§§
"Hey, Nick. Whatcha drinking?" The waitress, a blonde with a curvy body, asked.
Nick scratched his scruff, made a mental note to shave in the morning. "Whatever's on draft is good, Ivy. Bring two, Luke should be here in a minute." He glanced around, waving at some of the guys he knew. He knew mostly everyone here, the bar was older than he was. Although the name and ownership had changed from time to time, most thing stayed the same in the small town of Sanctuary Bay.
Luke walked up to the table at the end of his sentence. "Hey, bro." He sat on the stool across from Nick. "Thanks for meeting me. Work was insane today, and I needed a cold beer to wind down."
Several conversations hummed throughout the sports bar. A baseball game played on the several flat screen TVs hanging on the walls, volume low. Glass cased sports paraphernalia signed by famous athletes decorated the remainder of the sports bar.
"How did the interview go?" Nick asked.
"Great. He's young, early twenties, but fought on the pro circuit. Quit when his girl got knocked up, wanted to be closer to home." Luke told him. "Has a hell of a resume'."
"When does he start?" Nick glanced around.
"Next week. I'm giving him time to get his stuff moved in and for them to settle in. Told him that any time he needed off for the baby, he's got it."
"That's generous." But Nick knew why.
"Yeah, well. Got to support a guy who takes care of his wife and kid."
Ivy brought their drinks and winked at Nick. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Been busy. Working." Nick wondered why her smile didn't affect him anymore. Usually he couldn't resist flirting back, maybe ending up in bed. She noticed his inattention, scowled, and walked off.
"You didn't have to piss off our waitress."
"Shut up, Luke."
Luke grinned over his beer. "You have the hots for Victoria. You've been blinded by those incredible genes. I mean, each of the sisters are gorgeous."
"Just because you're in love with one of them, doesn't mean I am. Or that I will be. She's hot, but she also has twin daughters, and a recently ended marriage. That's baggage I don't want to mess with."
"Don't be stupid. Some women are worth it."
§§
"So when can you start?" Victoria gazed at Nick over the edge of the coffee cup he'd brought her. To prove to herself that she didn't care what he thought, she'd worn simple yoga pants, a long yellow tee, and pulled her hair up in the messiest bun possible. She wasn't dressing up for him. "I'm not trying to be impatient. I just can't wait to see it finished, working from home is a big convenience, but I want to have a professional front for clients."
"Understandable." Nick stood about two feet away and she swore she felt the heat from his body on her skin. "I can start Monday. I drew up a budget for the materials and labor. It'll be a small crew, about five men, working with me. After you approve it, I'll get the materials ordered and gut the place on Monday."
Victoria wanted to jump, like her daughters did when they heard good news, but remembered she held a cup of coffee. "That's awesome." She beamed at him. "How long do you think it will take?"
Nick scanned a piece of paper in his hand. "Two months, if all the materials come in on time. I'll email you the budget."
"Great." She didn't even need the cup of coffee anymore. The news had shot a happy burst of adrenaline through her. "Okay, I've got to go. I have a staging in a condo on the beach."
"Cool. As soon as I have your okay, I'll let you know what time we start Monday."
"I'll review it this afternoon." Victoria smiled again. She couldn't keep it off her face, waving at him as she climbed into her SUV. Everything was falling into place, a little at a time. She'd had moments when she was sure the business would fail, that she'd have to move into her parents' house with the girls, but her hard work and determination had paid off.
On the way to the condo she stopped by a Redbox to grab some movies. Tonight Roger was supposed to pick up the girls for the weekend, but she knew it wouldn't happen. So, they could curl up on the couch with popcorn and chocolate, wine for mom, and enjoy some time together. She needed to spend more time with them, work had definitely cut into family time. They needed her more than ever since their deadbeat dad wasn't around.
Maybe she could invite Addie and Halle over, make it a girls' night. The twins loved it when they spent time with their aunts. It made them feel grown up. She'd ask Halle to bring over some spa stuff she used to sell and they'd do makeovers and have fun.
