“I know. I saw.” He waited until she looked at him, then smiled. “And I know you don’t want to hear this now, but spiders aren’t all that bad. They eat the other bugs, so actually they’re kind of good.”
Yep. He was right. She didn’t want to hear that. “I’ll take your word for it, thanks.”
They stayed there a while. A minute? An hour? She didn’t know. Time lost meaning when you were terrified. Eventually, though, her pulse slowed and her stomach settled. Jack finished up in the bedroom and returned downstairs. During the mayhem, she’d forgotten all about Alex’s injury, but now as he shifted his weight and rubbed his left leg, it was obvious it was bothering him. She started to get up. “Thanks again for helping me. Why don’t you sit?”
“I’m fine. It’s fine.” He kept his gaze lowered. “Just been awhile since I rescued anyone.”
Mandy snorted. “If it’s any consolation, it was very manly of you.”
“Yeah?” Alex chuckled. “That’s what I’m going for these days. Manly.”
The deep timbre of his voice sent a fresh rush of awareness through her. And whoa Nelly! All those naughty thoughts about his butt and his lips came rushing back before she could stop them. Not good. Not at all. He was being all heroic and she was back to lusting over his bod. For all she knew, he had a significant other. Something else they’d never discussed. For lack of anything better to talk about, she went there—in a roundabout way. “Well, I bet your girlfriend appreciates you handling the bugs.”
His small smile dissolved into a frown again. “No girlfriend.”
Her insides fluttered at that news. It was none of her business, really. She should respect his privacy, the way he was respecting hers by not asking about her love life in return. Or maybe he just didn’t care. That seemed more likely.
Taut quiet stretched between them again. Finally Alex started down the stairs, stopping partway to look back at her. “Jack can handle things up here. Why don’t you start moving some of the boxes from my storage pod inside, if you want?”
“Uh, sure. Okay.” Mandy stared at his retreating back, feeling even more off-kilter.
Jack came out of the bedroom and stopped beside her. “Sorry again. Arachnophobia’s no joke.”
“I’m sorry I was such a wimp about it.” She walked beside him back down to the first floor. “So, you and Alex are still friends after all these years. That’s cool.”
“Yep. We went to the same college. Even worked together at the IRS. I’m still there, but Alex is off on permanent disability now though, so…” Jack set the spray can aside and undid the scarlet bandanna from around his head to wipe his face with it. “Anyway, Mark and I try to keep an eye on him.”
“Why?” Her curiosity soared again along with her shock. Alex was on permanent disability? His injury must’ve been worse than she’d thought. Especially if his friends had to watch out for him. “Is he that bad off?”
Jack hesitated. “Oh, well. I mean he’s not a danger to himself or anything. But things haven’t been easy for him, since he and his dad—”
“Maybe you can check the room upstairs again and make sure nothing’s still moving?” Alex asked from the hall, giving Jack a pointed look.
“Sure thing.” Jack stuffed the bandanna into his pocket, his cheeks reddening. He backed out of the foyer, sidling past Alex as if tiptoeing through a minefield. “Mandy and I were just catching up on stuff.”
With that, he charged back to the second floor, taking the stairs two at a time.
Alex turned back to Mandy, and she rocked onto the heels of her sneakers, feeling oddly guilty. It wasn’t like they’d been gossiping or anything. She just wanted to know more about him, since they’d be living under the same roof and all for a while. They stood there alone in the foyer, nothing but the sounds from the street outside filling the empty space around them until finally Mandy remembered something from the day before during their meeting with the attorney. “Mr. Pickett mentioned the Newsom brothers designed this place?”
“Yeah.” Alex’s brow wrinkled. “So?”
“Tell me about them.”
He snorted. “You want to hear about Samuel and Joseph Cather Newsom?”
“Yes.” She slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Heck, at this point she’d listen to him recite his grocery list if it meant avoiding another argument with him. “I love learning new things. Plus, it will help me forget those nasty spiders crawling everywhere.”
He glanced out the front windows then sighed, his broad shoulders slumping. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but only if you help me move the boxes from outside.”
“Deal.” She followed him out to the semi-trailer-sized pod and grabbed a couple of boxes. Alex did the same, then they headed back into the house. All the while, he answered her question. “The Newsom brothers studied architecture on the East Coast, then moved to California, where they designed many of the great Victorian homes in San Francisco.”
“Interesting.” Her boxes were marked “Living Room,” so she carried them in and set them near the wall. “And you know all this how?”
They made another trip to the storage pod and, with each step, the tension between them seemed to dissipate a little more.
“My major in college was architecture, before I switched to finance my sophomore year,” Alex said, loading her up with a few smaller boxes before grabbing several larger ones himself. “I stopped at the library in town before coming here this morning and checked out the original blueprints of the house, and from what I can tell, the design’s based on the Carson Mansion in Eureka, California. That’s why it’s listed on the National Registry. Seems a bit odd to have it here in Heavenly Falls, but I love its uniqueness and think it should be treasured.”
