Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
HUDSON
O n the way home, the cab of the truck was quiet. I'd rolled down the windows to let in the night air. It was nice.
When I dropped Elena off at her Grams's house, I insisted on walking her to the door. It was reminiscent of me taking girls out as a teenager. I almost felt as if I should be kissing her on the front porch.
Soon Elena would have her story, Grams's porch would be completed, and I wouldn't have a need to be around her anymore. I should be happy about that, not wondering if I should be making a move on her.
I needed to focus on proving to my dad that I was the best son to take over the business. I'd worked hard for so long. It didn't make sense to give into distractions now.
Even though I enjoyed Elena's company, I couldn't let myself entertain the idea of kissing her.
The weird thing was that I was looking forward to spending the weekend with her and her grandmother. I enjoyed their company, and I wanted to help them.
The next morning, I showered, dressed in my work gear of a T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Then I drove to their cottage.
When I arrived, Elena met me at the door in frayed jean shorts and an olive-green tank top with bare feet.
"I thought you were working today," I said as I stepped inside, smelling bacon cooking.
"I can change, but I thought we could have breakfast first."
"You made breakfast for me?" I asked, taking in Grams at the kitchen table and the bacon sizzling in a pan on the stove.
Elena moved to the stove. "It's nothing fancy. Just bacon and eggs and fruit."
My stomach rumbled, even though I'd already eaten oatmeal. "Breakfast would be great."
Elena smiled, and her whole face lit up. If she were mine, I'd spend a lifetime trying to keep that smile on her face. The revelation came so suddenly; I felt momentarily short of breath.
This wasn't a typical workday. I didn't have a deadline to meet, other than a personal desire to make Grams happy, so I could afford to take some time to eat breakfast with them.
I approached Grams, who was sipping her tea. "Morning."
"Aren't you a sight this early in the morning?" Grams said.
I sat across from her, and Elena placed an overflowing plate of eggs, bacon, and fruit in front of me. "Coffee or OJ?"
"Coffee would be great." I'd need caffeine to ensure my resistance levels were high. These two had a unique ability to charm me.
"Is there anything special you wanted to add to your porch? Now's your chance to do something different or add something on," I asked Grams between bites.
Elena sat next to me, sipping her coffee.
Grams thought for a moment, and then said, "I think I want it exactly like it always was."
Elena covered her grandmother's hand with her own. "It's going to be perfect."
She pursed her lips. "It gets hot. I might like to have a fan out there."
"What about a mister?" I asked them.
Elena frowned. "Aren't those expensive?"
I grinned playfully. "You have a contractor in your pocket. Don't worry about it. I can get everything at cost, and I'm not charging for labor."
"That doesn't seem right though. We should pay you for your time," Elena said.
"Now, Elena, if the nice young man wants to give his time to help a little old lady out, who are you to say he can't?" Grams said cheekily.
I chuckled at her blatant manipulation.
Elena sighed. "Grams, we can't take advantage of his generosity. Besides, I'm sure he has other things to do on his weekends."
"I'm free except for this irritating journalist who's been following me around. Maybe this will help me shake her loose?"
"Hey," Elena said in mock indignation over the rim of her coffee.
Then I addressed Grams. "I have plenty of time to create whatever backyard oasis you want."
"In that case, I'd love some kind of water feature. My friend Mabel has one and said it's absolutely divine. Now, I don't meditate like she does, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it."
I grinned. "I know the perfect thing for you. My brother Cooper does some stonework, and he makes waterfalls."
"Hudson, that's too much."
I waved a hand at her. "You heard my brothers last night; they want to help. Think of it as our way of giving back to the community."
Elena tipped her head slightly. "The rumors are that you're so busy; you have a wait list of six months or more."
I winked at her. "It's a good thing you have an in with one of the owners, then, huh?"
Elena's lips curved into a smile.
When we were finished eating, I helped Elena clean up while Grams said she was going to her room to read.
"I think she wants to give us time alone. She seems to think that we'd make a good match."
My brow furrowed. "A good match for?—"
"You know, to date, marry, whatever." Elena broke off, her cheeks pink.
"She thinks that we should date?" I asked her, amused that her grams had said that to her.
