by Sara Whitney
“Everything I do is a wee bit haphazard.” She peered at him over the edge of the paper. “It’s a trip being around someone this organized.”
“I’m a contractor,” he pointed out. “Organization is basically prereq number one.”
“I guess this explains the itemized, day-by-day schedule of work to be done.” She pointed accusingly at his Excel printout.
“Listen, lady, if we don’t have a plan and stick to it, this whole project could fall into chaos and anarchy.”
“Chaos and anarchy?” She gasped. “My God. Fill me on this schedule then.”
They’d just turned their attention to the grid he’d filled out of which jobs would be performed when, based on the availability of his workers and his own nights-and-weekend plans, when the doorbell bing-bonged through the house.
“Expecting someone?”
“Nope.”
She walked toward the front door, and he followed in her wake, glad he was with her so she wasn’t alone when she greeted whoever was knocking after dark in a new neighborhood. She threw open the round-top front door, and he was standing close enough to feel her whole body stiffen as she took in the three people on her front step.
“Mom!” With a jolt, she moved forward to hug the woman standing in front. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Happy housewarming, sweetie!”
Aiden stepped back to let the group inside. Thea’s mom entered first, followed by a teenage girl and a balding man holding a large potted plant. The furrows etched into the man’s forehead deepened when he greeted Thea.
“You’re still driving that death trap? It’s a wonder it gets you to work in the mornings. You need a good American car!” He shifted the pot to the crook of his left elbow as his attention turned to the wallpaper in the hallway. He ran a finger over one peeling seam and announced, “Your daughter’s going to have her work cut out for her, Carly.”
“I think it’s got potential,” Carly said, turning to Thea. “It’s going to be beautiful, honey.”
“Thanks.” Thea’s voice sounded flatter than he’d ever heard it, but when she turned toward the teenager, she bounced back to chipper. “Good to see you, Belly.”
“You too,” the girl said. “I love your front door.”
“Isn’t it cute?” Thea squealed, and they exchanged identical one-side-kicked-up smiles.
And that’s when Aiden realized he was looking at Thea’s half sister, the surprisingly tall product of her mom’s marriage to the sweaty man currently shoving the plant into Thea’s hands.
“Here. Let’s see how long you can keep this one alive.” Then he turned and steamrolled his way down the hall. “Jesus, would you look at this?” His voice drifted from the kitchen, but Aiden couldn’t tell if he was complimenting the view or complaining about the decor.
“Let’s just… let him explore,” Carly said. Then she noticed the stranger lurking in the entrance. “And who’s this?”
Oh shit. They hadn’t discussed what to tell Thea’s family. Did they know about their deal, or was he playing the dutiful boyfriend? The uncertainty left him frozen in the hallway with a half smile glued to his face.
“Mom, that’s Aiden Murdoch.” The teenager didn’t roll her eyes, but it was heavily implied in her tone.
Thea glanced sharply at her. “How do you know Aiden?”
The girl shrugged and pulled out her phone. “Moo Daddies,” she said as if that explained everything.
“Aiden!” Carly exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you since…” The short silence stretched awkwardly until she said, “Well, you’ve certainly gotten taller.”
“Twenty-odd years can change a man,” he said easily. Of course, two decades ago Carly’s hair was as brown as Thea’s and her smile had radiated the same level of warmth and humor. Now she was blond and a little sharp around the edges, so much so that he almost hadn’t recognized her.
“Aiden, this is Annabelle. She’s a senior at Beaucoeur High,” Thea said, and the teenager’s eyes flicked up from her phone in acknowledgment. “And that’s Peter passing judgment on the house. He’ll be along in a second to tell me everything that’s wrong with it.”
“Oh, honey, that’s not fair,” Carly said softly. “He just wants to help. You know insurance is his thing.”
“Health insurance, not home insurance,” Thea grumbled. Her brown eyes found his through the foliage bursting from the terra-cotta pot, and he wondered what the hell family dynamic he’d just walked into.
