by H. B. Stumbo
I shook my head and tried to smooth out my tank top. The offshore breeze had crinkled my top and thrown my hair around wildly. I fussed a little over my appearance, I didn’t want to come off as unprofessional but there was absolutely no way I was wearing dress pants in the middle of an Alabama summer. I began walking towards the large house and envisioned what it would be like to grow up here, or raise a family here. I stepped onto the porch and image of myself sitting on it sipping lemonade with children running idly around the yard appeared like a hallucination in my mind.
I stopped dead in my tracks as the final images of whatever that was played out and then disappeared from my mind entirely. It vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.
“What the fuck.” I whispered to myself as I steadied my balance on the steps. Shaking my head again and almost all but forgetting the daydream, I walked up to the old wooden screen door and tapped lightly on it. I could see inside and I was instantly in love with the deep auburn floors that stretched across the foyer and the staircase leading to the second floor.
I heard someone walking towards the door and I settled my nerves as a youthful looking man stood behind the screen with a smile piercing his glorious face.
“Are you here from Rick’s?” His voice was melodic and his smile never faded.
I smiled and ran my hand through my wavy blonde hair. “Yes, my name’s Charlotte, Charlotte Lyons.”
He opened the screen door and it creaked loudly with southern charm making me love the house that much more. Holding the door for me he motioned me inside.
“My name’s Riley.” He said as the door slammed back against the wooden frame. He extended his hand to me and I smiled. Riley had perfect teeth to match his perfect face. His blue eyes sparkled and reflected the brassiness of his blonde hair that was strewn messily across his head. His white V-neck shirt was clinging to him and I noticed it was stained with what appeared to be oil and possibly just dirt. He looked down at his shirt and ran a hand through his hair.
“Sorry for looking the way I do. You caught me in between lunch and changing the oil in the garage.” He smiled again, his smile was infectious and for some odd reason, it made me smile.
As if he knew he was making me smile, he turned away from me and motioned me through the foyer and into the kitchen. “Follow me, I’ll get my brother, he’s the one that arranged this whole thing, I’m not much help in this situation.”
He led me through the beautiful house that in my opinion was in perfect condition. It was old but it was in shape. There was no bowing of the floors that had been preserved over the years. The wood was shiny and clean, like it had just been laid. The walls were painted neutral colors and lined with photos and décor. As we passed through the dining area, I noticed large beams on the ceiling that looked like they came from inside an old barn. I paused and glanced up at them, Riley stopped walking and I felt him by my side.
“My brother, Vance, he did all this.” I met Riley’s gaze and felt my jaw drop.
I pointed up at the beams. “You mean he put the beams in?”
Riley nodded. “The beams yes, he installed those about two years ago, said he wanted to add some rustic feeling to the house. But he did everything else too. The floors and the walls were in bad shape when we inherited the house. Vance worked his ass off to get it back up to par.”
Feeling entirely unneeded in that moment I shrugged. “Then why does he need help remodeling anything? It seems like he has it all under control.”
Riley’s brow creased and his smile wasn’t as prominent now. “You should see the backyard, it’s beyond awful. Vance may be able to fix up floors or install drywall but he’s clueless about the outdoors; he needs some guidance with the landscaping. He’s hopeless when it comes to that.” His smile played at the corner of his eyes again as he led me through the dining room and into the newly renovated kitchen. He led me out a back door and onto a small porch that overlooked what had once been a huge garden. The remnants of the raised beds were flooded with weeds and bees as they lingered around the wildflowers and pale peach roses that tried bloom in between them.
A few willow trees dawned the back of the garden and hung over a dock that lead straight into the inlet. I gasped a little and felt Riley’s eyes on me.
“I didn’t realize the house was this close to the water.” My voice was quiet and I could sense his smile again.
“Yeah we’re right along the inlet. It can get pretty ugly back here at low tide, especially with the way the gardens look now. You’re lucky you’re here when it’s high tide, at least it’s not completely hopeless looking.”
I noticed a pile of brush smoldering near the back of the garden and could see the outline of someone throwing more braches onto it.
“There’s Vance.” Riley pointed to the man who appeared to be working effortlessly on stacking more branches and shrubs onto the smoking pile. I would hate to be doing that, it was hot enough without the roar of a fire next to you.
He led me down the porch steps and through the overgrown garden to the shirtless man. I felt my stomach twist a little as we neared him. I could tell his hair was longer than his brothers, and more bleached than his. The golden curls that hung loosely at the nape of his neck seemed to be wet with perspiration, no doubt due to the heat of the sun and the fire mixed with the threat of a long days’ worth of labor. He was gloriously tanned and muscular, and his worn jeans hung against him perfectly. Had I known these Wait boys would potentially be good looking, I would have spent a little more time getting ready this morning.
My thoughts were interrupted by Riley’s cheerful voice.
“Vance! Charlotte, that girl from Rick’s is here!” He yelled towards his brother who reached forhis shirt that was lying on the ground and wiped his head with the back of his hand. When Vance turned around and met my gaze, everything holding me to the planet disappeared.
