Chapter 18 #2
Nolan exhales. “No offense, son, but you and Kiki are one hell of a team. That work was flawless—your builds, her designs. I need both of you to bring this vision to life. Make that happen for me, and I’ll make sure you have one hell of a profitable winter.”
With that, the line clicks dead.
I pocket the phone and lean against the exterior brick, exhaling hard as the truth of the situation settles over me.
Goddamn it. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
I don’t want to work with Kiki. Hell, I don’t want to be anywhere near the woman. Because I miss her so much that seeing her every day might actually crack my chest wide open. Even after everything. Even after she ripped my heart to shreds.
How am I supposed to work right next to her and pretend I don’t feel anything? It’s already hell for me and I haven’t seen the woman in weeks.
Maybe it’s not worth it, man.
But that’s bullshit.
Of course it’s worth it. This Montague job is the biggest one of my career. The kind of job that makes a name for you if you get it right. If I knock this out of the park, I won’t have to chase work anymore because clients will be lining up around the damn block.
And my guys need this. Work’s been slow, and we’ve been taking jobs that are way below our skill level just to keep the lights on.
I drag a hand through my hair, flicking another glance at the guys by the door. Damn, but they’re dedicated in their quest. Already onto a new smoke, and right now, it’s looking mighty tempting.
Anything to shut off the thoughts racing in my brain.
What do I do? What the fuck do I do?
I shift against the wall, tapping the back of my head lightly against the brick, like it might knock an answer loose.
I need the money. Twenty-five grand, even split between my crew, is a hell of a bonus this time of year.
And let’s be honest, Kiki could use it too. It’s not like people in Sparkwood are lining up for her services. She needs the work as much as I do.
So even if we can’t stand the sight of one another, even if the best we manage on that job site is a few words of cordial banality, I know she can bring Montague’s vision to life.
And I hate that I don’t have any other option but to call her.
I scrub a hand over my jaw, exhaling through my nose.
Fine.
If that means putting up with her for a few months, then that’s what I’ll do. I can keep it professional. Keep my distance. Treat her like what she is now—someone I used to know, nothing more.
Because my son is my first, last, and only priority.
Kiki is just part of the job. A piece I have to deal with for a while. A few months, maybe. Then it’s done, and I never have to see her again.
I push off the wall and blow out a slow breath as I pull my phone from my pocket.
Let’s get this over with so I can head back inside, get out of the fucking cold, and buy myself a much-needed drink.
I flip through my contacts, my thumb hovering over her name, my pulse kicking up despite my best effort to remain steady.
Come on, Eddie. Don’t fall apart. Just sound normal. Cool, flat, completely unaffected.
I tap.
Kiki answers on the second ring. “Eddie? Oh my God. How are you?”
A few words out of her mouth and I’m already wrecked, my grip tightening like a vise around the phone as I stare out at the dark street.
This is not going well.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I don’t bother asking how she is. Truth is, I don’t want to know.
“How are things with you and Deirdre? Are you two better?”
Her questions throw me, and I pull the phone away from my ear, shooting it a side-eye.
Why the hell does she care how things are between me and my ex-wife?
“They’re okay, I guess. Not sure why you’re asking.”
“Oh.” Her voice falters. “I just thought… never mind. My mistake.”
Have I fallen into an alternate universe? Kiki and I haven’t spoken in weeks, and one of the first things out of her mouth is asking about me and Deirdre—the very thing she used as proof that we were a bad idea. What kind of game is this woman playing?
I pace the sidewalk, earning a few strange glances from the smoking section by the door. No doubt they’re wondering what could be so interesting that I’m braving the cold sans cigarette.
Trust me, guys, I’m wondering that, too.
“Look, I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll get to it. I got a call from Mr. Montague. You remember him, the Hollywood director?”
“Oh my God. You did? What happened?”
“I got the job.”
An excited squeal sounds over the phone, followed by what I swear is her clapping. “Eddie, that is the best news ever! You’re going to do amazing. He totally picked the right man for the job.”
Under normal circumstances, I’d bask in her flattery because I believe she means it. Right now, it’s too much for my battered heart and brain to handle.
“Yeah, well—” I cut her off. “There’s a condition, and it’s non-negotiable.”
“That doesn’t sound promising.”
“Depends on how you look at it.” I rub a hand over my eyes. “He wants you on the job, too. Loved your design ideas. Thinks you and I share some grand vision for the house.”
A chuckle escapes her mouth, but I hear the nerves lining the edges of her laughter. “That’s flattering. But what do you think?”
Trust me, Kiki, you don’t want to go there.
I stall for a few seconds because there are so many things I’m thinking right now, and none of them are good. In the end, my anger wins. “Honestly? I don’t give a shit.”
“Of course. I understand.” She doesn’t argue, doesn’t push back, but I hear it—the way she pulls inward, like she’s bracing for impact—and a flicker of guilt washes over me, which is insane.
We’re here because of her. Her choices. Her decision.
“Look.” I lower my voice, trying to maintain an even and less noxious rhythm. “I’m still pissed. That hasn’t changed. But without you, I don’t have this job. So if you think you can stand working with me for a few months, I’d appreciate it. My guys need this. And I’m pretty sure you do too.”
Kiki falls silent and for a second I worry she might decline the invitation. Hell, it’s not like I made her feel welcome in this venture.
Too late now, Eddie.
