Chapter Ten
When Claire arrived early at the sanctuary on Monday morning, she could tell progress had been made by the Handymen team.
Thanks to Eli and his group of landscapers, Haven’s front yard was practically unrecognizable.
What used to be a gravel driveway, a patchy lawn and a couple of small hedges near the door was now something much more sophisticated and welcoming.
They were in the process of laying a new asphalt drive, as well as fresh sod on the lawn area.
Eli had removed the old hedges and had added some curb appeal with a long garden plot, filled with low-maintenance perennials.
He’d assured her that the flowers, which bloomed every year, would require little care.
Michael had almost finished her laundry room expansion.
After knocking down an unnecessary wall, Michael and his team had created a new area for washing up and sorting their linens.
There was so much new counter space and Claire could already envision how much easier it would be to work in there.
He’d assured her that new appliances were on the way, and she practically salivated any time she allowed herself to think about them.
Imagine. A washer that didn’t clunk with every load!
She knew exactly where they would go because Michael had taped out the spots, and new electrics were in place to support them.
It was really starting to come together.
After grabbing a coffee from the craft services table, Claire headed to the back yard, but then stopped in her tracks.
She should be playing it cool. There was no reason to seek Nick out.
Besides, he had warned her away previously, in an attempt to keep his mystery project under wraps.
She should just head into the sanctuary and do her work.
Even though Nick had been on her mind the whole time since he’d left her house.
He’d actually kissed her. It hadn’t been a dream at all.
Then he’d talked about going on a date. Her nerves had warned her away at the time, even though she’d agreed to it. Dates implied more dates, and that implied a relationship, which in turn implied feelings and a future.
None of those things were on her agenda right now, and certainly not with a man who was leaving town soon.
Once again, she told herself to go inside and leave Nick in peace.
Adele’s words echoed in her memory. ‘If you’re still questioning it, maybe you’re not ready.’
Another thought overrode Adele’s words of caution.
That kiss…
It was likely the recollection of that kiss that compelled Claire’s feet to turn in to the back yard.
She would just take a quick peek at the mystery project, nothing else.
Or so she told herself.
Nick and his decking crew were already hard at work.
Nick stood at the far end of the large structure with one of the women on his team.
They appeared to be going over measurements.
When Claire stuck her head around the corner, he looked up and his face brightened.
He said something to his colleague and walked over.
“Excuse me, miss. This is a forbidden zone. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Dressed in jeans, a plaid shirt and his hard hat, he was just about the hottest thing she’d ever laid eyes on.
Something about the virile picture dug into her psyche and coaxed out the flirt in her.
When she spoke, a sultry tone emerged out of nowhere.
“Yes, Mr. Zorn. I won’t do it again, Mr. Zorn. ”
He narrowed his eyes in apparent appreciation. “Good. Oh, and good morning, by the way.”
“Good morning. Did you have a relaxing day yesterday?”
“Yeah. You?”
Considering she’d spent much of it thinking of him, it hadn’t exactly been relaxing, but she’d eased any tension with her vibrator. “I can’t complain.”
“So,” said Nick, eyeing her T-shirt. “What’s the slogan today?”
She stretched out her shirt so he could see the small font over her breast. “‘Inspire’.”
His gaze slowly climbed back up. “I’m inspired.”
“Glad to hear it.” She smiled. “Look, I won’t get in your way. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay…with your mystery project.”
“Is that so?”
She glanced at the odd structure, but her eyes returned to him, as if they couldn’t bear to look at anything else. “Yup. How’s it going?”
“We’re ahead of schedule, actually.”
“Great!” Time to leave before you embarrass yourself further.
“Claire, how would you feel about having dinner with me tomorrow night?”
A tickle of excitement started at the base of her spine. “Ah. The date you mentioned.”
Nick nodded. “If it’s too soon—”
“It’s not too soon. I’d love to.” She liked spending time with Nick, and if the date happened to end in her bed, even better.
As long as they maintained certain boundaries.
“Awesome. I’ll text you a couple of ideas.”
“I look forward to it.”
He tipped his hard hat as if it was a cowboy hat. “Thank you, ma’am. Now, I’m going to have to ask you to vacate these premises. My mystery project won’t be very mysterious if you keep loitering around, ogling the workers.”
“Ogling? But what if one of the workers was ogling me?”
“Oh, that’s allowed.”
She laughed. “Fine. And don’t worry about your mystery project. I promise I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re creating back here. This isn’t a deck at all, is it? It’s too big.”
“You’ll find out when you need to know.”
“Hmm. You really know how to withhold information, don’t you, Nick?”
“Delayed gratification is still gratification, sweetheart. Now scram, so I can watch you walk away.”
Amused, and incredibly turned on, Claire left the back yard.
She made sure to put an extra swing in her step for his benefit.
* * * *
By the end of the day, Nick had made significant progress on his mystery project.
So much progress, in fact, that he was dying to put Claire out of her misery and tell her what it was.
Unless he managed to keep her out of the back yard, she’d likely figure it out anyway.