Elena wiped the counter with a dishtowel. "She's encouraging me to get out more and date in general. I think she feels guilty that I left everything in Boston and moved here for her. But I don't mind. And you're here and convenient, so she thinks I should date you."
"Is that the only reason?" I asked her, amused by the way she was rambling and clearly uncomfortable talking about this.
"She thinks you're handsome and, as she puts it, a good man." She added air quotes to a good man .
I couldn't help but smile at her obvious discomfort. "I am a good man. But I'm not looking for anything right now."
Elena sighed. "I was just warning you that she's going to try and matchmake us."
I leaned on her counter and crossed my arms. "Maybe we should placate her and pretend to date? Make an old lady happy." Now, why was I suggesting that? That was the opposite of what I should be doing, which was creating space between us. Not giving us a reason to spend more time together.
Elena touched my arm. "Trust me, leading her on is never a good idea. She'll just get more ideas, like marriage and kids."
My eyes widened. "Wow. You weren't kidding."
Elena hung the dishtowel to dry over the faucet. "Let's focus on the porch today and forget about Grams's scheming."
"Yeah, okay." But I couldn't quite shake the idea of doing something more to make Grams's day.
Outside, the porch had been cleared. "Today's demolition day. Do you think you're up for it?"
Her eyes widened. "I get to break stuff?"
"You'll want to go change first, so you're more covered." As gorgeous as all that tan skin was on display, I needed it protected for demolition. I didn't want her to get hurt.
Elena nodded. "I'll be right back."
While she was gone, I got out the tools we'd need and tarps for the ground, so that when my brothers arrived to remove the debris, it would be an easy job. Plus, I didn't want a lot of nails and screws laying in the sand to cut someone.
When Elena returned, she wore tight jeans, boots, a long sleeve shirt, and a blue-and-red Boston baseball cap. "I don't have my hard hat, so I thought I'd wear this hat."
The brim of the hat perfectly framed her face, making her look adorable. "You're a Boston fan?"
"When I lived there, I was. I enjoyed the games."
"I learn something interesting about you every time we meet." I handed her goggles, gloves, and then the sledgehammer. "This is great therapy if you're mad at anyone."
Elena's expression turned serious. "I think I can conjure up some anger."
"That will make this more fun. You'll want to swing it like this." I demonstrated, hitting the first support with my hammer. "Now you try."
She got a look of determination on her face and swung the hammer in the air until it connected with a thud. Then she did it again. In no time, we had the first support broken and the roof sagging.
"How did that feel?" I asked her as sweat poured down my back.
"Great, actually."
"We'll just want to be careful about how this comes down. I don't want you to get hurt."
We worked side by side for a while until Grams came outside with a tray of lemonades and cookies.
Elena rushed over to assist her. "Grams, you didn't have to serve us."
Grams set the tray on the porch steps and handed us a glass of lemonade. "This looks like thirsty work. Besides, it's already hot as hades out here."
"It is warm," I said as I tipped the glass and drank my fill. I wiped my mouth, meeting Elena's gaze. Was that heat I saw in her eyes?
The temperature was obviously getting to me. I grabbed a cookie and ate it in one bite.
"We rarely get this level of service. Thank you," I said to Grams.
Grams nodded. "I appreciate everything you're doing."
"No need to keep thanking me. I'm happy to help."
Grams went back inside, and we got back to work.
When the porch was half removed, Elena paused, holding her back.
"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.
"Just sore. But I think it would be a good time to take a break."
"Sure," I said, thinking she'd head inside for a cool drink or even to wash her face in the sink.
Instead, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing yellow triangles covering ample breasts. Then she kicked off her shoes and peeled her jeans down her hips.
"You're going swimming?" I asked her, my mouth incredibly dry.
She shrugged. "Aren't you hot?"
"I don't have a bathing suit with me," I said.
A smile played on her lips. "If you're wearing briefs, no one will notice."
I moved closer to Elena and lowered my voice. "Is this your way of finding out what kind of underwear I'm wearing?"
She swallowed, her eyes wide. "Maybe."
"What if I'm going commando?"
Her eyes widened farther as I pulled off my shirt with one hand.
"Are you?"
Her gaze lowered to my dick, which twitched at her attention.
I grabbed her hand. "Come on."
Now that she'd mentioned a swim, I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather do. I also wanted to be in the water so no one arrested me for wearing briefs. We ran through the soft sand, tripping and falling, Elena giggling as we went.
