How to Rebuild (Hearts & Horsepower #4)

by A. K. Evans

  I didn’t necessarily agree with that. The only good thing I saw coming out of this whole new mess was that maybe I would no longer feel so awful about turning him down for a date. Because the likelihood was that when I told him all of this, he’d realize that it was better we didn’t end up on a date, getting to know one another better. If anything, he’d be relieved that these pictures would be the only evidence that he ever knew me.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, even though I didn’t. “I’m going to go. I’ve got a phone call to make.”

  “Good luck,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will.”

  I disconnected the call with her and scrolled to Kieran’s name on my phone. Before I could chicken out, I tapped on it. It rang a couple of times before it went to voicemail. I wasn’t sure if I should consider that a blessing or not. Either way, I left a message and hung up.

  Then I spent the rest of my day feeling like I was sitting on pins and needles waiting for him to return my call.

  And that’s when I came to the dreadful conclusion that one might not ever come.

  I walked out of the cleanroom, my hand flipping the light switch to the off position. Walking through the office, I did the same with the lights on in any other room.

  It was a little bit later than I would typically leave the shop, especially during this time of year, but I hadn’t wanted to go at the end of the workday because I had an engine I was building that was still opened up. I needed to get it to a place that was a good stopping point.

  So, I stayed late.

  It wasn’t like I had anywhere else to be.

  This was the upside of being single. I could take my time at work and finish up a project without worrying about somebody waiting at home for me.

  I shook my head in disbelief that I was using the fact that I could stay later at work to finish up a project as a good reason for being single.

  As much as I was confident in myself and being on my own, it didn’t mean that I wanted to be alone. And there was no denying how badly I had hoped Elise would have been the woman to fill that void.

  Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky. I started to question if maybe my family was right. Even though I had no intention of going back to New York permanently, I wondered if I would have found someone to spend my life with by now.

  I was a patient man, but this was starting to get annoying. I’d noticed I’d been thinking about this more as the weekend progressed without a return call from Elise. That alone told me this had little to do with wanting to find just anyone to spend my time with and everything to do with wanting to be with her instead.

  But it was what it was.

  I had to accept it and move on.

  Or, as Ryker suggested, I could give her some time and hope she realized she was making a mistake.

  For now, I was grateful I had stayed a little later, and everyone else had already left. That meant I didn’t need to deal with anyone feeling the overwhelming desire to talk to me about my nonexistent relationship troubles.

  Once I’d turned all the lights off and set the alarm on the building, I walked out the front door and locked it.

  The air was bitterly cold, and there was still plenty of snow on the ground. I’d heard about a snowstorm that was expected later in the week and hoped it wouldn’t start until after I’d gotten home from work on Friday.

  I hopped in my truck and turned it on. While I waited for it to warm up, I reached out to grab my phone off the center console. I had accidentally left it in the truck when I ran out earlier to grab lunch. Since I didn’t need it while I was working anyway, I left it here.

  Pressing the button to light up the display, I saw a missed call and a voicemail from a number I didn’t recognize. My heart started pounding in my chest at the thought that it could be Elise. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I couldn’t deny how badly I wanted to hear her voice.

  With the luck I’d been having lately, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it were a spam caller.

  I tapped on the button to call my voicemail and held the phone to my ear. And then it was like all my prayers had been answered as Elise’s voice filtered through the line.

  “Hi, Kieran. It’s Elise. Um, I… I’m sorry, um, I need to talk to you about something important. If you could give me a call back when you get this, or um, I’d rather talk to you in person about it. I’ll probably be at work a little later tonight, but I should be home by no later than seven. I’d be more than happy to meet you somewhere, or if you’re comfortable with it, you are welcome to come to my house. Anytime from seven o’clock on will be fine. Uh, okay, that’s all. Except, well, if I didn’t already say it, this is really important, so I hope you will at least give me a call back. Okay. I hope to talk to you soon. Bye.”

  Damn, I missed her.

  I wanted nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and hold her close.

  That’s all.

  And hearing her voice again was like music to my ears. Of course, I was a bit alarmed because even though I could hear the hesitation in her voice that I knew was all nerves, there was also a bit of fear lingering there. I didn’t like hearing that.

  I glanced up at the clock on the dashboard. I had fifteen minutes until it was seven o’clock. Elise had said any time from seven o’clock on would be fine. I would go home, shower, grab something to eat, and go to her place.

  Calling wasn’t an option.

  I needed to see her.

  Even if a small part of me believed that perhaps that wasn’t exactly the smartest idea.

  So, I pulled out of the lot and drove home. It was safe to say I felt the nerves building the entire time.

  That’s how I knew Elise was special. Never had I felt nerves like that with a woman. There was something about her that tied me up in knots… in a good way.

  When I got home, I wasted no time hopping in the shower and grabbing something to eat. I was half tempted to skip the food but didn’t think I’d be able to have a rational conversation otherwise. And considering I had no idea what this was about, I thought it was best to go into it with a clear head.

