by Tara Randel
She was really going there?
Yes, it had been a terrible fight. His dad had been all over him about striking out in the championship baseball game. His error had caused Golden High School the state title. That night, both had said things they couldn’t take back. Reid had stormed from the house, only to literally run into Heidi on the driveway when she’d been leaving the kitchen. He was hurt, furious, not thinking straight, and she knew it. Seeing him in that state, she wrestled his keys from him and told him if he was going to do something life altering, she’d be the one behind the wheel. He’d never know if her intervention had stopped him from making a fatal mistake, like getting in a wreck on the twisty mountain roads, but he did owe her for possibly saving his life.
When he didn’t speak, she said, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
They stood in awkward silence for a drawn-out moment before Heidi got back on track.
“I’m a fast learner,” she threw in as a final salvo.
She was. Actually, he wondered if she’d ever had her IQ tested because she was extremely smart. Beat him at every scholarly event at school, and he was no slouch.
Intelligence aside, and the fact that he did owe her, he couldn’t get her hopes up. “Fast learner doesn’t mean you can handle tools. When was the last time you used a hammer?”
She got that steely glint in her eyes, the one that showed up when challenged. “I built a bed for Mr. Whiskers.”
He tried to hide the twitch of a smile. Heidi didn’t have one ounce of whimsy in her body, yet she’d adopted a cat named Mr. Whiskers.
“And how did that project come out?” he asked, pretty sure of her answer.
She murmured, “After I removed the nail to detach the piece of wood from my living room floor, things got better.”
He rubbed his temple. “How about a wrench?”
“I handed one to Mr. Donaldson once when he fixed my sink.”
At least she knew what it looked like.
“You’re forgetting,” she countered. “I joined in to paint that mascot mural on the side of the high school.”
“Yeah, because someone drew the design beforehand and you filled it in like a paint-by-number.”
“Hey! I did a good job. And knowing what’s at stake here, I’ll be the best painter you’ve ever hired.”
He had to admit, she had gotten into that school project, putting in the most hours of anyone.
“Granted I have a few things to learn,” she went on, “but who better to show me the ropes than you? You teach those kids down at the community center. Just think of me as one of your students.”
He set his jaw. “Heidi, I’m running a business.”
“How about an intern then?”
“In a profession you don’t have any desire to work in?”
She pulled her shoulders up to her ears and held her hands out at her sides.
Give me patience.
“Reid, I’m serious here.”
He looked past her to the house. It wasn’t anything grand or fancy. It was dated, worn and needed a lot of attention. The structure sort of sagged under his critical eye, but he knew once he was finished with the final touches, it would appeal to a serious buyer.
Then he peered down the street. The neighborhood was full of decent, hardworking people. A place to raise a family, if you wanted that sort of thing. Not that Heidi had ever confided that she wanted the whole family thing. So why was she trying so hard to talk him into sweat equity?
To him, a house represented profit, a business transaction. Once he finished a project, he contacted the listing agent and stepped aside until he received a check for the asking price. Then he moved on, never putting any personal stake in a project. Getting personal meant getting hurt and he avoided that at all costs.
Heidi kept talking. “Look, I promise not to get in the way. I’ll do as I’m told. Be a team player.”
To that claim, he groaned.
“As much of a team player as possible,” she revised with a sheepish look, which boded ill for him.
“And what if you don’t like a certain design choice?”
“I’ll politely ask what you’re doing, then give you my point of view.”
Great. “What if you disagree with the color scheme.”
“I’ll gently guide you in the right direction.”
He hid the hint of a smile. “What if we can’t come to terms on a selling price?”
“That’s what Realtors are for.”
“You have all the answers, don’t you?”
She lifted one shoulder, her golden earrings flashing in the sunlight. “I pride myself on being quick on my feet.”
That much he remembered. When she moved in with Alveda, she’d worked in the kitchen whenever needed. At school, she’d tutored students in math and although she was second string on the volleyball team, she’d cheered for her team from the bench at every game. If there was need, she was there, no matter how she argued that she’d rather be alone.
“This won’t be easy,” he warned, using a stern tone in hopes of scaring her off.
“Nothing worth having ever is.”
This time he allowed a genuine smile, despite the renewed pain her words brought. “Let me guess. Alveda?”
Heidi nodded, smiling back at him. “She does have a wealth of wisdom she’s willing to share.”
When they were kids, Reid and Logan had spent hours in the kitchen watching Alveda bake their favorite pies while doling out life advice that he still, to this day, used on a regular basis. Alveda and Grandmother had been instrumental in encouraging the brothers down the straight and narrow path, at least until they hit puberty and then all bets were off.
“She is one of a kind,” Reid mused. “Grandmother too.”
