Tangled Web: A Small Town Romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 6)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “My fireplace!”

  I looked at it and sure enough, it was all fixed. Eric must have brought out extra men to help get this place in shape.

  “Wow, it looks great.”

  “I know. Eric wanted to do this himself, but since he was in the middle of the kitchen, he pulled in some more guys to hurry things along. He’s worried about getting the heat up and running before winter hits.”

  “Yeah, it’s coming in faster this year.”

  “I know. So, he fixed this up so that I had some heat if the furnace doesn’t come on time. Not to mention that all the ducts in the house need to be cleaned out. He said they were really clogged, which is partly why the furnace is working overtime.”

  I glanced over at the couch and noticed the folded blankets and pillow sitting there. I walked over and picked up an afghan out of a basket. “What’s this?”

  “Oh, it’s just a little something I’m making.”

  My head spun to hers in shock. “You’re making this?”

  Her cheeks flushed red and she nodded. “My mom taught me. And it’s so cold, I thought I would make my first blanket for the house.”

  I nodded, looking down at the blanket. What kind of serial killer made blankets? That was weird, right? But maybe she wasn’t actually making it. It could all be part of her ploy to appear wholesome and good. She probably didn’t even know how to make the damn blanket.

  “Show me,” I said, a little too firmly.

  “What?”

  “I mean, I want to see how it’s done.”

  She looked at me funny, but took the blanket from me and got herself situated on the couch. I watched with rapt attention as she wrapped the yarn around her finger and picked up the hook. Then she started crocheting. I knew enough about it from my mom to know that she was actually doing it. My eyes were wide as I sat there staring at her. She was actually fucking doing it. Fixing cars one day and crocheting the next. Who the hell was this woman? Did serial killers crochet? I doubted their weapon of choice would be a crochet hook. It wasn’t exactly deadly.

  “So, how big is it going to be?”

  “Well, this is just the one side. Once I’m done with this, I’ll turn it over and crochet a decorative pattern on the backside. It should end up being about the size of a king bed.”

  “Wow. That’s impressive.”

  She smirked. “And in the meantime, it keeps me warm on cold days.”

  I cleared my throat, unsure of what to say about this now. I couldn’t figure out this damn woman. She was nothing like the profile that Barty gave me. I really needed to go back and do some more research on her. I had just been going off the file he had given me and then comparing it to what I could find online about her, which wasn’t a whole lot. I also needed to start digging into Barty. If he was after the money, he had just as much reason to pin something on her.

  Lorelei

  I had to be careful around Andrew. He was suspicious of me, though I had no idea why. I hadn’t given him any reason not to trust me, aside from the tub almost falling on his head. But this was more than that. He was curious in an obvious way, and he still seemed like he was terrified of me. I caught him watching me like he was waiting for me to do something, and that wasn’t good.

  I was going to have to seduce him. I needed him on my side if this whole thing went to court. I knew Bartholomew hadn’t gotten what he wanted yet. He needed reasonable doubt that there was foul play in order for the body to be exhumed. And I couldn’t give anyone any reason to doubt me further.

  “So, are you ready to help me with samples?” I asked, pulling out my color palette I had picked up from the hardware store. I figured the best way to play this was to pretend to be really stupid when it came to colors and where to put them. I wasn’t an interior designer, but I also knew the basics of picking colors.

  “Sure. What’s going to be done first?”

  “Well, they’re working on the kitchen right now. I thought we’d start in there.”

  He nodded and hobbled behind me as we moved to the back of the house toward the kitchen. It was coming along great. There was still plenty to be done, but now that the cabinets were in, I could actually picture what it would look like when it came together. I wanted it to look like an old country house.

  “So, I’m going to have an island right here, and the floor will be wide wood planks.”

  “Are you keeping the cabinets that color?”

  I nodded. “The cabinets are white, but the accents will keep the country theme I’m going for.”

  “Alright, so what colors are you thinking?”

  I grinned, biting my lip so he wouldn’t see. “Well, I was thinking that a great backsplash for the counter would be grass green, and then I wanted something sunny for over in the breakfast nook, so maybe a bright yellow. Then I was thinking for the opposite wall, I could have an accent wall in red, and—“

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You want to do what?”

  I looked at him all innocent and frowned. “What? You don’t think those colors work?”

  “Not unless you want everyone to puke when they come in here.”

  I frowned and looked down at my color samples. “Well, what about a dark blue?”

  He cringed. “This space is huge. You want to expand on that and let the natural light really make this place shine.”

  “So…white?”

  He sighed and grabbed the color cards from me. “Look, you want something bright and sunny in here. I get that. Green is out. You need a tile backsplash for the counter. Don’t even bother painting. It’ll be easier to clean in the end. As for your breakfast nook, I would go with white or a very pale yellow.”

  “You think?”

  He took my hand and dragged me over to the wall where I wanted the table and turned me to face him. “Close your eyes.” I did as he said. “Now, imagine that this wall is a bump out. You have windows all over this wall instead of just two. It’ll let all the light in. And then, you can put one of those bench seats with light yellow cushions on it. Then your table goes where we stand and you have a few wooden chairs. And you can paint the walls white to keep it nice and clean looking.”

