Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
STELLA
Jitters danced through my fingertips as I smoothed the fabric of my sweater. “How do I look?”
“Cute.” My best friend, Wendy, inspected me head to toe. “But you can’t wear those pants.”
“Why not?” I spun sideways, checking out my butt in the mirror.
Wendy stood from my bed and handed me the green smoothie she’d brought over. “Drink this.”
I took a sip from the straw and grimaced. “Blech. How can you stand this every day?”
“It’s good for you. There’s kale in it. Drink up,” she ordered, disappearing into my walk-in closet.
“Eww.” I took the smoothie to the trash can in the kitchen and tossed it in. It landed beside the smoothie she’d brought yesterday. Then I grabbed a red licorice stick from the open bag on the counter.
“Are you eating candy?” Wendy’s eyes bugged out as she came out of my bedroom, a pair of distressed skinny jeans in her hand .
“Yes. I had an egg white omelet this morning for my health.” I waved the licorice in the air. “This is for my happiness.”
She frowned and thrust the jeans in my face. “Wear these.”
“I’m not wearing jeans on my first day. My trousers are fine.”
“They’re too baggy.”
“They’re wide leg.”
“They don’t showcase your ass.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m trying to showcase my brain. Not my ass.”
“But Heath is going to be there.”
Heath . Just his name made my heart flutter. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Sure,” she deadpanned.
“It doesn’t. Not anymore. He’s about to be my coworker and nothing more.” That sounded so convincing I almost believed it myself. “I’m over it. I’m ready to meet a guy who actually notices me.”
“Really?” Wendy asked.
“Yes. It was just a silly crush.” A silly, fifteen-year-long crush.
Ever since my twelfth birthday when I’d stopped believing that boys had cooties, I’d had a crush on Heath Holiday. My brother’s best friend.
Of all my childhood fantasies, winning Heath was the only one that had lasted into my twenties—I’d given up hope of winning a Grammy because I was tone deaf and winning an Olympic medal because I had no athletic talent.
My crush on Heath had experienced its peaks and valleys. The occasional boyfriend would steal Heath’s thunder from time to time. But the crush had endured.
Until now .
Two weeks ago, his father, Keith, had hired me as a project manager for his construction company. Heath and I were about to be coworkers at Holiday Homes, and it was time to smother my crush for good.
Fifteen years was long enough.
Once upon a time, I’d have worn tight pants in the desperate hope that he’d appreciate my ass and maybe, just maybe, see me as more than Guy’s little sister. Those days were over.
“So does this mean you’ll go out with Jake?” Wendy asked.
“No.”
“Come on. He’s so hot.”
“Then you date him.”
“We work together,” she said. “That would be weird.”
Jake, like Wendy, was a personal trainer at the biggest gym in town. He was hot, she wasn’t wrong. Except Jake knew exactly how hot he was and I had no desire to date a man who spent more than three hours a day staring in the mirror.
I finished my piece of licorice, and despite the scowl on her face, grabbed another.
“Okay, I’d better head to the gym. I’ve got a client at eight.” She walked to the couch and swiped up her parka, pulling it on. “Good luck on your first day. I expect a full report.”
“Aye, aye, Sheriff.”
“That’s not even close.” She giggled. “Captain. Aye, aye, Captain.”
“I’d much rather be a sheriff than a captain. I get seasick.”
She laughed again and came over to give me a hug. “Consider pants that actually flatter your figure.”
“I won’t.” I walked her to the front door, waving goodbye as she hurried through the crowded parking lot in my apartment complex. Then I rushed to my bathroom for one last check of my makeup and hair .
My blond locks were pulled away from my face in a tasteful—boring, professional—bun. My lips were stained a light pink, a classic but cute shade. My gray sweater was soft and fuzzy. Though I preferred bright, bold colors, today I was the epitome of plain. The only thing wild about my outfit was its appropriateness. Trousers and all.
Okay, maybe Wendy had a point. The pants were just a tiny bit. . . slouchy.
I stood in front of the mirror, turning sideways to glance over my shoulder at my butt. It looked... huge.
“This is why I don’t wear these pants.” I worried my bottom lip between my teeth, wiggling my rear in the mirror. No matter the angle, it looked twice its actual width and flat as a pancake.
So what? My coworkers wouldn’t be looking at my ass. Impressing Heath wasn’t the goal here, not that he’d notice.
A year ago, my brother had arranged a ski-slash-party weekend at Big Sky. Heath and I had both been there, and I’d paraded around that condo in my skimpiest bikini before taking a dip in the hot tub. Had he noticed me practically naked? No. A pair of tighter pants wouldn’t make a difference.
Besides, I didn’t care if he noticed me at work today, right? Right .
