by Laura Drewry
“We?” Ellie arched her left brow and smirked before pulling a bunch of nachos onto her plate, then going back for the jalapeños that fell off. “Who would that be—you and your friend the contractor?”
Jayne just laughed and finished off her drink. Less said on that, the better. “Since you all seem to know everything there is to know about me, how about you answer some questions about yourselves?”
“Shoot,” Ellie said. “I’m an open book.”
“Okay.” Jayne thought a moment. “Married?”
“Not anymore.”
“Where’d you move here from?”
“Ottawa.” Ellie didn’t hesitate. “It was the farthest I could get from him without crossing an ocean or needing a green card.”
“Wow,” Jayne laughed. “So you and the ex aren’t exactly close.”
“That would be a no.”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
Ellie shrugged. “I date.”
“No,” Regan chuckled. “She goes out for coffee.”
Even Maya smiled and nodded at that.
“Whatever.” Ellie shrugged indifferently. “Why waste an entire evening with someone I might not like? Coffee’s a good way to decide if he’s worth more time.”
“Sure, but after you’ve met him for coffee three or four times, it might be time to move on to something really exciting—like lunch!”
“Ooh,” Maya whistled. “A whole hour with the same guy? Can she do that?”
“Very funny.” Ellie was trying not to smile, and failing miserably. “So I have a few issues. Do we really want to get into who else has issues at this table?”
“Nope.”
“Uh-uh.”
Jayne could only laugh. Once again, Ellie wasn’t wrong. “What about you, Regan? Ever married?”
“No. Not gonna happen.”
Jayne gazed at Maya, who wiggled her ring finger without so much as a hint of enthusiasm.
“Kids?”
Three heads shook at the same time.
“Me neither.”
A loud cheer rose up from the four guys sitting at the table in the corner. Jayne glanced up at the nearest television and gathered, by the number of players crowding the mound, the Mariners just won. That would make Nick happy.
“How’s Katie and the baby?” Regan asked. “I heard they had quite a scare.”
“She’s the most beautiful baby ever,” Jayne gushed, reaching for her phone. “Just look at these pictures.”
Regan flipped through the pictures slowly, her smile growing with each new image. “That’s a good one.”
She turned the phone so the others could see the picture; a close-up of Nick at the hospital, nose to nose with Sophia. Ellie snorted softly when she saw the picture, but they all oohed and aahed over the baby.
“Hey, Reg,” Ellie said. “What’s happening with your lease?”
Regan blew out a long breath and rolled her eyes. “If I want to pay what the landlord calls ‘the going rate,’ he’s happy to re-sign for another three years, otherwise I’m out at the end of the year.”
“What’s the going rate?” Jayne asked, tucking her phone away.
“A hell of a lot more than what I’m paying now.” Regan pulled a pile of melted cheese off a chip and stuffed it in her mouth. “The price of real estate downtown has skyrocketed in the last few years, and everyone’s looking to cash in. I bet you’d get a small fortune for your place, Jayne.”
“Maybe, but I’d never sell that place. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” For the first time that night, the sparkle in Regan’s eyes began to fade. “I can’t afford the new lease payments, but I can’t afford to move anywhere else, either.”
“How long have you been there?”
“Coming up eight years.” Regan shook her head. “Never late with a payment, never bothered him with anything I could fix on my own.”
“And he’s allowed to just boot you out like that?”
“Hell yeah,” Ellie snorted. “It’s his building; he can do whatever he likes with it.”
“But after eight years, you’d think he’d cut her a little slack.”
“What can you do?” Regan shrugged it off. “Sometimes life sucks.”
“Amen.” Maya lifted her glass in salute.
The waitress stopped at the table, asking about refills. All four women declined.
“I have to get going,” Regan said. “Todd and I are going to Tightwad Tuesday.”
“They still have that?” Jayne asked. That used to be the night she and Nick went to the movies; two for one.
