Any Way You Build It: An Upper Crust Novel, Book 6 (Upper Crust Series)

by McDonell, Monique

  She pushed Livi up inside the house.

  “You want another drink?” Todd asked her.

  “We’re going swimming,” Livi announced before Sarah could answer. Her face was bright as sunshine.

  “Cool!” Todd said. “It’s kind of cold when you first get in, but then you get used to it.” He beamed down at her.

  She’d forgotten about that. Large lakes like this never really did warm up in this part of the world.

  “Mommy and I are tough, we don’t mind,” her daughter replied. Clearly, she had enough bravado for both of them.

  No backing out now.

  Todd had been hoping he’d get to see Sarah in a swimsuit at some point this weekend. He hadn’t factored in that when you were a mom you couldn’t always put these things off until you were good and ready. Livi wanted to be like the other kids who were all donning their swimsuits to brave the water, and she needed an adult in tow.

  He wanted to go and help Sarah, he had a feeling Livi hadn’t been in the water since her accident, but he decided that wasn’t his place. Sarah didn’t need him taking over. This was her kid and her moment.

  Still, when she came out in nothing more than a red-and-white-checked bikini a few minutes later, he had to remind himself to breathe, because damn, she was hot. Creamy skin, pert breasts, and hot damn, the woman almost had a six-pack.

  She had towels casually thrown over her shoulder, her hair was in a ponytail, and her dark sunglasses hid her eyes so he had no idea what she was thinking. Like the pied piper, she was being trailed by the four older kids.

  “Have fun,” he said. He was sure having fun watching her walk away.

  “Oh, we intend to,” she said, giving him a sexy smile over her shoulder as she pushed Livi’s chair away from the house.

  Moose stood next to him. “Damn! I know you have this weird thing about staying single, but, dude, even you have to be wavering a little.”

  He certainly was. He went and got a beer and leaned on the balcony rail, watching the other kids dive off the jetty. The sounds of their squeals as they hit the icy water carried across the lake and up the hill to where he was.

  Lucy came and stood on his other side. “Thanks for inviting us, it’s so great to be able to bring the kids.”

  “My pleasure. It looks like they’re having fun.”

  “Yeah, Olly especially. I think we heard Zach’s name about a hundred times on the way up. It seems like they’re destined for a long friendship.” The boys were holding hands as they jumped off the jetty again.

  Todd laughed. “I think you’re right.”

  “She’s very pretty, Todd. My mom says she’s had a pretty rough time of it.”

  “Yeah, she has.” He watched her lift Livi from the chair and ease the two of them into the water. She had a smile frozen on her face. Frozen being the operative word, that water was cold. “Let’s hope the town is kind to her.”

  “Well, with you in her corner, she’ll be fine. Everyone loves you in that town.”

  He gave a chuckle. “They do not.”

  “Sure, they do.” She shoved him with her elbow. “And they don’t even know you’re a secret millionaire.”

  “I’m . . .” He was going to say, “I’m not,” but he wasn’t a liar. “None of their damned business.”

  “Keep ‘em guessing,” she said.

  “I have something in the boatshed that might be more comfortable for Livi. I’ll be back.”

  “You always did love a damsel in distress,” she said. Not with any malice. “You always kept your eye out for me. And I know you’ve been keeping an eye on the kids since they moved to town. I appreciated that, Todd.”

  “We’re friends.” He gave a shrug as if to say, of course I would.

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell anyone beneath that sexy bachelor exterior beats the heart of a softie. Off you go.”

  He headed down to the boatshed and opened it.

  “Whatcha doing, Todd?” Oliver and Zach chimed, following him in.

  “Toys,” he said, giving them a big smile. “We have lots of toys.”

  And they did. Kayaks, noodles, chairs to be pulled behind the speed boat, and best of all a floating chair that would be perfect for Livi.

  He waded to the water’s edge and waved at Sarah. “I thought you guys might like this. You want a ride, Livi?”

