by Mari Carr
She dismissed the idea out of hand. “That would be a waste of money. I like my office the way it is.”
Her comment pleased him. Casey had spent years keeping an eye out for gold diggers where Gabriel was concerned. Not that his friend needed help in that regard or even listened to his warnings, but Casey couldn’t seem to lose the habit.
Before he could pursue the conversation, Jordan changed the subject. “So how did you become an independent contractor?”
He let her dodge stick. “Actually, I think I’m what most people would call a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to my glamorous job as a handyman, I’m an architect and an artist.”
“An artist? Really? That’s so cool.”
“Yeah, well, it’s the independent contractor deal that pays the bills.”
“Maybe so, but I can’t even draw stick figures.”
Casey leaned against the AC unit. “I sketch a bit, dabble in photography, but my true passion is sculpture.”
“You mean with clay?”
He nodded. “As well as other things. That’s the beauty of sculptures. They can be created out of anything. I’ve been known to tinker around with wood and even aluminum cans.”
“I’d love to see your work.”
Her face showed genuine interest and it sparked something inside him that he tried to batten down. Ordinarily, Jordan was the kind of woman he’d ask out in a New York minute, but until he figured out what the connection was between her and Gabriel, he’d tread lightly. “My apartment is one of those studio deals on the east side of town. You’ll have to come over one day and I’ll give you a private gallery tour.”
She smiled, dimples appearing in her porcelain cheeks. Casey’s cock twitched. Shit. This wasn’t good. “You know, I always thought of artists as these angry, reclusive loner types. You’re shattering the image.”
Casey bent to pick up a screwdriver and tried to turn his attention back to the AC. If he kept looking at Jordan, he’d be tempted to kiss her, and his gut told him Gabriel wouldn’t like that. “You’re not the first person to make that observation. Gabe accuses me of having more personality than sense and my mother always told me I could talk the ears off the corn in the field.”
“Ears off the corn?”
“My mother has lots of colorful expressions.” He listed a few for Jordan. Before long, they were competing to see who could come up with the most outrageous sayings.
The time passed quickly as they worked together. Jordan was intelligent with a quick sense of humor.
Casey looked closer at the AC unit. “Damn. I was afraid of that.”
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I was hoping it was an issue with the belt, but the motor bearings are shot. I’m going to need to order a part.”
“So it’s not getting fixed today?”
“I’ll see if I can rig a workaround for the time being.” He stood and stretched. “God bless it, Jordan. I apologize if this offends you, but it’s hot as hell in here.” Reaching for the hem of his t-shirt, he whipped the thin cotton over his head and fanned himself with it.
Her now-familiar blush returned and Casey felt compelled to prod, to see if his suspicions about Jordan’s underlying naughty side were true. “Just so you know, I absolutely will not be upset if you decide to follow suit and work shirtless for the rest of the afternoon.”
The twinkle in her eyes let him know she enjoyed his joke. “I’m fine with my shirt on.”
“You sure?” he teased, taking a step closer. “I don’t mind helping you peel it off.” He reached out but she darted away, her smile widening.
“Casey,” she said, swatting his hands away. She dodged behind the AC unit and he followed.
The two of them played a quick game of cat and mouse as Casey chased her around the storage closet.
He’d just captured her, Jordan squealing loudly, when the door to the closet opened.
“Jordan? Are you okay?” a deep voice asked from the hallway.
Gabriel peered around the door and Casey wondered what his best friend thought he was seeing. They certainly presented a risqué picture—Casey shirtless, his arms wrapped around Jordan from behind while she laughed.
“Hey, Gabe.” Casey released Jordan and pulled his shirt back on. “What are you doing here?”
Gabriel’s response was slow in coming as his gaze traveled from Casey to Jordan. “I was checking on your progress.” Gabriel’s eyes landed back on Casey’s face and they narrowed angrily. “Looks like you’re making some.”
Shit. Casey’s suspicions about Gabe’s feelings for Jordan were confirmed in an instant. His friend was hot for the accountant.
