He cocked an eyebrow and an easy smile formed on his lips. “Guilty. Damn, you are good.”
She laughed. “You’d be surprised at how often that happens.” Standing, she slid the chair back under the table and Craig followed suit. “I have a cancellation for tomorrow morning. I can be at your place at eight in the morning if that works for you.”
“Perfect.” He extended his hand and she accepted it, sending an electric charge up his arm and straight to his heart. He didn’t have to wonder if she felt it, too; her eyes said it all. “I look forward to seeing you in the morning.”
****
Toni closed the door behind Craig and shivered against it, the electric jolt still coursing through her veins. She glanced at the cabinet that held the flowers and smiled. It was as if she’d been sucker punched when she walked out and laid eyes on Craig. He looked hot in his police uniform, but seeing him in a fitted polo shirt and jeans was almost too much.
Picking up the bouquet of lilies, she sniffed them. They smell so good. It had been a long time since a man had given her flowers, and she hadn’t realized how much she missed—but enjoyed—the gesture.
A knock sounded on the conference room door before it swung open.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Peyton and their cousin, Martina, walked in.
“So who was the hunk we just caught leaving?” Martina, also known as MJ, asked.
TJ took another whiff of the flowers and smiled. “That, dear ladies, was Officer Craig Logan.”
“The jerk?” Peyton asked, her mouth twitching to keep from smiling. “So what did he want?”
“He wanted to apologize, and he brought me these.”
“Humph, and you fell for it,” Martina said with disgust. “Why do men always think they can fix things with flowers, or candy? Like that crap really works.”
“Apparently it does,” Peyton replied, smelling the flowers. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t call and tell him off, huh?”
Toni grinned. “Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I overreacted.”
Peyton’s hands flew to her chest. “No! Not you,” she said dramatically, and sat at the head of the table, laughing.
“Whatever.” Toni put the vase down and reopened the blinds. “So what are you guys up to?”
“Actually, we have good news. We won the Luxor Apartment bid.”
“Woo hoo! That’s wonderful. When did you find out?”
“A few minutes ago,” Peyton answered.
“I wonder how long before we start getting the nasty calls from Mr. Jones and his scraggly crew? They insisted that the job was going to be theirs,” Martina said, sitting to the right of Peyton.
“Yeah, I know. I worked my butt off on that proposal, checking and rechecking numbers, hoping our bid would come in low. However, I think what helped were all of the letters of support from past clients. Plus, the one from the Moses, Kahn, and Lewis law firm probably didn’t hurt.”
“And it probably didn’t hurt that Leroy Jones is a joke of a plumber. That job was way out of his league in the first place. I can’t believe he even tried for it,” Toni said, standing near the door.
“You know he’s going to be out for blood,” MJ stated. She stood and pushed the chair back under the table before leaning on the back of it. “Ever since you fired him year before last, Peyton, he’s been popping up all over the place, bad-mouthing and threatening us.”
“I know, and I want you guys to be careful out there. I’ve planned an emergency staff meeting for Monday morning for us to talk about the project, expectations, and Leroy Jones.”
Chapter Two
“Hey, come on in,” Craig said, wiping his hands on the dishtowel he had thrown over his shoulder. “I was making some breakfast. Are you hungry?”
“No, I’m good, but thanks.” Toni placed her bucket of tools near the front door and as she straightened, the man standing before her took her breath away. Hot, virile, and sexy as hell were the words that came to mind when she allowed her eyes to fully check him out. His worn T-shirt barely covered his wide chest and did nothing to hide biceps that were larger than her thighs. Broad shoulders tapered down to flat abs and narrow hips, and mmm mmm mmm, was all she could say at the way his jeans hung low on his hips. With only one button fastened on his pants and no belt, he looked like a man fantasies were made of.
She diverted her eyes when they were tempted to go lower. “Uh, nice place you have here,” she said, walking farther into the space, admiring the size and open floor plan. “Your house is gorgeous. How long have you lived here?”
“About two years.” He sauntered back into the kitchen with a walk that screamed confidence and a hint of cockiness. “Make yourself at home.”
She took her time walking through the house, hoping to get a grip on the wanton thoughts floating through her mind. She couldn’t ever remember being so attracted to a man the way she was to Craig.
This house is huge, she thought, passing a home office, formal dining room, and the family room before waltzing into the kitchen. “Why do you live in such a large house alone?” She paused when she realized what she’d asked. She assumed he wasn’t married, but maybe he was. When he didn’t respond right away, she said, “I’m sorry. If I’m getting too personal, just tell me to mind my own business.”
He poured himself a cup a coffee. “Nah, you’re all right. Want some?” He held up the coffee carafe. “Or how about juice?”
“Now juice sounds good.”
“You got it.” He pulled orange juice out of the refrigerator and poured her a glass. “And to answer your question, I wasn’t planning to live here alone. I was engaged a couple of years ago.”
Toni’s mouth fell open, but nothing came out. She wasn’t sure what question to ask, not knowing whether he broke things off or his ex did. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Her name was Cynthia. She died a few months before we were to marry.”