  “What else?” I asked, loving the picture he was painting.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What else do you see?”

  He was silent for a minute and then he cleared his throat. “I see you at the island, putting together breakfast in one of those cute aprons that has some ruffles over the shoulders. You’re filling one of those pitchers that’s just for orange juice, even though you could just pour it out of the bottle. And you have a turntable in the middle of the table, and it has a little dish with sugar cubes and a little carafe for milk, and there’s a little jar of homemade jam too. And in the morning, you sit down with your husband, and the kids all fight over who gets to sit where on the window seat. You make them rotate so that there isn’t an argument every morning. The smell of bacon fills the air and you place everything on the table, then take your seat next to your husband. He smiles at you, tells you how beautiful you are, and you all sit down to eat breakfast together.”

  Wow, I was lost in that dream. It was the most perfect dream anyone had ever described, something similar to what I had always desired when I was younger. It was absolutely perfect.

  I opened my eyes and stared into his deep blue ones. He was staring at me too, like he wanted that dream as much as I did. I flushed slightly and that’s when he pulled back, running a hand over the back of his neck. “I mean, it’s just an idea.”

  “I love it,” I said sincerely. “It’s perfect.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s just a dream. I mean you have the house, but you still have to find the husband and kids.”

  I nodded, wondering if I would ever have that. I wanted it so badly, but with my past hanging over my head, it was very possible that life just wasn’t in the cards for me.

  “I really like it. I think I’ll talk to Eric about your ideas about the bump out. An
d I like the built-in bench. That sounds absolutely perfect.”

  He cleared his throat again and stepped back again, his brows furrowed. “Yeah, well, it’s just an idea. I mean, who actually lives like that?”

  I nodded, wishing that he was still holding my hands. The way he just laid that all out for me was perfect, and had me wanting something I had never really dreamt of before. It made me want him.

  “So, what else did you need help with?”

  “Um…well, I was thinking about the master bedroom…”

  He nodded, his brows furrowed as he swallowed hard. “The bedroom. Right. Where you sleep. That makes sense, that you would want that room finished. We should—you know…yeah.”

  I nodded and led him up the stairs, making sure to sway my hips from side to side as I walked. I had to keep my goal in mind, and that was to seduce him. That part had to go through. If I got him on my side, I would also get his family on my side. And they seemed to be the pillars of the community or something. I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough, his eyes were glued to my ass. But that somehow made my heart sink. I wanted him to like me, but I hated that I was manipulating him. I wanted him to like me for the real me. But the real me couldn’t exist just yet. She had to stay hidden until this whole thing was over.

  I walked to the end of the hall and opened the door to the master bedroom. There were so many possibilities with this room. There was another fireplace up here, and I could imagine curling up with a book in front of the fire in the winter. I wanted something warm and inviting for this room, something that made me want to spend all my free time in here.

  “Wow, this is a great room. Look at the size of these windows.”

  “I know. I think Eric will have to have them custom made.”

  “He might not get to this room before the weather turns bad.”

  “I know. I was really hoping to have it ready for this winter, but there’s just so much work to be done on the house.”

  He nodded to the far wall where a large picture window took up most of the wall. “What do you plan to do there?”

  “Um…I was actually thinking about putting in a hot tub.”

  His eyes flicked to me in surprise. “Really?”

  “Well, the room is big enough to give off the feel of almost two rooms. And I could have one of those foldable room dividers…”

  “For privacy,” he nodded. “Except, you’ll be right in front of the window…”

  “Yeah, I realize that. But we’re in the country, so it shouldn’t be a problem for now.”

  “Until you get married,” he said, his eyes burning into mine. “And if you had kids…”

  I nodded, swallowing hard. My eyes dropped to his throat and I watched as his Adam’s apple worked up and down. It was so sexy, the way it stuck out, which I thought was definitely weird. Clearing my throat, I shoved my hair behind my ear and nodded.

  “Yeah, if that happened, I’d definitely have to be careful, but it seems so relaxing, you know? To take a nice, hot bath and watch the trees blowing outside.”

  I didn’t realize he had moved closer until I felt him press up against my back. I was still staring out the window, but now all I could think about was how close he was to me. He was just a job, that’s what I kept telling myself, but when his hand came to rest on my shoulder and slowly slid down my arm, all I could think about was what it would feel like to have him touch me other places, to have him kiss me.

  I slowly turned to meet his eyes, his hands now settling on my hips. My mouth felt so dry as I stared up at him. He was so handsome in such a normal way. He wasn’t beautiful by any means. That would be someone like Arlen, who always wore his classic suits and looked pretty. No, Andrew was ruggedly handsome. The scruff on his face was thick enough for a beard, but he’d been more clean-shaven every other time I’d seen him. And he wore odd clothes, that reminded me of a cross between a lumberjack and a hipster, but it worked for him.