“Yeah.” Regan rolled her eyes. “But it’s his turn to pick.”
A sympathetic groan rose from all of them. They paid their bill and made their way outside, with the agreement to meet again the following week. Jayne waved goodbye to Regan and Maya, but Ellie walked back to the car with her.
“I’m glad you came out tonight,” she said. “Wasn’t sure what your reaction would be when you figured out what I did with the dress.”
“Not gonna lie,” Jayne laughed. “I was freaking out when I realized what you’d done, but then …”
“Yeah.” Ellie nodded. “But then he saw you in the dress and you knew we’d be BFFs, am I right?”
“Sorry.” Jayne pulled her keys out of her bag. “I’m pleadin’ the fifth on that one.” She unlocked the door, but didn’t open it. “Is Maya okay?”
Ellie leaned back against Jayne’s car, her long legs crossed at the ankles. “Besides being married to the biggest pig in town? Sure, she’s fine.”
“He’s cheating on her?”
“He told her it was a one-time thing, but …” Ellie scowled. “Small town and all that.”
“She won’t leave him?”
“She was hoping they could deal with it and move on, but Will keeps putting off the counseling appointments and if Maya’s right, he’s still seeing his little chippy-ho.” Ellie shook her head in disgust. “I don’t know why she stays. I’d be gone like that.”
She snapped her fingers sharply, but Jayne just sighed. Leaving someone wasn’t always that easy. Ellie headed off to her own car after making Jayne promise to come back the following week, and Jayne agreed without hesitation. Despite the ribbing about Nick, it had been fun.
And it was one more step toward building a life of her own, one that didn’t revolve around Nick’s.
Chapter Eleven
The question isn’t “what are we going to do,” the question is “what aren’t we going to do?”
Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
“I said my, my, my, I’m once bitten twice shy, baby …”
Nick shook his head as he made his way up the stairs. It was a good thing Jayne’s building wasn’t attached to her neighbor’s, though they could probably hear her anyway.
“Oh, hey.” She grinned, blushed a little, and reached to turn down her music. “What’s up?”
“Had to pick some things up at T-Squared’s so I thought I’d see how it’s going here.”
“I’ve been to Vancouver and back, got a carload of stock, and I ripped out the rest of the linoleum in the bathroom.”
He moved around slowly, trying to figure out what else he could have Jayne do on her own. With his drywaller, Evan, out of town, Nick and Delmar were going to have to board the Schwanns’ house themselves and that was going to take time, but before they could do anything else here, it needed to be drywalled, too.
First things first. Lunch.
They went to the Cactus Café and, after pushing Jayne into a chair by the window, Nick went to order. As the girl set to work on their order, Nick took their drinks back to the table; a chocolate shake for him and a glass of water with lemon for Jayne.
“Don’t freak out.”
Her eyes widened, then glared at him. “What?”
He gave her a quick rundown of what was going on with Evan, then leaned a little closer so the whole café couldn’t hear. “I
didn’t tell you this to make you worry, I just wanted you to know the deal. It’s going to be tight, but we’ll get you through the inspection, so save your frown for something worth frowning about.”
Her frown remained. “That’s not what I’m worried about. You gave the Schwanns your word you’d get their house finished—”
“And I will. I’ve never been late finishing a house and I won’t be on this one.”
“But there’s so much to do. I could get someone else to finish the store, Nick, it’s no big deal.”
“Ha!” Nick shook his head. “There’s nobody worth getting that isn’t busy these days, and even if you could find someone … wow.”
“What wow?” Her blue eyes widened a little and her mouth curled ever so slightly. “Oooh, it’s an ego thing.”
He lifted his hands in surrender and tried not to grin back at her. “How would it look if my best friend doesn’t trust me to get a job done?”
Sara arrived with their lunches and Nick immediately took a giant bite of his Reuben sandwich as Jayne moved the rabbit food around on her plate with a fork.
“At least let me pay for the work.”
“Who said you weren’t going to pay me?”