  She hadn’t been in that long but the little girl looked tired. “Yes, please.”

  Sarah smiled at him and mouthed thank you. She rose from the water with Livi in her arms. Todd held the floating chair steady while Livi was lowered in. It was shaped like a yellow race-car built for speed.

  “How’s that?” her mother asked the girl who smiled up at her.

  “Good. Soft.”

  “Excellent,” Todd said. “I’ll hold the rope and you can float out a bit, if you like.”

  She looked nervous, as did her mother, but she gave a nod. Todd let the rope loose but only a little way and pulled her back. It looked steady, but nobody wanted to see her tip into the water. He called to the other kids to jump in a different direction and swim around past Livi.

  “Got it,” they called.

  Beside him on the sand, Sarah gave a shiver.

  “Here.” He handed her the rope and peeled off his T-shirt, then took the rope and handed her the top. “Put this on.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Not that I want to see you hide that hot body, by the way,” he said, leaning in to whisper in her ear giving her yet another shiver.

  “Lucky me. I get the T-shirt and to ogle your hot body,” she whispered back.

  What was he doing? He had no idea. Livi smiled back at him, and his heart did a little flip.

  “Thanks for that.” Sarah tilted her head toward the floating device. “She wants to join in, but it’s kind of hard.”

  “I know.” He looked down at her. He could see her heart breaking for the kid. It must break daily, he thought. “Tomorrow, we’ll all be in the water, so that’ll be easier for her. Lots of people to help.”

  “She’s happy now.”

  Todd waded out into the water and spun her around. It was cold. The kids didn’t seem to notice as they jumped off the dock, swam past Livi, hi-fived her and Todd, and ran back out to do it again. He loved their energy and enthusiasm. The sun was starting to head south when Livi finally gave in to a shiver.

  “It might be time to get out, Liv,” he said, putting the rope over his shoulder and pretending to pull her as if she were super heavy.

  “I thought you were strong!” she said, laughing at him.

  “Me too, what did you eat for lunch, kid?”

  “Just a sandwich!”

  She was on shore and in her mother’s arms wrapped in a towel in minutes. They both gave him the same warm smile that had his heart melting. Crap. Sweet and sexy was a little bit hard to resist.

  “See you up there,” she said, carrying Livi.

  “Yeah, I’ll bring the chair, if you want to ask one of the other adults to tag team.”

  Chase came down and stood beside Todd.

  “If you’d told me a year ago I’d be spending a weekend with a house full of kids, I’d have thought you were crazy,” he said. “But I got to tell you, it’s pretty fun.”

  Todd agreed, watching the kids laughing together. “Yeah, it makes you wonder why some people just can’t seem to enjoy them.”

  “Yeah, or how they abandon them. My dad never did any of this stuff with me. Lucy’s sister is missing all this with her kids, you know, it doesn’t make any sense.”

  Todd thought back to his own stepfathers. They weren’t so much mean as dismissive. Everything to do with Mike and Todd was an annoyance, an inconvenience, or an intrusion. They never wanted to hang out or attend any events. They acted like they just wanted the boys to disappear. Todd couldn’t get his head around that. He’d known Zach and Livi a matter of weeks and he looked forw
ard to seeing them. He was interested in them, and he knew he’d really miss them if they weren’t around. He couldn’t work out what had been so wrong with him and Mike that none of the stepfathers, or his own mother in many cases, felt that way.

  “It beats me,” Todd said. “I better take the chair up.”

  “That’s got to be tough. Is there anything they can do for Livi? I mean, I have the means if there’s anything that can be done.”

  “You know what, man, I don’t know. She won’t talk about it, so I haven’t pushed her.” He looked at Chase. He was a good guy. “But I sure intend to find out. And thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Yeah, well, my family donates millions to more than one hospital every year so whatever you need.”

  Todd clapped him on the back. “Thanks, man.”

