Before he knew it, they were both putting lunch together. He was surprised by how comfortable she made him feel in her home. He was expecting some Kraft macaroni, so when she pulled out a casserole dish from the oven, he was shocked. It looked delicious with bread crumbs baked on top of the cheesy goodness.
"Did you think I was making it from a box?" she asked. "I've been making this since my high school cooking class. This mac and cheese got me an A."
"It looks amazing. My mom used to make it just like that. When I make it, it comes from a box."
Tara had the boys situated in the living room with their lunches and a cartoon.
"I bet they're happy you're here," she said. "It's a special treat to eat out there."
"They seem very well behaved," Heath said. "Are you with them all day?"
She sat down at the table across from Heath.
"Most of the time," she said. "I write and publish my own books, so I'm able to work when they are asleep or playing. If I really need to get something finished, I have someone watch them while I work, but I'm still in the house."
Heath nodded, as he took a bite his macaroni and moaned. Tara let out a laugh. He looked at her and nodded again.
"This is delicious," he said. "It's better than what my mom ever made. I seriously can't tell you how good it is."
He grabbed the folder and spread the papers out around him.
"We wanted the wall down between the rooms. Is that still what you want?"
She nodded at him.
"I'm just not sure about all this. It's going to take so much of my money to change everything. I'm not totally sure how much I'll have left. I'm kind of in the middle of something and not sure how much will change and if I'll still have the money I think I'm going to have right now."
"We could cut out some of the changes. This place is beautiful and natural. We could just change a few things to bring it up to date."
They spent the next two hours discussing what she thought she could afford and what she definitely wanted done. Heath was doing his best to make her happy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd dealt with someone that undecided and difficult. She was very nice, and at times, he forgot what he was doing there. He had to wonder what was making everything such a hard decision for her. She looked torn constantly.
They finally came to an agreement she was willing to work with. He knew he needed to leave before she changed her mind again. When he stood to leave, she stopped him. Tara reached into a cabinet and took out a Tupperware container. She filled it full of macaroni and cheese and handed it to him.
"No," he said. "I can't take that. I'm sure your boys will enjoy it later. It was very nice of you to feed me lunch."
"Where else could you get a sandwich like that?" she asked with a laugh.
Heath noticed the way her cheeks went red when she laughed at her own joke. It was adorable, he thought.
"You'll appreciate it more than the boys. They'd rather have the box version. It's funny how our tastes change as we grow up."
"I'll make sure to send the container back with my guys when they come to start the work. They are all very nice, but you might want to keep the boys in a different room from the one they work in. It gets kind of loud and messy."
She nodded as he grabbed his stuff and left her house.
Chapter 4
Heath
Things were going well for Heath. He was able to escape another of the dinners with his friends. That was a plus. He'd blamed that on dealing with a client. That client was Tara of course. She was proving to be a huge pain. He wasn't sure the money he was going to make was worth the amount of times she changed her mind on things. His team wasn't working with her but for a couple of weeks, and she was still making changes. Heath hadn't actually worked on a project in over a year. His business worked perfectly without him on the jobs. He was worried that he was going to have to jump in on the remodel for Tara. His guys were losing their patience quickly.
Heath had to attend the next dinner with his friends. There weren't enough good excuses available. It seemed that every single one of them was happy. Kyle was the only other single guy around, and he was fresh out of college. Heath looked around at everyone. The surprises starting flying one by one. Not only were Gavin and Becky having two babies, but Lisa was pregnant with her second child along with Julie announcing they were expecting. What the heck, Heath thought? They were all married and in the family stage, and he was alone. He was thirty-seven and alone. The chatter continued on, as he looked around at all of them. Did he even fit into the group anymore, he wondered?
His phone was buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and laughed when he saw it was the lead guy on the team that was working at Tara's. Heath stepped outside for a moment to take the call.
"Hello," he said.
"I'm not doing this anymore," the guy said.
"What's going on?" Heath asked.
"She can't make up her mind. This woman's a mess. I can't do it, man. You know me. I'm good at what I do, but she's going to drive me crazy. You need get over here. I know it's the weekend, but I'm seriously going to walk out of here in about ten minutes. She doesn't like the stuff I brought to show her. I don't know what to do. You need to get over here and work that Heath magic of yours."
"I'll be there in a bit," Heath said.
He shoved the phone back into his pocket and went back inside. John was standing off to the side and watched him with concern.
"You okay?" John asked.
"I'm fine," he said. "I'm working on this house."
John stopped him before he could finish.
"You're working on the house yourself?" he asked.
"She's a pain, John," Heath said. "My guy is about to walk off the job. She couldn't make up her mind if her life depended on it. There is seriously something going on with her. I have to work on it. She's driving my team mad."
"You're working on a house," John said again. "For a woman."
Heath shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"It's nothing like that, man. You have no idea. She is seriously driving me crazy. It's not even worth the money I'm going to make. I would love to drop her as a client. I'm just not sure how much it would hurt business. I don't know who she knows."
