by Nan Dixon
Daniel checked his lists, scrolling through his projects. “I’ll get—” the caps were heavy “—Quint, Sullivan and Eddie to stop here in the morning.”
“Might be easier to have four people lifting them,” Nathan suggested. “I can swing by.”
“You’re needed at Oglethorpe,” he snapped. “I’ll be here around seven.”
He made notes and shifted tasks around. Nathan and Bess needed to stay separated. What kind of destruction could occur when two impulsive people joined forces?
* * *
BESS TOSSED HER dirty clothes and wet towel toward her hamper and missed. She was too tired to pick them up. Her arms ached from chiseling.
She called Abby. “I’m passing on dinner.”
“Is everything all right?” Concern laced Abby’s voice.
“After chipping all day, I’m too sore to walk over. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Hanging up, she grabbed her mister, but stopped in the center of her living room. She couldn’t mist her orchids. They were all at Fitzgerald House.
The housekeeping crew knew to check her schedule. If she didn’t get to the flowers, they would take care of her plants. But she wanted to take care of her orchids. She bit her lip. Without her plants, the apartment was empty—impersonal.
Residents of two other apartments had moved last week. No one had moved in yet, but one unit had sold. Dastardly Daniel must be pleased.
She watered her Tradescantia pallida, wandering Jew, the last plant in the apartment.
Peering into the fridge, she grabbed the jambalaya Abby had sent home last week. While it heated, she opened a beer.
Setting everything on a tray along with her laptop, she headed to the balcony. As she ate, she scrolled through her inbox. Her heart raced. The mortgage company had responded to her updated income.
Clicking the email open, she scanned the contents. “Oh, come on.”
They’d bumped the loan amount, but it wasn’t enough to make an offer. They weren’t giving her full credit for the income she earned from the B and B. She needed a full-time job.
As she ate, she sent out a couple of résumés to reputable nurseries, getting farther and farther away from Savannah. Something had to pop, and soon.
The doorbell buzzed.
Resigned, she peered through the peephole. Daniel?
She opened the door. “Hey.”
“Hi.” He was dressed for a sail on his boat. His tan T-shirt matched his khaki shorts and he wore boat shoes without socks. She wore wrinkled shorts she’d owned since college.
“Got a minute?” he asked.
“I’m eating.”
“Keep eating.”
She sighed. “Want a beer?” she asked, unable to tamp down the hospitality Mamma had drummed into her.
“Sure.”
She detoured to the kitchen and grabbed the last beer before heading to the balcony. She hated the way Daniel upset her equilibrium.
He leaned against the railing, looking like an ad for a clothing company.
She handed him the beer.
“Thanks.”
“What’s up?” She grabbed her bowl.
“The real estate agent called today. She’s showing your apartment tomorrow.”
Did bad news always come in bunches?
“Bess?”
“I heard. What time?”
“Around ten.” He twirled the bottle in his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.” In her head, she knew losing her apartment wasn’t Daniel’s fault. But her heart couldn’t keep taking the hits that came with every interaction with him. Disappointment followed by rejection followed by more disappointment.
“So—” Daniel cleared his throat. “Are you and Nathan having that drink together?”
Why would Daniel care? “What?”
“Are you going to date my brother?”
“What?” she repeated.
“I...it would be—” He stopped.
She filled in the blanks. “Fine with you?”
“No!” He blew out a breath that would have blown back her hair if he’d been closer. “Awkward. Damn it.”
She didn’t want to laugh, but a giggle bubbled up.
He swore.
Her laughter died. “Why do you care?”
Daniel took a gulp of beer. “Nathan’s a troublemaker. The two of you together...”
She rolled her eyes. “Neither Nathan nor I are the same people we were ten years ago. You’re the one stuck in the past.”
He closed the distance and loomed over her. “Do you plan to go out with him?”
This was too weird. “It’s not your business.”
“But—”
“It’s none of your business,” she repeated.
He pulled her from the chair. His hands cupped her shoulders. “Please don’t.”
“Are you jealous?” His concern didn’t make sense. She made him crazy.
“No... I... Promise me.” The gold in his eyes flashed.
She pried his fingers off her arms. “You don’t have a say in who I date.”
“Bess, listen—”
She didn’t let him finish. “Thank you for letting me know about the real estate agent. I need to clean the apartment. Right now. Leave.”
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Daniel pulled in next to Carleton House and threw his truck’s transmission into Park. He wasn’t needed here, but he couldn’t stay away.
Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything to Bess about Nathan. Knowing her, she’d date Nathan just to throw it in his face. But he and Bess had slept together.
His hands formed fists. He was stewing for a fight. He’d break a board over his brother’s head before he’d let Nathan sleep with Bess. That wasn’t being possessive, it was being practical. Nathan was trouble. With Bess’s impulsiveness, they were a disaster waiting to happen.
