by Ann, Natalie
“Did you help your father with those projects?” he asked, a grin tugging at his lips.
“Of course I did. So did Drew, my brother.”
“How old is your brother?”
“Two years younger than me. Twenty-seven. So yes, that makes me twenty-nine. The Big Three-Oh is around the corner.” She laughed. It didn’t really bother her to be turning thirty, not like it bothered Carly. Carly figured she would be married with one, if not two kids by now. But not Brynn, she knew there was time for marriage and kids. They were in her plans, but she wasn’t as focused on them as Carly.
“You still have plenty of years under me,” he said, laughing back at her.
She raised her eyebrow. “You don’t look too old to me.” He looked just about perfect in her eyes. She felt the heat in her neck the minute those thoughts entered her head. The self-lecturing had failed again. She would have to come up with something else to stop her crazy thoughts about Alec.
She sincerely hoped she wasn’t blushing again. She never blushed. She was used to working around men and could hold her own, yet every time she was around Alec—or thought of Alec—she blushed. It was getting embarrassing.
It was bad enough she couldn’t stop staring at his thighs in the truck showcased in his long shorts. It didn’t even matter that his thighs were covered up. Enough of his leg showed and her mind went into overdrive. He was built—there was no way around it.
“Thanks,” he said. “I don’t feel it, but I guess I feel it when someone says they aren’t even thirty yet.”
“It won’t bother me. Besides, thirty is the new twenty, right?”
He shook his head and comically rolled his eyes. “Only women say those things. I don’t even know what that means.”
They paused their conversation for a moment while the server brought their drinks and took their lunch orders. Then she leaned across the table and told him in confidence. “Neither do I, but it seems like the thing to say.” She figured he liked to tease and joke so much, why not do it back? She always did before with men at work.
He looked startled for a moment. Brynn was trying to figure out what she said to cause that reaction in him and thought maybe she shouldn’t have slipped back into her old ways of trying to be one of the guys. Then he shook his head as if to clear it. “Oh, your last comment. Sorry, it took me a second to put it together.”
Did his cheeks just get pink? No, it had to be her imagination. They were outside sitting on the deck, so it was probably the sun.
She changed the subject quickly and started talking about work again. Before she knew it, their food had arrived.
Her mouth was salivating over the triple-decker club sandwich and fries set in front of her. Glancing over, she noticed that Alec’s burger was even bigger than her sandwich. Laying her napkin on her lap, she picked up one half and bit right in. It was delicious.
“I appreciate a woman who has a good appetite,” Alec said a moment later.
Crap, what does that mean? Did she have food on her face? Was she eating like a pig? She wasn’t actually inhaling the sandwich, though she was hungry enough to.
To his credit, he flushed and hurriedly said, “I meant that as a compliment. Seriously I did, even if it didn’t come off that way.”
“Ah, okay,” she said, hedging. Was he picking on her? Is that how he compliments women?
He burst out laughing. “Brynn, I’m sorry.” He laughed even harder when she wrinkled her nose at him. “I can’t stand it when a woman picks at a salad or takes a dainty bite out of food, like I’m not supposed to know she eats. I really meant it in the best possible way.”
She believed him, especially because he was starting to look so panicked. Again, considerate of her feelings. But they weren’t on a date, so the whole comment threw her off. Why would he care how or what she ate? She just worked for him. Just because she found herself fantasizing about him didn’t mean this was a date, or that he cared.
To put him at ease, she picked up her sandwich, took a huge bite, chewed and swallowed, then said, “Good, because I’ve got a big appetite for a lot of things in life.”
He flushed again. Then she did. Holy cow, she didn’t just say that. And it looked like he took it to a whole new level of meaning. Damn. But hey, with him, it might be true at that level, too.
***
Alec was struggling to pull it together. This whole day was nothing but a roller coaster. Up and down, work and personal conversations, side glances and innocent touches. Blushes. And not just her, he actually flushed a few times himself.
When she had leaned in close and told him in secret she had no idea what the comment about thirty being the new twenty meant, he hadn’t heard a word of it. All he saw was her leaning in, the V of her T-shirt giving him a bigger glimpse of her chest, and his eyes went right there. Then he hated himself for that. He knew she wasn’t doing it on purpose, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering downward.
He just didn’t seem to be able to help himself. She showed up today with a pair of jean shorts on and a pretty purple V-neck T-shirt and casual sneakers, nothing dressy at all, nothing special at all. Yet it fit her all so well, and she looked gorgeous to him. The right mix of woman and worker. He knew it was crazy, and he had to get it out of his mind. He had no intention of having a fling with an employee and he had a feeling she wasn’t the type to be receptive to it anyway.
Only he couldn’t keep thoughts of her out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. She could wear anything and look perfect to him.
It wasn’t even the added sight of her chest—though that was fine—it was her eyes. Her brown eyes sparkled in the sun, twinkling with mischief while she almost whispered her confession to him. Her voice, those words, her eyes—it was a punch to the gut. He lost every train of thought and had no clue what she was actually saying. He never reacted like that to another woman before, why now? Why someone he had no intention of even getting close to?