At that moment, Peter came stalking back into the entryway. “I wish you’d called me to come check this place out before you put any money down. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it’s the house I’ve always wanted to own.” She spoke evenly and without an ounce of her usual enthusiasm.
“In this neighborhood?” He waved his stubby arms. “With these property taxes?”
For a moment Aiden worried that Thea was going to chuck the plant at ol’ Pete’s head, but Carly stepped up and put a hand on her husband’s back. “You know Thea, hon. She’s always got things figured out. Our little Miss Independent.”
If anything, Thea’s fingers clenched even tighter around the plant pot, but when she spoke, her tone was amiable. “I handled it. Your buddy Gil got me a good homeowner’s policy, and I used Dad’s life insurance money for the down payment.”
She lifted her chin as she said it while everybody else in the hallway stiffened, including Aiden. His fake girlfriend had just tossed Lee Blackwell’s name into the middle of the group as if it were a grenade.
“Oh, sweetie, that’s…” Carly’s voice trailed off.
“Smart,” Peter said decisively before extending his elbow to his wife. “Come on, dear. You’ve got to check out this view.”
The two of them walked away, leaving Thea holding the plant and gritting her teeth.
“I wanna be you when I grow up.”
They both looked at Annabelle in surprise, and Thea laughed weakly. “God, don’t say that.” Then she brightened. “Want to check out the master bedroom? It has the grossest shag carpet you’ve ever seen.”
“Sure.” The girl pocketed her phone and headed down the hall as Thea grilled her about a recent varsity volleyball game, which explained what Annabelle did with all that height.
When Peter and Carly followed them up to the second floor, Aiden melted into the background to give them privacy, although he couldn’t stop himself from calling after them, “Everybody stay off the balcony!”
He wandered into the living room while Thea did the tour guide thing, and when he heard their feet on the stairs heading back down, he joined them in the front hallway, still not sure if he was a friend, a boyfriend, or the contractor in this scenario.
“Sorry, did you say why Aiden’s here?” Carly asked as she buttoned up her coat.
“Oh, um.” Thea tangled her fingers together, clearly feeling the same level of uncertainty he did about what story to tell her family.
Fuck that. Acting on a protective instinct that he didn’t know he had in him, he wrapped his arms around her sternum and hauled her against his chest. Her small frame relaxed against him, and he tightened his arms even more. “Just helping my girlfriend celebrate her first night in her new house.”
Now they had Annabelle’s full attention. “You landed the hottest Moo Daddy. Nice.”
“Ha!” Thea’s short, sharp laugh vibrated through her chest, and he dropped a kiss on top of her head, partly to keep up their story and partly to reward her for her bravery tonight.
He looked up to find Peter studying them with amused condescension. “New bet: the plant outlasts the boyfriend.”
Several things happened at once. Annabelle shouted, “God, Dad!” while Carly’s lips pressed together so hard they disappeared and Thea went absolutely rigid in his arms. That last fact was what led Aiden to lose his easygoing smile and let go of Thea so he could step forward to tell the older man exactly where he could stick his fucking bet
s. He’d gotten into this bargain in part to help out the sad little girl who’d cried silent tears on her swing set the day they buried her father. She deserved kindness, and if he needed to be the one to send that message, so fucking be it.
But Thea grabbed him and tugged him back before addressing Peter in the iciest tone he’d ever heard her use. “Unlike the plant, Aiden can feed and water himself, so I give him good odds for surviving my company.” She squeezed his fingers and glared at her stepdad until he ducked his head and looked away with a muttered, “Of course. Sorry.” Then she lifted her chin at her half sister. “Let’s do a ladies’ night soon, Belly.”
“Cool.” Sincerity warred with teenage boredom, but in the end it sounded like an invitation she’d be accepting.
“I’d love it if you could come too,” she said, pivoting to Carly.
“That would be lovely.” Carly folded her daughter into one more hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
Approximately two seconds into their hug, Peter clapped his hands. “Time to go, Johnsons. Belly has school in the morning.”