  An hour after I’d listened to her message, I was pulling into Elise’s driveway. I started to wonder if I should have called her first to let her know I was coming. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember if that’s what she had asked me to do before I arrived. I was so distracted by the fact that she was calling and I would see her again that I didn’t pay attention. It seemed that when it came to Elise, it wasn’t easy for me to exercise the patience I typically had in any other situation.

  Before I ended up talking myself out of it, I got out of the truck and made my way to her front door. I rang the bell and waited. At that moment, seconds felt like minutes. It felt like I’d been waiting there forever when the door finally opened, and I saw her beautiful face.

  Elise let out a visible sigh of relief the moment her eyes landed on me. “I didn’t think you were going to come,” she said softly.

  I shrugged my shoulders, trying to play it cool, and replied, “You said it was important.”

  Something washed over her face. Surprise, maybe? I found it strange that she’d be so shocked that I’d show up when she called me. I realized things weren’t the best between us when I left her place on Saturday morning, but it felt like a kick to the gut for me to know that Elise didn’t seem to trust that I was a decent guy.

  She took a step back and urged, “Please come in.”

  After she closed the door behind me, she led me into a massive great room. Everything about it was just as I’d thought when I woke up Saturday morning. Clean sophistication. Elise was all class.

  Once we were both sitting down, she spoke. “Thank you for coming so quickly, Kieran.”

  “You’re welcome, Elise. What’s going on?” I asked, no longer able to stand the suspense.

  “My name is Elise Flynn,” she stated, telling me something I already knew.

  I tipped my head to the side. “I know
that already,” I told her.

  Nodding, she replied, “Yes, but you probably don’t know that I’m also the founder and CEO of Flynn Beauty.”

  I had no idea what Flynn Beauty was, but I had no reason to doubt her.

  “I did not know that,” I confirmed. “What does that mean?”

  “Flynn Beauty is a multi-million-dollar company that specializes in the production and distribution of clean beauty. Essentially, my company makes a lot of money to sell makeup and skincare products that are safe for consumers without jeopardizing the environment,” she explained.

  Wow. I had no idea that this is what she did. Now it made sense why everyone told me I could look her up. There was no doubt that if this company was as big as she said it was that I’d be able to find out a lot about her if I wanted to.

  “That’s great,” I said, unsure of why she was telling me this. “I appreciate you are sharing this with me, but I’m at a bit of a loss. What does any of this have to do with me?”

  Tears instantly welled in her eyes as she dropped her gaze to her lap. I wanted so badly to reach out and pull her into my arms, but that was no longer an option. She’d made that abundantly clear.

  When she lifted her chin and returned her stare to me, she lamented, “I’m really sorry, Kieran, about all of this. I have something I need to share with you, and I want you to know that this is a big part of the reason I told you that the two of us dating wasn’t a good idea.”

  As much as I didn’t like seeing her upset, I was grateful that I was finally going to have an answer as to why she didn’t keep her promise to me.

  The next thing I knew, Elise reached out to the side and pulled her laptop off the coffee table. She opened it up, typed in a password, and held it out to me. I took it from her and started reading.

  For the next several minutes, I read a trashy news article about Elise, her company, and the fact that she was out with me on Friday evening. I also scrolled through several photos taken of the two of us while we were out at Lou’s.

  When I finished reading the article, I looked over at her and saw the trepidation in her face and the rigidity in her body. She was beyond tense. Unable to stop myself, I reached my hand out to hers and squeezed her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Me?” she replied.

  Nodding, I answered, “Yes. This is the reason you were so upset at the airport, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” she rasped.

  “So, are you okay now?” I pressed.

  Elise cautiously dipped her chin before she responded, “I’m dealing with the fallout from being sabotaged by someone within my company, and it hasn’t been easy at all. But this was just brought to my attention today. I’m so sorry, Kieran. I never expected you’d get pulled into this.”

  Stroking my thumb over the back of her hand, I insisted, “I’m not upset about this.”

  “You’re not?”

  “Well, I mean, I’m upset for you and the fact that you just admitted someone sabotaged you,” I clarified. “But if you think it bothers me that I’m in these pictures with you, you’re wrong.”

  Something washed over her face, and this time I did not doubt it. She was surprised by my reaction.

  “Are you serious?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Kieran, these people can get nasty,” Elise warned me. “They’ll dig and dig until they find out something about you that they think they can use to tarnish your name. I didn’t want to throw you in the middle of this whole thing or do anything that would damage your reputation.”

  Shaking my head, I promised, “There’s nothing I’ve done that I’m ashamed of, Elise.”

  She stared at me for a long time without any words. When I realized just how much she was struggling to say anything, I said, “Someone sabotaged you?”

  Nodding, she confirmed, “Yes, it was actually my lead project manager who had the formulas for a few products altered. She sent them off to the lab, and some people had very adverse reactions.”

