Chapter 10
ten
. . .
Gracie
A loud drilling sound filled my head.
Pounding.
Banging.
I tried to pull the covers over my head to stop the noise, but it only got louder.
“What is happening?” I groaned.
“Ahhh…she wakes,” Cutler’s voice called out from somewhere in the room.
I pushed the covers back and peeked one eye open. “Are you renovating your house?”
My voice was barely recognizable.
Groggy and hoarse.
Loud laughter bellowed from him. “No renovations, Jeege. That’s called a massive tequila hangover. Let’s get some ibuprofen in you.”
He walked toward me with a bottle of water before handing me two little pills. I swallowed them with some water before falling back on the pillow. “I haven’t been hungover since college. And even then, it wasn’t this bad.”
“Well, you usually don’t drink so much.”
I nodded as I rubbed my temples with the tips of my fingers. “I did have fun, though. Even if I’m still a woman who’s never been pleased by a man.”
He had just taken a sip of his coffee, and he coughed a few times before a wicked grin spread across his face. “Well, at least you had fun. And you dominated on the dance floor, so that’s a win.”
I smiled as I thought about how much fun the girls and I had had out on the dance floor. Cutler hadn’t felt like dancing last night, and I remembered seeing him and Sydney all cozy at the table together when I was looking for him, and a weird feeling settled in my chest.
Clearly I was hungover, and the alcohol was affecting me in all sorts of weird ways.
I’d seen my best friend with more women than I could count over the years.
And this was why I didn’t like to drink so much. I didn’t like feeling out of sorts, which was exactly how I felt at the moment.
I shook it off and glanced beneath the covers. “I slept in my dress? My God, how much did I have to drink?”
“I took off your boots, or I think you would have slept in those too.” He smirked.
“I don’t think this new carefree life is for me,” I groaned, which made him laugh.
“Well, it’s not for everyone. And, I hate to say it, but you need to rally. We’ve got to get to the house to meet the cabinet guy. He wants to go over the layout.” He pushed to stand. “Buck up, Jeege. We’ve got shit to do.”
“I thought we were meeting him at noon? What time is it?”
“It’s eleven thirty. You slept late. But now it’s time to get a move on.
” He leaned against the doorframe, his bicep flexing as it rested beside his head.
He wore a navy ROD Construction polo shirt and dark jeans.
How did Cutler always manage to look good?
It didn’t matter what he wore, or what time of day it was—he just looked good.
I hurried to my feet. “Give me fifteen minutes to rinse off in the shower and get dressed.”
“You’ve got it.”
He left the room, and I hustled.
I did a fast body shower, brushed my teeth, slicked my hair into a low chignon, and applied just enough makeup so I didn’t look like the walking dead. I pulled on a floral sundress and grabbed my tan cowboy boots.
I glanced in the mirror, grateful that no one would be able to tell that I’d consumed more alcohol last night than I probably had in four years of college put together.
Cutler had a banana for me to take in the truck, and we made our way to the new house. The one his family was building. Emilia and I had the design pretty clearly laid out, and now we needed to get all the subcontractors’ designs nailed down.
Once we pulled up, we made our way inside. We had a few minutes before we met Calvin, so we walked the home. They’d just finished painting the interior. The flooring had arrived, and it was stacked to the ceiling in the living room.
“We should be starting cabinets next week, so we need to make sure he’s got everything ready to go.”
“Wow. Things are moving fast. How do you keep everyone on track?” I asked, because Cutler was such an impressive man. He could charm just about anyone, and he always appeared really laid back, but when it came to work—he was all business.
“You know, I watched my pops do this my entire life, so it’s not new to me.
I think most people are surprised how many moving parts are happening at once in this business.
So if you want to be efficient, you have to think three steps ahead at all times.
Otherwise, you’re going to drop a ball, and it’ll be a domino effect.
If you’re staying on top of all the balls, even if one drops, you’ve got six others in the air. ”
Like I said. He was an impressive man.