“I’m surprised you’d even consider it,” she murmurs. “That you’d want me anywhere near you.”
“It’s not about that. It’s a requirement.”
“Just so you know, I would never not want to see you, Eddie.”
Her simple declaration threatens to turn me on my head, because she sounds so damn sincere. As if she’s been missing me as much as I’ve missed her.
Until my brain swoops in, reminding me this is the same woman who ripped my fucking heart apart a few weeks ago for being too much of a fucking nice guy.
I need off this call. Now.
“Look, this is strictly a business situation, Kiki. We’re not going to be hanging out after work, sharing beers and watching a game. We keep it professional. No talk of our past. I can handle it if you can.”
“Yeah. Of course.” Her voice dips, and there’s no mistaking it now, she’s on the verge of tears. “I wouldn’t expect anything different.”
Wait a damn minute. How did I end up feeling like the bad guy here?
I feel like shit, laying out a list of rules, ensuring she feels like an outsider before she’s even set foot on the job site.
That’s not how I work. I’m a big believer in ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ thing.
Corny as it sounds, it’s true. And what am I doing?
Making damn sure Kiki Wilder, a woman who already feels like an outcast everywhere she goes, will feel like one around me and my crew too.
I tip my head back, forcing out a breath.
I need to get my anger in check, and soon, but first I need her answer.
“Can I tell Mr. Montague you’re on board?
” There’s a pause, and I push forward before she can overthink it.
“Look, it won’t be that bad, Kiki. I’m the contractor, you’re the designer.
We’re not gonna be on top of each other.
You’ll come in at the beginning, maybe check in here and there, then at the end.
That’s it. Plus, there’s a bonus in it for you. A decent one.”
“It’s not the bonus, Eddie. It’s…” She huffs out a breath. “I don’t want to ruin your life any more than I already have.”
Nope, we are not going there.
My jaw tightens. “Me losing the biggest job of my life would do a hell of a lot more damage than you being on my site. Deirdre wants to enroll Theo in a private school that costs more per year than my entire college education, so yeah, I need this paycheck. But I need you to come willingly.”
This time, her answer arrives in an instant. “Anything for Theo. I’m in.”
There it is again. Her tone. Those words. That same pull on my heart.
Why does she bother saying things like that? And then it hits me.
Maybe she does love Theo, Eddie. Maybe she just didn’t love you.
I need off this call immediately. “I’ll let Mr. Montague know, and I’ll text you the details from there, okay?”
Before Kiki can reply, the door behind me swings open, and Nicole pokes her head out, fixing me with a curious glance. “Are you ever coming back inside? How long do you expect me to hold this pool table, handsome?”
I manage a quiet laugh and lift a hand, motioning to my phone. “Just give me a minute, sweetheart.”
The second the words leave my mouth, I freeze, realizing a beat too late that Kiki’s still on the other end of the line.
Shit.
Look, it’s an unintentional faux pas. I didn’t mean to call Nicole sweetheart. It just slipped out. And hell, for all I know, considering I’m the one who got my ass dumped, Kiki probably won’t give a damn.
“Well, it looks like you’re busy,” Kiki says, her voice carefully neutral. “I don’t want to keep you from your fun.”
Seems like she’s ready to be done with this conversation too.
“That’s what life’s about,” I reply, forcing a note of bravado into my voice. “Having a good time, right? Filling a void.”
Jesus. Another line that shouldn’t have come out of my mouth. At this point, it’s like my brain and I aren’t even on speaking terms.
“Actually, it’s not,” Kiki whispers, her voice barely audible over the line. “Be careful, okay? I know I don’t get to say that anymore, but… I really miss you.”
No, I can’t. I absolutely cannot let those words sink in. I can’t let them mean anything.
“Yeah, okay. Bye.” I end the call, my hand trembling as I lower the phone, the abruptness of it sitting wrong in my gut.
I hate how I left that. But Kiki needs to understand something. She can’t say things like that to me. Not anymore.
Because I can’t allow myself to believe them.
I step back inside, a slight shiver running through me as the warmth hits after the cold.
Nicole catches sight of me from the bar and waves, pointing toward the pool table. “Sorry, handsome. Locals said I’ve been holding it hostage long enough. Guess we’ll have to find some other way to pass the time.”
I lean against the bar, my gaze drifting downward as my boot nudges the metal rail along the bottom.
I can read between the lines. Nicole’s looking for a little fun, and maybe that works for some people, finding someone new to forget the one they lost.
But I’m not every guy, and Kiki Wilder is the reason. Once you fall, and fall hard, nothing else seems quite as appealing.
Bad luck for me that love was one-sided.
I pull out my wallet, motion to the bartender, and hand him my card. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but I got a call about a big job. I need to head home and start prepping for it.”
Nicole doesn’t even blink at my brush-off. She inches closer, dragging her red-lacquered nails down my arm in a slow, deliberate fashion. “Need any help? I’m very detail-oriented.”
I’ll bet you are, sweetheart.
“No, I’m good.” I force a smile and press a quick kiss to her cheek. “Some other time, yeah?”
Disappointment flickers across her face, but she covers it fast. “Of course. I’m sure I’ll find some other way to keep myself entertained tonight.”
I glance around the bar, dozens of men who’d kill for a shot with a woman like Nicole, and give her arm a light, reassuring pat. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem.”
But as I step back out into the cold and pull my keys from my pocket, I realize something. It won’t be that easy for me.