by Nan Dixon
* * *
BESS CLOSED HER NOTEBOOK. “I really want to work on this job.”
“Get me a bid by the beginning of December. I’ve already asked a couple of other companies, but I know your work.”
“I’ll need the island requirements.”
“I’ll shoot those to you tomorrow.” Jamie pulled into the mall where Bess had left her car.
“Thanks for the opportunity to bid.” She slipped out of Jamie’s Tahoe.
Once in her car, she plugged her phone into the charger. It had run out of power while they were on Hilton Head. Her phone beeped as messages delivered. She would check them back at her apartment. She wanted a warm bath. After that, she’d write up project notes.
She rocked along to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.” This had been a good day. She grinned. Maybe she would call Daniel while she took her bath.
She pulled into her parking spot. Well, well, well. Her night was looking up. Daniel’s truck was in the lot. What a nice surprise. Maybe he’d like to hop into the tub with her.
She danced up the steps, humming the song.
Daniel sat on the floor, his long legs stretched out like a roadblock. A pizza box sat next to him.
“What a wonderful surprise,” she sang out. “You could have gone in.”
She bent to brush a kiss on his lips. He turned his head and her lips landed on his ear.
Pushing off the floor, he glared. “Where have you been?”
“I had a fantastic day, thank you.” She unlocked the door. Daniel would not ruin her mood. “Do you want to come in?”
He followed her. “Did you forget we had dinner plans?”
She dropped her bag and notebook on the entry table. Her mouth dropped open. “I...I...we did?”
“I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon.” He moved into the living room and tossed the pizza on one of her boxes. “What was going on in Hilton Head?”
“I kept trying to remember what else I had to do today.” She set a hand on his shoulder, but he shifted away. “I’m sorry. I got the chance to bid on a project. We went up to the site.”
“You and Molly?” Daniel’s eyes had turned to granite.
“I ran into Jamie Gessler this morning. We got to talking and he asked me to give him a bid on a development.” Her hands waved as she described the opportunity. “It’s fantastic. Beachside property. Common areas. Fire pits. Barbecue sites. I want this project.”
“You headed to South Carolina and forgot about our plans?” Daniel paced over to the patio door. “I had questions on Carleton House and you were out of touch.”
“My phone died around four.” She slapped her hands on her thighs. “It’s only eight thirty.”
“You should have put our plans in your calendar last night.”
“What?”
“You should have noted we had dinner plans in your calendar.” He flashed his phone at her. “I did.”
She stalked over and drilled a finger in his chest. “I was naked and not thinking about to-do lists when you asked about dinner last night. Right about when you ran out like there was a fire on your tail.”
“What?”
“We had sex, initiated by you.” And she’d been thrilled at the desperation in his lovemaking, but she wouldn’t tell him that now.
She poked him again. “Afterward, you couldn’t skedaddle fast enough. If this had been our first time sleeping together, I would have sworn you’d never call me again.” She checked her phone. Four calls from Daniel. “I guess that’s not the case.”
“I...I just...”
She shouldn’t take pleasure in Daniel stammering, but she was angry. “You just what?”
He bounced the back of his head on the patio French doors. “I hate feeling out of control.”
His whole life was about control. “You were out of control last night?”
“Yes.” His brown eyes were no longer made of stone. They just looked bleak.
“Is this because of your father’s biopsy?” She gritted her teeth. The one he hadn’t volunteered to tell her about.
He shook his head. “No. It’s whenever I’m around you.” His hands waved between their bodies. “I do crazy things.”
“I make you lose control?” The man had more control than anyone she knew. “Like what?”
“Like—” he rubbed his head “—having sex with you when you weren’t even eighteen.” He flashed the scar on his hand. “And being pulled into fountains. And getting drunk and having more crazy sex with you. Because of you I now have a dog.” His words were shooting out like a geyser. “And now I’m jealous because you forgot we had plans. I hate this feeling.”
She stared into his unhappy eyes. He’d flattened his back against the door like he was afraid to get close to her.
He pointed a finger at her. “You make me crazy!”
His words were like hammer strikes battering her chest. The only sound was his heavy breathing. Being with Daniel was supposed to be fun. This hurt.
He pushed away from the door and headed toward her.
She put a pile of boxes between them. “I’m not apologizing for something I can’t control.”
Daniel jerked to a stop. “I don’t want an apology.”
Did he think she would calmly take the news that he didn’t like the way he felt around her? She had more pride than that. She deserved to be with someone who liked her. Who respected her. Who trusted her. “What do you want?”
“I don’t know.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I really don’t know.”
She did. Bess moved to the door and held it open. “Let me know when you do.”
* * *
BESS HAD KICKED him out of her apartment. Daniel slumped in the driver’s seat, too worn out to start the engine.
He’d waited for an hour, wondering if she’d been in an accident. What a mistake. He should have stayed home with Carly and worked. There were orders to place and schedules to review. He needed to double-check Nathan’s projects.
He’d blown it all off to wait for Bess.