He placed a beefy paw on Carly’s shoulder, and she pulled away from Thea to rest her smaller hand on her husband’s before following Annabelle out the door.
Peter, bringing up the rear, paused in front of Thea. “Big step, buying a house.”
“Yep,” she said shortly.
He chucked her under the chin and said gruffly, “Good for you, kiddo.”
And with that, they were gone, leaving Thea to slump against the wall while Aiden tried to sort through what he’d just seen.
“Hey, snookums?” he finally asked.
“Yeah?” She looked up at him with big brown eyes, and something clenched low in his belly at the dazed expression he saw there.
“What the hell was all that?”
When her eyes dropped to the floor and her shoulders began to shake, he moved toward her in alarm, ready to pull her into a hug and dry her tears. Then she threw her head back and revealed that she was actually vibrating with laughter.
“That is why I moved out when I was eighteen and never looked back.” She swiped at her eyes as her giggles subsided. Then the mirth on her face disappeared, and she wrapped her arms around her midsection, shrinking into herself.
Watching the sunny Thea Blackwell curl up in misery was too much for him, and he reached for her hand. “You know who’d be really proud of you?” Her eyes flew to his, and he twined his fingers through hers. “Your dad. So damn proud of the house and your independent streak.”
She blinked a few times and cleared her throat. “Yeah, he would, wouldn’t he?” Her throat worked as she swallowed hard, and then she nodded decisively toward the kitchen, where the paperwork waited on the counter. “Okay. Show me your big fancy schedule. Let’s do this.”
Twelve
Thea stood outside the door to the Elephant and sucked in a steadying breath. There was no reason to be nervous, right? She’d pushed through this battered metal door a thousand times, and she’d been in the audience for more Moo Daddies shows than she could count. Tonight wouldn’t be any different.
Ha. Lies. Tonight she was debuting as Aiden Murdoch’s girlfriend in public. Public public, as opposed to his construction company or the home expo or a random hardware store. She was going to be the proud girlfriend watching her man bang the drums while never letting on that those were the only things he was banging right now.
Oh God, she’d never be able to pull this off.
“Ow! Hey!” Thea rubbed her elbow and glared at the brunette who’d just smacked into it.
“Sorry,” the sylph called over her shoulder as she followed her friends into the building, leaving Thea’s funny bone throbbing. It was a sign. She should go straight home and do a charcoal mask and forget this whole business.
But she couldn’t do that. She’d promised Aiden. The bulk of his responsibility in their fake relationship was overhauling her house, and her main role was being his public arm candy. He was already hard at work on his end of the bargain, so now it was time for her to candy up and follow through on her end.
Chin up. Boobs out. Smile on.
With her self-confidence mantra echoing in her ears, she threw back her shoulders and sailed through the door, reminding herself that she was looking hot as hell in her smoky eye and slinky dress. Ordinarily the Brick Babes would be swarming the place when the Moo Daddies performed, but they hadn’t been able to pull together an outing for the final show before Ana gave birth and Dave took a long paternity leave from performing. That meant Thea was flying solo tonight, and although Mabel had invited her to share a table, Thea didn’t see her friend anywhere in the hot, crowded bar.
“Here you go.”
She turned in surprise to see the raven-haired woman who’d jostled her outside. “It’s an apology gin and tonic.” She pressed a glass into Thea’s hand. “I didn’t mean to knock into you. Sorry!”
“Oh thanks. Alcohol equals forgiveness.” Thea took a sip as her eyes roamed over the crowd, and the woman gave a knowing click of her tongue.
“Are you on the hunt tonight too?”
“Hunt?” She turned away from the stage where the band was finishing its setup to see that the woman’s two friends had joined her. She was suddenly enveloped in feminine laughter and enticing floral scents.
“The Aiden hunt,” the short-haired blonde said.
Thea took another long gulp of her drink before she was able to stammer out, “Ummm. Aiden hunt?”