Problem was…so was Casey.
“We were taking a break,” he explained.
Gabriel looked at Jordan, his expression softening. “You’re blood-red, Jordan. You need to get out of this heat.”
Casey glanced at her face. Gabriel had made the same mistake he had. Jordan wasn’t hot. She was blushing. Big-time.
“I’m okay, Gabe. No worries,” she answered. “I can see why you two are friends. Casey’s cure for the heat wave is going topless too.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened even further as he snapped his gaze to Casey once more. “Topless?”
“Actually, I think we’re done for the day,” Casey said, anxious to change the subject before Gabriel pulverized him. “I need to order a part before I can fix the unit.”
Jordan frowned and he sensed she was surprised by his sudden retreat to safer territory. Gabriel had never referred to Jordan as anything more than a pal, but Casey could read between the lines—even if his oblivious friend couldn’t.
“Um, yeah. That’s right. We were just wrapping things up. It was nice of you to come by and check on us.” Jordan’s gaze drifted to Gabriel’s face and she smiled.
Crap. The pure longing on Jordan’s face told Casey all he needed to know in regards to her feelings for Gabriel. It told him more than he wanted to know.
Jordan’s cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. “It’s Steph. We made plans to do a late lunch. I should take this.”
She walked toward the door as she answered the phone. Gabriel stepped aside and let her escape. Casey suspected he wouldn’t be freed as easily.
“What the fuck were you doing?” Gabe’s question was murmured, but even in the quiet tone, Casey detected the anger. A small part of him was thrilled to hear any emotion at all from his friend.
“I told you. Taking a break.”
“With your clothes off?”
Casey shot him a dirty look. “I took off my shirt to cool down. I’ve been in this godforsaken sweatbox for nearly two hours. Besides, what the hell are you so pissed off about? I’m here because you asked me to fix the air conditioner.”
“Why was Jordan in here?”
And now they were getting to the heart of the matter. “I asked her to help me.”
“Since when do you need an assistant?”
Casey was hot and tired and annoyed. Not a good combination. Gabe was poking the bear. “I spotted a gorgeous woman and an empty closet. Come on, Gabe. You’re a smart guy with a degree in finance. Put two and two together. I’m not averse to mixing work and play.”
Gabriel shook his head. “You’re not playing with Jordan.”
His friend’s vehemence tweaked Casey’s temper. “Last time I checked, you weren’t my keeper. Or Jordan’s.”
Gabriel rubbed his neck wearily, and for the first time, Casey noticed the dark circles under his friend’s eyes.
When he spoke again, Gabriel’s voice was calmer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I saw you with Jordan and I…shit, I guess I lost it.”
“Why? I’m not an asshole to women. You know that.”
Gabriel shrugged. “I know. She reminds me of Annie in a lot of ways. Somewhere along the line I’ve become a bit protective of her.”
Annie was Gabriel’s only sibling, and no little sister had ever been lov
Gabriel didn’t seem to appreciate his answer. “So sweet you felt compelled to strip off your shirt and corner her in a storage closet?”
Yep. Definitely jealous.
“We were messing around, Gabe. Having some fun. We’ve been working on the damn AC for two hours and we got playful. That’s all.”
Gabriel ran his hand over his face. “Fine. Yeah. Okay.”
“If you’re so hot for the woman, why not just ask her out?”
Gabriel frowned. “Who said anything about me being interested? I told you, she reminds me—”
“Of Annie. Yeah. Sell that bullshit to someone who doesn’t know you.”
“We’re friends, Casey. That’s all.”
Casey fought the urge to roll his eyes at his friend’s inane answer. He used to credit Gabriel as being one of the smartest, most grounded men he’d ever known. In the past two years, he’d watched that intelligence give way to an apathy that bordered on recklessness. “Why is that all?”
“You said it yourself. She’s a sweet girl. I’m not looking for sweet.”