There was no way he could tarp the entire thing.
It was too massive. Still, right now, it looked like a lot of angle brackets, posts and beams. Before long, though, it would have several runs and jumps, a whole lot of chicken wire and several little doors attached.
Once he got to that stage, the jig would be up.
He needed a way to distract Claire and keep her away from the back yard.
Right now, the only thing he could think of to distract Claire was to kiss her senseless.
Damn.
He’d left her after the party and had been up most of the night reliving their kiss. That was a moment of awesomeness he’d take to his grave.
It had been so awesome he’d had to rub one out before falling asleep. That hadn’t happened in a while.
When Nick had come in the shower, exploding with the force of a hundred bombs detonating, he’d almost cried.
Now he just needed to know he could make that happen with a woman present.
Disrupting his thoughts, Lacey appeared in the back yard. “Hey, Nick. Got a second?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m not trying to rush you, but I was just wondering if you’d had a chance to review your new contract.”
Right. That. “It’s still with my lawyer.”
“No problem. If you need anything from legal, I can make a call.”
“From what I saw, it all looks good.” In fact, when he’d reviewed it, the terms had been generous.
The network was clearly interested in working with him, although he certainly didn’t need that kind of money.
Nick had always considered himself to be a man of simple needs.
Good work boots, some sturdy jeans and a job that allowed him to be outside in the sun were about all he needed to be happy.
He worked with a few local charities. His brothers did too.
So, if anything, his new circumstances meant those charities would be getting some nice donations in the near future.
He knew for a fact that the local food bank was hurting.
The next time he went in to help pack up food, he’d tell the administrator to increase his regular donation.
“All right,” said Lacey. “Just let me know if I can help in any way. The executive team is eager to seal the deal.”
“Understood. So am I.”
In fairness, Nick probably could have just signed the contract and returned it. It was straightforward enough, and he’d signed a few in his time by now. Still, he knew it was best to have a lawyer review it.
And yet, he had hesitated a beat in calling the lawyer initially.
Was there a part of him that was worried about making this leap?
Come on. This is what you wanted, right?
When his mom had had a cancer scare last year, Nick and his brothers had been rattled. There had been times when he’d just wanted to run away. Luckily, that had been resolved and their mom was fine. But then that mess had happened with Kristy, and the temptation to run had hit him hard.
Was he still just trying to run away?
“We already have list of great properties to renovate,” said Lacey.
“Although Handymen has been based out of Toronto, we’ve always gotten emails from homeowners who are farther afield.
I’ve been able to reach out to some of them.
Your first project will be a nice little home in Victoria.
The owners tried to build their own pergola and deck, but something went wrong with the measurements.
They can’t even use it because it’s a hazard. It’s a perfect project for you!”
“Hmm. Victoria, huh?” That was only a few thousand kilometers away.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, Nick. It’s going to be a big change to your routine, but you said you were up for it. Has that changed? Because now’s the time to tell me.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m up for it. Like you said, it’s just a lot to take in.”
“You won’t be on your own. Some of the Handymen team members have signed on, like Louie and Rex and a few others.”
“That’s good. I just hope everyone else will be okay.”
“They will. Don’t worry. The network has made plans to redistribute most of our other personnel to other shows, and a couple have already told me they’re ready to retire. As for your new crew members, I have it on good authority they’re some of the best.”
“Great. And you’ll be there.”
Lacey hesitated before responding. “Right.”
“I’m glad. I’m not sure I could do this without you.”
“Ah, thanks, Nick. But I want you to know you’ve always had it in you, you and your brothers. I know I’ve pushed you here and there, but it’s only because I saw so much potential in you all. I’ll always think of you, Michael and Eli as my Handymen.”
“Hey, you’ll make us both misty-eyed if you keep that up.”
“Don’t mind me. I’ve been feeling a bit mushy lately.” She shifted her gaze, as if suddenly distracted.
Was there a problem? It wasn’t like Lacey not to just spit it out if she had an issue.
She had to have a lot on her mind too. After all, he wasn’t the only one starting this new project. Lacey would have to rearrange her life as well.
“So,” he said, changing the subject, “Claire’s been snooping around my mystery project.”
“Can’t say I blame her.” Lacey craned her neck to take in the structure.
“I might need to tell her what I’m doing back here sooner rather than later. I might not be able to push it off until the open house date.”
“Okay. Do whatever you need to do.”
What?
If there was one thing Lacey always insisted on during a shoot, it was keeping any special projects hidden until the big reveal.
It wasn’t like her to be so agreeable to an early reveal.
“Is everything okay, Lacey?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Just checking.”
“I’ll catch you later, Nick.”
Before he went back to work, he checked his phone for any new messages. There was only one email from his lawyer’s office. Knowing the contract was time-sensitive, the lawyer had prioritized it.
He saw no issues with the terms and told Nick he should feel free to sign any time he was ready.
Perfect.
Nick keyed out a quick email of thanks and emailed it to the lawyer. He would sign the contract tonight when he went home and return it to the production office tomorrow.
In fact, he couldn’t wait.