He’d never been jealous of Bridget, and they’d lived together for almost a year. Bess made him crazy. He wasn’t normal around her.
But that didn’t justify jumping down her throat. When she’d walked in the door, she’d been excited. He hadn’t even let her tell him about this project at Hilton Head before verbally slapping at her.
He ran his fingers through his hair and started the truck. Maybe they should let this—thing—die. He’d concentrate on helping his dad and keeping an eye on Nathan.
Heading across the bridge, his breath echoed in his ears. This was better. He wouldn’t have to worry about Bess anymore. They would work together, but she’d be like any other client.
Except he’d slept with Bess. She made him smile.
He exhaled loud enough to have the sound fill the truck. There was something he needed to do. He needed to apologize.
* * *
BESS STACKED UP the last of the empty buckets. She and Molly had finished three more malls this morning.
Her phone buzzed—Daniel. A text. She exhaled before opening the message. Whatever they’d had, had ended last night. She couldn’t be with someone who said she drove him crazy.
Swiping a finger on her screen, she opened the message. Need some answers on the Carleton project. When will you be on-site?
His first contact and it was about business—of course.
“Hey, Molly?” she called.
“Yes?” Molly loaded the last of their materials onto the cart.
“On the way back to the shop, can you drop me at Fitzgerald House instead of my apartment?”
“Sure.”
Bess estimated the time to pack the van, travel t
ime and grabbing a cup of coffee from Abby. Then added ten minutes. Forty-five minutes.
She didn’t expect a response from him, but he sent back Thanks.
Molly dropped her next to Fitzgerald House’s driveway.
“Same time tomorrow?” Bess asked.
“Yeah.” Molly grabbed her hand before she slipped out of the van. “Think about Jamie’s idea. You should open your own shop.”
“Why?”
“Because you were the talent behind King’s Gardens. If Cade can’t see that, he’s a fool.” She grinned. “I’d rather work for you. Maybe we could go into a partnership. I’ve got some savings.”
“I’ll...I’ll think about it.”
It touched her that Molly wanted to take on the challenges of opening a new business together. Last night, she’d wanted to talk through the possibilities with Daniel, but he’d shut the door on their conversations—maybe for good. A jolt of pain shot through her chest. “See you tomorrow.”
She would never qualify for a mortgage if she started her own business. And she hadn’t sent out a résumé in the past two weeks. What path did she want to take?
“Hey, Bess,” Abby called out when she entered the Fitzgerald kitchen.
“Hey, sis.”
Cheryl called a greeting but kept chopping mushrooms.
Bess sniffed. “Something smells great in here.”
“Wedding planners are coming in for a tasting.” Abby stirred sauce on the massive range. “I’m making eggplant lasagna for the vegetarian offering. Cheryl’s working on the mushroom pâté.”
Bess’s stomach rumbled. Two o’clock and she and Molly hadn’t stopped for lunch. Her six o’clock breakfast was barely a memory. “I came for a cup of coffee, but can I make a sandwich?”
Abby set down her spoon and washed her hands. “I’ll get it for you. Mamma called this morning.” Abby grabbed sandwich fixings from a fridge.
“How are the newlyweds?” Bess smiled. Mamma was so happy now.
“They sound wonderful.” Abby sliced a loaf of bread. “Mamma’s coming down for a couple of days.”
Bess grabbed a mug and filled it with the coffee. “Good. I can’t wait to walk her through the gardens.”
“She and Dolley are going to hit estate sales.” Abby cut thin pieces of pork and layered them on the bread. “She wants to have Debbie over for afternoon tea.”
“Of course.” Bess swallowed. “Now that Samuel has cancer, Mamma wants to help him and Deb.”
“The Foresters were always there for us.” Abby asked, “Dijon?”
Bess nodded.
Abby added fresh tomato and spinach. “There.”
“Thanks.” She took a bite and moaned. Her sister made a sandwich taste like gourmet cuisine. “Can we have a sister meeting soon?”
“Sure.” Abby checked the schedule posted on the bulletin board. “Dolley’s got the wine tasting day after tomorrow. Does that work?”
“Perfect.” Bess took another bite.
“Daniel was looking for you last night.” Abby went to the oven and tested a pan of short ribs. “Did he find you?”
Unfortunately. “I’m heading over to meet with him right now.”
“His puppy sure is sweet.” Abby shut the oven door and leaned against it.
“Josh wants a puppy because of Carly.” Cheryl stirred a pan of onions and tossed in mushrooms.
“She’s a cutie.” Bess checked the clock. Daniel would probably set an alarm to ensure she arrived at her appointed time. That wasn’t fair, but she was still angry with him.
Bess grabbed her coffee. “I’d better head over.”
She didn’t rush through the gardens. She checked some of the pots, finished her sandwich and tugged a few weeds.
After checking out her new paths, she knelt next to Carly. “How are you doing?”
The puppy nudged her hand and Bess obliged by scratching her head. “Should we see what your master wants?”