“Oh, my …” She walked up to the center island; he stood on the other side, facing her. “I’m so sorry.” He shrugged nonchalantly, but Toni could see the pain on his face. She couldn’t imagine such a loss.
“She was raped and killed by a punk-ass gang member a block from our apartment.”
Toni gasped and her hands flew to her chest. He said it with little facial emotion, but the anger she heard behind each word sent chills through her body.
He grabbed his plate, loaded with food, and moved to a small glass table near the bay windows. She followed with her glass of juice and sat across from him.
“I had just inherited this place, and we were doing some remodeling before moving in. My uncle took good care of the house, but we wanted to make it our own. In the meantime, we rented a small apartment about ten miles from here. One night, she had some car trouble,” he explained, clearly choked up. “Instead of calling me, or a tow truck, she decided to walk since she wasn’t far from home.”
Toni didn’t say anything, she just let him talk.
“Don’t worry, he can’t hurt anyone else. My partner and I found the bastard the next morning, and let’s just say I’m sure he’s spending eternity in hell, as he should be.”
Silence filled the room, she drinking her juice and him eating his pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
****
Craig couldn’t believe he’d told her about Cynthia’s murder. Outside of family, he’d never talked about that time in his life. There was something about Toni. It was if he’d known her all his life … a level of comfort he hadn’t felt with other women, and he had been with plenty of other women. The first year after Cynthia’s death, he did everything he could to fill the void. Unfortunately, no other woman could replace what he’d lost.
He finished his breakfast, rinsed his plate, and placed it in the dishwasher. When he glanced back at the table, Toni was still sitting, staring into her empty glass. She hadn’t said two words in the last ten or fifteen minutes. It was as if she’d mentally retreated to another place and he wasn’t there. He walked
back over to her and pried the glass from her grip, setting it away from her.
Craig pulled the chair he’d vacated closer to her before sitting in it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you all of that to make you feel sorry for me, or to make you sad.” He lifted her chin and was caught off guard seeing her teary-eyed. Ah man. He didn’t do good with tears. Although she wasn’t actually crying, the thought that she might made him want to pull her into his arms. He resisted, despite the connection he felt toward her, which he couldn’t explain. There was something about this woman that sparked a fire within him he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you … and to Cynthia,” she said. Standing, she released a noisy sigh.
“It was a long time ago, and I’ve moved on.” As a police officer, he was pretty good at reading people. Usually a person’s subconscious mind can control their breathing, heart rate, and sometimes sweating. With the way Toni was wringing her hands together, looking everywhere but at him, and the constant inhaling and then exhaling slowly, spoke volumes. There was something about his story that she could relate to, but what?
Before he could question her, she grabbed her glass and turned away.
“This is so embarrassing,” she mumbled. “Here I’m supposed to be working, and I’m standing in the middle of your kitchen all choked up.” She placed the glass in the sink and turned to him. “I’d better get to work. Tell me about your plumbing problems.”
He stared at her for a moment, debating on whether or not to ask her what was bothering her, but that stubborn look he recognized from the other day showed on her face. He knew he wouldn’t get any information out of her unless she wanted to share.
“Okay, why don’t I show you around and tell you what’s been happening.”
He gave her a tour of the house, starting in the basement and working their way to the second floor. He told her about the changes he’d made in the house as they walked through it, ending with the story of his recent remodel project and the trouble he was having with the toilets.
They stood in the master bathroom as she took notes. “So you haven’t had any problems with this toilet?”
“Not really. This morning it was gurgling a little, but it didn’t over flow. The main problems have been with the first floor and basement bathroom. I haven’t even checked the other bathroom that’s down the hall.”
Toni nodded. “You said that the plumber you had here the other day snaked the toilets. Did he find or pull out any debris?”
Craig leaned against the doorjamb and rubbed the back of his neck. He had no idea what Leroy had done. He just knew whatever it was, it didn’t work for long. He shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“No problem. I’ll start with that.” She closed her note pad and shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans. “I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to figure out the problem, or fix it, but I’d planned to start today.”
“Cool. Do whatever needs to be done. I have to run out in a few minutes, but I’ll be back later this afternoon. Are you okay staying here by yourself?”
“Yep, no problem. As long as you’re okay with me being here.”
“Yeah, I’m fine with it.” This was the first time he was leaving a woman alone in his house. Actually, he hadn’t even brought a woman to his house, preferring to hang out at their place instead.
****
An hour later, Toni thought she’d figured out the problem. She wasn’t sure what the other plumber had done, but he definitely didn’t snake the toilets. She was able to get the toilet auger a few feet down the pipe, but then it wouldn’t budge. She’d pulled out small chunks of tile and drywall, but that didn’t fix the problem. Something was stuck in the pipes, and if she had to guess, she’d say that when they did the demolition on the second floor, they hadn’t covered up the toilet pipe … which meant that a lot of the debris fell into it.
She shook her head. I hope Craig is ready to spend some money, because this is going to set him back a couple thousand dollars.
