by Kiera Jayne
“I know. How else can you explain our continued sexual attraction to each other?”
Perie folded her arms. “Familiarity?”
“My irrepressible charm and sexy body,” Flynn stated.
“You know what would be really sexy? That body in the shower,” Perie whispered.
“Shower sex? Bring it on.”
“No, no.” She took a couple of steps away from him. “You in the shower, alone, getting ready for the day so we can start to work on this baby.” Perie lifted her hand into the air and indicated the house. “She’s not going to restore herself.”
“I hate when you’re right,” Flynn grumbled. “Alright. See you in a few.”
Perie watched Flynn walk inside. As soon as he was gone, she set her coffee mug aside, pulled on some work boots, and slowly made her way down the out-of-bounds front steps. She forced herself to get busy, tearing away at the weeds that surrounded the supports of the verandah. Whenever Vaughn came close enough, she stopped to admire him. It had been nine years since the big bust-up that had caused the rift in the friendship between her and Flynn. Nine years since she and Vaughn were in a relationship. Perie had dated guys since Vaughn, but no one could ever compare. It seemed he still affected her, even now.
So much for the whole ‘adult’ theory.
Perie focused her overthinking mind back on the task at hand. She cursed when her hand came into contact with something unpleasant. Yanking her hand back to inspect the damage, she noticed a red mark on her palm and along with it, a burning sensation that was unlike anything she had ever felt. It wasn’t long before she was howling, the pain so bad that she fell to her knees as she tried to shake the sensation away. There was nothing she could do. Tears streamed down her face. She barely noticed when Vaughn raced over to her to find out what was going on. When he tried to take her hand, she jerked away from him. “No! No, please don’t touch!”
“Perie, let me look. I need to look at it.” Vaughn’s dark-eyed gaze connected with her soft hazel eyes, full of pain and fear. Gently, he said, “Come on.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, Perie slowly extended her arm and lay her affected hand in his.
Vaughn looked at the bumps that had begun to rise on Perie’s skin. He turned to the weeds she had been working in and cautiously parted them. His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted the offending plant. “You grabbed onto a stinging nettle, Perie. But don’t worry, where there’s stinging nettle, there’s . . ..”
“Dock weed,” Perie recalled, managing to get the words out through the pain.
Vaughn smiled. “Right. I’ll be right back.” He went in search of the natural remedy while Perie tried her hardest to calm down. “Found some!” he called. He yanked some leaves out of the ground and rushed back to Perie. She couldn’t help but jump slightly when he took her hand again. “It’s okay, Perie-Berry—” he caught himself, “I mean . . . Perie. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she mumbled. Perie watched Vaughn gently rub the sap from the leaves onto the irritation. She was amazed at how much it lessened the pain.
“We’re not done, yet. Do you have a first aid kit in the house?”
Perie shook her head.
“I’ve got one in my truck. Go and wash your hand with some warm, soapy water. You need to try to dislodge the hairy fibers that are sticking into your skin. I’ll be right up.”
Perie’s mouth dropped open. Vaughn was going to come into the house? The place looked like a squatter’s hideout. How embarrassing!
“Perie?”
Perie snapped out of it. “What?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said?”
“Oh. Yeah, right.” Perie got to her feet and placed one foot on the first step. The whole thing rattled underneath her slight weight.
“Jeez, careful there. That staircase doesn’t look safe. We don’t want you hurting anything else,” Vaughn said with a concerned frown. “See you in a minute.”
Vaughn made his way over to his car and fished the large first aid kit from the back. It was a huge thing filled with everything you could ever need, including a thermal blanket and freeze-dried trekking food. One of the main things he had learned in the army was to always have a good supply of gear.
Vaughn pulled out a squeeze bottle of cortisone cream and a sticky patch, then made his way back to the house. He steadily climbed the rickety stairs to the verandah and went in search of Perie. This place was massive! Rundown, sure, but with some TLC, Vaughn knew it would shine again.
