“And how does Scott fit into all this?” Michael asked, his voice dripping with malice.
“He doesn’t. I don’t know what Scott’s doing. When I talk to Dad, we never talk about him. I’m done with him and his money-making schemes. I want to be productive instead of destructive,” Marc said, liking the sound of his words.
Michael was quiet for a long time, then he said, “I’m glad you called, Marc. Maybe we can make a fresh start if what you say is really true.”
“It’s true and I’d really like that. Just give me a chance.” Marc said, glad that he’d made the call.
He and Michael stayed on the phone for a while longer, Marc telling him about the town and all the old buildings; the topic was something that they both were interested in, so it helped clear some of the tension. When he hung up, Marc felt better than he had in a long time, some of the guilt he’d been feeling about how they’d treated Michael beginning to evaporate. It would be a long time before they could have a normal relationship, but he had faith that someday they could be close.
Marc drove into town the next afternoon pleased with the way he’d spent his morning. He’d managed to trade in his car for the truck he was driving without having to contribute any extra money or picking up a monthly payment. He’d then stopped at a hardware store as well as a pawn shop and filled the back with tools and supplies. Heading for the diner first, he knew that he’d definitely have to find someplace else to live. He couldn’t leave his truck parked on the street with all the tools in it.
As he drove through town, he realized that the quiet little town had turned into a hustling bustling mass of people. They were everywhere, filling the park and the sidewalks; there were even a few tour busses parked in the courthouse parking lot. He was forced to park at the hotel and walk back to the diner, a disappointment since he couldn’t wait to show Scarlet his truck. It was a new feeling to want to share a part of his life, but one he could get used to.
When he walked into the diner, it was to a scene of chaos. Every table in the dining room was full, people either just starting their meal or in the process of finishing. Carry was rushing around delivering food and drinks while removing dirty plates and glasses at the same time. He could see Kevin through the passthrough which was heaped with food ready to go out.
Not seeing Scarlet anywhere, he began to get concerned. She wasn’t the kind of business owner who left her employees to deal with a rush like this one. Knowing that he’d never get Carry to slow down, he walked back into the kitchen thinking Scarlet might be back there and she was. But all he could see of her was her butt and her legs, which were sticking out of the bottom of the big freezer.
Hiram, Gus, and Steve were huddled around the controls, flipping switches and making grave faces. “Did that do anything?” Scarlet’s voice was muffled.
“Nope, still dead as a door nail,” Hiram said. “I think you better get out of there, you’re going to get hurt.”
“I’ve got to try,” came the muffled reply.
“What’s going on?” Marc asked, thinking that it was not a good idea for Scarlet to be messing around with the freezer.
Scarlet heard Marc’s voice and raised her head, banging it on the metal casing around the motor. “Ouch!” she cried, rubbing her head.
Marc kneeled down next to her and said, “Come out of there. Do you even know what you’re doing in there?”
She slid out from the freezer, still rubbing her head, but thinking how glad she was to see Marc. She’d become convinced that he was gone, that he’d left without a word. It hadn’t mattered that Brenda told her that his stuff was still in his room, she’d become convinced, a clear sign that she was already in too deep with Marc. The relief of seeing him there next to her almost undid her, releasing the tears she’d been fighting since the freezer stopped working right in the middle of a huge rush.
“No, but I’ve got to get this freezer working. All my food is going to spoil if I don’t. Have you seen the dining room? We’re swamped and I’m back here trying to fix this dumb thing,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air.
“It looks hopeless, the motor is burned out,” Hiram said, watching as Marc slid under the freezer to take a look.
“I think I can fix this if we can find a motor,” Marc said, getting to his feet and dusting his hands off. “Go take care of your customers and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Really? You can fix it?” Scarlet asked, hope suddenly blooming in her chest.
“I can’t make any promises but I will try,” he said, rolling up his sleeves. “Can I pull my truck around back? I had to park back at the hotel.”
“Your truck?” she asked, confused.
“I turned my car in for a work truck, can’t run a handyman business without one,” he said, smiling proudly. “I also got some tools and stuff. I’m officially in business.”
“And I’m your first customer. The keys for the gate are hanging by the back door. Thank you, Marc,” she said, standing on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned and waded into the mess out front.
Chapter 5
Marc watched her walk away, feeling the warmth on his cheek where her lips had been. He had a silly grin on his face which Hiram was quick to pounce on. “Glad I didn’t miss that little display. Boy, you’ve got it bad,” Hiram said, laughing.
Marc looked at him. He’d forgotten the old man was there. “Yeah, she’s quite a woman,” he said, still grinning.
Hiram turned serious, his face taking on a stern look. “She is and I’d hate to see her get hurt. That’s not the kind of woman you play with, son. There’s lots of people round here who wouldn’t look too kindly on her getting her heart broken. We’re a close community, just remember that.”
Marc’s eyes were still alive with desire, but he turned to Hiram and said, “I think I’ve been looking for her my entire life, but I’m going to take it slow. Is that good enough for you?”