The reason I undid the clasp on the waistband and shoved the pants to the floor was not for Heath. It was for me. Because on your first day of work, you should love your outfit. That’s why I was changing. Not for Heath. Not at all. Not even a little bit.
Kicking off my shoes, I raced through the house to the laundry room. My favorite black pants were in the dryer so I rifled through the heap, finding the right ones. I shoved my legs in, zipping them up as I hustled for the bedroom. With my heels on, I did one last check in the mirror. In these pants, I had an ass. A great ass.
“Much better.”
Coat in hand, I headed outside. Snow blanketed the parking lot and streets around Bozeman, Montana. The shining sun made the drive across town to Holiday Homes blinding white.
My hometown was decked out for the holidays and had been since Thanksgiving. Evergreens were strung with colored lights. The old-fashioned lampposts along Main were adorned with garlands and bows. Window displays were teeming with fake snowdrifts and candy canes. This was my favorite time of year, the perfect day to start a new adventure.
Bozeman had changed during my twenty-seven years. The once sprawling farm fields on the outskirts of town were now filled with homes and businesses. Most of the faces at the grocery store were unfamiliar, though the smiles remained. Our small-town roots grew deep. I liked to believe that Bozeman’s friendly culture was partly because of the families who’d lived here for generations, like my own. And the Holidays.
It was exciting to see the community grow and to be a part of this boom. Since graduating from college with a degree in business, I’d worked for a local construction company as a project manager. The homes they built were nice, albeit predictable. Spec houses and cookie-cutter blocks weren’t overly appealing, so when I’d heard that Holiday Homes, the valley’s premier custom home builder, was looking for someone to join their team, I’d tossed my name into the hat.
I had years of relevant experience and was damn good at my job. But if the reason they’d picked me out of all the other candidates was because Guy and Heath were best friends, well... this was my chance to prove myself.
Starting today .
My stomach did a somersault as I eased my SUV into the Holiday Homes parking lot. My hands shook as I parked and shut off the engine. But I couldn’t seem to force myself out. I sat there and stared at the beautiful wood-sided building with enormous windows that gleamed beneath the blue sky.
The pay was nearly double what I’d been earning. With this salary, I might actually be able to afford a home in the next year so I could stop renting my apartment.
“Here we go.” I sucked in a deep breath, then straightened my shoulders, grabbed my handbag and walked inside.
It smelled like coffee and sawdust, exactly as it had the day of my interview.
“Good morning,” the receptionist greeted. Her long, gray hair was streaked with white. “Nice to see you again, Stella.”
“Hi.” My voice shook. “Nice to see you too.”
“Excited for your first day?”
“And a little nervous.”
“I’ve seen your résumé. You’ll do great. I was actually just going through your new employee paperwork.” She stood and rounded the corner of her desk in the lobby, holding out a hand. “Gretchen.”
“Of course. I remember you from the interview.” I shook her hand, excitement radiating through my fingers.
Gretchen seemed like a no-nonsense person because we skipped the get-to-know-you small talk and she led me straight to my office. She spent twenty minutes getting me oriented with a phone, laptop and company email. Then she handed me a pile of paperwork that needed my signatures.
“Let’s do an office tour,” she said. “Then I’ll let you go through this paperwork. Keith is at a customer meeting this morning but he should be in the office by ten.”
“Sounds good.” I nodded too wildly. My voice was still rattling with nerves. And damn it, when were my hands going to stop trembling?
“Keith’s a great boss. I’ve worked here for fifteen years. You won’t find a better family.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I’d known the Holidays nearly my entire life, but clamped it shut and gave her another overly enthusiastic nod.
Maybe Gretchen knew that the Holidays had known me since my pigtail days. That I’d spent my childhood chasing Heath and his twin brother, Tobias, around the playground. Maybe she knew that I’d gone to their high school and college, and that our personal connection was likely the reason I was sitting at this desk.
But I didn’t need to announce it to anyone. I was here to show this company, this team, that I was an asset. There was a chance favoritism had gotten me through the door. But I’d show every employee I could do this job.
Gretchen’s office tour was a whirlwind of names and titles. Holiday Homes had grown from its start in Keith’s garage thirty years ago to a twenty-person office staff and triple that on the labor crew.
The office building was two floors, the upstairs having most of the offices, including mine. On the first floor, there were three conference rooms with large, wood-paned windows. Next to them was a break room with a stainless-steel refrigerator, an espresso machine and two coffee pots.
Keith’s corner office was dark and empty. The room beside it was also empty, though the lights were on. I didn’t have to ask whose office it was. I caught a whiff of Heath’s woodsy cologne.
