Chapter 6 #3
Jack snorted. “Always expect the unexpected in construction, especially in older restorations. You never know what you’ll find when you start gutting something.
” He waved his hand toward the house. “Especially with this place. There’s a lot of history here and restoring her is a huge responsibility—for both of us. ”
“And it’ll be even more complicated because it’s historic?” she asked.
Jack nodded. “Exactly. It’ll be complicated but not impossible. Plus, there may be sections that will take longer to complete just because of the types of materials or even the tools we can use.”
Charli squinted up at the short balcony on the second story. “Do you think we’ll see Amelia?” She glanced at Jack. “I mean, do you think she really exists?”
Jack snorted. “She exists, but I don’t know if she’ll let us see her.” He shrugged. “We won’t know until we get in there.”
Charli sighed as she took in the weathered exterior, running her fingers over a rotten porch railing. “If the interior is as bad as this, it’ll take us forever.”
He ran his hand lovingly over the worn porch banister. “Oh, I can promise you, it’ll be frustrating at times. But it’s definitely worth it. This house has some stories to tell—I can feel it.”
The smile on Charli’s face faded as what Jack said hit home. This restoration project could take a long time to complete...years maybe.
What if she didn’t have time? Despite telling Art and Jack that she was here indefinitely, that wasn’t a certainty.
She had a life and a career back in Boston, and the firm could—and probably would—call her back sooner rather than later.
What would happen if she had to go back unexpectedly?
What if she couldn’t return to Key West to help finish the restoration?
Logically, there was only so long she could stay down here before she had to return to her career and real life.
Suddenly, her stomach twisted at the thought. Jack had been right—the thought of leaving the island and Aunt Dottie’s dream was very lackluster indeed.
“Are you all right? You’re turning green again,” Jack commented as he grabbed her elbows. “Come on, let’s get you back to your house so you can lay down. There’s really nothing here for you to do today anyway.”
“But you’re out here. I should be, too,” she argued, as he walked her out of the compound.
“I’m only supervising, so it’s just a lot of standing around and making sure the guys don’t break anything.” He patted her back lightly and gave her a sweet smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re around for all the important stuff.”
* * * *
Charli opened her eyes to golden sunlight streaming through her bedroom windows.
By the position of the shadows on the floor, several hours had passed while she slept, and Charli finally felt like herself again.
She tossed aside the sheet and walked out to the balcony overlooking Paradise West, lowering herself into a rocking chair and reveling in the beautiful afternoon breeze.
Rocking quietly on the balcony, she watched from the shadows as Jack and his crew continued to clear out the overgrowth in the courtyard and gardens.
Her eyes kept sliding back to Jack and following his movements.
With the exception of Gus, he was nearly a head taller than the men around him and was easy to spot.
His chestnut brown hair hung loosely past his ears, gently brushing his t-shirt in the back, and bracketed a square jaw that held deep grooves, hinting at a life full of laughter.
His chest strained his t-shirt as he moved and worked, hinting at the muscles rippling beneath.
She watched as he bent over to pick up a large chainsaw. His t-shirt stretched over the bulging muscles in his arms and back as he handed it over the wall to one of his workers. And the way he filled out his cargo pants...
Damn...
The man was a puzzle and the desire to unlock him had been building in her steadily since their first meeting in the airport.
One moment, he was the charming driver who melted her insides and sent butterflies fluttering in her belly with his chocolate brown eyes and sweet smile.
Then, he was a brooder who stood in a corner at the will reading, as still and gorgeous as a Roman statue, refusing to speak with anyone.
Next, he’s her personal champion—a gentleman who protects her from herself and makes sure she gets to bed safely after she’s had too much to drink.
Now, he was down below barking out orders, directing the cleanup efforts, and cracking jokes with Gus and their crew. The man was seriously hot and the mystery of what made him tick only fanned the flames. She’d never met anyone like him before and she was drawn to him like a flower to the sun.
What she couldn’t fathom is why he was still single. Surely the women on this island weren’t blind or stupid. They should be crawling all over him. But so far, she hadn’t seen one so much as bat her eyelashes at him.
Hmmm....what am I missing? The man is damned near perfect, and yet not a woman in sight...
Charli jumped as Gus shouted suddenly and pumped his fist in the air. He ran over to Jack and held up his phone—showing him something that made Jack shout in celebration. Gus laughed and launched at Jack, enveloping him in a huge bearhug. Charli smiled as they pounded each other on the back.
Gus eased away slightly, a mischievous grin on his face as he grabbed Jack’s ass and pulled him into a quick salsa dance. Jack’s arms pinwheeled as he fought off Gus’s embrace. “Knock it off, jackass!”
Gus guffawed and released Jack. “That’s not what you said last night. You know you love me.”
Jack shook his head and mumbled something that sent Gus into more gales of laughter.
Suddenly everything clicked—it all made sense and her heart sank.
Oh my god...could Jack be gay? Maybe Gus was more than just his business partner... It’s the only logical explanation.
In Charli’s experience, straight men just weren’t this thoughtful and nice to women.
She thought back through all of their interactions and disappointment flooded through her like a tide.
She released a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and her lips pursed as she thought through what she knew.
In fact, now that she looked back on it, Jack treated her like a sister.
Dammit.
She huffed.
Well, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere anyway. It’s not like you’re staying here long, Charlotte Dorothea, and he’s your business partner.
She took a deep breath and mentally switched gears to the first task Aunt Dottie had given her. She looked out over the western horizon, mentally crossing the water to the tiny island her aunt had requested as her final resting place.