“That’s why I really want to start my own business someday, because it’s all how you choose to run things, you know?
” I shrugged as we paused to look out at the the large French doors that had just been installed a few days ago.
The house had gorgeous views of both Blue Sky Lake and the mountains.
The scene looked like a painting. “I think in design, it’s similar with all the moving parts.
And you need to involve your clients and capture their vision, and bring it to life as seamlessly as possible. ”
“Yes,” he agreed. “There are different ways to get there, and when you own your own business, you can choose how you want things to run. My goal is to make it as smooth and efficient as I can. Time is money, and delays are where you run into issues and displeased customers. Sometimes you can’t avoid it, but I make damn sure that if it can be avoided, it will be.
” He turned to look at me. “You’ve got what it takes to own a business.
You know that, right? You’ve got the design eye, which makes you an amazing designer.
But you’re also a brilliant businesswoman. ”
I chuckled. This man had a way of pumping me up when I needed it most. “And how do you know that? I’ve never run a business.”
“Well, for starters, you’re organized and smart as hell. And I know you, Jeege,” he said, leaning in close to me, his gaze locked with mine, and there was no humor in his voice. “I’d bet the farm on you. Well, if I had a farm.”
And now we were both laughing, just as Calvin came strolling through the door.
“Hey, Cutler. Hey, Gracie. Nice to see you again.” He extended his arm to each of us.
I shook his hand. “Thanks for coming out on the weekend.”
“Not a problem. I’m anxious to walk things one last time with you before we start delivering the cabinets for all the rooms starting next week.
I think all of your specific direction has made this much easier.
” He chuckled. “I usually get notes that aren’t very clear.
Yours were extremely detailed, and with the notes you gave regarding my drawings, you made things very simple for me. ”
“Thank you,” I said as we walked from room to room. He’d be building custom cabinets for the kitchen, the pantry, and the laundry room. He was building built-ins for the family room and the theater room, and he’d designed all the vanities for every bathroom.
Cutler joined us, which was also impressive, because he wanted to be involved in every area of his business.
Normally I did this on my own with the cabinet company, but Cutler didn’t pass things off—he hired people who were experts in their fields, and then he observed and learned as much as he could about each facet of the business.
We spent the next two hours discussing the details of each room, the hardware, and the glass cabinets we’d added to bring in some character, until we all felt like we were on the same page and ready to go.
It was a good meeting, and I was feeling much better as far as my hangover went.
Cutler and I ran a bunch of errands and then made our way back to his house. He’d insisted on ordering us some sandwiches that we were going to take out on his boat. I hadn’t been out on the water since I’d arrived in Blue Sky Bay, and I was looking forward to it.
“All right, I’ve got the food and drinks all loaded. I just need my girl, and we’re good to go,” he called out, just as I pulled my jean shorts on over my bikini bottoms.
A little sunshine, a good meal, and a dip in the lake was the perfect way to end the day.
“I’m ready.” I jogged down the hall and found him in the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of navy board shorts that hung low on his hips. His muscled back was so defined it made me want to trace every muscle with the tip of my finger.
“All right, let’s get out there. It’ll be busy on the water since it’s the weekend, but I’ve got a little secret cove where we can park, and no one seems to know about it yet.”
“You always know of secret spots,” I said, bumping my shoulder against his as we walked through the green grass down toward his dock.
His boat was white and black. It was a gift from his godfathers when he’d built this home a few years back, so I laughed every time I saw the name scrolled down the side.
Beefcake.
He hopped on the boat and turned to face me. “You ready to ride the Beefcake?”
My eyes widened at his words, and he laughed loudly. “The boat, Jeege.”
“Yes, I know. I’m just moving slow today.” I bit my bottom lip. “I haven’t been on the Beefcake in a while.”
“Yeah, how about we make a pact that we never go that many months apart again, all right?”