“Perie?” he called as he made his way down the entry hallway. “Where are you?”
Vaughn stopped in his tracks when a familiar blond-haired guy stepped into the hallway.
Flynn Brewer.
Vaughn tried to mask his reaction as the two men squared off, staring each other down. Vaughn hadn’t seen Flynn since high school. The guy was fit as fuck and still had such a youthful appearance. The cockiness was there, too.
Vaughn tightened his suddenly clammy hand around the sticky patch. “Hey, Flynn, I didn’t know you were back.” Okay, lying, but that worked . . . for now.
“Likewise,” Flynn replied. “I thought you were in Afghanistan?”
Vaughn narrowed his eyes. “How did you know that?”
Flynn shrugged. “You know my mum . . . she likes a good bit of gossip. Seems you’re the hometown hero.”
The snigger that came out of Vaughn’s mouth was wry. “Not really, mate. I’m just the only bloke from town who’s in the army. The oldies go a bit crazy over that.”
“Thanks for your service,” Flynn mumbled and lowered his gaze.
“No thanks needed,” Vaughn returned.
“Is that Vaughn?” Perie asked as she joined them in the corridor. “Did you find something?” She dug her nails into the nettle stings.
“Don’t scratch it!” Vaughn dashed forward and pulled her fingers away. “Here. This’ll do the trick.” Vaughn was hyper-aware of Flynn’s blue-eyed gaze boring into him as he applied the cream to Perie’s sting.
“What happened?” Flynn asked.
“I got stung by a stinging nettle,” Perie answered.
“She was pulling the weeds without gloves,” Vaughn said.
“Perie!” Flynn let out a frustrated sigh. “Jeez, woman, we’re not even here a whole day and you’re already being careless! How are we going to get through three months here if you’re already hurting yourself?”
“Yeah, alright, I’m sorry. I’ll remember to break out the PPE next time,” Perie grumbled.
Vaughn chuckled. “Nothing’s changed between you two.”
Vaughn pretended not to notice the glance that passed between the pair. Okay . . . so maybe something had changed between them. Were they a couple now? How long after their blowout did they find each other again? Oh, shit, were they married? Vaughn checked Perie’s fingers as he placed the sticky dressing on her hand. No ring.
“All done.” He peeked at Flynn’s hands, too. He couldn’t see a thing since Flynn’s hands were buried in his pockets. “Did you say you’re both here for three months?”
“Yep. It’s the time we’ve got to restore this place.” Perie patted the wall.
“Three months? Is that all?”
“’Fraid so. We’ve got jobs in Brisbane to get back to,” Flynn explained.
“Who’s helping you?”
“No one,” Perie said.
Vaughn raised his eyebrows. “No one? You think you’re going to have this done in three months?”
“It’s what we do,” Flynn retorted with a smirk.
Vaughn narrowed his eyes. “What do you do exactly?”
“I’m an interior designer, and he’s my contracted builder.” Perie indicated Flynn. “We’ve worked together for a long time now.”
Of course, they did. Because no one kept Perie and Flynn apart. They were two people who were inexplicably connected. No matter what happened in life, whether they fought, said they hated each other, and swore they’d never speak again, it never l
asted. They needed one another. It took a long time for Vaughn to understand that, but age, wisdom, and distance had helped him come to terms with their bond.
“I’m glad you two resolved your differences.” Vaughn took their averted gazes as his cue to go. “I’ll get back to work.”
“Good idea,” Flynn replied in a snarky tone.
“Flynn!” Perie quietly snapped. She turned back to Vaughn. “Thank you, Vaughn.”
Vaughn couldn’t help but notice Perie’s flushed cheeks, or the way Flynn kept staring at him. The other man’s bright eyes had darkened. Whether they admitted it or not, they were both still attracted to him. Vaughn felt the same way about the two of them. Before things became more awkward than they already were, Vaughn left the dwelling.