Victoria felt herself relaxing already. It would be amazing. When she pulled into the driveway of the condo, she sent a quick text to both of her sisters. Hopefully they would be down for it.
Chapter Five
As Victoria expected, Roger bailed on the girls. Thankfully, her sisters showed up after work, Addie carrying wine and chocolate, Halle with spa materials and pizza.
"I'm so glad you texted us." Halle's brown hair fell in a short pixie cut that framed her model face. She wore no makeup when she went to work, she thought it unprofessional to be all dolled up in front of the patients. "Work has been extra crazy. Like a full moon every night of the month. Trevor has had double the amount of patients. Too many old men and women with heart problems."
"I needed it, too. I can't wait for summer. Why did I become a teacher?" Addie set the chocolate and wine on the coffee table in the living room. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and cocked her head to the side. "Where are the girls?"
"Upstairs. Their room was a disaster area. I told them they had to clean it before we watched a movie or played spa."
"Tyrant." Addie grinned. "Tell them to get their butts down here."
"I'll go get them." Halle started for the stairs. "I swear I haven't seen them in months. I miss them. Plus, I want to hear how their tryouts went."
Victoria and Addie watched her go up the stairs, then glanced at each other. "Does it seem a little like something's bothering her?"
Addie nodded. "I wonder what's up. Do you think we can ply her with enough wine so she'll talk about it?"
Victoria smirked. "You know she only has one glass." She grabbed the bags, Addie following her into the kitchen with the pizza. "I know it has something to do with Trevor."
"You two have an uncanny ability to pick complete douches for husbands. That's why I'm staying single forever." She placed slices of pizza on paper plates while Victoria poured three glasses of wine. "Speaking of being down, Helena seems quieter than usual. Do you think she's handling the divorce okay?"
"How does anyone handle a divorce?" Victoria shut her eyes against the pain in her heart. It killed her that she couldn't provide that stability for her daughters. "If our parents had divorced, we'd have been devastated."
"Lucia seems fine." Addie shook her head when Victoria's eyes watered. "Hey, you made the right decision. The girls would've been miserable watching you be miserable. Helena will understand that eventually."
"I hope so. She's been more sensitive to Lucia's comments. Usually she'd give it right back." Victoria took a napkin and wiped her eyes before the girls came down.
"I see this sometimes in my students. Not that it makes me an expert, and I assume it's worse in pre-teens, but she will get used to the idea." Addie placed a wine glass in Victoria's hand. "Forget all of this tonight. Business, divorce. Focus on having a good time with your daughters and sisters. We'll cheer Halle and Helena up, even if it kills us."
Thank God for sisters, Victoria thought. She wouldn't survive without them. They were her rock when the world crumbled, and after the divorce they helped build her back up by taking care of her and the girls.
§§
After eating pizza and watching Helena's sci-fi movie, which Victoria would never admit she liked, they decided it was time for the spa.
Halle beamed, some of the stress falling from her, as she mixed the facial paste and then applied it to Helena and Lucia's faces.
"It's cold!" Lucia laughed
, trying not to flinch while Halle spread it around her cheeks. "It smells good."
"Like cucumbers." Helena closed her eyes when her turn came. She shivered when the paste spread over her skin. "Will it get rid of blackheads?"
"Sure. It makes you glow, too. You're supposed to use it once a week for a while." Halle shot Victoria a quick smile. "We'll do the mani and pedi while the paste hardens."
"It's a good thing you only had one glass of wine." Addie giggled. "Because if they let me paint their nails, it'd look like a toddler did it."
Victoria shook her head and laughed. This night had turned out perfectly. Both Halle and Helena smiled freely, and Victoria's own stress melted away with wine and her family's laughter. Earlier, when Helena found out that Roger wasn't picking them up, she'd looked like someone had slapped her in the face. Helena had made excuses for him, swore he would pick them up next weekend.