Jayne snorted so loud, every other customer looked their way.
“Have I paid for anything yet?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer, even if he could. “I know, you said we’d settle up when it was done, but you’ve been working on the store for weeks and I have yet to see a bill. You won’t even let me pay for lunch. I’ve paid my own way my whole life and I don’t want anyone thinking I’m trying to soak you out of anything.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.” She jammed a fork full of green stuff in her mouth and chewed like it was steak. “People are already talking, Nick.”
“About what?” He shouldn’t find it so funny that she was annoyed by this, but seriously … so he bought her a salad. Big frickin’ deal.
Jayne sighed. “About the flowers, about the work you’re doing, about dinner the other night …”
She stuffed some more salad in her mouth, but she didn’t seem to be enjoying it any more than he was enjoying his sandwich.
He sat back in his chair and thought on that for a minute while they finished their lunch. Try as he did, he kept coming back to the same conclusion.
“I don’t care. Let them talk.” He dropped a couple bucks on the table and led Jayne outside and back toward her store. “You and I know what’s going on, and that’s all that matters.”
“Then give me a bill for the work at the store.”
God, she was infuriating. “There’s nothing to bill you for. I have the equipment and the supplies already, so—”
“Those supplies weren’t free; you had to pay for them at some point.”
“Stuff left over from when I built the house. It’s just sitting in the garage, so you might as well use it if you can.”
“Fine. But only if you let me pay for it.”
“Hey, Jayne!” A tall woman with a blond ponytail crossed the street toward them, a big smile across her face. “I was just coming over to see if you wanted to go for lunch.”
“Sorry,” Jayne answered. “Just finished. Ellie, this is Nick, Nick, this is Ellie. She owns Pandora’s up the street there.”
“Pandora’s.” Nick frowned a second until the name registered. “Oh, that’s where you got the dress. Good to meet you, Ellie.”
“Likewise.” Ellie shook his hand, but her smile was all for Jayne, who seemed to be trying to send some kind of message through a glare. “I won’t keep you. We still on for next week?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Jayne called as the other woman waved and headed back down the street.
“Do I want to know what that look was about?” he asked as Jayne unlocked the door and slipped inside the store.
“Nope.”
He closed the door behind him and turned to face her. “I have an idea that might get this job done and keep us both happy.”
She raised her brow, but he wasn’t fooled, especially when she tipped her head to the side and said, “Does it involve me signing a check?”
“Actually,” he said slowly, “cash would be better.”
“Ooh,” she said. “Now I’m intrigued.”
Nick stepped closer and rested his elbows on the wood counter. “While Delmar and I are boarding the Schwanns’ house, I can ask Kyle and Todd to finish the boarding over here.”
For the first time, a tiny spark of hope lit Jayne’s eyes. “And you’ll let me pay them?”
“Be my guest. I’m sure they’ll be happy to have the work. How’s eight tomorrow morning work for you?”
“Perfect.”
He pulled out his phone, called Todd and Kyle, and hung up. “Done. So now you need to figure out what you want to do for flooring upstairs, paint, and things like sink fixtures.”
“Okay.”
“And just a thought,” he said. “But if you’re so keen to spend all your inheritance at once, you might want to consider new appliances. Not that those ones aren’t nice, but it’s a safe bet anything older than you should probably go.”
Jayne grinned. “But that avocado green is so nice. I was hoping to find a matching dishwasher.”
“See, and when you look like that, I’m worried you might be serious.”
He was almost at the back door when she called him back.
“Sorry about before.” She offered him a small smile. “I just don’t ever want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”
“And I don’t ever want you to think you can’t take advantage of me.”
She frowned. Nick frowned back.
“Okay, um …” He squinted through a forced chuckle. “That didn’t come out quite right, but you know what I mean.”
Her head nodded, but her frown remained. He’d best get out of there before he said anything else that stupid. In his truck, he dialed Todd’s number again.