  “That’s horrible. I’m so sorry,” I apologized. I couldn’t imagine the kind of backlash Elise must have been facing if her company was as big as she said it was.

  “Yeah, I think I’ve gotten past the shock and horror of it,” she admitted. “Now, I’m doing what you told me to do.”

  My brows shot up as I gave her a questioning look. “What I told you to do? What did I tell you to do?” I wondered, not understanding how I could have told her to do anything when I didn’t know until just now what she’d been dealing with.

  She offered a small smile and said, “You told me that I needed to figure out how to rebuild the trust with my customers. I went into work today, hoping to start putting a plan into action to make that happen. Unfortunately, it was just after lunch when my assistant told me about these photos and articles online. In the interest of full disclosure, I think you should know that this is only one of many articles.”

  “Well, I hope seeing this didn’t ruin your plans to rebuild,” I declared.

  “It did,” she replied.

  “Why?” I asked.

  The second the word slipped past my lips, I saw the shame and embarrassment wash over her. Tension built in my body as I waited for her to respond. And when she spoke softly to answer me, it was all I could do to remain where I was and not gather her in my arms to kiss her senseless.

  “I was worried about you and how this would affect you,” she admitted. “We were just supposed to be two strangers that met on a plane.”

  With those words, there was no way I could hold myself back. I pinned an intense stare on her and stated, “We might have started that way, Elise, but I don’t think that’s all you and I were ever supposed to be. And I think you know that.”

  Her shoulders fell, and the tension eased out of her body. “Kieran, before you left here on Saturday, you told me that you really liked me,” she started. “I think you should know that I really like you, too.”

  “Give us a chance,” I said.

  “I don’t think you understand what you’re asking,” she returned. “I’m scared. Of what’s ahead for my brand and of you.”

  “Elise…” I trailed off. I didn’t know what to say. Hearing her say that she was afraid of me made my stomach clench. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

  She nervously bit her lip.

  Seeing that she was still struggling, I thought it would help her know how I felt about everything. So, I asked, “Do you know what scares me?”

  Elise went from looking nervous to looking curious. “What?” she wondered.

  “I’m not afraid of the so-called journalists who are paid to write the kind of trash I just read on your computer,” I began. “What scares me is knowing what I’ve felt every time I’ve been around you and thinking that I’ll never get to experience that again. That’s what I’m afraid of… having to let go of something that feels so good.”

  “Kieran,” she whispered.

  “It’s the truth, Elise,” I assured her.

  A strangled sound escaped from the back of her throat. This was wearing her down, and I started to feel an inkling of hope for us.

  “It’s not going to be easy with me,” she revealed.

  If she thought that was going to dissuade me, she had another thing coming. “I’m not afraid of that either,” I promised. “I’m not worried about the time and effort it will take to show you the kind of man that I am. Patience is one of my strongest qualities. It’s one of those things I try to practice regularly because I know how good the rewards are when I have to wait for them.”

  A wave of heat ran through her at the mention of the words patience and rewards. There was little doubt in my mind that she remembered what she experienced with me in her bedroom a few days ago.

  Seeing that look, I chose not to exercise any more patience.

  “Come here, lady,” I ordered.

  Without an ounce of hesitation, she came forward and folded herself into my arms.
>
  Fuck.

  It felt so good to hold her close. She felt good. She smelled good. And she fit perfectly against me.

  There was no way I could have all of that and not want to do everything I could to hold on to it.

  “We can figure this out,” I said after some time had passed. “But I need to know you’re on board with it. Are you willing to take this chance with me?”

  Elise pulled her face back from my chest and looked up at me. “I’m willing to try,” she answered.

  That’s all I wanted.

  I grinned at her.

  “What’s that look for?” she asked.

  I brought my hand up to cup the side of her face, leaned in, and said, “That’s the look of a man who just got his first reward.”

  Just as her eyes widened, I crushed my mouth to hers and kissed her. She instantly moaned.

  Yep.

  If this is what I got, I’d be the most patient man that ever lived.

  When I pulled back a moment later, I thought it was only fair to offer her a warning. “Brace yourself, money. I’m on a mission to collect rewards. You’ve got the rest of the week to prepare for our first date.”

  Elise looked like she was about to ask me something, but she didn’t get a chance because I dropped my mouth to hers again. And by the time we disconnected, I knew I had to get out of there. No matter how badly I wanted her, I was going to wait. And I knew it was going to be the smartest thing I did because I saw the need and desire swirling in her eyes. If she held on to that all week, there was no question that the prize would be phenomenal for the both of us.

  I couldn’t believe I was actually standing here looking like this for the reason that I was.

  The week had passed much quicker than I expected.

  When Kieran walked out of my house on Monday night, he did it in a way that left me hanging on. I hadn’t wanted him to go, but I think he knew precisely what he was doing and why he was doing it.

  He wanted to teach me a lesson in patience.

  He’d already done that before. I knew the rewards were great. I believed I would have been just as satisfied with them that night.