But he wouldn't come for them. Victoria knew Roger too well. Before the bitterness could swallow her, she watched her girls whispering and giggling to each other, and took another sip of wine. They were going to be okay. Tonight was for fun, so she pushed Roger out of her mind.
"Will you do this for us the night before the first day of school?" Lucia asked Halle. "I'd love to go to school glowing."
"Sure. You'll have to remind me. You're not even finished with this school year."
"I can't wait 'til next year. Cheerleading is going to be so much fun!" Lucia reached a hand out and held Helena's. "So will math club."
They snuggled on the couch once everyone's nails dried, and watched a chick flick. By the end, they were all wiping tears from their cheeks. Nothing like crying over a romantic ending to bring women together.
All in all, Victoria thought the night was a success. Everyone's stress had disappeared. Nails were painted, skin glowing, laughter flowing. It was exactly what everyone needed.
§§
On Monday morning Victoria met Nick at the office. The relaxation from Friday was long gone, Helena's nasty attitude surfacing Saturday when she'd woken up. Nick waited at the front with a crew of men. She self-consciously excused her way to the door and unlocked it. Nick stood behind her, and even in the humid-soaring morning she felt his body heat.
"Morning." His breath tickled the back of her neck and goose bumps popped up on her skin. He followed her in, carrying a clipboard and the blue prints. His crew unloaded stuff from their trucks and carried it inside. She noticed him watching her intently but Victoria kept her focus on the process. "It will take a day or so to rip out cabinets, floors, walls, whatever needs to be done. Demo's the fun part of the job."
Victoria nodded, tried to understand the fun of that, to let loose and demolish something. Had to be a guy thing. She glanced down, wished she'd worn something other than flip flops. A strange urge to demolish something began to unfurl in her, but her choice of footwear held her back.
Nick grinned at the disappointment in her eyes. "I have an extra pair of boots and coveralls in my truck. You can put them on…demolish that counter you hate so much."
"Really?" Victoria tried to hold back her smile but it was nearly impossible. "You would be okay with that?"
"Sure," Nick smiled. "I'll be right back."
Victoria grinned the entire time he went to get the coveralls and boots, even as she changed, and then waited for the crew to finish setting up. The men moved around her, placing tools along a wall and talking about a baseball game that played last night. Two big guys carried a blue tarp by her.
Nick sauntered over, muscles tightening in his arms when he held up a sledgehammer. "Did your dad ever let you handle one of these?"
"No, but I watched him. Besides, all I have to do is hit the counter, right?" What if she messed this up somehow? Would he laugh at her? What if she missed and hit someone?
"It's simple." Nick's crooked smile erased her nervousness. For some reason, he believed she could do this. He wasn't criticizing her for wanting to do something new, and she had a feeling he wouldn't say anything about how she swung the hammer either.
With a deep breath she took the sledgehammer from him, arms dropping from the weight. She hefted it up and Nick moved back a few steps. She closed her eyes and imagined Roger's face, his voice when he callously stood their daughters up. It took nothing to let the hammer fall and it smashed into the surface. Debris scattered through the air and when Victoria opened her eyes she saw that she'd made a softball size hole in the center. The men behind her cheered and it goaded her into hitting the counter again.
Tension eased from her shoulders, which she knew would be sore tomorrow. She hit again and again, releasing the bitterness from every fiber of her body. In all her life it was the most violent thing she'd ever done but it helped. When she finished, most of the middle had caved in. Sweat poured down her back and soaked the front of her shirt. She'd probably have to run home and shower.
Nick winked at her. "Feel better?"
"Definitely. Tomorrow my arms and back won't, but for now I feel great." Victoria set the sledgehammer down, stick up, and sighed. "Thanks, I'll get out of your way now. I need to do some work so I can finish paying you."
"Yeah, okay." Nick nodded to the back. "Just leave my coveralls and boots in there and I'll get them later."
