to someone who didn’t know, but it really wasn’t. As long as it wasn’t electrical or plumbing related, I could handle it. And most of it alone, even though I was used to working with a crew. “Just don’t park in the driveway when you get home. I’m gonna chuck shit out the window rather than having to carry it down.”
He narrowed his eyes, but I saw the quirk of amusement around his lips. “You’re lucky none of the students are in here to hear you speak like that.”
It took a second, then I realized what I said. I grinned and tried to give him Kyle-level innocent eyes. “I totally said stuff. Not any other word.”
Leith shook his head, but his eyes, those amazing eyes, were twinkling. I’d always been a sucker for twinkling eyes. But instead of saying anything, he pulled his keyring out of his pocket and shuffled through the keys before he found the right one, carefully working it off the ring.
“I’ve been meaning to install one of those code locks,” he muttered as the ring got a little stuck. “It would be a lot easier. I just haven’t had the time.”
“Oh, I can totally do—”
“You’re doing enough,” he interrupted, his tone almost harsh.
I couldn’t help it. The Dom in me came out, and I leaned over, fixing him with my stare. “Are you giving me orders?”
Leith went absolutely still and because I was paying attention, I saw when he swallowed. The air was heavy between us in the two beats he took to answer. “No. Of course not.”
The Sir he didn’t say was in his tone, and it set my blood on fire. I actually started to lean in even closer and then caught myself. We were in the elementary school for Christ’s sake. Worse, we were not in any sort of dynamic and I needed to rein my shit in.
I blew out a breath and eased back. “I’m sorry. That was outta line.”
It took Leith a moment to recover, and his voice was ever so slightly shaky when he said, “No. There’s no need to apologize.”
“Leith—”
“Really, Jay. It’s fine. Here, take the key, all right? I know you want to get started and I’m so appreciative of your help that—”
It was my turn to interrupt. “None of that. I’m doing this because I want to.”
A heartbeat passed. Then a few more. Eventually, Leith agreed with a nod and I took the key. We stared at each other though, neither of us able to look away. I was pretty good at reading people, and Leith was an open book. No pun intended. Now that I was really looking, I could see it all. He’d felt this spark between us, too, and that was something we’d have to discuss. But not here and now.
I took the key and a few deliberate steps back.
“I’ll see you at your place?” I kept my tone light.
Leith nodded. “I should be home in about,” he checked the bottom of his computer screen, “two hours. Then I can help you with what I can before I make dinner.”
I nodded, even though I knew there was nothing I’d have him do. Only because he was injured and not because I didn’t want his help. Or for him to be close. Under other circumstances, I’d happily teach him anything he wanted to learn. But the man was recovering, and I wasn’t going to allow him to set that recovery back.
As if I had any right to allow him to do anything.
Fuck.
I offered him a wave and a wink, said, “I’ll see you in a bit,” and hightailed it out of there.