Then he pulled it together and figured it out.
But it didn’t stop there. Nope. He had to go and say something stupid like appreciating a woman with a big appetite. Just what every woman wants to hear, that she’s a big eater. He was never this out of touch with women before. He knew what to say, how to say it, and always came across smooth and sweet. He had women eating out of his hand most of his life.
What was it about Brynn that made him stumble so much?
Added to that, they weren’t even on a date. Why would he care? Why would he even say what he did? But damn if her response didn’t shoot laser beams through his veins all the way to his groin. Then she went and blushed again and he knew she didn’t mean it the way it came out of her mouth.
Except, he was a man. A man with a serious attraction to her, and that attraction was causing him to have thoughts that weren’t quite so pure when it came to her.
His employee.
It was going to be his new mantra. “Brynn’s my employee. I can’t touch her.”
Maybe if he said it to himself enough he would actually believe it.
Mutual
If Brynn didn’t know better she would think Alec was avoiding her, except he really wasn’t. She had talked to him on the phone a few times this week, he texted her several times, and just now she got an instant message from him. Only she hadn’t seen him once.
It had been five days since their consultations and lunch. After that one really awkward moment when she mentioned having a big appetite for things in life, the rest of the lunch went by without a hitch. They switched topics back to work and kept it all above reproach.
Then they’d left and made their way to the last appointment of the day.
Arriving at the final house on their list, they found the homeowners took it upon themselves to start a demo of a bathroom and realized they had no clue what to do after that. The walls were all gone, the flooring ripped up, and there was no sink or tub, just a toilet. Most likely they put the toilet back so they could at least use that
.
The homeowners were so impressed with everything Brynn was doing, her measurements, pictures and lists of finishes with prices, they agreed to a contract on the spot—even though Alec said it would be months before he could get to it. Score another one for her.
The only awkward moment there came when she was backing up to get a wide-angle picture and hadn’t realized Alec was behind her. She bumped into him, then tried to jump away just as quick and started to stumble. He reached out fast and grabbed her by the waist to steady her.
To the average person, it looked normal enough. Only it wasn’t. His hands on her waist were rough and callused, yet warm. And she knew because her shirt lifted slightly and he was touching her bare skin.
A tingling sensation ran through her at the touch, adding chilly goose bumps that spread across her arms and back. She’d bet there were several under his hand too.
He held her longer than was polite, almost as if he was shocked at the feelings himself. Then just as abruptly he let go of her and grabbed her shoulders to make sure she was steady, then stepped back.
Neither of them said a word after that, at least to each other. They talked with the homeowners, answered all their questions and gave them the estimate, then left shortly after.
The drive back to the office was quiet. Brynn was starting to feel uneasy, so to break the silence she tried to crack a joke. It was what he always seemed to do. “Thanks for catching me back there. That would have surely ruined our chances of the contract if I fell on their property by tripping over my own two feet.”
He looked over, startled, with his eyes opened more than normal. Then slowly, the brown irises started to dance, and his grin widened. She swore her breath caught in her throat, and damn it all if he didn’t notice it, but he held her stare. Thankfully they were sitting at a red light. He opened his mouth and said, “I’m good with my hands, no worries.”
Oh man. The worst thing he could have said, because she turned bright red right in his truck, and he noticed it.
***
Alec wasn’t trying to avoid the office, he really wasn’t. Nor was he trying to avoid Brynn. He was swamped, really swamped. One thing after another seemed to be going wrong this week. But anytime she needed something, he stopped what he was doing and answered her questions whether she called or texted him.
After all, it wasn’t like she bugged him often. Both Sean and Phil had commented on the same thing. She seemed to be finding her way around well, drumming up all sorts of business, and organizing things more efficiently than even Phil did, and that said a lot.
He was crazy Saturday for saying what he did before he dropped her back off at the office, only he couldn’t help it.
He’d spent the whole day with her and he could tell she was attracted to him. He would give her credit for trying to hide it, but she wasn’t doing a very good job at it. It didn’t seem like he was either, so he decided to go with it and throw a line out and see what happened. He’d always liked fishing, so why not? It was time to see what he caught.
When he tossed out the “I’m good with my hands” he knew he had her. Her eyes went right to them on the steering wheel and her face turned scarlet.
But now he didn’t know what to do. He’d thought about it all week long, too. Does he address it? Do they pretend it doesn’t exist? Or would it only make things more awkward? It seemed to him she was pretending like nothing had happened, and he was trying not to get irked that it might be one-sided after all.
One thing he realized this week was that there had to be a reason for his reaction to her. He finally stopped telling himself she wasn’t his type, because deep down he knew it was a lie. She was exactly his type…only he wasn’t sure what to do about it, other than explore their possibilities. Except he wasn’t sure if she would be open to anything since she was pretending indifference most of the time. At least he hoped she was pretending it.
He wished Phil were around to talk to him about it, but Phil had left for Manhattan today with Sophia and wouldn’t be back until sometime Sunday. Which was another reason why Alec was rushing this morning. He needed to get into the office.
