Most people would ask how he was so sure. But sitting there, locked in his gaze, I knew the question was pointless.
Mick Madison was the kind of man who wouldn’t say something if it wasn’t the truth.
He was the kind of man who would ask for directions if he needed them and tell you he didn’t know the answer to a question rather than make up a lie to not look like a fool.
Maybe that was why I was drawn to him—because the raw honesty of his character was something so rare in my world, it was priceless.
Mick Madison was the most real man I’d ever met.
“Larry always said both his granddaughters got his stubborn determination, so I’ve no doubt you’ll be a damn fine nurse if that’s what you’re set to do.”
My heart tripped at the mention of my grandfather and swelled with his simple, strong compliment.
“That was a long time ago,” was all I could respond with. The last thing this man needed to hear was the sob story from the girl who looked like she had everything.
His grin morphed into something playful, even as the blue of his eyes deepened, their intensity sending a rush of heat down between my legs.
“Hate to break it to you, darlin’, but determination isn’t somethin’ you grow out of. Sometimes it’s just patient, waitin’ until you find somethin’ you’re passionate about,” he rasped.
When he called me darlin’, it drove me to distraction. It drove me to defiance—to wanting him.
And I was already breaking out of one shell. I didn’t need to go desiring Gwen’s boyfriend on top of it.
“Is that what happened for you? With carpentry?” I asked, my voice wavering.
I wasn’t used to being the topic of conversation. I was used to focusing the conversation on the other person to make them feel important while I faded into the background, like a mirror there only to reflect their own greatness.
But this time, it wasn’t etiquette or even embarrassment that drove me; it was a desire to know more about him—the man who seemed so confident in me.
“A bit.” He rounded the counter and stopped a few feet from the couch, raising the temperature in the room by several degrees. “Miles and I had just started our business back in Texas, but he was the one who wanted to move up here. Start fresh and all that. Would be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t against it at first. Different state. Different people. Different laws.” His face shadowed at the last. “But the day we rolled into town, the day we stopped and grabbed a coffee at Roasters…” He trailed off, his dimple growing as he lost himself in the memory. “Walked up to the counter to order a coffee and straight away, Larry welcomed us to town. Not in the tourist way, but like he knew we were here to stay.”
I nodded because that sounded about right for my grandfather; he always seemed to know everything without having to be told. It was probably why I’d gone to him when I didn’t know how to explain that everything about my life was starting to feel wrong.
“Told him we were new to town, lookin’ to set up shop.” He laughed. “I remember sayin’ it was goin’ to be an adventure, considerin’ we didn’t have much except the truck and our tools with us. I’d wanted to wait to move, build some more savings in the business, maybe advertise a bit to get our name out there, but Miles was pretty insistent that it was now or never, even if it meant things would be a bit tight.”
He paused and the dimple disappeared, like it was the first time he was remembering something new.
“You know, I forgot how that was the first time he said it to me.” He crossed his arms, his muscles bulging against his shirt.
I swallowed down the pool of saliva it provoked and managed to ask weakly, “Said what?”
“You know, there is no startin’ ahead in life, young man. You gotta start where you are, use what you have, and just do the best you can,” he mimicked the rough-and-tumble voice of my grandfather.
My eyes glazed over and I blinked rapidly to fight back the swell of tears.
“It’s true.” I knew, more than anyone, how true it was.
I was positive this whole town thought I had a head start in life because of my parents and their wealth. But I was just as much at the beginning as the rest of them. “And he did say that a lot.”
Mick laughed and the sound stopped my heart with the feeling of home. Warm and comforting. Like the smell of fresh-baked cookies, decorating a Christmas tree, or being read a bedtime story… all things I’d missed. They were all right there in the easy comfort of his laugh.
He ran a hand over his stubble. “Yep. That’s why I made him that sign. Figured it best those words be written down.”
“Y-You made that?” I stammered.
His chin dipped and he folded his arms over his chest. “I’ve made a lot of ‘em. Can’t believe how many people come to the stop and want one. Never expected that.”
“I didn’t know you made that,” I said softly, biting the corner of my lip.
“I do a bit of woodworking on the side,” he offered. “Nothing major really. Just for friends and family and the like.”
“A bit more than woodworking on the side,” Gwen chimed in as she came back into the room. “Sorry, they need me at the hospital a little earlier than my shift, so I want to give you some stuff to take with you before I have to go.”
Realizing that Gwen was reclaiming my attention, Mick faded, as best he could, back into the kitchen.
She grabbed a notepad from the counter and began to scribble. “Now, first you’re just going to want to decide which program you want to do. I, personally, would recommend the one in Monterey. So, if you want to take a look over that. Now, before you decide on anything, you are more than welcome to come shadow me at the hospital if that’s something you think you’d like to do.”
I nodded. “I would… I would really appreciate it.”
“Great!” She folded the paper and shoved it into my hands. “So, do you want to come over tomorrow? I’m working first and then covering a friend’s third shift, so if you want to meet me here around the same time tomorrow, we can just go in early and kind of give you the lay of the land before third shift starts. That will give you a good inside look at everything and then, you could come over for dinner on Wednesday and I can answer any questions about the hospital or applications. And then Thursday—”
“Just let her get through tomorrow, Gwen,” Mick drawled from where he stood looking at the cabinets.