Vance’s face had been nothing that I expected. His body was perfect enough without having a face that gorgeous to match to it. His wavy hair hung loosely around his ears and eyes and he ran a hand through it to try to push it from his line of vision. His eyes were a deep blue, not as bright as his younger brother’s, but a piercing deep color that left me speechless.
He didn’t smile the way his brother had. His smile left his face when he looked at me, but before it left I noticed that it didn’t touch his eyes the way Riley’s had. Vance looked at me like he knew me and was surprised to see me, yet I had no idea who he was. I stood there gawking at him as he stared directly at me and only broke from my gaze when he pulled his t-shirt over his head. I watched as the thin fabric of his shirt clung to his abdomen muscles and seemed to stick momentarily where the sweat had built up. I felt myself inhale sharply as I eyed this God-like man standing in front of me. He seemed to notice and I thought I caught him smirk. I felt embarrassed suddenly and I looked away quickly. I was met with Riley’s gaze; his grin returned and seemed to calm me entirely. Looking at Riley was refreshing; he was handsome in a boyish way and made me smile. Looking at Vance was…intimidating.
I heard Riley clear his throat. “Well then, Vance I’ll let you explain things seeing as I have no idea what you want done. If you need me I’ll be in the garage.” He glanced back at me and smiled again.
“Pleasure to meet you, Charlotte.” With one turn on his heel he headed back inside and I heard his footsteps disappear somewhere in the big house.
Please come back. I wanted to yell after him. I didn’t think I could handle being alone with this man but it looked like I didn’t have a choice.
Chapter 3
I was fighting the awkwardness that had settled in my soul I turned and forced myself to look back at Vance. His eyes were still on me, his gaze unreadable although he seemed to be lost in thought. Breaking the sudden urge I had to stare at him some more I cleared my throat and forced myself to speak.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Wait.” I extended my hand and noticed as he wiped his own on his jea
ns and walked closer towards me.
He narrowed his eyes as he reached for my hand and then shook it appreciatively. I felt a sudden charge of emotions run through me as his touch welded to my own.
“Please call me, Vance.” His voice was smooth and low, and it melted as it collided with what sanity I had left.
We stood there for a few moments as our hands remained interlocked and looked hopelessly at each other. His eyes remained narrowed and face went from questionable to maybe a glimmer of hope? I couldn’t understand or place his expression, but I began to realize that our hands were still holding onto each other for longer than they should have been and I pulled mine away quickly.
Vance reached for the back of his neck when I did so and rubbed it lightly as he stifled a laugh.
“So Charlotte.” My insides clenched as my name rolled off his tongue. “What do you think?” He raised his hands and pointed towards the garden and I tried to tell myself it was time to do my job.
“Well Mr. Wait, I mean Vance, it seems like this place needs some attention.”
He frowned at my honesty but it seemed to dissipate quickly. “I never have been one to understand landscaping very well, the inside of the house was cake compared to this.” He frowned as he looked out at the weeds that seemed to grow in every direction.
“It’s doable.” I muttered as he looked oddly at me and I sighed. “This can be restored; it’s just going to take a lot of work and a lot of time. But it’s not hopeless.”
I ran my hands over a wooden beam that ran to the second story that was covered in ivy that needed to be weeded. I pulled at some of the dead leaves and they fell to the dirty and uneven stone below my feet. “It can all be redone.” I muttered again.
When I looked back up he was eyeing me in that way again; eyes narrowed and mouth set into a smirk. I couldn’t tell if he was judging me or if he was just going to be an asshole. I had clients like that before; rude and who only spoke when spoken to.
“I’ll show you around.”He murmured as he led me through the garden and down to the dock that overlooked the inlet. A small, very old sailboat was tied to the nearly unusable dock.
“The dock needs re-built. Know anyone good?”
I nodded as I stared at the small boat that was lapping against the water. I pulled out my camera and began snapping a few pictures. “Do you mind” I asked after I had taken a few.
Vance shook his head but kept that strange look on his face, I rolled my eyes and went back to snapping photos of the dock, the land in front of it, and the water.
“At low tide, you can almost see the mud and sand where the dock is positioned in.” His words trailed off as I nodded.
“How big do you want the new dock? Judging by the size of your sail boat I assume this will be an okay size.”
He shook his head and his smile grew a little. “You assume wrong. There’s another boat in storage in the garage and a few jet skis that belong to Riley.” He shook his head as he mentioned Riley and I felt myself blush a little.
“Come on…I’ll show you the rest of the yard and the boat in the garage so you can get a visual on the size the dock will need to be.”
As we walked through the gardens and out into the yard I could feel his gaze on me and I don’t know why but it sent a chill up my spine. He pointed to a few areas that could be brush hogged to make the yard larger and I snapped a few more pictures as he did so. He had mentioned wanting the yard to be open and charming, but he didn’t specify why. My mind went to the obvious reasons, either to impress a woman or for his wife, or maybe he wanted a large yard for his children. I settled on the fact that it was most likely for a woman because I hadn’t noticed a single childlike object since I stepped foot on the property. When we neared the garage I could hear Riley operating something and I could hear the loud bass of music.