I didn’t let myself hold in that incredible smell. Not today. Because as of now, Heath was my coworker. My boss-type figure. A friend of my family. Nothing more.
“Heath must have snuck in while we were upstairs,” Gretchen said. “I’m sure we’ll find him.”
I’d spent most of my life finding Heath. “Okay.”
“He takes the lead on our larger builds, and the construction staff all report to him. You’ll get to know the foremen and the crews with each project. They mostly come and go from the shop. We hold an all-staff meeting there once a month. And you’ll see the guys on project sites.”
“Can’t wait to see it.” Again.
The shop was on the other side of town, located in an industrial area of Bozeman and not far from a prominent lumber yard. It was completely out of my way from anything, work or home, but in high school, when I’d been at Bozeman High and Heath had been attending college at Montana State, I’d drive by the shop almost daily just in the hopes that I’d catch a glimpse of him.
During summer breaks from college, he’d be the guy at the shop reloading trailers with supplies. I’d spot him occasionally, sweating and gorgeous, loading boards onto a flatbed truck.
“Tobias?” Gretchen poked her head into the next office over.
“Come on in, Gretchen.” A familiar face greeted me with a wide, white smile. Tobias stood from his desk and rounded the corner to sit on its edge. “Hey, Stella. Welcome aboard.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at Tobias, my nerves taking on a whole new edge.
Yep, this is weird.
This was Tobias, my childhood friend. The kid who’d chased Guy and me around my living room when we’d played tag. The boy who had once accidentally walked in on me in the bathroom while I was peeing.
Now he was basically my superior. As the architect at Holiday Homes, he’d be giving me orders and making sure I followed through.
If he felt any of the same awkwardness, he didn’t let it show. “How’s it going so far?”
“Great. Gretchen has been showing me around. I’m sure she’ll be sick of answering my questions before the day is over.”
“Pfft.” She waved it off. “I’m here to help. Whatever you need.”
“Gretchen, you remember our friend Guy Marten, right?” Tobias asked her. “Stella is his sister.”
“Oh, I hadn’t put that together,” Gretchen said. “But now that you mention it, I can see the resemblance.”
Guy and I both had blond hair, though his was a shade darker than mine. We had the same hazel eyes and narrow noses. But where he was always goofing off, content only if he was earning laughs and standing in the center of attention, I’d been the girl who loved the quiet moments most. The girl who swam or hiked or lost herself in a book. My Friday nights were typically spent in flannel pajamas with a bowl of popcorn and the latest hit show.
“Since you know Heath, I guess we don’t need to track him down,” Gretchen said, then checked her watch. “Okay, we’ve got a little time before Keith gets in. I’ll let you chat and then settle into your office. Would you like some coffee?”
“I can find it. Thanks, Gretchen.”
“Like Tobias said, welcome aboard. We’re a family here at Holiday and are so excited to have you here. Keith was so impressed by your interview. He’s probably going to dump a bunch of stuff on you today.”
“She can handle it.” A deep, rugged voice came from the doorway.
I glanced over and my stupid heart tumbled .
Heath leaned against the threshold, his hands tucked into his jeans pockets. “Hey, Stell.”
“Hey, Heath.” Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Please, don’t blush.
My cheeks felt hot, despite my silent commands. I’d been fighting that damn blush for what felt like my whole life.
Why couldn’t I see Heath the way I saw Tobias? A friend, nothing more. They had the same dark hair. The same piercing blue eyes. The same soft lips and straight nose. Hell, Tobias had even grown a beard and I’d always thought beards were sexy.
But did my face flame for that Holiday brother? No. Never. Not once.
There was something different about Heath.
Maybe it was how whenever he wore a button-down shirt, he’d roll the sleeves up his sculpted forearms. Maybe it was the way his smile was a little crooked on the right side. Maybe it was the way he laughed often and believed cookies were a major food group.
Heath was... Heath. A cute boy who’d grown into a ridiculously handsome man. He was the dream.
The dream I needed to banish. Effective immediately.
He pushed off the door’s frame to stride into Tobias’s office, standing close, but not too close. His cologne wrapped around me like a warm hug. His six-foot-two frame dwarfed my five-four, and I had to tilt up my chin as his blue eyes drew me in. “How’s the first day going?”
“Good.” My voice was breathy. Though considering it was always breathy when he was in the same room, he probably thought it was normal. Gretchen and Tobias would not. I cleared my throat, dropping it a bit. “How are you?”
Too low. Damn it. Now I sounded like I was impersonating a man.
Gretchen was staring .
I simply smiled. Nothing strange here, Gretch. Everything is normal. Totally normal.
“Busy,” Heath answered. Right, I’d asked a question. “Thursdays are always hectic.”