  Walking up to the house, Todd thought about that. He didn’t even know what Livi’s prognosis was. He assumed she was a paraplegic, but he really didn’t have any details about what parts of her legs were damaged specifically or if there was spinal damage. Maybe there was hope and she had a different prognosis, he didn’t know. What he did know was that Sarah and Livi were not facing it alone anymore.

  #

  The kids were all tucked up in bed, and when she’d checked on Zach and Livi a few minutes earlier, they’d been sound asleep. It had been a big day for them. So much excitement.

  She’d promised Zach and Oliver could have a sleepover tomorrow night, but tonight she wanted them to sleep. Cranky kids would not make it a fun weekend for anyone. There’d been much moaning and sighing and she’d nearly caved, but sometimes she had to step up and play the mom card, whether she liked it or not.

  Now she was sitting on the porch, nursing an exceptionally nice glass of wine from a bottle she suspected cost about as much as her weekly grocery bill. There was a waning crescent moon sending a trail of light across the lake, and she was surrounded by the laughter of new friends.

  If there was a way to catch time in a bottle, she wanted to capture today. This had been a good day from the baseball trials right through to now. It was the sort of day she hadn’t had in a very long time. She needed it to hold on to when she started work again and was juggling the kids and the therapy and the budget and everything else that was likely to be thrown her way.

  Todd was sitting on the other side of the group. Every so often he’d catch her eye and give her that sexy smile. Damn, he looked good in the moonlight, or the sunlight, or the dark she imagined. He looked good when he was helping her kids or laughing with his friends or cooking burgers like he had tonight.

  Chloe was right, though, he was a man of mystery. This house was amazing. From what she knew about him, there had to be more to the story. Either he was some sort of investment or stock market genius or he had a secret life going on no one knew about. She couldn’t quite figure out which. Sitting there with his slightly tanned skin, disheveled hair, and easy smile, he was hard to read.

  Lucy and Marissa were telling some childhood story, and he and Mike were shaking their heads.

  “It so did not happen like that. You two are rewriting history.” Mike was shaking his head. “Am I right, Todd?”

  “I don’t remember it that way either. Then again, you girls never did let the facts get in the way of a good story.”

  “Please, I wrote the school paper and the yearbook.” Lucy tried to defend herself.

  “Have you ever reread the yearbook? There’s no way Tori had the sexiest smile. No way Mark Evans had the cutest butt.” He stood up and shook his toosh at them. “I rest my case.”

  The girls rolled their eyes and laughed. “You may be right about Tori, but I stand by Mark Evans. Anyway, the whole student body voted. And I believe you got Most Likely To Succeed.”

  “Whatever, nobody wants that.” Todd rolled his eyes right back at them.

  It was nice watching them all interact. She’d let herself become disconnected from her own friends. She had her dance studio friends of course but not old high school friends. Then again, she’d always been off dancing, school had never really been her thing.

  “Well, it looks to me like those other kids knew a thing or two, Todd,” Chloe chipped in from Moose’s lap where she was snuggled down. “You are a successful guy.”

  “I think success is hard to quantify.”

  “Please,” Lucy piped in. “You’re a success by all the things we thought of back then. Good job, nice house, vacation home.”

  “Plus, you have good friends,” Marissa said, giving him a nudge with her elbow.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Then, he stood. “Who needs a drink? I’ll go grab some extra beers.”

  Sarah got up and followed him. Moose was telling a story about a guy he ran into from high school who now weighed 400 pounds.

  “You okay?” she asked, padding into the kitchen after Todd.

  He turned and smiled at her. “Yeah, all good.”

  “You really don’t like being the focus of attention, do you?”

  He leaned against the counter, and she felt his eyes train up and down her body. “I wouldn’t mind finding a corner where I could be the focus of your attention.”

  She felt her body heat and the color rise in her cheeks. “Stop trying to change the subject.”

  “I guess I’m just a low-key guy.”

  She reached out and rested her hand on his muscular forearm. “These people . . . we are your friends, it’s not like you’re onstage or anything.”