It took all the strength in Casey’s body not to pummel his best friend. Unfortunately, he knew what drove Gabriel these days and found it hard to fault him for his callousness.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. You prefer Glamour Shots to wholesomeness. Or maybe you’d like Jordan better if you could just buy her love. Take her out and shower her in gold and diamonds so she’ll keep her mouth shut and won’t complain when you toss her aside for the next willing victim. That would definitely be better than a committed relationship with a sweet, sensitive, smart woman.”
“Very funny, Case. I’m not interested in shallow women.”
“Since when?” Seemed like lately, Gabriel only surrounded himself with the gold diggers of the world, despite Casey’s warnings about the company he was keeping.
“Jordan’s different. She’s easy to talk to and be with, but we can’t be more than that. We come from two different worlds.”
“Since when do you live by the snobbery code?”
Gabriel shrugged. “My parents—”
“You’re wasting your breath if you try to convince me your parents won’t approve of her because she’s the daughter of a mechanic. They aren’t like that any more than you are. Last time I checked, no one in the Lawson clan gave a shit if a woman you dated was a member of the country club or not.”
Gabriel walked into the closet and sat down on a box. He looked…defeated. Casey wished he could make things easier, but this conversation was already long overdue. An only child, Casey considered Gabriel the brother he never had. He refused to watch his friend continue to self-destruct.
“Can we just give this a rest? What’s wrong with the air conditioner?”
“Nice try, but I’m not biting. You know, it sounds to me like you have a lot in common with Jordan. You’re both business-minded. Geeks,” Casey teased, hoping the bitter pill he’d administered would go down better with a joke.
Gabriel ignored his jest. “She’s trusting and looking for love. Those are two things I can’t give her.”
“You aren’t the first guy to have his heart stomped on by a woman, Gabe, and you won’t be the last.”
Gabriel shrugged. “Maybe not, but it’s not going to be my heart taking the beating again.”
Casey didn’t believe that, so he poked back. “You know, you’re probably right about Jordan’s interests. They say opposites attract. I bet she prefers the type of guy who works with his hands rather than his brains. God knows I didn’t have any trouble keeping her around this afternoon.” As far as jabs went, Casey knew he’d hit below the belt the instant Gabriel’s features darkened. Still, he let the insult ride. He was tired of Gabriel’s indifference. Time to provoke some emotion.
Gabriel rose and stepped closer. “Stay away from Jordan.”
Casey didn’t like the implied threat. “From where I’m standing, she’s available.”
Gabriel crossed his arms but refused to take the bait. Refused to fight for what they both knew he wanted. “I guess she is. So you genuinely want to date her or are you just looking for sex?”
Just like that, Casey’s goodwill vanished and he went on the defensive. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re going to take my attraction to Jordan and twist it around to your current level of depravity? I don’t fuck around and you know it. Last time I looked, that was your game.”
Gabriel’s arms dropped to his sides. “I’m sorry. Christ. That was uncalled-for. It’s just, after Paula…”
Casey swallowed heavily. Neither of them had mentioned Paula’s name in almost two years. Casey had been a fool to think mere avoidance would heal the wounds she had inflicted on his best friend.
“Forget it. No harm, no foul.” Casey wouldn’t force Gabriel to take a walk down this particular memory lane.
Gabriel leaned against a shelf. “A few years ago, Jordan would have been exactly my type, but when I met her, I was still reeling from Paula’s deception and all I had to offer was friendship. I can’t risk that relationship now. It’s too important to me. Jordan’s too important to me.”
“It’s been two years since you and Paula split up. You’ve got to let this bitterness go.”
Casey had only met Jordan a couple of hours ago but he’d suspected Gabe’s interest in her for months, even if Gabriel hadn’t admitted it. Casey tried to ignore the small pang that told him Jordan was perfect for himself too.
“It’s time you moved on, Gabe. Put the past away. Ask Jordan out before someone else swoops in and takes her away from you.”
Gabriel glanced toward the doorway. Casey could just make out Jordan’s voice as she spoke to Stephanie on the phone.