In the courtyard, three crew members and Bess worked on the wall. She wore a skimpy tank top and shorts. He wanted to cover her up so the guys didn’t ogle her.
He hurried up her ladder, reached around her and grabbed the cap. “Let me.”
She glared over her shoulder. “I’ve got it.”
“I’ll help.”
Their bodies were plastered together. Bess’s earthy flowery fragrance curled up and tugged him even closer.
The five of them lifted together.
“We’ve got it,” Quint said.
Daniel, Eddie and Bess released their side of the block. Quint and Sullivan eased the mass down on the Carleton House side of the wall.
She gave Daniel a shove. “We’re fine without you.”
Eddie snickered.
Daniel glared until Eddie hurried down his ladder and moved to the next section of the wall.
Bess nailed him with her elbow. “Go do whatever’s next on your list.”
Her eyes flashed green lightning at him. His crew looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
He headed down the ladder. “I can finish with the guys if you need to do anything else.”
“Not necessary.” Her tone was icy.
“Fine.” He could check on Nathan over at the Oglethorpe restoration. But he also wanted to clear the air with Bess.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked.
“I’m working here.” The words snapped at him like a hungry gator.
“Two minutes.”
“We’ve got this, Bess,” Quint said.
Her boots rattled the ladder in an angry staccato beat. “What?”
He pulled her farther into the Fitzgerald courtyard, not wanting his crew to eavesdrop. “It’s just...”
She tapped her foot.
He couldn’t get the words out.
“What?” she asked.
“I can’t stand the idea of you and Nathan—dating.” Sleeping together.
Her eyes became huge circles. “You’re still obsessing about this?”
“Don’t tell me it’s none of my business.” He reached for her.
She knocked his hand away. “What is wrong with you and Nathan?”
“I’m not dredging up our crap.”
“He wants to reconcile with you.”
“You’re crazy.”
“No. He told me,” she said.
When? The image of Nathan kissing her flashed in front of him, and he saw red. His hands fisted at his hips. “Stay away from my brother.”
Bess shook her head, her braid slapping his arm. “You don’t have a say in who I see. Talk to your brother. Reconcile. If not for you, for your parents.”
“We’re talking about you and my brother.” He crossed his arms. “Not my brother and me.”
“No, we’re not. We agreed to keep everything businesslike. Stay out of my personal life.” She stomped away.
He froze. First Eddie laughed at him and now Bess was walking away. What else could he foul up today?
Daniel headed over to Oglethorpe. Might as well irritate Nathan and complete the trifecta.
Gabe’s and Marcus’s cars were there, but not his brother’s truck. Inside, instead of hammers and saws, he heard quiet conversation. Gabe and Marcus sat on the second-floor landing, drinking coffee.
Daniel crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”
Gabe shrugged. “We’re waiting on spindles.”
“And?” Daniel waited. Pop had finished the Oglethorpe staircase work and the replacement bookcase cabinets for the library yesterday.
“Nathan forgot them. He headed back to the shop.”
“You haven’t got anything else to do?”
“We installed the new cabinets.” Marcus stood and waved him forward. “They’re stunning. Come see.”
The new owners were restoring the second floor. In the library, they’d stripped the original shelving and replaced the broken doors where someone had added a media center.
Daniel smoothed his hand over the wood. “Nice.”
“The owners picked out a light stain for the shelving, but they’re keeping the dark flooring.” Marcus angled a piece of maple against the floor. “You’ll want to add this room to the website photos when we’re done.”
“Good idea.” Daniel stewed. “How long ago did Nathan leave?”
Marcus checked his watch. “About an hour.”
An hour? These were expensive carpenters sitting around. “I’ll check on him.”
“Thanks.”
Daniel rubbed his finger on the sanded woodwork. “This could use another wipe down.”
“Will do.”
Daniel headed to his truck, dialing his brother.
“Hey,” Nathan said.
“Where the hell are you?”
“I’m the hell in Starbucks,” Nathan snarled. “What bug crawled up your ass?”
“We’ve got finish carpenters getting paid to drink coffee.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“I don’t know how you do things in Atlanta, but we can’t afford to pay people not to work.”
“Get off my case.” Nathan hung up on him.
Daniel stared at his phone.
He checked a couple more projects, but by midafternoon Carleton House drew him back like a magnet.
In the garden, all the concrete caps were gone and most of the wall was down. The combined courtyard was huge.
Bess was sorting flagstones. He touched her shoulder, worried she’d take his head off. “Your wall is down.”
She brushed a hand on a mustard-colored piece of rock. “Almost.”
He shivered, remembering her running her fingers across his chest. He wanted to ask about his brother, but he stuck to business. “What about the columns?”