The woman with a long brown braid pointed dramatically to the stage, where the man in question was bent over his drum kit and showing off an extremely impressive display of leg and ass in his broken-in jeans.
All four women watched in silence for a moment before the black-haired one sighed. “It’s been forever since he took somebody home, and we’re all suffering.”
The blonde tucked a short curl behind her ear. “It’s selfish really, to withhold all that goodness from the women of Beaucoeur.”
“Bang Aiden Murdoch for clear skin!” the woman with the braid whooped.
The other two joined in the catcalling as Thea’s mouth fell open.
“Sorry, I’m… Is this like a game?”
The glances the three women sent her were a mixture of pitying and amused, and the black-haired one spoke first. “I don’t know, does scoring a night with the best ride in town sound like a game to you?”
“None of us have climbed on board the A-train yet, so the line forms here!” The braid shimmied and slapped the blonde a high five. Then she noticed Thea’s stunned expression, and confusion clouded her pretty features. “Oh, are you not from around here? Aiden’s a legend.”
“No, I…” Thea couldn’t seem to pull together a coherent thought. “I mean, he’s a person. Aiden. He’s not some… some sex toy.”
The women exchanged a quick round of “who invited the prude” glances before the braid spoke. “Obviously he’s a person. He’s a person who’s great for some hot sex where everybody goes home happy. If all the participants are having a good time, where’s the harm?” She sipped her drink and gazed speculatively at Thea. “Wait, are you telling me you don’t know a single woman who’s banged Aiden Murdoch? Because that’s statistically imp…”
The woman’s words trailed off with a gulp as her friends’ eyes widened comically, and Thea knew. She just knew.
“Hey there, sugar bear.”
Her heart flip-flopped in her chest when Aiden’s hand landed on her shoulder and spun her to face him. He was smiling as he bent to kiss her, but she felt the tension in his fingers, in his lips. And unlike every other for-show kiss they’d exchanged, this one felt forced and artificial. She responded as best as she could, but she knew in her heart that they both looked stiff as hell. And why wouldn’t they? He’d busted her standing in the middle of a group of women who were talking about him like he was a prize haunch of beef at the Cavelier County Fair.
“Hi!” She smiled up at him and hoped th
e curve of her lips conveyed the embarrassment and apology rioting through her. Anger too. She hated the way those women had discussed him, as if he didn’t have feelings or autonomy.
He merely looked at her blankly, so she reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, holding her breath until he squeezed back. Then, to her delight, he tilted his chin and dragged his eyes down her body. “You look amazing. But you’re braving the Elephant without a coat again?”
She grinned at the chance to show their small audience a different side of the man they thought they knew. “I like to live dangerously.” She tossed her hair dramatically, and he laughed and brought their entwined fingers to his mouth.
“Good thing I tossed a jacket into my truck just in case.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Can’t have my girl getting cold.”
“So thoughtful.” She didn’t have to fake the breathiness in her voice, and they shared a private smile, a real one this time. It made her brave enough to turn to the three women, who were sporting identical shocked faces. “As it turns out, I do know someone who’s having sex with Aiden Murdoch.”
She glanced up at him to see heat flare in his eyes, and without stopping to talk herself out of it, she grabbed the front of his T-shirt and pulled him down to kiss her again. There was nothing forced or awkward this time, and even though the kiss wasn’t long, it was intense enough that one of the women muttered “Daaaaaamn” when they broke apart.
He brushed a thumb over her lower lip before slinging a casual arm around her shoulder. His body was back to its usual relaxed posture, and Thea breathed a silent sigh of relief that she’d apparently undone some of the damage that the women’s gossip had caused.
“Mabel saved you a seat up front at the wives and girlfriends table,” he said. “You ready?”
“Always,” she purred, turning to wave at the three women. “Enjoy the show!”
Aiden placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the stage. She was acutely aware of eyes following them as they weaved through the crowd to Mabel and Jake’s table. Her friend’s face lit up when Aiden pulled out a chair and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck after she was seated.