Hiram was pleased to see Marc standing up to him; it was a marked change from the man who had walked into here beat up the other morning. There might just be some hope for him yet. “What can we do to help?” Hiram asked, pounding Marc on the back.
“I’ll let you know. I’m guessing you have some contacts around here. It may be hard to find a motor that will work,” Marc said, glad to have some help since he’d wasn’t all that sure he could fix the freezer on his own.
“Well, then let’s get to work,” Hiram said.
It was almost ten o’clock that night before the last customer left the diner. “The last one is gone,” she said, flopping down at the table in the kitchen. “Do we even have any food left?”
“Not much. We sold almost everything. That must have been some kind of a record,” Kevin said, setting a couple plates of food on the table. “I managed to save enough for us.”
Scarlet gratefully took a bite of the hamburger he’d set in front of her. “I better see how the freezer repair is going. Have they said anything?” she asked, looking across the kitchen where the men were still congregated.
“No, but they’ve been in and out of here all day. I saw new parts, but what they were I have no idea. I fed them all dinner hours ago,” Kevin said, taking a bite of his own dinner.
Scarlet finished her food, then walked across the kitchen her heart pounding. If the freezer couldn’t be fixed, she’d have a lot of food on her hands that would need to be cooked. “So, how’s it going?” she asked Hiram.
“Good, we got the new motor in and recharged the Freon, so hopefully it will work. Marc’s about to turn it on, he just had to put one more part back in,” Hiram said, moving to the controls.
“Okay, switch it on,” Marc said, sliding out from inside the freezer. When he saw Scarlet, he came and stood next to her, waiting as nervously as she was.
Hiram threw the switch and the freezer came to life with a groan. They all cheered, and Scarlet threw herself into his arms and hugged him. “Thank you, I don’
t know what I would have done if you hadn’t got it fixed.”
Marc laughed. “I’m glad it works too. Honestly, I didn’t know if I could do it.”
“Well you did and now I can take one huge worry off my mind,” she said, not able to resist giving Marc a kiss on the cheek. “But now we have to get the mess around here cleaned up before they all show up again.” It would take at least an hour to clean up but she didn’t care; the freezer was working and she was suddenly full of energy.
“I’ll help,” Marc said, rolling up his sleeves.
“I can’t ask you to do that, you already fixed the freezer. What do I owe you?” Scarlet said, heading to the front and the register.
Marc followed her, several invoices in his hand. “This is what we spent on parts. Hiram called in a favor so we got the motor for free,” Marc said, handing her the slips, shocked when she pulled open the register to pull out some money.
“I have to pay you something, you worked all day,” Scarlet said. “You have to be paid for your time, you have bills to pay like everyone else.”
Marc knew that he should tell Scarlet that paying his bills wasn’t exactly a worry for him, but he was too distracted by the piles of cash in the resister. “Scarlet, that’s a lot of money to have sitting here. It’s not safe,” he said, worry creasing his face.
Scarlet was charmed by the fact that he was worried about her. “Don’t worry,” she said, smoothing the lines on his forehead with her fingers. “I usually don’t have this much, but today was crazy so I didn’t take the afternoon deposit. But I already called one of the deputies and he’ll be here to take it to the bank.”
Marc looked skeptical, but just then Deputy Jackson pulled up and parked right in front of the door. They’d met the day before and had a long conversation about the best places to fish in the area; he seemed like a good guy. “I guess I’ve been living in the city too long,” he said, shrugging his shoulders
“Well, we did have some problems a few summers ago, so the chief started the deputy escort system so everyone is safe,” she admitted sadly.
“Doesn’t matter where you are, does it? But this town is still safer than any city out there,” Marc said, crossing the room to let the deputy in.
They chatted while Scarlet put the deposit together, then he went on his way, a pastry box with four cinnamon rolls inside. “I always save a few for them, it makes them want to take better care of me,” she said as she locked the door behind Deputy Jackson.
“Good thinking. Now what can I do to help? I don’t mind washing dishes,” Marc said, starting to clear tables.
“I hate to ask you to do that. I can wash, you work out here,” she said, heading to the kitchen.
Marc considered that for a second. “I have a better idea. Let’s work together then neither of us will have to wash dishes alone. What happened to your dishwasher anyway? Wasn’t he supposed to start today?”
“He seemed like he really wanted the job when I hired him last week, but he called this afternoon to say he got a better offer. Now I’m going to have to go through the whole hiring process again,” she said, puffing out a big breath of frustration.
“I’ll do it until you find someone. I only have a few jobs lined up and I’m sure I can do both,” Marc said, liking the idea of spending that much time with Scarlet.
“You’re kidding, right? I can’t ask you to be a dishwasher,” she said, her mouth hanging open at the very thought of Marc washing dishes.
“Why not? It’s an honest job. Besides, didn’t you say I needed to toughen up?”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I said. I think you’re already pretty tough,” she said, meeting his eyes across the room. “It takes a lot of guts to walk away from your life and start again. I should know.”
Marc looked at her for a second, wanting desperately to take her in his arms and make the pain he saw there disappear. But instead he said, “I’m not sure it was guts as much as desperation.”