The fact hit me again that he was remodeling their apartment and I wished I knew why it made me so sad.
Realizing her excitement was getting the best of her, Gwen sheepishly mumbled an apology.
“That all sounds really great. Really. I’m free all week and feeling a lot better about my decision. Thank you so much.” I stood, pulling my purse over my shoulder and took a few steps toward the door. “I should get going. Thank you again for inviting me into your home,” I told her and looked to Mick. “And yours.”
My eyes dropped to my clasped hands and, when I looked up, I was greeted with two, wide-eyed and utterly befuddled stares.
“My—uhh,” Mick balked.
Gwen looked to him, holding it together for second before she covered her mouth and laughed. “You think… he and I…” She snorted, almost doubling over as Oscar began to yelp at her feet at the offending noise. “Oh, Jesus Mighty. Sorry. No offense.” She extended a hand patted Mick platonically on the arm. “But no, we’re not together. Lucky for him, Mick is just my neighbor.”
Not. Together.
“Yeah,” he agreed with a nervous laugh. “The lucky neighbor responsible for remodelin’ the whole damn kitchen.”
Oh, goodness.
I couldn’t tell if blood rushed to or from my head but all I could think was that they weren’t together…
“Oh,” I mumbled, embarrassment flooding my cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I just assumed since he was here…” My face felt like it was on fire. “I’m sorry. I feel so silly. I’m going to go. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow—”
/> She pulled me in for a quick hug and erased the awkwardness of the moment. “Don’t even worry about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, and some mention about having to get ready, she beelined for her room, leaving me and Mick alone again with my unfortunate assumptions stuck in the air between us.
“Yeah, we aren’t dating,” he repeated, rubbing his hands together like there was more he wanted to say but couldn’t.
My head bobbed. “Good.” I winced. “I mean, okay.” Crap. “I’m sorry. I just… I should go.”
Spinning, I let myself out in a whirl before I was caught in his gaze and stuck dwelling in my embarrassment.
Had I really just said ‘good’?
Oh, Jules.
I climbed back in the maintenance truck from the resort and pulled out onto Ocean Avenue.
I tried to focus on the quaint shopfronts, beginning to be strung up with Christmas lights and garland, but all I could think about was his face as he reassured me that they weren’t together.
And then I realized I’d just agreed to come back here for the rest of the week when there was a good chance he would be working in the apartment, too.
And if he wasn’t, he’d be right next door…
Jules
By the end of the week, I was no longer looking over my shoulder as I pulled into a space behind Gwen’s apartment building, though the fizzle of anticipation in my stomach still appeared.
The routine had been the same the last three days.
I’d come here and Gwen would answer my questions. We’d look online at schools and programs and requirements, and then, I’d go with her to the hospital and shadow her for a few hours before heading home.
Locking the door to the maintenance truck, I meandered over to the entrance to the stairwell.
Sitting on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Shore Drive, Gwen’s building was several blocks down from Roasters and as close to the beach as you could get. The older structure was only two levels, and the staircase to the second, which sat exposed at the end of the building, was lined with fresh flowers along the railing. The floral scent mixed with salty ocean air, and I savored each breath that was both cleansing and calming.
Today, we were going to look at applications. But that wasn’t the reason my stomach was in knots.
No matter how this whole process felt, I couldn’t escape the swarm of butterflies that appeared solely at the thought of seeing Mick—a fate that was inescapable as he was working on Gwen’s apartment every day, though he saved demolition until after we left for the hospital.
Even though our conversation never extended past polite pleasantries and some small jokes with Gwen always involved, there was something about him that made me ache for more.
Sometimes, I caught the calming blue of his eyes focused on me as I spoke, and, like electricity applied to water, it sparked something hot and alive that suggested he felt this… attraction… too, though he never acted or spoke on it. But it was that bright burst of heat my lower parts began to crave, and I found my gaze sneaking over to him, watching the way his hands and body moved with the honed skill of a craftsman, too many times wondering if his body was just as expertly carved as the work he did.
Groaning softly, I bit the corner of my lip while I walked down the hall toward the fourth door on the left.
Compared to when I was at the resort, my emotions here coursed through me unrestrained. Like they’d been locked inside—domesticated—for too long, and now, they wanted to run wild.
“Jules.”
I jumped at Mick’s voice from behind me and half-turned. I was so eager yet nervous about running into him inside the apartment that I wasn’t prepared to catch him out here.
“Hi,” I greeted him breathlessly.
The man almost filled the entire hallway with two huge bags from the local hardware store suspended from each hand. He had on the same work jeans he’d been wearing on Monday, marked and distressed in ways that I knew he hadn’t paid for. His toolbelt hung low around his hips, the weight pulling his shirt down over his chest and carved stomach, accentuating the way it tapered down right to where the hammer hung from the front of the belt, making my mind wonder if what hung—
“How was the hospital yesterday?”
