by Tara Randel
CHAPTER NINE
SATURDAY MORNING REID stopped by Sit A Spell for his daily dose of caffeine. He was headed to the Hanover house, but after noticing Heidi’s car parked on the street, he made a detour to Blue Ridge Cottage.
They’d only run into each other here and there in the course of the week. Her schedule was full, so she hadn’t been able to help him with the deck or to start painting the interior of the house until today. He’d seen her briefly at the community center, but she was too busy to talk. The end of the school year was fast approaching and the students needed her attention. It had been late when she finally left, after working with Mia. He’d hung out in his room until she was finished, waiting to make sure she got to her car without incident, like the lights in the building suddenly shutting off. She’d been surprised, but pleased, over his concern. He’d hoped they might spend time together under the stars—maybe he’d actually steal a kiss this time. But she had an early meeting the next morning and had to take off, promising they’d meet up for coffee.
Which hadn’t happened, so he looked forward to today, hoping to find a way to bring up this unexpected attraction between them.
He entered Blue Ridge Cottage, the scent of lavender reaching his nose. He stopped short at the group of chattering women surrounding a table on the sales floor. Serena circled the women, making observations about their works in progress. He craned his neck, trying to get a glimpse of what caused them to be in such high spirits.
“Personal greeting cards,” came a voice to his right.
He jerked, then turned his head to find Heidi smiling at him. Today she’d pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, which gave him the opportunity to view her lovely face. Her amber eyes sparkled, her high cheekbones lent character to her features. It was like seeing her for the first time and his heart seized. How could that be? They’d known each other for what seemed like forever and he’d never been undone by her. Why was today different? Like, earth-shattering special? He fought the urge to run a hand over his heart in response to this new awareness of his friend.
“Reid?”
Get your act together.
He shook his head. “Sorry. Got distracted by all the excitement.”
She regarded the group with warmth. “These ladies do love their classes.” She glanced at Reid with a sly grin and he had to remind himself to breathe. “Or an excuse to get together and gossip.”
He cleared his throat. “I’ll go with the second. This is Golden, after all.”
“I still don’t get the appeal.” Her forehead wrinkled. “I suppose you had to grow up here to understand.”
“You did pretty much grow up here.”
She shot him a quick glance.
“And you’ve escaped being the target of gossip, so be thankful,” he hurried to say, hoping it didn’t bother her to reference the past.
But instead of troubled, her gaze turned perceptive. “People still speculating why you left Masterson Enterprises?”
Yeah, she saw right down to the core of the matter.
“Probably. Although no one has come right out and asked.”
“Hey, folks might love to talk, but they also know when to be polite if necessary.”
Meaning the fallout with his dad. He took a sip of coffee, not wanting to get into this conversation. Instead, he asked, “You’re coming to the house, right?”
“As soon as Serena’s class is over.” She nodded toward the sales counter. “I’m finishing up some bookkeeping and then we’ll be there.”
“We?”
“Yes. I invited Serena. Hope you don’t mind.”
He tried to ignore the jab of disappointment, but it didn’t work. He wouldn’t have Heidi to himself all day like he’d imagined. “Who’s going to watch the store?”
“Carrie. Serena wanted to help and to be honest, it’ll make the job go faster with more hands.”
Which meant the renovation would be finishing up soon, as well. If everything went as planned, Heidi would have her dream house within weeks, ready to move on to the next phase of her life. They’d carry on as friends, even though he’d discovered lately that he wanted to be more.
And when they went their separate ways? What would he have then? Empty houses to flip while still being separated from the family business. He didn’t want to dwell on that depressing thought.
When he didn’t respond, Heidi playfully batted at his arm. “You know wherever Serena is, Logan will be. He can work on the deck with you.”
His gaze met hers. “You were supposed to help me finish up.”
She chuckled. “Weren’t you saying that you didn’t want me within thirty yards of a hammer? Or nails?”
“I...” He shook his head.
“I am getting the hang of using tools, if I do say so myself, but today I’m donning my painter’s hat.”
“The more the merrier,” came his dull reply.
“You don’t sound very excited.” Heidi tilted her head, examining him as if she could read the irritation bubbling up inside him. That wasn’t possible, was it? “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” He had to figure out how to deal with this interest in Heidi before he got himself into deep trouble. “I’m gonna get going. See you soon?”
She frowned. “In about an hour.”
He nodded and strode from the store. What was wrong with him? He was acting like a five-year-old who didn’t get his way. So, there would be additional people at the house today. Maybe he should consider that a good thing, before he did something dumb like kiss her—man, he wanted to kiss her—and ruin the one sure thing he could rely on, their friendship.
Once at the house, he got right to work. He slipped on sunglasses against the glare invading the backyard. The sun had risen above the tree line, warming his shoulders as his muscles flexed from hammering and cutting. It was quiet, except for the occasional songbird. The flutelike melody of a wood thrush caught his attention, along with squirrels jumping from tree branch to tree branch, interspersed with the shouts of kids down the road. He measured and cut, the buzz from the saw spoiling the natural symphony. By the time he heard voices coming through the front door, he’d completed the last of the planks for the deck floor. Now came the railing.