Victoria listened to him giving his crew directions. He spoke low and calm, and every few words she heard the sound of a smile in his tone. He laughed with his crew when they said something, and her mind stuttered. She could get used to that laugh. She sighed, decided to ignore that crazy thought, and carefully laid his coveralls over a metal chair and set the boots beside it.
She waved to the men and Nick, skillfully darting out the door so that she wouldn't have to talk to him. She'd never been known for a poker face and didn't want him to see the interest she was sure was written all over it.
Chapter Six
Nick couldn't shake the thought of Victoria from his mind all day. No matter what he did, working, eating, glancing at the now-demolished receptionist counter, her face popped into his mind. She was an enigma to him, a new species of woman that he never really dealt with. An independent, confident woman who looked cute as hell in his overalls and work boots. She'd beamed the entire time she'd used the sledgehammer and he'd barely thought straight since.
The guys were beginning to notice his distraction. A few of them shot him knowing looks, like they knew something he didn't. Instead of snapping at them like he wanted, he focused on physical work. He hauled the debris out to the dumpster he'd had delivered to the parking lot, stomped back in, and hauled more out. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to punch something. Nothing had happened between the two of them, it wasn't like she was trying to lock him into a relationship. So why did he feel threatened?
That his crew noticed him reacting this way irritated him more. He grumbled and cussed under his breath and they kept out of his way. When the day was over, Nick headed to Luke's gym. He'd rarely gone in the past month, busy with work, but he really needed to release his frustration. Normally he would've called Ivy over and they'd work it out a different way, but that didn't appeal to him right now.
Luke held a punching bag still for a young teen in sweats. The lanky boy hardly had any muscle, but Nick knew Luke would change that. Luke believed in building up the body and the confidence of his protégés.
"Hey." Luke called out. "What are you doing here?"
Several customers used the weight machines and cardio equipment he had set up off to the right of the ring. In the middle, a large square ring was surrounded punching bags that hung every few feet. They waved or called out a greeting to Nick as he walked toward his brother.
Luke arched a brow at the look on Nick's face. "Bad day? Why don't you call Ivy?"
Nick flipped him off, ignored the curious look from the young boy, and headed to the lockers in the back. He grabbed his gym clothes and changed quickly. The gym reminded him of the one he and Luke had frequented as kids. It wasn't the same one, but th
e sweat, the rubber, the testosterone filling the air made it feel like home. They'd made some damn hard decisions during their MMA training as teenagers. Some he regretted, some he didn't.
He taped his hands, watching the people working out, sparring, or cross fit training. Luke had instructed the kid to lift weights with another trainer and crossed the floor to Nick.
"We haven't sparred in a while. Want to get in the ring?" Luke assessed Nick. "You've kept most of your muscle mass in the last month, probably due to your job."
Nick shook his head. "Maybe Friday. I have to work all week."
"Want to impress your new girlfriend? Don't want to look like a wimp on the job, not with the bruises I'd leave on you."
"Right." Nick grinned. "I always kicked your ass."
Luke clapped him on the shoulder. "That's not how I remember it." He pointed toward the now empty punching bag. "That's the only one open for now. After work is one of our busiest times, you know that. Hit that for a little while, see if you can work your sexual frustration off since you won't call Ivy. God, you've got it bad."
Nick clenched his jaw against the string of curse words he wanted to sling at his brother. He claimed the punching bag, starting off with short but strong jabs to burn off the edge of the frustration. He didn't have it bad. He didn't even have it, whatever it was, a little. Victoria had a hot body, but was a mother recently out of a divorce. He didn't want to step into that mess. She wasn't going to just roll around in the bed to satisfy an itch and then wave him out the door. She'd want to make him breakfast, talk about his day, ask him to fix stuff around the house. Things a man would do for the woman his woman.
The jabs got sharper, the bag rocking. The thought made his chest tight. She had pre-teen daughters. He didn't know what to do with kids. Hadn't spent time around any, other than some of the kids at the gym, and he just taught them stuff he already knew. He sure as hell didn't know how to raise a kid.
Crossing the Line Part One (A Novella) Page 3