Gabriel rubbed his forehead, scowling miserably. Casey could tell from his friend’s face the thought of Jordan finding another guy had never occurred to him. “You want to be that other guy, don’t you?” Gabe asked.
Casey shrugged. He could see the thought of Jordan with another man was triggering some painful memories for Gabriel.
Paula Robinson had done a number on his best friend. Her family and Gabriel’s had been friends for years. There wasn’t anyone in their tight-knit circle who didn’t expect a marriage between them. They were well suited to each other and the marriage would have merged two of the wealthiest families on the West Coast. Paula had captured Gabriel’s heart the summer they turned seventeen, and held on to it for years. No one had been surprised when they’d gotten engaged, and Casey would have been pleased to stand up as best man at their wedding.
That was until the night he and Gabriel came home early from a business trip. They’d taken more than a few nips of whiskey from the limo bar on the drive from the airport to Gabriel’s house, so Casey accepted his friend’s invitation to spend the night in the guest room.
They walked in on Paula, naked and entangled with Bruce, Gabriel’s business partner and friend, on the living room floor.
Gabriel had reacted more calmly than Casey would have. Even now, Casey’s fingers itched to beat the shit out of Bruce for his betrayal.
Rather than yell or scream or fight, Gabriel merely told the love of his life to pack her bags and get out. Paula reacted first with tears and pleading, apologizing for the mistake, swearing it was the only time she’d ever cheated on him. None of her words moved Gabriel.
Desperation turned to anger as Paula tried to incite some sort of emotion. She flung some of the most hateful, hurtful words Casey had ever heard. She’d told Gabriel it was his fault she’d turned to another man. She accused him of leaving her alone too often, of not appreciating her. With every word, Gabriel disappeared further into himself, becoming colder, more withdrawn.
His silence provoked Paula even more and she screamed at him. When it was obvious Gabriel wouldn’t respond with anger, Paula’s viciousness became completely uncontrolled. She told Gabriel he was the worst lover she’d ever had and she’d only stuck around to make her parents happy.
The cocky, self-confident friend he’d known from college disappeared that day. Gabriel donned an emotionless façade, never letting anyone close enough to hurt him, dating small-minded, self-centered women who didn’t stand a chance at capturing his heart. The only time Casey saw glimpses of his old friend was when Gabriel talked about Jordan.
“Jordan isn’t anything like Paula, Gabe.”
Casey studied his friend’s face and forced himself to acknowledge exactly how much he’d failed Gabriel. When Paula first left, Casey had ignored the haunted look in his friend’s eyes, told himself Gabriel would be fine eventually. While Gabriel had lost his youthful swagger, his undeniable confidence, Casey had felt certain time would heal his friend’s wounds. He wasn’t sure that was true any longer, and was besieged with guilt for letting Gabriel suffer alone for so long.
“It’s time to jump back in to the dating pool, Gabe. And I don’t mean with your trophy-wife wannabes. You’re ready. Trust me.”
Gabriel didn’t respond.
“Hey.” Jordan appeared in the doorway.
Both men turned to face her.
“I’m going to meet Steph and Jayne for lunch. Either of you feel like coming along?”
Gabriel stepped toward her, shaking his head. “Can’t. I’ve got a date.”
Jordan’s grin didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Oh yeah? Is this the heiress or the owner of that fancy dress shop downtown?”
“Both. I’ll see you two later.” Gabriel left and Jordan stood still for several moments, looking toward the exit.
Casey studied her face, seeing what Gabriel wouldn’t admit with his cowardly, quick retreat. His answer had devastated her, which was no doubt Gabriel’s intention. Just more proof that Casey had been wrong to ignore the changes in his friend. Gabriel’s strike-first attitude toward women had gone too far.
Time to step in. He knew exactly what he needed to do.
“I need to clean up my tools, Jordan. If you’re in a hurry, I can lock up behind me.”
“Oh no. I’ll help you.” She bent over to gather the scattered nuts and bolts.
-->