His mother loved him, but had always catered to his father’s whims. Until the truth came out and the family had nearly been destroyed.
The secrets had been about Logan’s birth, and hadn’t directly affected Reid, but they’d created collateral damage. His father still wanted Logan in the business. But Logan was a PI and happy in his line of work. Yet Reid had given it his all and it wasn’t enough. Finally, he’d wondered why he’d ever bothered trying in the first place and walked away.
He missed Masterson Enterprises every waking hour of every day.
He wasn’t mad at Logan. Despite everything, he and his brother maintained a close relationship. But his father? Let’s just say they’d never see eye to eye, so Reid had done the only logical thing he could think of to mask the pain. He’d moved on.
“You’re a businessman.” Heidi interrupted his thoughts as she continued to lay out her case. “You understand that in the course of a transaction, you make decisions that facilitate a future sale. I’m a good bet on buying this house down the road. Why not get me on board now?”
Yes, he did know about business. Finance had been his major in college, but he’d grown up around Masterson Enterprises. Knew his way around a company. Making a deal was in his DNA. The question was, could he come up with a deal that would satisfy them both?
He couldn’t ignore her eager face. She was practically standing on her tiptoes as she awaited his answer. Could he let her down? The friend who had indeed kept him away from the girls his grandmother had tried to match him up with? The friend who had sat with him quietly by the lake more than once after he’d had another go-around with his father? His time-to-time rival? Deep inside, he knew he couldn’t say no.
But he was also going to regret this move.
“I’ll draw up a cost analysis for the project. I can’t agree that I’ll sell it to you for what I paid, but I will credit your work effort.”
“That’s fair.”
“There will be rules,” he said.
Sh
e held up a hand. “I promise to mostly follow them.”
He restrained another groan. “When we’re on the job, I’m the boss.”
She nodded, not saying a word, but he wasn’t convinced.
“This is business only, agreed?”
“Of course.”
He hesitated for a second, then reached out his hand to her. “You have a deal.”
She vigorously shook his hand, her face sunny and full of excitement. He closed his eyes and counted to ten before meeting her satisfied gaze. Remembered that look shining in her eyes from summers past, the one that had twinkled when she thought she’d won and then all kinds of trouble broke loose.
“You won’t regret this,” she said.
CHAPTER TWO
REID FORCED HIS expression to go blank. No way could Heidi see that he had misgivings only seconds into sealing the deal.
“So, now what?” she asked, looking down at their clasped hands. A funny expression crossed her face and she quickly let go. Reid didn’t know why, but her pulling away from his touch, like it burned her, bothered him.
He took a step back and dismissed his reaction. “We only just made the agreement.”
Squaring her shoulders, she announced, “I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Hold your horses. First I want to draw up some paperwork documenting our deal.”
Her mouth fell open. “You don’t trust me?”
“It’s in both our interests.”
Since this was his first foray into hiring an intern—if you could call Heidi that—Reid decided to err on the side of prudence.
“Okay. Then what?”
“I’ve got the keys. I need to go over the structure again and add to my initial projections before starting.”
“Didn’t you already do all that?”
“I made a preliminary plan, yes. Now I need details.”
“Just tell me when and I’ll be here to point you in the right direction.”
His qualms did not dissipate. “Is working together going to be a problem?”
By the way her eyebrows rose, he figured she was smart enough to know she’d pushed him enough for one day. “Nope.”
“Do you promise?”
A spunky grin he rather liked curved her lips. “Like a pinkie swear?”
“Like a...” he muttered, running a hand over his hair. “Heidi, we have a job to do.”
“Right.” Then she saluted him.
This was not the Heidi he remembered hanging out with when they were kids.
Back then, she’d always held herself at a distance, like she was figuring out how to fit in to a situation. It wasn’t until she’d lived in Golden for a few years that her sense of humor started to shine, along with her competitive streak. They’d had plenty of laughs, he recalled, but she’d made sure to never reveal her inner self or secrets. At least that aspect of her life appeared to be the same.
“I need to get to the store,” she stated, glancing at the house with a small smile. Not sure he wanted to know what was going on inside that head of hers, he decided he was better off in the dark. “You have my cell number. Call me with your...our schedule.”
What have I gotten myself into?
When she turned to walk to her car, he stopped her. “Heidi.”
She swung back, her thick hair swirling around her shoulders. She sent him a soft smile and the vicinity around his heart pinged. He went still. What was that about?
One of her eyebrows rose.
Shaking off the weird sensation, he said, “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but please don’t go overboard.”
The joy from moments before faded from her face. “I won’t. I’m just happy you’re including me.”