Mandy didn’t miss that slight dig toward her for wanting to sell, but she chose to ignore it in favor of keeping their newfound accord. “Does that mean we have to keep that in mind during the renovations?”
“Maybe. I’ve got a call in to the registry to find out.” He glanced back at her. “I’ll let you know what they say. The fact it’s listed will affect the market price, though.” Alex put his boxes down and then wiped his hands on his jeans. “We can discuss that when I buy you out. She deserves owners who’ll appreciate her as they should.”
She? Her? Mandy had heard of people referring to boats as women, but houses? Alex bent to move a stack of boxes around, close enough for her glimpse the tiny scar near his right eyebrow. He’d gotten it playing touch football in the backyard after Thanksgiving.
Her chest fluttered with nostalgia again. That year had been the best. For once, she’d felt part of an actual family. Of course, it had disappeared the following summer when Mom had filed for divorce from Alex’s father and moved them into an apartment in Schaumburg.
Unexpected tears prickled in her eyes before she blinked hard, looking around to distract herself from the yearning to belong clawing inside her. “I remember this house now, from when I was a kid. I think there were rumors it was haunted.”
“Yeah, I think I heard that, too.” He watched her for a moment before turning away again. “That’s enough stuff for now. I’ll have Jack help me with the bed and bigger stuff later. Maybe you can clean the master suite down here, since Jack’s working upstairs?”
“Absolutely,” she said as he backed toward the hallway, relieved to have some time and space to herself to clear her head. “Whatever you want.”
Mandy grabbed fresh supplies, then went to the other end of the house. The ceiling and the walls in here had already been done, and even she had to admit that with the grime gone, the house was pretty cool. There was an art nouveau vibe to the ornamentation and even a chandelier over the bed.
Fancy, fancy.…
She laughed to herself and popped her earbuds back in, switching up her tunes to her favorite 80s pop songs. By the time the bedroom was done, her
muscles ached and her heart was at ease. At least until she swiveled to find Alex leaning against the doorframe. She popped out her earbuds and straightened. “What do you think?”
“Looks good.”
His gaze never left hers, and for a crazy second Mandy couldn’t tell if he was talking about the room or her. Which was stupid, because of course he was talking about the room. He’d made it abundantly clear he had no interest in her that way, both in the past and the present. She forced a small smile. “Thanks.”
“Hungry?” he asked, pushing off from the wall. “It’s after six now.”
“Oh, did Jack help you bring in the rest of your stuff already? What about the bed?”
“I’ve got an air mattress I’ll use tonight. We’ll move the heavy stuff in tomorrow. Besides, I need to put the bed frame together first.”
“Hey, guys,” Jack said, poking his head into the room. “I’m taking off for the night. Lex, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved to Mandy. “No more spiders this time. Promise.”
“Thanks,” she said, waving back.
Alex walked his friend to the door then returned to the bedroom. “So, food?”
Her stomach growled loudly. “Yes, please.”
“Okay. Let’s order something in. My treat. There’s an awesome Chinese place a couple blocks over. Or pizza or subs. Whatever you want. We’ll christen the newly cleaned kitchen right.”
“Chinese is good.”
“Great.” He pulled up a menu on his phone then handed it to her. “Order what you want.”
She did, then handed the phone back to him to make his selections. “I’m going to go wash up. Be right back.”
…
Forty-five minutes later, Alex eyed Mandy from across the kitchen table, trying to decide if she was bluffing. He hadn’t played poker since college, and his skills were a bit rusty. Not to mention his ability to read people these days was wonky. Ever since the shooting, he hadn’t been able to trust his instincts. They’d failed him that day, what’s to say it wouldn’t happen again.
She tapped a finger against her full bottom lip. “I’ll see your bet and raise you a nickel.”
A knock at the front door kept Alex from making a bad gamble.
“Food’s here.” He laid his cards facedown on the table then stood and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Be right back.”
“Make sure they gave us extra soy sauce,” she said from behind him. He glanced back at her, his gaze dropping to the sun on the front of her shirt, smiling at him from atop her breasts. He quickly looked away again, warmth flooding his system.
“Already asked for it when I ordered,” Alex called back as he reached the foyer, his words stumbling slightly. He cleared his throat then faced the delivery guy, paying him fast then grabbing the paper bags from his hands before shutting the door.
By the time he got back to the kitchen, Mandy had cleared away their card game.
He started pulling out their food and setting it in the middle of the table, including two bottles of soda. “They gave us plastic silverware and chopsticks, too.”
“Great.” Mandy tried to move past him at the same moment he turned to toss the empty bag on the counter, and they collided. Without thinking, he grabbed her shoulder to steady her, and a tingling rush of awareness zipped through his bloodstream, hot and bright and dangerous. Alex pulled away as if burned. “Sorry.”
“No, no.” Mandy backed up several steps, looking anywhere but at him. “My fault.”
Alex slumped into his chair and busied himself by mixing his rice into his kung pao chicken, his fingertips still abuzz from their brief, unexpected contact.