She moved to the column nearest the carriage house. “I may build a small wall, make it look like it crumbled and the garden grew around it.” She shaped the air with her hands. “Purples, maybe lavender and some yellows. I can see clematis or woodbine climbing the wall. Spring bulbs. Daffodils would be nice. Anchor everything with a small palm.”
He could see it, bright splashes of color against the stone. “I like your vision.”
She tossed her braid over her shoulder, another flash of brilliance against the earthy colors. “I might add a water feature on the opposite side. And I want to try my hand at making stone pictures.”
“Like a painting?”
She shook off her gloves and pulled out her phone. “No, like this.”
The picture showed a rock wall with stones forming the shape of a flower. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Good.” She opened a picture of a face sculpted out of rock. “This would be fun, too. Create a garden god.”
He tapped the screen to zoom in to the picture. “Interesting.”
What if his mom’s artist friend could do a sculpture of the Fitzgeralds?
She blinked, her green eyes full of possibilities. “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but it will have to wait. I want to see what everything looks like before I decide.”
It wasn’t the way he worked; he preferred planning things out. But Bess wanting to wait gave him time to noodle on an idea. An idea that had just brightened his day.
“Let me know if you need the crew’s help.” He tugged out his phone and made a note.
He headed to his next project. But he’d be back.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I cry at random things, like a flower, or someone giving me a present, or my sister giving me a nice hug.
Naomie Harris
“GOT A MINUTE?”
Bess nodded at Gray but kept spritzing her orchids. They were doing well in the Fitzgerald House sunroom, but she missed living with her plants. “What’s up?”
Her sister’s fiancé closed the door and moved into the room. “I have to head to Boston for a week.”
“Over Abby’s birthday?” she asked.
He grimaced. “I can’t figure out a way to get back in time.”
“Does Abby know?”
“Yeah. She’s fine with it. Too understanding.” He brushed back his curly black hair. “I wanted to make her birthday special.”
“Dolley and I will help her celebrate.”
“I know.” His blue eyes sparkled. “You three would go to battle for each other.”
She waved the spray bottle around like a sword. “All for one, and one for all.”
He laughed. “I’d planned to take her to dinner. Can I set everything up for the three of you?”
“Absolutely.” She touched his arm. “We could cook her a dinner.”
“I made the reservation. I’ll change it to three. I’m picking up the tab.”
“You don’t have—”
“Nope,” he interrupted. “I’m missing Abby’s birthday dinner.”
She let out a sigh. “Where are we going?”
“The Olde Pink House. She hasn’t been there in a while.”
“Okay. If I must.” Bess grinned. “Don’t tell Abby, but rumor has it their fried green tomatoes might be better than hers.”
“Not possible.” Gray always supported Abby.
“I’ll let Dolley know.”
“Thanks. I owe you.”
Not a bad thing to have Grayson Smythe owing her. He owned Savannah condos. Her eyebrows popped up. “With your condos for sale, what are you doing with the front of the building?”
He tilted his head. “We put awnings over t
he first-floor windows.”
“This is Savannah.” She scoffed. “I’m talking flowers.”
“Flowers?”
“Wrought-iron planters off all the balconies.” She closed her eyes. “Deep green trailing vines against the red brick, bright colors. Flowers that won’t require much maintenance.”
Gray raised a dark eyebrow. “But only a few units are occupied.”
She shrugged. “Hire me to plan, plant and maintain.”
Gray tapped her nose. “Give me a bid.”
“I will.” She wanted to do a happy dance. “I’ll need a key to take measurements.”
“Can you get over there today?”
She’d make the time. “I can head over in fifteen minutes.”
“Daniel’s there. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
“Thanks.” Her face went hot. She turned back to her plants with a jerk. Fate wasn’t letting her avoid the man.
* * *
DANIEL HELD THE drywall in place, keeping it steady as Nathan shot the screws. Today they were actually working together. If they kept their mouths shut, maybe they could set a new record for not arguing.
Before he grabbed another panel, he checked his task list. If they kept up this pace, they’d have the rock in earlier than estimated.
His phone buzzed. Gray texted: Bess is on her way over.
Why? He glanced at Nathan. Better not be because of his brother.
“You sleeping?” His brother shouted. “Need more drywall here.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Daniel grabbed the next sheet. “Just checking timelines.”
“You and your schedules,” Nathan complained.
The squeal of the screw gun echoed through the half-finished space.
“Make sure you’re hitting the studs.” Daniel shifted his hands so Nathan didn’t screw them to the wall. “And my planning keeps us from paying idle employees.”
Nathan glared. “I was moving slow yesterday.”
Daniel lined up the next piece of plasterboard. “Limit your drinking to two beers.”
Nathan waved the screw gun at him.
Daniel ducked. “Cut it out.”
“You had more than two drinks at Mamie’s wedding.”
Daniel’s chest tightened. Look what kind of trouble drinking had gotten him into that night. “The next day was Sunday.”
