Chapter 10
Ten
Finn
Skylar brought another tray of coffee, looking cute as hell. This time, she’s in baggy jeans and a zip hoodie over a T-shirt that’s seen better days.
As for me, I’ve managed to keep my shirt on.
She cocks her head as I stare at her red curls, all bundled on the top of her head in a messy bun.
When she peels off the hoodie a moment later, she catches me staring. That shirt is so loose it’s practically falling off of her. When she leans down to rifle through my toolbox, I get a full view down her front. No sports bra today, just a simple lacy thing with barely enough coverage.
“What is it? Do I have something in my teeth?”
“No. I just don’t know why you bring so many drinks and a dozen donuts for two people.”
She smiles her devastating smile as she picks an iced coffee from the work table, along with a powdered donut. “I didn’t know what you liked. And also, I assumed you were going to have help at some point.”
“Not today. I will. Soon.”
I pick up a black coffee from the tray and pop open the box, eyeing an iced raspberry jelly.
“So…why not today? Why is it just us again?”
It’s time to fess up. “Because I’m not charging you for this job.”
“Excuse me?”
“And I want the work done perfectly for you. So, if I don’t want to hemorrhage money like a fool, I’ll bring people in on days when extra help is essential. I can’t afford to have workers standing around waiting for instructions.”
Skylar shakes her head. “Why would you do this for free? This is crazy.”
“It’s a calculated risk, but I believe in you,” he says.
“You barely know me!”
“I think I do know you pretty well.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “All of this is so irresponsible to do for no money. I’m already not paying you rent, so you are, in effect, already hemorrhaging money.”
I shrug. “I have enough saved, and this is a pretty small job. Not like I have to install a kitchen. The bathroom just needs a little TLC, nothing major. The HVAC needs some work, and I have that scheduled for the week before the drywall goes up. It’s a sound building, or I would never have let you move in. ”
Skylar gapes at me. “Let me?”
“Yeah,” I say, sipping my coffee.
It’s a stare-down. I’ve always been pretty good at stare-downs. Unflapped, I take a big bite of my donut, leaving barely half of it.
“What do you mean by ‘let me’?”
I know it’s rude to speak with my mouth full.
But she’s already pissed at me for some reason.
I can see the darkening pink behind the freckles on her nose.
“You think I’d let someone I care about as much as I care about you, move in somewhere that wasn’t safe, or that I couldn’t fix up on a deadline?
There’s a reason we ran into each other all those weeks ago. ”
“I’m not going to be beholden to you, just so we’re clear,” Skylar informs me.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m not going to do what you say or date you or have sex with you in exchange for everything you’ve done here.”
“When did I say that, Skylar?”
She closes her mouth, staring up at me with that incredulous look.
“When did I say I wanted favors from you, Skylar? Is that what you think I am? Is that why you think I backed you against the wall yesterday? Because I expected something from you?”
She’s speechless. Finally, her face softens. “No. I’m sorry. Can we change the subject? I appreciate everything you’ve done. Even if you’re crazy. I don’t want any conflict or misunderstandings.”
“I don’t either. I want to be on the same page,” I say.
“Good. Being on the same page is good. Not everything has to be so heavy,” she says.
I don’t think being on the same page to her means the same thing it means to me.
But she’s right. We have work to do.
Skylar is having the time of her life, even if I have to redo some of her work. OK, by lunchtime, I end up pulling out seven nails, unscrewing five of her screws, and remeasuring several boards, but she’s not the worst worker I’ve had by far.
“I still say this is a crazy idea for a vacation,” she says at one point, fanning herself and unbuttoning her shirt. “If I go on vacation, I need cute outfits, cute guys to flirt with, and lots of A/C.” That ratty T-shirt is starting to cling to her breasts as she sweats.
Something flares in my belly when she says that. A totally inappropriate response to the idea of her flirting with other guys. I have no claim whatsoever on her.
But that doesn’t stop me from peeling off my Henley because it is getting damn hot in here.
“You flirt with everyone you meet, or are you just trying to make me jealous?” I ask with a grin, letting her know I’m not upset about it.
Because I have to be OK with who she is.
She sits down on a step stool and dabs the sweat on her sternum. “I just love talking to people. Everyone has a story. People react when I flirt with them, and they open up. It’s more like a pastime to me. And people like to be heard.”
“So, what’s your story? When do people get to listen to you?”
She laughs. “Iris is a good listener. But she has a lot going on, so I try not to unload much on her.”
“So what’s your story?”
Skylar smiles and takes a drink of her water.
“Well, it all started when this hot guy showed up at the town Dogwood Festival last month and offered to be my contractor for my little bookstore, and then he disappeared. I thought he flaked, so I put it out of my mind and went to work sketching out my plans and pricing different contractors. Pushing back the opening date of my store until I had the proper financial plans in place. I put that guy out of my head. But then, that hot guy blew back into town and turned everything upside down. Turns out, he’s a great kisser, too.
Not that I would tell him that, because I wouldn’t want that going to his head.
I don’t want to have any expectations because if he disappears again, I don’t want to have to hate him.
Also, as the brother of my best friend’s brand-new boyfriend, I have to be careful.
I don’t like messes, and I don’t like drama. ”
I don’t like drama either. I like to be straightforward.
“So what happened yesterday? What changed?”
She takes another drink of water.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she says.
I want to know everything about her. I want to understand how she thinks.
“You might be surprised, Skylar.”
She looks up at the ceiling, then says, “Something magical happens here on the first of May. Remember, I told you there are a lot of birthdays nine months from now? Well, it’s not an exaggeration.
I don’t know if it’s the trees, the flowers, or the pollen.
Who knows? But everyone lets their guard down a little bit.
Lots of one-night stands happen. Everything is warmer, the creeks rise, and the mountaintops are fully green.
So maybe blame yesterday on that unidentifiable something in the air.
What can I say? I’m defenseless in front of a shirtless, tall drink of water who smells like man-musk and sawdust. I just…
dropped an egg when I got another look at you.
Also, it’s been a solid couple of years since I had sex, and I am extremely horny. ”
I nod. “You dropped an egg? Never heard it put like that before.”
She shakes her head as I approach. “Boy, you could get me pregnant just by looking at me, and there wouldn’t be anything immaculate about that conception.”
“Skylar.” I’m standing right in front of her now, looming over her.
“What are you doing?”
“Telling you to take a break. We’re done for the day.”
“We are?”
“I’m not getting any more work done today after listening to you talk like that.”
Her forehead does that cute crease thing again. Her eyes rake over my stomach, and she swallows. Finally, she meets my gaze again. “I don’t want things to get complicated. I’m trying to be professional.”
“You don’t work for me. But if you did, I’d say let’s go on break now.”