John looked over at Heath.
"Okay," John said, as he turned to walk away.
Heath told them all he was leaving. He was actually happy with the distraction. It was getting him out of the house and away from all of the lovey, mushy shit they were all throwing around.
He pulled his truck into Tara's driveway and began the journey through the woods. It really was a great place. He would love that kind of privacy. As soon as he got out of the truck, the boys came running through the door. His guy walked over to him and shook his head. He was visibly upset.
"This is a remodel," the guy said. "We're not rebuilding the damn thing. You deal with her. She just keeps saying everything is wrong. I've never seen a woman that damn hard to please. How can it be wrong? You have to do something. I'm done for the day. I can't take it."
Heath nodded trying to hide his amusement at the guys frustration. He walked toward the porch and looked up to see Tara looking so out of sorts and messy. The two boys were clinging to her legs. Her hair was hanging out of the crazy pile on her head. She had a worn out t-shirt and pair of ripped jeans on. There was paint on her shirt and her face. The boys had paint on their clothes and faces as well. Heath had to turn his head away so he wouldn't burst into laughter. The frustrated look on her face was twice as bad as the one on his guy that had just left.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Her hand went to her hip and he could see irritation all over her messy face. Heath knew he couldn't laugh at her display of attitude. It would only have made it worse. She was trying so hard to appear in charge when really it was adorable.
"It's not what I want," she snapped.
"It's what we agreed on," he said as nicely as possible.
Chapter 5
Tara
Tara stood on the porch with her two reasons for living hanging from her. She could only imagine what she looked like. It had already been such a long day when something set her into a spin. She didn't mean to change her mind so much. Heath must have thought she was losing it. She looked him in the eyes and did all she could to hold back her tears. It wasn't his fault, not one bit. The poor guy couldn't get away from her. She was making his job so damn hard. She reached down at the boys and pulled them from her legs.
"You two get back in the kitchen. Finish your paintings," she said.
She held the door open for the two of them to walk through and then let it close.
"I'm sorry," she said, as she took a deep breath. "We need to change it."
Tara reached up and brushed the hair from her face. Her eyes connected with Heath's. He had a smile on his face. What a man, she thought. He was trying not to laugh at her expense. She could see him fighting himself. He was do damn irritating. Did he think he was better than her? She felt her body tense but didn't want to seem mean. It wasn't easy though. Men were all the same, she thought. When something was important, they needed to acknowledge it.
"Do you think this is funny?" she asked.
"Not at all," he said.
Bullshit, she thought. He could have at least made it look easy. It couldn't have been that big of a deal to change the plans. He didn't have to make her feel stupid over it.
"I just want the house to look different than before," she said.
"The whole point is to make it look the opposite of what it does," he said with a nod. "I don't get it. Do you know how beautiful it is? It looks perfect here. It looks natural."
"I know that," she said. "I'm the one that designed the damn thing the first time. Can you do it or not?"
"Fine," he said.
"I try to keep the boys out of the way. I swear I'm not trying to get in the way. They want to get involved in the painting. You should see the fingerpaint that missed me. It's all over the kitchen. I don't want to take them to town. I'm keeping them away from certain things."
She felt like she was going to cry. He motioned for her to go inside and followed behind her. When they walked into the kitchen, she heard him gasp.
"Let me help you clean this up. Why don't you go give the boys a bath. I'll clean up in here," Heath said.
"You don't have to do that. We can talk. I'll clean them up after we're done," she said.
"It's fine," he said. "Go clean them up. The artwork is great. Maybe I'll give them a job on my team."
Tara laughed and shook her head. She grabbed the boys by the hand and led them through the house. When she came back, the kitchen was spotless. When a tear escaped the corner of her eye, she hurried to brush it away.
"They're watching television," she said.
He jumped when she said it, and the rag flew from his hand. She burst into laughter, and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Sorry about that," she said. "We can sit down and talk."
"Have the boys eaten dinner?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I'll feed them as soon as you leave. We had a late lunch."
"You don't mind sitting here with all that paint on your face," he said with a smile.
"Very funny," she said. "It's the life of a mom. You're lucky I don't paint you for that comment."
"Go shower," he said. "I'll order pizza. We can talk while we eat."
"No," she said. "I can't have you doing that. You've already put up with enough from me."
"You are a pain," he said. "I'm hungry. You don't want me thinking about remodeling your house hungry do you? Besides, the boys will like me even more if they get to eat in front of the tv again. I'm getting points here. Go take a shower."
Tara walked back into the kitchen just as Heath walked in from getting the door. The house smelled amazing.
"What did you get on the pizza?" she asked.
"Jordan voted for pepperoni, bacon, and ham," he said. "Jason voted for hamburger, mushrooms, and onions. We have a half and half pizza. Hope you can deal with one of those two options."
"You let the boys pick what you got on the pizza?" she asked.