“That’s a deal.” I nodded as he extended his hand to help me aboard, just as the boat swayed a little to the side and I lost my footing. I fell forward, slamming into his hard chest. His hand found my waist, steadying me, as he glanced down at me with that wicked grin of his.
Why am I suddenly breathless?
“You okay?” he asked, concern lacing his dark gaze.
“Yes.” I stepped back, shaking my head. “Hangovers are not my friend.”
He chuckled. “I get it. And I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been dying to take you out on the water. It’s been too long.”
A pang of something I couldn’t place settled in my chest.
A lot would be changing after this summer we were spending together.
I knew with me living across the country, it wouldn’t be the same as when I was living in Los Angeles and was only an hour away. I’d come to stay with him at least two weekends a month.
But now I’d be a plane ride away. We weren’t even going to be in the same time zone.
I pushed the thought away and glanced out at the water as he fired up the engine.
I took the seat beside him as we moved through the water with ease.
There were a few boats out in the distance, but as soon as he turned down into this little cove, he slowed the boat and cruised forward until he came to a stop under several tall trees.
He turned toward me and then motioned for us to head to the back of the boat, and he grabbed the bag of food.
“I love boat picnics,” I said, chuckling.
“Me too.” He handed me a bottle of sparkling water, and I set his sandwich down in front of him where we sat on the bench. “Remember all the times we were out on the water as kids? It was always my happy place.”
“Yeah, me too. I love the water.”
“That’s one thing the city doesn’t offer,” he said, raising a brow.
“I know. But I’ll try to come visit as often as I can. The first few months will be super busy, since I’ll be expected to do whatever is asked of me as the newbie there. But we’ll talk every day.” I groaned when I took a bite of my turkey sandwich. “I was clearly hungry.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I ordered these from the Cozy Griddle. They make some damn good sandwiches.”
“I remember when we were kids, you used to tell me how someday you’d grow up and have a boat of your own and a house on the lake.
” I shook my head at the memory, because it was truly amazing that he’d done everything he’d said he was going to do.
“And that you were going to run your pops’s business someday, and become an architect at the same time. And here we are.”
“Here we are.” He winked. “And I do recall you saying you were going to be a girl who decorated houses and owned a farm with pigs and dogs and chickens.”
“Ahhh… Bob Picklepants was the best dog ever. And I miss Maxine so much. She was the best pet pig. I still laugh at the fact that my father let me have a pet pig who lived in the house.”
“Your dad is the best. We had damn good childhoods, considering all the obstacles we faced at the start.” He took another bite of his sandwich and reached for his napkin.
“Do you think that was part of our bond when we were young? That we both had unusual situations with our moms? And then ended up with the best moms around, just a little later in our childhoods.”
He took a long sip from his water bottle and nodded.
“I think we both had really strong father figures, and then they both married these amazing women, so we had something unique in common. But I don’t know, Jeege.
” He tilted his head, his gaze locking with mine, as the sound of trees bustling around us filled the air.
The sky was clear and the sun was shining, but we had just enough shade to keep us cool.
“From the minute I met you, we just fit, you know?”
“Yep. We did. And I agree that we both got really lucky finding our mamas a little later than most.” I set my sandwich down on the paper. “It’s been a while since you’ve heard from Tara, huh?”
Tara was Cutler’s biological mother. They didn’t have much of a relationship, but she’d occasionally reach out unexpectedly every few years. He’d been adopted by his mom, Emerson, whom he was very close to.
“Funny you should ask. She reached out while you were in Paris.” He scratched the back of his head, which was always a sign that Cutler was uncomfortable.
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you were living in another country, and I knew you were struggling. So I didn’t want to bring up something that really doesn’t matter.”
I knew that his relationship with his biological mother still affected him, even with having a woman like Emerson in his life who had stepped up for him.
His mother walking away was something that I always thought had caused him to hold back just the slightest bit in his relationships with most people.
Never with me.
And I was thankful for that.