FLYNN WAS THANKFUL THAT Vaughn had taken the time to clear out the area underneath the house. The jungle that stood just hours before was now stripped away, leaving a clear path for him to inspect the footings of the house and the underside of the verandah easily.
Thinking of Vaughn, seeing him again, brought up old feelings that he would rather leave dead and buried. They were the very things that forced him and Perie apart back in year twelve, and he didn’t want it to happen again. Flynn would rather a case of serious blue balls than be without her. He was mad about her.
Flynn hung his head. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pushed those feelings down, too. His chest felt like it was about to explode from all this repression. He took his frustrations out on the overhead decking boards, bashing his hand along them, searching for weak spots. He hoped he would only have to replace parts of the verandah, given what it would cost to rebuild the entire thing.
“There you are!”
Flynn noticed Perie poking her head under the verandah from the spot she had taken up on the steps.
“So, what’s the verdict?” she asked.
Flynn ducked his head as he stepped out from underneath. “Mostly good. It’s weathered, but that’s the beauty of ironbark.”
“I don’t understand why Denise would get an outdoor staircase built with pine,” Perie said with a shake of her head.
“It’s cheap, Per. A lot of people don’t think long-term, and she was probably on a budget. Don’t be mad at her.”
She fiddled with the dressing on her hand. “I’m not.”
Flynn sat down next to her and lightly traced his fingertip over her palm. “How’s it feeling?”
“Numb. Still a bit sore, but not as bad.” Perie glanced at Flynn, who was busy staring at her hand. She watched him play with her fingers for a few moments. “You were weird about Vaughn . . ..”
“You weren’t.”
Perie stared at his finger tracing over her dressing. “No. I was excited to see him.”
“Were you? Is that why you hired him?”
Perie nodded. “I think I’d like to ask him to help us with this place.”
Flynn’s face was a picture of shock.
“It would be good to have an extra set of hands helping us out.”
“After everything that happened, you’re willing to let him back in?” Flynn questioned.
“It wasn’t his fault. Not his alone . . ..”
Flynn glared at her. “Do you think it was my fault?”
“I think the fault laid with us all. We should’ve been honest with each other and we weren’t.” Flynn laced his fingers through hers and Perie’s heart tripped over itself. “Like this. What’s happening here, Flynn? What is this between us?”
“I don’t know, Per,” Flynn answered honestly. “All I know is my feelings for you are changing.”
Perie didn’t know how to respond. She felt the same way but seeing Vaughn again and the way he helped her without hesitation, made her remember all the reasons why they’d dated back in high school.
“If you want to ask Vaughn to help us, Perie, then do it. I’m fine with it,” Flynn decided.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Positive.”
Perie studied him closely, her hazel eyes searching.
“I promise,” he added.
They both glanced up as a truck pulled into the driveway.
Flynn got to his feet. “Timber’s here.”
***
They spent the rest of the day rebuilding the front steps to a new specification. Perie loved the landings that were designed to sit halfway up the stairs at a certain height that allowed people to enter and exit horse carriages with ease in the old days. Having researched the history of this house, Perie had discovered pictures from the original owners and she learned there had originally been one before the plainer, more modern set had replaced it.
They were doing things somewhat backwards. Usually, renovations began from the inside out. But a new set of front stairs was needed more than anything.
It was well after dark by the time they finished, and the two of them were exhausted. It didn’t stop Perie from jumping up and down on the new landing like a nutter. “Feels sturdy enough.”
Flynn laughed. “It’s not going to topple underneath you, you wisp of a thing.” He jumped with her. “I think my craftsmanship passes the test.”
“I think so, too. Does that mean we can go and chill out now?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“It’s Friday night, let’s go to the pub. Maybe they’ll have a good live band,” Perie decided.
Flynn wasn’t so sure about that. “A good live band? This is Granite Ridge, not Brisbane. They’ll probably end up being a bunch of hillbillies who’ve come down from the scrub for the first time in a month to sing twangy hick music.”