"More points," he said with a proud look.
She shook her head and grabbed plates out of the cabinet. It felt good having another adult to talk to. Tara loved those two boys so much, but she missed having someone else around. She knew Heath was only there because she was paying him, but she enjoyed talking to him just the same. It felt natural. She felt like she knew him already.
"Do you want to tell me what it is about the house that has you wanting to make it into another place entirely?" he asked as she sat down.
She shook her head.
"I just do," she said.
They talked about more options. She knew he probably wanted to walk out and give up on her house but was happy that he hadn't done it. Once she agreed to his newest ideas, he stood to leave.
"I'll be back Monday morning with some new supplies."
"You're coming?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "If I don't, I won't have a team left to finish the job. You're driving them away. Have a great night."
She watched him pull away from her house and let the tears she had been holding in fall from her eyes. Tara looked around at the porch she had always wanted and her dream home behind her. It's all she had left of her life. It was the one place she always wanted to live. She didn't want it as a vacation home. She'd wanted it to be their main house. He wouldn't have it. They needed to be in the city. She finally had what she had always wanted. Why was she letting her thoughts of him ruin it, she wondered? Why was she letting memories of him change her dreams?
Chapter 6
Heath
Heath couldn't help but think about Tara that night. Seeing her covered in paint from playing with her kids melted his heart. Seeing her that same way with attitude made him want to laugh. She looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment, and that made Heath feel bad. There was way too much going on in her head. He knew there was way more to her and that house. One minute she was one way, and the next she was different. He could see her fighting an internal battle the entire time. There was definitely something about that house for her.
He got up early the next morning and headed out to buy supplies. She needed to be happy with her home, and he was going to make sure it happened. It was going to be a fight, that he already knew. Her place was beautiful and her property was amazing. She needed to feel relaxed in her own home. It needed to be the one place she felt safe and comfortable. He had a couple of ideas that he hadn't shared with her. What could make the house feel different, he wondered? Heath hadn't actually worked on a house in a little while and was looking forward to getting his hands dirty again.
Heath hopped out of his truck with plans in one hand and a coffee in the other. His team would be there any minute. When he knocked on the door and Tara answered it, he was speechless. She had on a pair of dress shorts, a nice shirt, and dress shoes. Her hair was up off of her shoulders and she had makeup on. He felt like a teenage boy standing there staring at her. His eyes traveled down and back up her body. She's a client, he told himself. Knock it off. She laughed and pulled him from his daze.
"I can clean up," she said with a smile.
He couldn't find the words to force them from his mouth.
"There will be a sitter here for a couple of hours. I have to go into town to meet with a lawyer. She can reach me if you need anything or you could just send me a text."
She walked passed him to her car and was gone before his thoughts cleared. What did she need a lawyer for, he wondered?
Chapter 7
Tara
All she could think about during her drive to town was Heath and how damn good he looked when he stepped down from that truck. Every time she had seen him he'd been in dress slacks and nicer shirts. Seeing him in a pair of worn jeans, tight t-shirt, and work boots had her ogling every in
ch of him. It was a good thing he was looking down at the papers in his hand or he would've busted her.
He walked up with confidence. She couldn't help but want to run her fingers through his wet, freshly washed hair. The smell coming from his skin as he got closer had her panties melting. When their eyes connected and she saw the look on his face, it made her feel like a million dollars. He was looking at her like he had never seen anything that good in his life. She knew she was reading way to much into it. The last time he'd seen her she was covered in paint and having a partial meltdown. Anything would have been better. That didn't stop her from feeling as if she weren't as worthless as she thought she was. It had been so many years since a man had made her feel good at all.
She walked into that lawyer's office with more confidence than she thought possible. It was never fun. Her ex was trying to get every single thing they had. He didn't care that she was raising two boys. It didn't matter to him that she hadn't worked the entire time they had been together. He knew damn well she was starting over, and he was taking full advantage of it. She didn't care if there was nothing left for her. All she knew was that she wanted rid of him and everything connected to him. He wasn't always an asshole, or maybe he was and she was just too blind to see it. Either way, she couldn't stand the man he had become to her. Just because he had money, he thought he could push her around. He was having a very hard time losing control of her. She wanted the divorce over as soon as she could, but he would rather it last a lifetime. Each time she met with the lawyers, he wanted even more. She'd give in, thinking it would be over. He'd come up with something else to fight over. Slowly, she was giving up everything she knew of her life. He didn't care to see the boys but knew he could drag the divorce out even longer if he fought for them. That was one area she was not willing to give any room on. She'd fight to the death to keep her kids safe. They were all that mattered to her, and he knew that. That was one of his biggest problems. He felt he should always come before the boys. He'd tell her often that she needed to satisfy him, everything else came second. That wasn't how she felt. He was going to make her pay one way or the other. He was choosing custody of the boys to keep his hold on her, and that scared the shit out of her.
Built for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #5) Page 2