Going through the kitchen door, the music of construction met her. Muffled hammer hits above her head competed with heavy-metal music, the bass reverberating through the ceiling.
On the second floor, Daniel’s crews had taken down the beautiful hallway paneling and stacked it in a sitting room. Bess chewed her thumbnail. On days she wasn’t on-site, she should stop by at night so she was up-to-date.
In a bedroom, Daniel knelt on the floor. He wedged a chisel-like tool between the baseboard and the paneling. Muscles strained on his amazing body as he loosened the nails.
Her heart ached.
Daniel’s head snapped up.
Had she made a noise?
Daniel tapped Quint’s shoulder. “I need to talk with Bess.”
Quint nodded.
“Thanks for coming by.” Daniel dusted his hand and touched her elbow. In the hall, he turned down the music.
“What’s up?” Her tone was crisp and businesslike. Inside, her chest ached.
Daniel grimaced.
Maybe it had been too businesslike.
“I’m sorry.” He reached out.
“We’re on the clock here.” She wasn’t getting into their personal lives while they worked. “What did you need?”
He gave one slow nod. “I need to know what light fixtures you want to save on the second floor.”
“Oh.” Had she even noticed the fixtures? They’d tossed most of the third-floor lights.
Daniel led her to the music room. Two chandeliers hung from the ceiling. They were missing some crystals, but they could be replaced. “We’ll keep these.”
Daniel tied a bright orange piece of plastic around both chandeliers’ arms. He made a note in his phone. “Are you sure?”
“Does orange mean keep?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I can mark while you...” She waved at his phone. Anything to make the process go faster and allow her to escape this pain.
“Sure.”
They moved through each room. Rusty wall sconces lay on the bedroom floor. She knelt and checked them out, tying on the orange flags. “Keep these.”
Daniel shuddered, kneeling next to her. “Really?”
“We can clean them.” She stood, escaping his aftershave. “It was the first thing I helped Mamma do when she renovated Fitzgerald House.”
They worked their way through all the fixtures. She kept most of them but rejected some from the late ’50s. They would keep the furnishings true to the age of the house and find replacements for the rejected pieces.
Like Daniel, she almost pulled out her phone to make notes, but didn’t want to see his look of satisfaction.
“Do you want me to review the first-floor fixtures?” she asked as they headed down the stairs. Better to get this done in one trip and escape the pain of seeing Daniel. It hurt not being able to reach out to him.
“They can wait.”
She and her sisters would do a walk-through. It would keep her from having to be near Daniel. She held up the roll of orange nylon. “Can I keep this?”
“Sure.” Daniel put a hand on her shoulder before she stepped off the stairs. He stood below her, his brown eyes level with hers.
She hadn’t looked him in the eye all day and she wasn’t starting now. She stared over his shoulder but couldn’t stop his scent from winding around her. Freshly cut wood, sandalwood and Daniel.
He cupped her cheek.
She closed her eyes for a moment, brushing his hand away. He’d hurt her.
A faint frown slipped across his face. “I...overreacted yesterday.”
“Yes.”
His nostrils flared. The gold in his eyes sparked like fireworks. “I was wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Give me a break here. I’m t
rying to apologize.”
She snorted and moved around him. “That wasn’t an apology.”
“I’m sorry.” Daniel blocked her exit, caging her against the wall. “I should have asked why you were late.”
“You should have. You’d have found out I was worshipping your favorite god.”
“What does that mean?” His eyebrows snapped together.
“Work. I was trying to get more work to stay financially viable.” Didn’t he know work was his primary focus? “I plan on buying my own place.”
He took a step back. “I do more than work.”
“If you’re not working, you’re thinking about work.” She pointed to his phone. “Or organizing work.”
His mouth dropped open and snapped shut.
“I’ll be weeding the Fitzgerald gardens for the rest of the day.” She moved down the stairs. “Let me know if you have other questions.”
Daniel looked...lost. She resisted the urge to comfort him. She had to think of her needs—not his.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Flowers grow out of dark moments.
Corita Kent
“QUINT, WHAT’S UP?” Daniel asked, turning onto Jones Street.
“I couldn’t get hold of your brother. I need to know what to do.”
“What’s the problem?” he said with dread.
“I’m over at Wexler Heights. We’re starting the drywall today.”
“No drywall?” That’s where he was meeting Pop and Nathan.
Even though Pop had looked exhausted, he’d insisted they tour job sites this afternoon. Daniel was heading to them.
“It’s here, but it’s ruined. It was left out in the rain.”
Daniel frowned. It had rained two nights ago and no one had secured the material? This was Nathan’s project. Where had he been?
“How many sheets?” he asked.
“There were twenty dropped. But I told Nathan we needed thirty to get the job done.”
For once Nathan’s mistake had saved them money. But now they had a three-man crew of drywallers—and no drywall.
“I’ll...” Daniel rubbed his head, trying to remember what projects might have extra. “Grab a dozen sheets from Carleton House. Have Jordan grab another six from the Addison project.”