“Don’t be such a killjoy.” Perie pouted. “Let’s go have some drinks and food and maybe play some pool.”
“The pub sounds like fun. Let’s go and get ready.”
As Perie trailed up the stairs behind him, she couldn’t stop thinking once again about the way the dynamics between them were shifting.
***
“Country rock!” Perie shouted over the din as she and Flynn pushed their way into the packed pub. As the only source of entertainment for the town and surrounding properties, it was a hopping place on the weekends.
Flynn smirked at her. “No twangy hick music, then!”
Amusement danced in her eyes. “Are you disappointed?” “Very. I have certain expectations, you know!”
They laughed together. Perie gulped as Flynn’s hand slid into hers. She enjoyed the way his rough hands felt against hers. She hugged his arm as they squeezed through the crowd to the bar. He ordered her a white wine and himself a Toohey’s New beer, then they turned to watch the band. They sang along to a few of the songs, danced, and laughed together while sharing a couple more drinks. Around an hour into the set, the band started up a new number—a twangy country song and Flynn and Perie looked at each other in disgust.
“Well, that didn’t last long,” Flynn said.
“They’re melting my eardrums!” Perie quipped. “Why do they do this to us?”
“They probably knew we were in town. I’m off to take a leak!” Flynn shouted into her ear.
“Righto,” Perie responded as she watched him make his way to the men’s room.
Pushing off from the bar, Perie made her way across the pub and out to the beer garden. She blew out a sigh of relief when the glass door swung shut, blocking out the music that was a bit too country for her. Perie went in search of a spare table. Though, by the looks of things, she was out of luck.
“Perie?”
His voice alone got her going. Perie drew in a breath and held it as she turned to see Vaughn rise from his chair. “Hi.”
“Hey.” As Perie stared up at the beautiful man in front of her, she hoped he couldn’t tell how much his presence affected her.
“It’s good to see you again. I mean, since this morning.” He chuckled. “I know it hasn’t been that long, but . . ..”
Perie thought his rambling was adorable.
Vaughn cleared his throat and wave
d a hand in her direction. “How’s the sting?”
She held up her dressed hand. “It itches.”
Vaughn flashed her a slight smile. “I’ll bet. Just remember not to scratch.”
“I’ll try.” She glanced around the beer garden again.
Vaughn cleared his throat. “Are you looking for somewhere to sit?”
“Yeah. But it might be wishful thinking. I forgot how packed this place gets on a Friday night.”
“You can join me.”
Perie hesitated. “You don’t mind?”
“Why would I mind?” Vaughn asked with a chuckle.
“Because I’m here with—”
“Flynn?” Vaughn finished for her. “Yeah, I figured. You two are still attached at the hip, I see.”
“Are not.” Perie instantly knew she sounded like a petulant kid.
“You always were. But I think it’s good you pair made up. There’s something off-kilter in the universe if you and Flynn aren’t together.”
“We’re not together, together.”
“You know what I mean. You two belong together.” Vaughn wriggled his head from side to side. “Even if it’s not together, together.”
Perie considered this statement as Vaughn moved back to his table.
He gestured to the spare seats. “The offer still stands.”
After a moment, Perie took the seat opposite him. “Thanks.”
Vaughn folded his arms on top of the table, and they leaned towards one another.
Perie twisted her fingers together. “What did you get up to the rest of the day?”
“I helped Dad at the shop for a while, then went to the gym. What about you?”
“I helped Flynn build a new set of front stairs.”
Vaughn balked. “Already?”
“We don’t muck around,” Perie said with a grin. “Flynn’s an excellent builder. He went through a tough time a while back when he couldn’t find any work. But he rebranded and since we decided to work together, everything is good again. It was never due to his lack of ability and everything to do with the market.”
“So, you decided to share a company?”
“No. Our companies are separate, but we outsource to each other.”