“Can you meet me at my place and we’ll load you up for tomorrow? Good. See you in ten.”
He hung up, switched to his Bluetooth, and called the guys who did trades for him just to make sure they’d be finishing up at Jayne’s tonight. He was damn lucky to have these guys, and it only cost him a twenty-four pack, a bottle of scotch, and a round of golf. With them done tonight, the trade inspectors could get in first thing tomorrow, and then Todd and Kyle could get the insulation up and start drywalling. It was going to be tight getting it all done, and if one thing went wrong …
Nick had never failed an inspection—had never even come close—but that didn’t mean he enjoyed having his work picked apart by a suit with a clipboard. Hague wasn’t a bad guy, he was just doing his job, but Nick knew if ever there was a building that would be picked over, nail by nail, it would be Jayne’s store. And given the state it was in a month ago, he couldn’t blame Hague.
All he could do was work harder.
* * *
Just as Nick promised, Todd and Kyle were at the store before eight the next morning.
“I’m Jayne,” she said, extending her hand. “Thanks so much for doing this.”
“Todd.” Several years younger than she, he wore a faded Mariners cap over his dark blond hair and a mischievous grin on his face. “Good to finally meet you.”
“You too.”
By the look on his face, Jayne could only assume he and Regan had compared notes on her and Nick, and Todd was now looking for anything to prove his theory. He could look all he wanted, he wasn’t going to find anything.
“I’m Kyle.”
Jayne grinned at the kid with the longish hair that he’d already flicked out of his face twice. He slid two sawhorses out of the truck, followed by a skill saw, a crowbar, and a giant radio/CD player, then Todd helped him carry in a couple dozen sheets of drywall up the stairs.
“Do you need me for anything right now?” Jayne asked, but Todd shook his head. “Okay, I’ll be in and out all day, but I�
��ll leave you my number in case you need to find me.”
“No worries,” Todd said, still grinning. “I’m sure the boss knows where to find you if we need anything.”
She nabbed a carpenter’s pencil out of one of the tool belts and scribbled her info on the nearest two-by-four.
“There.” She handed the pencil back with a nod and the sweetest Mary-Sunshine smile she could muster. “I’m the boss while you’re here, so there’ll be no need for you to bother anyone else.”
His smirk faded. He hesitated a moment, then reached for his pencil.
“Any questions?” She waited a second, then nodded briefly. “Great, then I’ll get out of your way.”
Todd waved her off as he set up his huge radio and cranked up some kind of rap-crap-God-knows-what kind of music.
Armed with her officially registered business name, a notebook, and a pen, Jayne made her way to Martin’s office a few blocks over from the store. His office, in one of the newer buildings in town, was a suite of three rooms on the second floor, decorated in simple earth tones and two huge potted palms.
The woman at the desk offered her coffee, then went back to whatever she was doing on her computer. Her brow furrowed in concentration, and Jayne had to choke back a laugh when the screen reflected in the woman’s glasses. Her game of Mahjong must be a timed version.
“Jayne, come on in.” Dressed in a sharp charcoal suit, Martin waved her into his office. “Good to see you again.”
“You too.” She set her paperwork on the desk and took the seat he indicated. “But I think we might be jumping the gun here a little. Shouldn’t we wait to see if the building passes inspection before I get all this set up?”
“It’ll pass.” Martin held his deep purple tie back as he sat down across the desk from her. “Nick’ll make sure of that. How is he, anyway?”
“Still a little mortified,” she laughed.
“Really?” His mouth curved into a slight smirk. “From where I was sitting, he looked more relieved than anything else.”
Jayne didn’t respond and thankfully Martin didn’t seem to expect her to. Instead, they spent the next hour going over what his services were and how much they’d cost. When they were done, she headed over to City Hall to file the documents and pay for her business license, where they questioned her about the code violations, then nodded when Nick’s name was mentioned. Apparently his name was enough of a guarantee that the building would pass inspection.