She grabbed some tools and headed downstairs to the basement. Maybe she could snake it from the opposite end, to loosen things up. If that didn’t work, she would have to rip out the old pipe and replace it with PVC pipe. The only highlight of that would be spending more time in Craig’s space.
“Urgh, I have to stop thinking about him. He’s a customer, and besides, Peyton would kill me if I got involved with a customer,” she mumbled under her breath as she walked down the stairs. She smiled. “Although … she can’t kill me if she doesn’t know.”
Her cell phone rang when she reached the first floor. A quick look at the screen revealed that it was Peyton. Toni shivered. How does she do that? It never failed, whenever she was thinking or talking about Peyton, she’d either show up or call.
She put the cell phone on speaker. “Hey boss.”
“Hey there. How are things going?”
“All is well,” she said, washing her hands with clean water from one of her buckets she’d filled before turning off the water to the house. Granted, she could’ve just turned off the valves located behind the toilets, but she opted to shut everything down.
Toni went out to her work van for her lunch break while she talked with Peyton.
“Have you figured out the problem?”
“Yep.” As she ate the sandwich that she’d brought from home, she told her cousin about what she’d already done and what she felt the problem was. They talked about different scenarios and next steps before disconnecting the call.
Three days later, Toni was still working at Craig’s house and felt as if she’d known him forever. A job of this size normally didn’t take that long for her to complete, but for the first time, she was glad for the delays. The time spent at Craig’s house gave her an opportunity to get to know him better, and so far, she liked what she knew. Against her better, professional, judgment, she agreed to meet him for a late dinner at a local bar and grill the night before. After sharing stories and many laughs, Toni didn’t want the night to end. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been with a guy who she had so much in common with. Despite being a little tense, Craig was definitely one of the nicest, most attentive men she’d ever met.
Toni mentally shook herself; she had to stop thinking about him. She galloped down the stairs to the basement to gather her tools. This part of the job was coming to an end, but Craig had hinted about having some more work done. Peyton would have her head if she knew Toni had gone out with a customer. Now that the job was almost done, if she decided to go out with Craig again, it wouldn’t be an issue.
Toni double-checked the connection to one of the pipes that had given them trouble, and was satisfied with the way it had turned out. The first day, she and her crew spent most of the time unclogging the pipes, and her theory had been correct. The pipes were loaded with debris and in bad shape. Craig had opted to have them replaced.
“All right, one more thing to do today, and then I can head out,” she mumbled to herself.
She turned the water to the house back on and began gathering her tools. Just as she lifted her tool bucket to carry it back upstairs, she saw movement from the corner of her eye, and froze.
****
Craig unlocked the kitchen door and entered from the garage, juggling several grocery bags in his arms. The moment he stepped across the threshold, he heard a frantic scream.
What the hell? His heart leapt and he dropped the bags on the counter, immediately pulling his 9mm Glock from his ankle holster.
Toni.
Shutting the garage door with his foot, he moved silently through the house, trying to identify where she was. When he heard her high-pitched scream again, he headed toward the basement. Easing down the stairs—gun in hand—he heard her crying, but nothing else. There were several rooms sectioned off in the basement and he moved carefully along the walls, his anxious gaze sweeping the space. She screamed again, this time more hysterically.
“Toni?”
he yelled.
“Craig,” she whimpered. “Help me.”
Alarm knotted in his chest, afraid of what he might find. “Where are you?”
He followed the sound of her sobs, but stopped short when he reached the laundry room’s entrance. Lowering his gun, he took a quick scan of the room before he walked in any further.
“Toni?” he said, shocked to see her standing on top of the clothes dryer. When her frantic gaze met his, his gut twisted at the sight of the anguish covering her face and the tears racing down her checks. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He glanced around the room again.
When he saw the space was clear, he uncocked the gun and shoved it into the back of his waistband. He eased up to the dryer, not sure what had spooked her, and not wanting to traumatize her more. Stretching out his hand, he reached out to her.
“Come on, baby, let me help you down.”
“N-no,” she said, swiping at his hand and backing away.
“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
She pointed to a nearby corner.
“What?” He shrugged. “What is it?”
“A sq-squirrel,” she finally said.
Craig’s eyebrows shot up. “A squirrel?” What the hell? She was standing on top of his dryer crying and screaming because of a damn squirrel? This has to be a first.
Since it didn’t seem as though she was coming down, he walked to where she pointed and moved a few boxes around, not sure what he’d do once he found the little critter. When he saw movement, he pulled out his gun.
“No! Don’t shoot it!”
Unbelievable. She’s scared to death, yet she’s trying to keep him from shooting the damn thing. He shook his head and replaced the gun. For several seconds, he stood in place, watching and listening for movement. Nothing. Enough of this.
He moved back to the dryer and reached for her again, and this time he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He’d deal with the squirrel once he got her down. “Come on. Get down before you hurt yourself.”
“I can’t,” she cried.
Best Woman for the Job (Jenkins Family Series Book 0) Page 2