  I pressed my hands against his arms, surprised to feel the ripple of muscle under the fabric. My heart started fluttering wildly in my chest, wanting to lean forward and take more. Just a kiss and I knew I would be melting against him, which was what I wanted, right?

  My eyes slid down to his lips. I was dying to taste him. It was so wrong. He was my target. I shouldn’t want him as much as I did right now. And what happened if things went sideways and he got wrapped up in my mess? Did I really want that to happen to him? No, not at all. I should step away. I should—

  His lips slanted across mine, stealing my breath as he pulled me tight against him. I gasped, letting him slide his tongue inside my mouth. It was unlike any kiss I’d ever had before. It was possessive and dirty, like he already knew my wildest fantasies and he was playing them out, one little bit at a time. I clung to his arms, moaning at how good he felt beneath my fingers.

  I barely felt him walking me backward until I was pressed up against the window. The cool air seeping in from the old windows did little to tame my desire for him. I found my hands sliding down his body until I was sliding my fingers along the waistline of his jeans. Just a little tug and I could see what he was really made of.

  He broke the kiss suddenly, pulling back and yanking at his beanie on his head. I finally saw the dirty blonde hair that had only been peeking out at other times. It was a little longer than I was used to, but sexy nonetheless. He looked conflicted, like he was trying to make some sort of decision. I just stood there, not sure what to say or do. I felt like I was in the same boat as him. This was wrong. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. I was supposed to be seducing him and using him to my advantage, not having these flutterings in my chest. It was too soon for that. I had to complete my job first. I just didn’t know where to go from here, but he made that decision for the both of us.

  Looking up at me with pained eyes, he said, “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened. I’m here to help you, not maul you.”

  I wanted to laugh, to tell him he could maul me at any time, but I knew this was the best decision. But when he turned and walked out of my bedroom, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy thing to stay away.

  Andrew

  What the hell was I thinking, kissing her like that? She was supposed to be someone I was investigating and then I practically mauled her up against the wall. I could see it now. I knew how others had fallen into her trap. She really was very good at this, and like an idiot, I had gone and kissed her, felt her, wanted so much more with her.

  I pulled my truck down Eric’s driveway, happy to see that Kat was home. I needed some advice, and not the kind of advice that my brothers would give. They would see right through me.

  I ran up the steps to the porch and headed inside, calling out to her as I took off my coat. When she walked around the corner, she looked tired and I immediately switched gears.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m just tired.”

  “But why are you tired? Is something wrong?”

  “You mean other than the fact that I’m growing a person inside me?”

  I frowned, not liking this at all. “I should call Eric.”

  “Because I didn’t sleep well? I’m fine. The baby just kept me up all night.”

  “The baby is only about 5 months along. You’re barely showing yet,” I argued. “What’s really going on?”

  She sighed and walked into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. “I’m just worried. When I was five months pregnant before, everything was fine, you know?” I nodded. “I only have three months.”

  I frowned, not really understanding what she was saying. “You have longer than that.”

  “I mean, I have three months before…”

  It dawned on me what she was trying to say. “Quiche-girl, you can’t assume that the same thing is going to happen with this baby.”

  “Really? Because you guys are all treating me like porcelain, and it makes my anxiety spike. Like, I’m completely calm about everything until one of you starts
treating me like my whole world is about to implode. It makes me focus on things that I shouldn’t be focusing on.”

  “Well…you should stop that,” I said stupidly.

  She stared at me like I was an idiot, and maybe I was, but I didn’t know how to comfort her. “What I need is for all of you to back off and just pretend this is any other pregnancy. I need to feel like it’s not going to fall apart.”

  I snorted at that. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen. Did you know that Eric had Corduroy program your number into his phone?”

  “For what reason?”

  “So that if he saw your number, he knew it was an emergency and he could get to you.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I could call any number of people, including 9-1-1, if it was an emergency.”

  “Hey, I’m just saying, you’re not going to get Eric to back down on this one. He’s scared too and he needs to control this in any way he can.”

  She sighed and rubbed at the table.

  “What can I do?”

  She shrugged like a petulant child. “I guess I could go for a pizza.”

  I grinned and pulled out my phone. “I’ll order it and have Eric pick it up for you.”

  “He won’t let me have it.”

  “Why not?”

  “He says it’s not healthy for me. He’s been reading up the last week on all sorts of stuff and he’s all freaked out that spicy food will cause early labor.”

  “Cheese pizza isn’t exactly spicy.”

  “No, but they put spices in the pizza,” she whispered. “And we have no control over what they put in there.”

  “Alright, then I’ll have Joe bring it over and I’ll pretend that it’s for me.”

  She glanced at the clock and then back to me. “Fine, but you’d better hurry. He’ll be home in an hour and I need my pizza fix.”

  I quickly dialed it in and sent Joe a message to pick it up.

  “So, what did you really come out here for?”

  I couldn’t tell her anything about Lorelei. That would make her worry about Eric. As of right now, I was pretty sure that she didn’t look at Eric in any way other than her contractor. It was me she was interested in.