I felt my cheeks turning bright red as he got closer.
“Good.” I nodded enthusiastically, turning and continuing toward Gwen’s door like it was an escape hatch from my embarrassing attraction.
Though I’d gone with her for three consecutive days, it seemed like each one was filled with new corridors, new rooms, and new people. Still, Gwen was patient and enthusiastic as she introduced me to each, guiding me through the various areas of the hospital from the ER to the pre-natal wing.
“You can’t leave me with just ‘good.’” He chuckled and probed warmly, coming to stand next to me. “What’d you get to see?”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat.
No one ever asked about my day before or what I did during it. Maybe because they already knew. Maybe because they’d been the ones to plan it.
“We were in the emergency room yesterday,” I went on, a small smile unable to be dimmed from my lips. “I got to see a patient be triaged for a broken arm and then prepped for surgery to reset it.”
The metallic ‘2D’ on Gwen’s door glinted at me, but I had no desire to knock. Not yet.
“Ouch. That’s rough.” Mick winced.
My chin dipped. “Yes. He looked like he was suffering a bit.” My eyebrows perked up, remembering our conversation. “But, apparently, he broke it at a bike park after intentionally falling while trying to impress a girl.”
Mick’s head tipped in confusion, his broad shoulders leaning to rest on the edge of the doorframe.
“How’s that?” he asked. “And it sounds like you got the full scoop.”
I blushed. “Well, there was some time after they took an X-ray when Gwen was out going over the case with the doctor, so I was in the room with him, and I was just trying to take his mind off the pain.”
My body warmed under his gaze. “So, he fell on purpose?”
“Apparently, there was a competition between him and this other teen who also liked the same girl. When it was his turn to show off his skills, he went off one of the jumps but there was a much younger kid cutting across the landing who didn’t see him or realize. So, in order to not crash into the younger boy, our patient had to ‘bail’”—I used air quotes as I repeated his term—“and landed on his arm and fractured it.”
“So, he was a hero, but lost the girl?” Mick asked, but there was a rough quality to his voice that wasn’t there before.
My breath hitched at the look in his eyes, and I quickly tore my attention away, goose bumps running rampant along my arms.
“Actually, the little boy was her younger brother. So, he still got the girl,” I murmured. “Well, until they put him in the ambulance.” I smiled. “I assured him that, with that kind of move, he had nothing to worry about.”
Mick cracked a crooked smile, bringing out his trademark dimple. “Sounds like you’re really enjoyin’ this,” he remarked. “And the patients are lucky to have you there.”
I flushed and knocked on my friend’s door like my life depended on it.
His honest compliments always got me, turning my stomach into a butterfly cage.
“There’s still a lot to learn. I don’t know how Gwen does it. I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, darlin’,” he chided. “It’s only been three days.”
My pulse picked up as the inches between us melted away. I didn’t know if it was his closeness or his compliment that unnerved me more. He’d encouraged me like that before—like he knew what I was capable of.
How could he? Even I didn’t know what I was capable of…
I caught the hard look in his eyes—the one that read both sincerity and serious desire—and my smile wavered.
“What’s most important is whether or not you enjoyed it.” He reached over me and knocked louder—him and his bags going the same place I was.
“I did,” I said as my breath rushed out. “I really did.”
It felt like I’d seen so much even though I’d only seen what amounted to the most superficial layers of what her job entailed. Still, I was excited.
Maybe that was what happened when you’ve been a sitting doll for almost two decades. Here, and at the hospital, I’d finally come alive. And then, every night, I’d drive back to the resort and put myself back into my little shiny box, back on the shelf for people to stop and admire.
He was close enough that we both heard Gwen yell ‘It’s open!’ from inside the apartment. Before I could reach for the knob, Mick extended an arm already weighed down by the straining bags to open the door and hold it wide for me.
“Thank you,” I managed to murmur, feeling like a plug that wasn’t quite in the socket all the way—electricity sparking all through my body for being in such close proximity to what I needed.
It was a situation that only got worse as I went to walk inside, his body far too big to allow me to pass without touching some part of him. My teeth sunk into my lip as my shoulder brushed against his chest. Now, the sparks didn’t flicker—they flew.
“Sorry, Jules, I was just—” she broke off, seeing Mick coming in behind me. She gasped and exclaimed, “Are those the samples?”
She rushed over to the bags he set by the mostly-demolished counter, apologizing to me along the way as she eagerly picked through what was inside.
“Countertop, backsplash, cabinets, and stains for the wood around the fireplace,” Mick replied, bending down to greet Oscar who ran over, paws sliding on the tile floor, to see who had come to visit him. “I’m givin’ you through the weekend to make the decision, and then I’ll start orderin’ it all next week.”
“Okay, sounds good! I have off—I know, shocker—on Sunday, so I’ll make sure I leave my choices out,” Gwen replied, still sorting through the bags like a kid in a candy store.
I looked up from the choices to see him nod even though his eyes were on me.
Bespoken: An Opposites-Attract Standalone Romance (Carmel Cove Book 2) Page 7