Wiping sawdust from his face, he ventured inside. Two large paint buckets sat in the middle of the empty living room. Logan was in the process of opening one of them to pour paint into a pan. Heidi rifled through a bag, pulling out brushes, rollers and paint rags, while Serena carried in the extension poles to attach to the rollers. They were all dressed in work clothes, just like he was. He took in the scene, his chest tight. Heidi. His family. His most favorite people in the world.
“Hey, bro,” Logan said, finally noticing him. “I brought the troops.”
Heidi placed a hand on her hip. “Okay, first, I asked Serena, which means you’re my troop. And second, what else were you going to do today?”
“Take a break from wedding stuff?”
Serena came to Heidi’s side and frowned at her fiancé. “Care to rephrase that?”
“Spend the day with my fiancée.”
“Better.” Serena went over to place a kiss on Logan’s cheek.
“Oh, no.” Logan tapped his lips with one finger. “You can do better than that.”
Serena rolled her eyes, but gave him the desired kiss.
Reid noticed Heidi send him a quick glance, then suddenly become very busy. He wondered if she was thinking about the night they’d almost kissed. About the tug of attraction that seemed to be growing daily. Wondered if she wished they’d given in to the spontaneous impulse instead of running away.
Logan rubbed his hands together. “Reid, give me a few minutes to get the paint poured and I’ll join you.”
“That is, if you trust us to get the job done,” Heidi teased.
Reid met her gaz
e. “I trust you.”
She blinked, then got busy.
Walking outside, Reid readied the two-by-fours for the next step on the deck. Logan came out just as the measuring tape zipped back into its cover and Reid used a pencil to record the mark where he needed to cut.
“They’re painting up a storm in there,” his brother informed him.
Reid slipped the pencil behind his ear. “I’m sure they are. You and Serena sure seem to be on the same page.”
“We are. It’s all good, brother.”
Grabbing a strip of wood, Reid snorted.
“When you find the love of your life, you’ll understand.”
What if he already had and was screwing it up? Okay, things with Heidi hadn’t gone far enough to mess up yet, but he wasn’t doing a stellar job aligning his feelings to his actions.
“So, what’re we doing?” Logan asked.
“Cutting wood for the railing.” Reid pointed to the other end of the deck, needing to get to work so he could sort out his thoughts. “Let’s secure them around the periphery.”
The two worked well as a team, cutting and nailing. It reminded Reid of growing up with Logan. All the good times they’d shared. In between the buzz of the saw, he heard female laughter drifting from the house. He really wanted to be in there with Heidi, but he understood that she wanted to get this job done under her own steam. He got it, this house was important to her. More important, was he?
When half the posts were up, Logan stopped to wipe his forehead.
“It’s getting hot out here.”
Reid strolled over to a cooler located on the grass and chose two water bottles, tossing one to Logan. They moved to the shade of a leafy oak tree and took a few moments to cool down.
“Thanks for coming,” Reid said, wiping the cool water from his lips.
“Even though you don’t need my help?”
“I always want you around—you know that.”
Logan took another chug and nodded. Waited a beat. “I spoke to Grandmother.”
Please, not about his dating life again.
“About?”
“Dad.”
A hard knot tightened in Reid’s gut.
“She’s concerned about his health. So is Mother.”
“I had the same conversation with them.”
“She mentioned that he’s seeing a doctor on Wednesday.”
Reid nodded.
“I ran into him, as well.”
Reid met his brother’s gaze, his stomach clenching at his worried expression.
“He doesn’t look good.”
Reid closed his eyes. Guilt washed over him.
“What are you going to do if Masterson Enterprises needs you to come back?”
“I’ve thought about that ever since Mother gave me the news.” He paused, then spoke in a low voice. “Do the right thing, of course.”
“Even if you don’t want to?”
Oh, he wanted to, but would rather it wasn’t at the expense of his father’s health. “I’m not going to let the family down.”
“You mean Dad?”
He did, because through it all, his father’s opinion still mattered to him.
“This isn’t going away,” Logan said. “Dad will be retiring soon, and one way or another, this conversation will come up again.”
“Since when are you invested in what happens with Masterson Enterprises? You’ve made it clear you don’t want to be involved.”
“I never did. But you, my brother, are a different story.”
Could that be why his dad wanted Logan involved with the company? Logan had no interest, which would mean he wouldn’t give his father any static, unlike Reid.
“Let’s wait until after he sees the doctor before we dig all this up.”
The women came around the side of the house to join them. Saved. He took two more bottles out of the cooler and handed them out. Serena took hers and went to stand beside Logan.
“Thanks,” Heidi said. “We have the wall around the French doors to complete, then we’ll move into the kitchen.”