I smiled over at her, not quite believing that I'd let her talk me into this. So much for being professional. Elena brought out another side of me, the one that bucked the rules.
When we reached the water, we jumped over the smaller waves, and then I let go of her hand, diving into a bigger swell. When I emerged, I wiped the water from my eyes and found Elena bobbing in the water a few feet away.
I swam over to her with long, sure strokes. "How does it feel?"
She dipped her head back, getting it wet. "Amazing."
"There's nothing better than a swim after demolishing a porch," I said with a smile.
"Best idea ever," Elena said softly.
I reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her to me. I shouldn't be thinking about what she'd feel like pressed against me. But there was only a thin layer of material separating me from finding out.
"You think anyone noticed I'm only wearing briefs?" I asked her.
"Not with the speed you were running. You were a flash of black."
I dunked under the surface, needing to cool off. The water was doing little to dissipate the heat in my body.
When I emerged, her hands closed over my rib cage. "I can't touch here."
I looked to the shore; we'd drifted farther away.
I pulled her close to me. "I've got you. You want to go closer?" I inclined my head toward the shore.
"In a minute. It's kind of nice to float. To be free with no worries or responsibilities."
"Mmm. It is nice." I was always worried about the business, my brothers, my parents. I didn't have time to focus on myself, and letting go was even more attractive.
I thought about her legs wrapping around my waist, but I didn't need her to feel my hard dick. It was definitely on board with touching her. I had to behave. We were barely friends.
I had no business thinking about what she'd feel like under that suit. Or whether she was aching with desire like I was.
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her slightly closer to shore. When it was shallower, I said, "Try touching now."
I needed to create space between us, or I'd never be able to walk out of the water without everyone knowing how I felt about her.
She let go of me and dipped down, her head going under before I hauled her up. "Not quite there yet."
I pulled her farther in, riding the swells of the waves. I felt buoyant, like I could let go of everything for once. This job for her and Grams was more than work to me. It was doing something for someone who would really appreciate it. I was helping them, and it felt good.
When she could touch the sandy bottom, she pulled away from me, floating on her back. Her eyes fell closed, and I was able to admire her without censure. Her breasts were full, barely contained by the triangles of material, the yellow highlighting her tan skin.
She raised one eyelid. "Are you checking me out?"
My gaze snatched away from her breasts to her curious face. "I was keeping an eye on you so you don't drown."
She flipped onto her stomach. "I grew up in the water. I'm a good swimmer."
"Good to know."
She flipped again so that she was floating. "You're in shape. I'm assuming you don't get those muscles from working construction all day."
"I hit the gym a few times a week."
"So you take care of your body, you work hard, and you're a sucker for grannies. Anything else I should know about you?" Her expression was light and teasing.
"Not all grannies. I'm only a sucker for yours."
Her eyes widened. "Just wait until you meet Grams's friends. They're a trip."
"I doubt I'd have a reason to be introduced to them,” I said.
Elena snorted. "Grams probably told her friends all about you, and they'll want to meet you in person. There's no way you can say no to her."
I ran a hand through my wet strands. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
She grinned while treading water, the waves lifting us every so often. I wanted to float in the ocean with her, not worrying about the future or what any of this meant.
I'd vowed to keep my distance, but it was getting harder to keep that promise.
The sun had disappeared behind a large gray cloud, and then a loud rumble sounded.
"We'd better get out of here." I grabbed her hand, and we hurried through the water, and then once we were on the sand, we took off at a run.
Everyone on the beach was gathering their things, hurrying to leave before the rain started. We didn't stop until we were on the front porch. Inside, Elena dropped my hand, hurrying down the hall, and returned a few seconds later with towels.
She threw one at me. "Dry off and get dressed before Grams sees you in your underwear."
I bit off a curse as I scrubbed myself dry and pulled on my clothes. Now the rain was coming down hard, pounding on the roof of the porch.
Elena lifted her face. “It's kind of beautiful, isn't it? I know everyone prefers the sun, but I've always secretly loved storms. I'd sit out on the porch and watch it come down.”
She was watching the rain, but I was watching her. Her hair was wet, hanging limply around her shoulders, but she was beautiful, inside and out. I was in so much trouble.