Now he felt like a bully. “Keep in mind that this is a construction zone. Safety comes first and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
With that cheeky comment she hurried to her car. Before climbing in, she waved at the SUV pulling into the driveway. She started up her car and disappeared down the road.
“What’re you two up to?” his brother, Logan, asked as he rounded the hood of his vehicle to join Reid.
“Did you ever notice that Heidi has a way of talking herself right into the middle of something she has no business meddling in?”
Logan grinned. “I remember that being mentioned a time or two when we were growing up.”
Reid shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure how it happened.”
“What happened?”
“She talked me into letting her exchange her help with the remodel for first dibs on the house when it goes on the market.”
“I didn’t know you were taking on accountant slash shop employees for your crew.”
“I wasn’t until ten minutes ago.” He pictured her smiling face. The twinge in his chest reminded him that he’d relented too easily.
Logan stopped beside him and glanced at the house. “Doesn’t seem like too big of a project.”
“It’s not, compared to others I’ve tackled.” He had an experienced crew and he did much of the hands-on work himself. What could Heidi give him that he didn’t already have?
Reid waited for his brother to tell him why he was here, but Logan remained silent. By the serious look on his brother’s face, this wasn’t a casual drive-by. “Want to go inside?”
“Sure.”
The two made their way up the path to the front steps.
“The outside will get a new paint job,” Reid explained as they walked. “I’m going to remove these steps and add a wide porch.”
“You have a good eye.”
“Thanks.” He opened the door and they stepped inside. A faint musty smell of disuse lingered in the air. “The place has been closed up for a while.”
Logan walked around, taking it all in, puffs of dust rising as his boots echoed on the hardwood floor.
“We’ll restore the floors and paint.” Then Reid pointed to a wall. “Take that down so there’s an open living room and kitchen.”
Still pacing, Logan nodded.
“Okay, you didn’t come here to find out how I plan on bringing this house to life.”
“No. I didn’t.” He shot Reid an amused look. “Serena and I haven’t received an answer from you about attending our engagement party.”
“I thought it was a given. Of course, I’m coming.”
He kept walking. “That’s what I told Serena.”
“So, this visit is only a reminder?”
“More like a heads-up.”
A trickle of unease skittered over him.
“I spoke to Grandmother this morning. She invited me over for coffee.”
Reid didn’t like where this conversation was heading. “Why are you giving me your personal schedule?”
“You’re deflecting.”
“If this is concerning Grandmother, it can’t be good.” For him, anyway, if Logan’s wry smile was any indication. “Just tell me.”
“She discussed providing you with a list of single women, any of whom she feels would be a suitable date for you to bring to the party.”
Reid’s mouth fell open. He quickly regained his composure and asked, “What is she doing, inviting random women to your celebration?”
His brother chuckled. “I wouldn’t put it past her, but no, they’re legitimate friends of the family.”
“You ruined being single by falling in love with the woman Grandmother picked for you,” Reid griped. He didn’t begrudge his brother’s happiness, but now all the pressure fell directly on him.
“Funny how that happened.” Logan didn’t look the least bit sorry about that turn of events.
Even though Reid didn’t want to be part of his grandmother’s machinations, he needed to know what he was up against. “What
did you tell her?”
“That you could find your own date.”
Relief washed over him. “Thanks.”
Logan slapped him on the back. “That’s what big brothers do.”
By the pained expression on Logan’s face, there had to be more. “What?”
“She’s up to something. I can smell it.”
There was that warning alarm again. “She’s always up to something. What’s different now?”
“I can’t put my finger on it. When Alveda came into the dining room with a fresh pot of coffee, they exchanged this weird look.”
“They’ve always been thick as thieves.”
“Yeah, but this time was more...sneaky.”
All this was too much. He pointed to the room they were standing in and said, “Logan, I don’t have time to worry about Grandmother’s schemes. I’m starting a new project and need all my attention here.”
His brother shrugged. “Just wanted to let you know she’d be calling you to discuss the potential dating pool.”
Great. He had enough on his plate without trying to outsmart his grandmother, who, despite her prying, he loved dearly.
Logan’s grin faded. “There’s more.”
Reid groaned. Could this day get any more crowded? “You’re the bearer of bad news this morning, aren’t you?”
“Mother came in at the tail end of the conversation.”
“Please tell me she didn’t have a list of her own. A man can only take so many glowing reports about the women in the Ladies Guild.”
“No. She mentioned that Dad was going to initiate a conversation with you at the party.”
His gut clenched. It had been months since he’d talked to his father. After their last argument when Reid had stormed out of the office, neither had sought the other out. What could his father want now? And why couldn’t he call Reid instead of cornering him at a party?
“Dad is nothing if not tenacious,” Reid grumbled.
“That’s why I wanted to warn you.”
“I get it.”