There was so much unspoken between them Scarlet didn’t know what to say. She too could see the pain in Marc’s eyes but had no idea how to make it go away. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own though, taking her across the room to Marc. When she got to where he was standing, he pulled her into his arms.
“Whatever it was that brought you here, I’m glad that it did,” she said, searching his eyes for a sign that he felt the same way.
His answer was to lower his head and capture her mouth in a tender kiss. Scarlet melted in his arms, her body humming with desire. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to kiss when he probed her lips with his tongue. The kiss quickly turned passionate, their surroundings melting away until it was only the two of them.
Kevin clearing his throat broke them apart, but before she completely backed away, she caught the look of desire in Marc’s eyes and couldn’t help but release a small sigh before turning her attention to Kevin. He had a silly grin on his face, clearly enjoying the scene. “The kitchen is all done. Do you want me to start on the dishes or do I need to stay out here and supervise you two?”
Scarlet blushed, her face the same color as her name, then searched for some words, any words that would erase her embarrassment, but it was Marc who finally came to her rescue. “I think we can finish up,” he said, going back to cleaning off the table.
“We can manage. Thank you, Kevin,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
He just laughed and said, “Okay, then. I’ll see you in the morning. Behave yourselves.””
Marc and Scarlet finished cleaning up the diner in silence, both thinking of the secrets in their past that stood between them. Scarlet was pretty sure that what Marc was hiding was nowhere nearly as bad as what she was hiding. An ex-husband who’d sworn to kill her wasn’t exactly something you wanted to tell people about. She’d found that people tended to look at her differently. She’d even had a few friends from back home cut off all ties with her because they were so afraid of him.
Marc didn’t want Scarlet to know what a yes, man he’d been before he’d cut ties with Scott. It was embarrassing to admit that he’d lived his life for his brother, to the point of having no life other than pleasing Scott; it made him look weak. He knew that his need to impress Scarlet was juvenile, but he couldn’t help but wish that he was a different man.
When they’d finished cleaning up, Marc followed Scarlet home and watched until she was safely in the house, then he drove back to the diner and parked his truck in the back lot and locked the gate. Walking back to the hotel, he was reminded once again that he needed to find a different place to live, the hotel was just not enough for his needs any longer. Although it had been giving him a good excuse to hang out at the diner, now that he’d be helping out, he wouldn’t need an excuse.
He went to sleep that night thinking about the apartment above the diner. It would be a perfect first project for him. He needed to do something to show people in town that he was skilled, and fixing up that apartment would be a perfect way to do it. Plus, then he’d be around Scarlet even more. Drifting off to sleep, he was already making renovation plans.
Scarlet too was thinking about the apartment above the diner. It was in terrible shape, but if she didn’t charge him rent, he could live there. She knew that he was going to have a hard time finding any place to live this time of year. The tourists always grabbed any vacancy they could, even the few apartments that were around town. The kitchen and bathroom worked fine, the biggest problem was the walls. They could cover them and it wouldn’t be so bad.
First thing in the morning, she’d suggest it to Marc. It wasn’t the nicest apartment in town, but the rent would be free which she assumed would appeal to him. He hadn’t said it, but he had to be getting short on money. He’d traded that beautiful car in for the truck, a sure sign that he was getting low on funds. The fact that he was willing to wash dishes only adding credence to her belief that money was beginning to be a problem for Marc.
As shellfish as it was, she wanted him here, and if giving him a place to live would help make that happen, then she was willing to do it. She’d finally met a man she liked who wasn’t a bad boy. It was a new and wonderful experience. Even if it didn’t last, she was going to enjoy it for as long as she could. Drifting off to sleep with thoughts of Marc on her mind, she slept better than she had in a long time.
The next morning, Marc was at the diner earlier than normal, ready to help as much as he could. Luckily, the diner was quiet, but he knew that it wouldn’t last long, so he planned to talk to Scarlet about the apartment right away. When he saw Scarlet behind the counter, he joined her there, helping himself to a cup of coffee. “Figured I’d help myself since I’m working here now.”
Scarlet smiled at him, then said, “About that, I think I might have found someone to fill the position. It’s not that I don’t want you to do it, but I have something else in mind for you.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “What do you have in mind, pretty lady?” Then he wrapped his arms around her.
Scarlet laughed and pulled away. “Behave yourself, it’s nothing that exciting. I was just thinking that if you moved into the upstairs apartment, I wouldn’t charge you rent. That would cut your living costs down while you’re getting your business started.”
Marc looked at her for a second, surprised that they’d both had the same idea. “Well, I guess great minds think alike. I was thinking the same thing, but I’d also like to fix it up while I’m living there. It only seems fair.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” she said, thinking how nice it would be to have the apartment fixed up. She could charge enough rent to cover her mortgage and put more money away for Sean’s college fund. “That’s a great idea, but are you sure? There’s a lot to be done up there.”
“I’d like to do it, it would be good experience. I need to show people that I have the knowledge to do a job like this,” Marc said, stealing a cinnamon roll when she began to put them in the display case.
Hold Me Close: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 6) Page 5