Phil had been there all week, but obviously not today. And Alec was starting to feel bad he hadn’t shown up one day yet. So the least he could do was show up on a Friday afternoon to see how she was doing and if there were any problems. Not that she seemed to have any, or that Sean couldn’t handle them.
As a peace offering, he called Mary to place an order for sandwiches around the corner and he would treat the staff to lunch today, picking everything up on his way in.
He was balancing everything in both of his hands after he shut the door to his truck with his hip, when Brynn came rushing out. “Let me help you.”
“Thanks,” he said while she reached out and took the bag holding all the chips off the top. “Did Mary get drinks? That was the one thing I didn’t want to deal with.”
“Yes. We’re all set. This was nice of you. Do you do this often? Treat the whole office to lunch out of the blue?”
He shrugged. “We try to now and again. I guess it’s been a while. Things have been a bit crazy, but now that you’re here, it feels like we can breathe again.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “Thanks. I’m glad.”
So was he. Glad that she was here, that she was smiling at him, and that she was staring at him longer than manners dictated. She shook her head as if realizing that herself, rushed forward and opened the door, then followed him into the conference room where he laid the food down.
Not five minutes later, ten people were seated along the table eating, laughing and talking about their weekend plans. “How much more work do you have left on your flip, Alec?” Sean asked him.
“Not a ton, the kitchen and baths are done. It’s just taping and mudding the sheetrock, installing the rest of the flooring, and painting. It’s moving fast now.”
“Are you selling or renting? Did you decide yet?”
Alec looked away from Sean and over to Brynn to explain. “We buy a house to flip and I live in it while I’m rehabbing. Then once it’s done we either add it to the rental properties for income or sell it for a profit. Phil and I weren’t sure what to do with this house yet. It’s in an older part of the city, and we were leaning toward selling. Either way, we wanted your take on it once it’s done, since you know about real estate. Maybe you could do some research around the area and let us know your thoughts?”
“I would love to. I’d love to see it too, even right now. Heck, I’d love to help if I could.”
He opened his mouth and shut it, then opened it again. “What do you by mean help?”
“With the flip. That’s my dream,” she said, excitedly. “To buy a home and flip it myself. I actually was going to look around while I was here and see if anything caught my eye. I figured since I’m living in the model home for a year, it would give me plenty of time to work on a flip of my own. I miss getting my hands dirty.”
And there he went, over the last edge of reason. A beautiful woman who had the same interests as him, and one that wasn’t afraid to get dirty. Not that he doubted it, but so far she hadn’t really done anything other than take measurements. Now all that thinking about her this week and his reaction to her started to make even more sense, but he had to tread carefully.
Switching his mind back to work; he was sure she knew her stuff, but he hadn’t seen any work she’d done. Not physical work, that is. Maybe he could feel things out some more on her skill level. For work purposes, he tried to convince himself. It was just the perfect opening. “Anytime you want, just let me know. I could always use another set of hands.”
“I’ve got nothing but time on my hands. I could do it any time after work, or on the weekend.” She laughed, a little giddy sound escaping her lips. “I could help tonight. Not that I’m being overly eager.” Then she laughed again.
“Tonight works just fine.”
***
Six hours later, Alec was
opening the door of his home to her. “Come on in. Excuse the mess,” he said.
But she looked around and didn’t see any mess. She expected one, except there was nothing. He obviously saved up all his organizational skills for the job site.
Following him through the front entry, she took note of the sheetrock all installed, but not taped or mudded yet. The floors were all missing, just plywood covering them now. “What are you doing for flooring?”
“Hardwood. Just haven’t decided on the shade yet. I’ve got a few samples here, maybe you can help me?” he suggested over his shoulder as he led her into the kitchen.
Wow, oh wow. It was stunning. Beautiful. A piece of art. White shaker cabinets, white and gray granite counters with a huge island and more cabinet space underneath. The floor was a lovely slate gray tile and the backsplash was a lighter gray subway tile. It was very clean and modern, but actually feminine just the same. “Stainless steel appliances?” she asked, since there were none in the kitchen right now.
“Yes. They’re on order and should be here next week. The first shipment was wrong.”
“You said you’re living here, right? How can you if you don’t have any appliances?”
“I don’t cook,” he said, laughing. “There is a mini fridge in the bedroom. That’s enough for me. I eat out, or at my parents’ or sister’s house most of the time.”
She nodded and followed him through the rest of the rooms that were bare, then into a half bath. It was tiny, but very modern and styled well. Nice and neutral, like the kitchen, actually. More grays and whites with a splash of black.
Then he led her upstairs. The bedrooms all looked like the rest of the rooms downstairs, bare, with recently installed sheetrock. “Are you doing hardwood up here too, or carpet?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I lean toward hardwood, figuring anyone could put a throw rug over it if they want.”
She nodded again. She’d always felt the same way. It was easier to cover up the hardwood if you wanted carpet than it was to rip up carpet and install the hardwood.