Thursday was a strange day to start a new job, but when I’d given my former employer my two weeks’ notice, he’d asked for a few more days to wrap up the project I’d been working on.
“Did you get an office?” he asked.
“Yep. Gretchen got me all settled.”
“Good deal.” He nudged my elbow with his. And there went my cheeks again. Shit . “I’m getting some coffee. I’ll come up and visit later. Guy told me something about a clogged toilet. You’ll have to tell me how that all turned out.”
My mouth fell open.
Why, of all the things that Guy and Heath could discuss, was the fact that I’d clogged my toilet something conversation-worthy?
I hated my brother. I actually hated my brother.
Guy wouldn’t even have known about the toilet incident had he not come over while I’d been mopping the bathroom floor with towels.
“It was nothing.” I looked to Tobias and Gretchen, my new coworkers who didn’t need to think I had plumbing issues—with my house or my bowels. “I was cleaning and the top of my toilet wand, the disposable ones, didn’t go down like it should have. My dad came over and snaked it clear for me. All fixed now. And from now on I’ll only be flushing the number ones and twos.”
Oh. My. God.
Why, Stella? Why?
The room was silent for a beat, then Gretchen smiled and excused herself. Tobias chuckled and went back to his chair. And I slid past Heath, slinking away for the break room .
I swallowed a groan. So it wasn’t the best way to start this off. Not the worst, but not the best. But considering my history of embarrassing moments with Heath, I’d settle for a strange toilet discussion.
It was better than the time I’d gotten my period at the park when I was fourteen. Heath and Guy had been out tossing a football and I’d decided to go out there with a book and a blanket, hoping Heath would talk to me. I’d had on my cutest pair of white shorts.
Guy had spotted—literally—it first. He’d declared, right in front of Heath, that I needed to go home and get a tampon.
It was arguably the worst of my embarrassing moments.
Though a close second runner-up was the time in seventh grade when Heath had been over to play video games with Guy. I’d stopped by the living room to watch. Mom had made eggs that morning and eggs always made my stomach rumble. I’d been sitting there, hanging on Heath’s every word. He’d said something funny. I’d laughed. And farted. The noise and smell had chased them from the room.
Clogged toilet? No sweat. I’d survived much, much worse. The rest of my day would be nothing but normal. I’d get some coffee, then breeze through the paperwork in my new office before my meeting with Keith.
“Mugs...” I opened the cupboards above the coffee pots in the break room, finding them all empty. “Okay, maybe I don’t need coffee.”
“Mugs are over here.” Heath strode in, going for the cabinet beside the fridge. “I told Dad that this was not the logical place to keep them but he likes them beside the dishwasher.”
“Ah. Well, for the record, I agree with you.”
“Thanks.” He grinned and handed me a white, ceramic mug. “Glad you’re here. We’ve been swamped and it will be great to have someone with experience. ”
“I’m excited to be here too.” I filled my mug and smiled. “I liked my other job, but I think this will fit my interests more. I really do love the homes you guys build.”
Holiday Homes was known for its meticulous attention to detail. For the past five years, each of their showcases in the annual Parade of Homes had been my favorite.
“We’ve got some fun projects coming up too,” Heath said.
“Good.” I raised my mug in a salute. “I’d better get going on my new employee paperwork. See you later.”
He nodded. “Have a good day.”
I walked away, entirely impressed with myself that I’d made it through that exchange without flushed cheeks or rambling nonsense.
Obviously, I’d spoken to Heath many, many times. But usually, Guy was there to tease me or goof around. Now that we were working together, maybe Heath would see me as an adult if we spent some time away from my brother.
I was a step away from the door when Heath called my name.
“Stella.”
“Yeah?” I turned.
He walked over, coming straight into my space.
My breath hitched as he stopped so close that the heat from his chest radiated against my body.
He bent, his large, strong body dropping to a crouch. His fingers brushed my calf.
I watched stunned, speechless, as he stood tall and held out a small scrap of black lace.
A thong.
My thong.
My thong that had been stuck to my pants all. Freaking. Morning. During my time with Gretchen. During the tour to meet my new coworkers. During my break room conversation with Heath.
There wasn’t a word for this level of mortification.
“Um . . .” He held out my thong.
I swiped it from his hand, utterly stunned. If I hadn’t changed my pants, if I’d just worn the trousers, static cling wouldn’t have been an issue. Yet here I was, wearing tight pants with a pair of panties in my fist.
The period and fart incidents paled in comparison.
Heath gave me a small smile, then slipped past me and strode down the hallway to his office.
“Oh. My. God.” I set my coffee aside and buried my flaming-red face in my hands.
When it came to Heath Holiday, I was doomed.