Jack was right...they needed to scatter Aunt Dottie’s ashes sooner rather than later.
It would be a tremendous relief to fulfill her aunt’s last wish and know that she was at peace.
The fact that Jack had already come up with a plan and was taking care of all the arrangements was yet another major point in his favor.
Once the ashes were spread, she could focus on the other monumental project her aunt had given them in the restoration of Paradise West.
Her phone buzzed, interrupting her train of thought. She glanced over to see who was calling and grimaced.
The law firm...well, they lasted longer than I thought they would.
Scowling, she picked up her phone, took a deep breath, and answered the call.
“Hello?” she asked, keeping her voice deliberately light.
“It’s about damn time you answered the phone,” Evan snarled.
Her brows arched at his tone. “My phone literally just rang, Evan. I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve taken an extended leave. I didn’t have to answer my phone at all, and certainly not at your convenience. Now, what do you want?”
“Well, while you’re down there sitting by the pool and drinking pina coladas, the rest of us are up here working and trying to win cases,” he barked.
“Sitting by the pool and drinking pina coladas,” Charli repeated, her lips curving up. “I’ll have to add that to my list of activities.” She sighed, rubbing the spot between her eyes. “My aunt died, Evan. And I’m down here cleaning up her estate. Again, what do you want?”
“Cleaning up her estate,” he mimicked in a childish voice that made Charli wish she could reach through the phone and slap his face. “Hmmmm, must be nice.”
Charli took a deep breath.
God, he’s such a child.
“Evan, what the hell do you want?” she snapped, all semblance of patience removed from her voice.
“I want you to get your ass back up here. We have work to do. I can’t do all this by myself.”
Charli almost smiled but suppressed the urge despite enjoying Evan’s predicament. The panic in his voice was clear...and alarming. While she hated Evan, she cared deeply about her clients and his panic did not bode well for them.
“What do you mean ‘we have work to do’? The firm gave all my cases to you, so newsflash, I currently have no cases to work on.” She took a deep breath.
“And please tell me you haven’t screwed them up already.
The Parker case should be closed by now and the other cases were well on their way to resolution. ”
The silence on the other end was confirmation enough...he had messed something up.
“Evan?”
“The Parker case is going to trial and the client...” Evan paused as if searching for the right word. “He’s not cooperating with us any longer,” he added, his voice full of frustration.
Charli felt the blood pounding in her ears and her head became tight as she struggled to control her anger.
“Of course Alan’s not cooperating, you idiot.
He specifically did not want to go to trial.
But let me guess, the board thought it could get a bigger settlement—and more legal fees—out of a trial. ”
Evan huffed on the other end and his tone switched from aggressively confrontational to condescending in an instant. “Charli, we have to do what’s best for the firm and a summary judgement would have brought in a fraction of what we could get if it goes to trial,” he patronized.
“Don’t feed me your line of bullshit, Evan,” she shot back, her voice rising in volume along with her blood pressure.
She rose from her chair and began to pace back and forth on the balcony.
“The firm would have received plenty in fees without a trial and most importantly, our client—my former client—would have been protected. Now you’ve put everything at risk.
What if you don’t win the case? Then Alan is fucked and he’ll be after your ass. ”
“But the board wanted this,” Evan whined. “We had to go this way.”
Charli mentally shrugged, and her voice became as frigid as a Boston winter. “Well, you’re the one who will go down for this, because I can guarantee that Alan Parker will destroy you if he loses his company because of this.”
“You need to come back to the office now,” Evan demanded. “These are your cases, Charli.”
Charli scoffed and replied in a voice as sharp and cold as ice. “I don’t know what makes you think that argument is going to help you. They’re your cases now, remember? You deal with it.” She ended the call and ground her teeth, continuing to pace across the floorboards.
What an unbelievable, incompetent, whining jackass!
Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt like she’d swallowed a lead weight at the thought of the firm needlessly taking advantage of her clients. They were using excessive litigation to milk as much as possible in fees—it was unethical, and something she wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
Former clients.
Charli closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. There was nothing she could do about it, and that was probably the worst part. Before the board had intervened, Alan Parker had a solid case and would have won the summary judgement. Now, his entire business was at risk.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed. Why had she wasted so many years on those jackals?
“Charli?” Jack’s voice drifted up from the sidewalk below.
Her eyelids lifted and she moved over to the railing and looked down. “Yeah?”
His head was tilted and he shaded his eyes as he stared up at her. “Is everything okay? We could hear you yelling down here.”
“Oh, sorry about that.” She waved her hands. “It was just the office calling.”
“Ah,” he replied as if that explained everything. He put his hands on his hips and Charli couldn’t help but sigh as his sweat-soaked t-shirt molded to his muscles and highlighted the taper from his broad shoulders to his perfect waist.
I cannot believe he’s gay.
She wanted to cry at the thought.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, a look of genuine concern on his face that made her wish for things that just weren’t meant to be.
“No, but thanks for the offer.”
He nodded again. “I checked with my folks. We can take the plane out tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it.”
Charli blinked. She hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, but she gave a tight smile. “Yeah... Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Jack.”
His face split in a charming grin that made his dimples visible even from fifteen feet up. “No problem. I’ll stop by in the morning around 9 AM to pick you up. It’s about a forty-five minute flight out to the island.” At her nod, he threw his thumb over his shoulder. “Well, gonna get back to it.”
“Okay,” Charli replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He waved and then turned to cross the street. She sighed as she watched him walk away. The man literally oozed testosterone and was unfortunately off limits to her.
Go figure...