  His eyes fell on her hand. “I know. It’s a habit I guess. I just keep my personal business to myself. I’m just that guy.”

  “You used to talk to Esme, though?”

  “Yeah, but she was old.” He tried to make light and she gave him a look. “It was different. I knew she liked me for me.”

  “I like you for you,” she said, standing on tiptoes and kissing his cheek. He pulled his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

  “Yeah, I like you, too.” Then, he kissed her forehead. “It’s such a pity.”

  “A pity?”

  “Yeah, if I didn’t like you so much I could have taken you up on your no strings sex offer and moved on. I really would have enjoyed that.”

  “So, you can’t do that because you like me?”

  “Yeah, and because you like me. I already liked the just kissing too much. Tiny strings are already connecting us, sex would just fuse them into rope.”

  “And you don’t want that?” She looked up at him, trying to work out where this was all going.

  “I want it.” He released his arms from around her and gently set her back a step. “Hence, it is a bad idea.”

  “You are a very confusing man. So, two consenting adults who like each other shouldn’t have sex because they like each other in your mind?” She was aware her hands were now squarely on her hips.

  “That sums it up.” He turned his back and took a six-pack from the fridge.

  “That’s nuts.”

  He turned back to face her. “Yeah, I’m well aware.”

  “This is because you don’t do relationships.”

  He twisted the top of a beer and nodded agreement. “Exactly.”

  “Okay, so I said no strings attached, but you are saying no to that because you do like me and because you don’t want to have a relationship with anyone ever you are politely declining, but if you didn’t like me you’d take me down to the jetty and make me howl in the moonlight.”

  He let out a laugh. “I guess I would try under those circumstances.”

  “You are a fruitcake, Todd.”

  “I know.” He took a sip of his beer. “I’m a horny sex-starved fruitcake at that.”

  “Yeah, well, makes two of us.” Then, she turned on her heel and retreated to the others. All this talk about kissing and howling and sex was not helping alleviate her needs.

  Out on the deck, Lucy and Chase were discussing their upcoming wedding. It was to be held at the end of the summer and the plans were in full swing. />
  “I feel like most of the guests are now in the bridal party,” Chase teased. “Every friend and relative Lucy has ever had as a start.”

  “You so exaggerate!” she replied. “Just three bridesmaids, two flower girls, and a page boy. That’s not so many.”

  Sarah recalled her own registry office quickie wedding, nothing like this one at all.

  “He’s just bitter he doesn’t have enough friends to fill out his side,” Moose goaded.

  “Well, watch out or you’ll be out of the mix. You’re easy to replace,” Chase said, pretending to be mad.

  “Not for me,” Chloe said, snuggling up to him, her own engagement ring sparkling on her finger. In fact, all three of the other women were sporting enormous sparkling engagement rings, now that she bothered to look.

  Todd had come back out and was sitting back across from her. She wondered if he was going to the wedding and if he was taking a date.

  “You better steer clear of Cherie from now on, Todd. She says you’re her next matchmaking project.”

  Sarah didn’t like the sound of that. “Our friend Cherie is a matchmaker,” Chase told Sarah. “Mad skills.”

  “Matching you and Marissa up was clearly an epic fail, Moose. Maybe she should hang up her voodoo.”

  “She’s taken it as a challenge,” Lucy informed them. “A call to arms if you will, and Todd, she has her sights set on you.”

  “Yeah, well, she can leave me well out of it.” Todd growled. “I’ve already told her I’m not interested in being her next project, more than once.”

  “Don’t say we didn’t warn you!”

  Todd was alone on the jetty. Everyone was asleep in the house. It was around three in the morning. He couldn’t sleep. He lay on his back on a blanket he’d dragged down from the porch. He was tempted to jump into the water and cool off, but he knew the splash would echo around the silent lake and he didn’t want to disturb anyone. They could sleep even if he wasn’t.