“Sorry about the noise.” Vance apologized as he opened the door which sent a rush of cool air and loud guitar sounds out. He walked over the stereo and turned it down which made Riley appear from under an old yet pristine red mustang.
“Hey!” He yelled and sounded angry, but when he noticed me he smiled a little.
“I have to show Charlotte some things, it will only take us a moment and we’ll be out of your way.” Vance ran his hand through the air in a calming matter after he spoke and Riley raised a wrench up in the air.
“Whatever man, just turn my music back up before you leave.”
The garage was huge and looked like a business. It was new and you could tell how new it was by the smooth and absolutely clean cement floors throughout the building. I noticed a wooden staircase that led up to what appeared to be a loft, and I found myself wondering why two people would need this much space. As I glanced around the garage I noticed a few other vehicles; a large currently topless jeep, a small black car that looked expensive, a white extended cab truck and in the back was a car I couldn’t see as it had a cover over it.
I followed Vance through the garage and noticed the back end of the garage was equipped with a ramp that went right into the water to easily disperse a boat or jet skis. Near the exit doors to the ramp were two jet skis that were covered but I could tell by their size they were two-seaters. Next to the jet skis was a large boat that looked like it was built for speed. The bow was open and boasted a U shaped white seating area, enough to sit at least five people comfortably. The rest of the boat was fitted with a few bucket seats and a large bench seat in the back. I could see why he needed a larger dock.
“Get an idea now?” His voice was low and sarcastic, almost as though he could hear my thoughts.
I nodded and turned my attention back towards the garage and looked around briefly.
“What is it?” He asked oddly, like he has been trying to figure out what I was thinking.
“I’m just trying to figure out why you and your brother need so much space…and so many cars and watercrafts.” My voice was low as I spoke, I was talking to myself more than I was talking to him.
He eyed me curiously and I immediately felt like I had crossed a line.
“What if they’re not just for Riley and myself?” His voice was sarcastic again and I flushed. My earlier thoughts of women, wives, and children crept into my mind. I glanced at Vance’s hand and looked briefly for any sign of a ring, there didn’t seem to be any indication of one, no tan line even if he had taken it off before working outside. Maybe they lived with their parents or their relatives. My mind was swimming as I tried to figure out what to say next, I wasn’t good when I was embarrassed, and I wasn’t that good with putting my thoughts into words anyways.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend…I just…I like to get to know my clients, and right now all I know is I’ve met you and your brother, and you have a lot of space and a lot of stuff. I’m just trying to get a grip on things.” I was babbling, I looked away from his intense gaze.
He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Come on, let’s go back to the house.”
He led me away from the boat and the jet skis and back through the garage, never responding to my apology or my questions. He stopped at the door and led me through first and before he closed it behind us he turned the music back up and I could hear Riley yell his appreciation towards him.
We walked silently back towards the house and I felt awkward. Rick would kill me if he knew I was crossing a line with a client and asking questions that didn’t need an answer, especially a client who was also a partner. We reached the porch and Vance opened the door for me, I glanced at him and he smiled again but this time there was kindness laced to it.
I was welcomed by the coolness of the house and I relaxed a little. I glanced around the kitchen and wondered what it looked like before it was updated. Southern houses did not boast kitchens this large and laid out this way unless they were plantations that catered to many people and events. I knew the house was originally a plantation, but it looked like walls had been torn down to open up the kitchen more. I didn’
t hate it, it made sense in an odd way. Vance made his way to the fridge and poured two glasses of tea and handed one to me. I smiled as I sipped on it and continued to glance around the kitchen.
Vance was staring at me yet again as I took everything in and I stopped moving when I noticed his eyes on me again. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?” My voice was small but confident.
“Like what exactly?” He smirked again and his tone was laced in sarcasm.
I sighed, so he was going to be one of those clients, the kind who were cryptic and spoke in wit; I didn’t have time to deal with assholes, “Like you are judging me and my ability to do my job.”
He looked offended then and relaxed a little. “If that’s the vibe you’re getting I do apologize. I was trying to figure you out that’s all.”
I asked, “Tit for Tat then?” Hoping he would at least acknowledge my questions from earlier in the garage.
He rolled his shoulders and shrugged. “I guess you could say that.” He didn’t budge or say anything else, just walked aimlessly around his kitchen island.
I rolled my eyes and looked away from him. “Do you need any more help with the inside? To me it looks like it’s all under control.” I pointed at the beams on the ceiling and then motioned towards the floors.
He smiled a friendlier smile and took a long sip of his tea. “I really just need more help with the outside than anything. Once the landscaping and the dock is done, I’dlike to tackle a few…minor things in the basement but the outside is the most important right now.”