“That was fast.”
“Mad painting skills. Serena cuts in and I roll.”
He chuckled, noticing a big smudge of cheery yellow paint on her cheek. Without thinking, he reached over to wipe it off. His finger lingered over her satiny skin, and for the life of him, he couldn’t move away. She shivered. The gentle breeze lifted a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail, but she didn’t brush them away. Their eyes met, Heidi’s filled with questions. His heart pounded. Here in the dazzling sunlight, he wanted nothing more than to lower his head and kiss her. Have her return that kiss.
She moved aside, breaking the intense contact, her motion signaling her reservations loud and clear.
He shoved his hands in his front pockets.
She held up the bottle. “Break’s over.”
“Don’t let me keep you from your masterpiece,” he said.
She looked around him. “C’mon, Serena. Let’s switch jobs this time.”
Serena sent them both an odd look.
“The sooner we finish, the sooner I can plan on moving in,” Heidi said with a wave of her hand.
It was then that Reid realized he had to keep his longing for Heidi to a minimum. His brother and Serena were much too observant for his comfort.
“Oh, sure,” Serena crabbed. “I get half a wall to cut in and you do the easy part.”
“And I have to be careful not to make a mess around the doors, so we’re even.”
The two playfully argued as they headed back inside. Trying to ignore his reaction to Heidi, he watched until she was gone, then turned to join Logan.
“So, you and Heidi are a thing?”
Reid couldn’t ignore his brother’s assessing gaze.
“I saw that move. Classic.”
“She had paint on her face.” His voice had taken on a defensive edge.
“And you had an excuse to touch her.” He shrugged. “I get it.”
There was no point in fighting the obvious. Right now he needed his big brother’s advice. “What do I do?”
“Find out how she feels.”
Okay, Reid knew that. But still... “What if she only wants to be friends?”
Logan chuckled. “I saw her face, bro. Her look was anything but friendly.”
He tried not to let his brother’s observation give him hope, because he still had to get the truth from Heidi herself.
“What if changing our relationship at this point in our lives ruins everything?”
Logan moved close and slapped him on the back. “Looks like you have more than one decision to make.”
* * *
LATER THAT EVENING, the sun began to sink behind the mountaintops, so the lights were blazing in the house when Heidi parked behind Reid’s truck. After a long day’s effort, the painting was done. Next, she’d have to tackle the trim, but she was several steps closer to her goal. Come Monday, the floors were being restored to their original luster. Then the bathroom and kitchen cabinets would be installed, and the exterior painted by professionals. Once they were there, Reid could sign off.
The Hanover house would be hers.
So, why the melancholy?
Because her interaction with Reid would return to pre-house days when they only saw each other at town events or weddings and funerals. She wouldn’t be able to surprise him with dinner, like tonight. They’d leave without important things being said.
If she were only brave enough to speak them.
With a firm resolve fueling her, Heidi tamped down the internal debate and hurried up the walk and into the house. The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air. Everything was silent except for the music coming from the backyard. Large bag in hand, she strode outside to the c
ompleted deck. Reid was on the grass, packing up the table saw. A shiver ran over her. Just like the one she’d tried to cover when he’d touched her cheek earlier.
She’d been speechless. Didn’t know what to do. While she’d wanted to lean in and let his palm cup her face, she was afraid of rushing things. Yes, their mutual interest was off the charts, but they hadn’t spoken about it. Nothing could happen until they did.
“You finished,” she said, catching him off guard.
“Heidi, what are you doing here? I thought you left for the night.”
“I stopped at Smitty’s for dinner. It smelled so good, I got takeout.”
Reid sniffed the air. “Barbecue ribs?”
“With coleslaw and freshly baked rolls. A jug of sweet tea.”
He stomped up the stairs. “What did I do to deserve dinner?”
She turned to admire the house. “This.”
He took the bag from her hand and opened it, the tantalizing smell escaping into the night. “Well worth it.”
“How about a picnic?”
“Sounds good to me.”
She’d made sure Jamey added plates, utensils and plenty of napkins before leaving the pub. Taking a seat on the steps, feet dangling over the grass, they unpacked the feast and dug in.
“I don’t know about you, but I was starving,” she said, taking a bite from a meaty rib.
“I could eat this meal every night for the rest of my life,” he said.
“Don’t you dare let Alveda hear that.”
“I’m not dumb. Those words would never leave my lips if she was around.”
Heidi grinned, picturing Alveda’s affronted expression if she ever learned the truth.
She took a breath, loving the earthy perfume surrounding them. The wildflowers edging the trees before disappearing into the woods were bright spots of life. White trilliums, with a few rose-pink blossoms scattered into the mix. Orange azaleas with a few flowers still on the stems. Yellow trout lilies. If things went according to plan, all of this would be hers.
“It’s so beautiful here.” She tried to keep her emotions in check, but it was hard.
“I suppose after moving around so much, you enjoy staying in one place.”