Mandy took the chair across from him and picked up a packet of chopsticks with one hand and her carton of shrimp lo mien with the other. “Guess I’m still in your way. Just like when we were kids. Hopefully it won’t be a problem, though, once we both get moved in. I plan to take a room on the second floor, to give us each some space and, you know…”
“You’re not in my way,” Alex said, hiding his wince at the lie. No, that wasn’t true. Until they settled the estate and he bought her out, she was most definitely in his way. And unfortunately, he did know. Things were difficult enough with people treating him differently since the shooting, thinking he was weak because he walked with a limp. The last thing he needed was more pity, especially from Mandy. “And stay where you want. I don’t care.”
She looked up at him, a flash of hurt in her blue eyes, and damn if he didn’t feel like he’d just kicked a puppy or something. Okay. Fine. Maybe that had come out harsher than he’d intended, but he just wished the awkwardness between them would go away already. It was going to be weird enough living under the same roof again after all these years. They didn’t need to be walking on eggshells around each other, too.
They ate in silence for a while, until Mandy asked, “So, what’s fun to do around Heavenly Falls these days?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Alex kept his head down as he chewed. “I don’t get out much.”
The weight of her stare burned a hole through him, and he finally hazarded a glance up. “What?”
“Jack mentioned earlier that you’re on permanent disability—”
“Jack says too much.” Alex scowled down at his plate again. “It’s not my leg. I get anxiety attacks.”
“Oh.” She went back to eating. He expected her to give him some BS platitudes about getting out more and getting over it, like his dad had after the shooting, but Mandy surprised him again. When she responded, her tone sounded matter-of-fact instead of the usual faux consolation he got from some people. “I played a part in college where my character was disabled and never left her apartment. I did a lot of research on the subject of accessibility and ableism.”
“Lucky me,” Alex said around a mouthful of food.
“Hey, I’m just trying to understand, that’s all.” She shoved her fork into her mouth, a drop of soy sauce clinging to the corner of her lips. He did his best to ignore it, but damn. All he could picture now was licking it off with his tongue, and where the hell had that come from? This was Mandy, his ex- kid sister, not a woman he wanted that way.
Besides, he was done with love, done with romance. After his ex-fiancée couldn’t handle his PTSD following the shooting, he vowed never to open himself up to that kind of pain again. “Just don’t, okay? It’s better if we each just keep to ourselves for the duration of this…” He gestured between them. “Whatever this is, then go our separate ways.”
Several seconds passed as they stared at each other across the table.
“If you say so,” Mandy said at last, sounding entirely unconvinced.
“I do,” he grumbled, stabbing another hunk of spicy chicken with more force than necessary. “Look, I’m not the same guy I used to be. He’s gone and he’s not coming back.”
“Is that a challenge?” Mandy raised a brow at him, and for some crazy reason her determined expression sent a rush of testosterone whooshing through him like an Olympic bobsled team. He swallowed hard. “Because you know I can’t resist a challenge.”
Gah. He should’ve left well enough alone, but he couldn’t. Not where she was concerned. If he didn’t know better, he’d say he enjoyed their banter, but that was impossible. He didn’t want to want Mandy that way. Didn’t want to open himself up again and make himself vulnerable. Didn’t want any of those strange complications in his already screwed-up life. He needed to put a quick kibosh on this, right now, before it went any further. “Not a challenge. A warning. Don’t go poking into dark corners. Remember what happened with the spiders upstairs?”
She blinked at him, the color draining from her cheeks. It was a low blow, he knew that, but dammit. She needed to stop trying to psychoanalyze him and his situation. He’d gotten more than enough of that in the hospital. Besides, he wasn’t hers to fix. He was probably be
yond fixing, anyway, at this point. He just wanted to be left alone. He had too much at stake here—the house, his future—to risk it all by opening up to a woman who’d be gone soon anyway.
They watched each other, the air between them sizzling with daring, anger, something more.
“Fine. But don’t think your rejection hurts. Believe me, I’m used to it from you by now.”
He scrunched his nose, taking that in. I rejected her? When?
Thirteen years was a long time ago. They’d seen each other only when he’d been home on breaks from Northwestern. Mandy had still been in high school, and she’d had a major crush on him. Alex had tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away. He couldn’t remember any instances when he’d turned her down, except for that one time when she’d asked him to some dance at her school—homecoming, maybe—but…
Nah. That couldn’t be what she was talking about, could it?
He’d forgotten all about it until now, but the look she was giving him said she hadn’t.
Well, crap. He didn’t like the idea that he’d hurt her, but what was he supposed to say now, all these years later? He stirred around the pile of fried rice, avoiding her gaze.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said at last, meaning he should definitely worry about it.
“You’re right. We should keep to ourselves. None of this will matter anyway when I go to Hollywood.”
He nodded, expecting to feel better about that than he did. He moved on to safer topics, ignoring the tightness in his chest. “So, you want to get into movies, then?”
“Yep. I’ve got several contacts from school in the business now. I’m hoping one of them comes through.” She devoured another few bites of noodles and shrimp. “A girl I graduated with from Chicago University just landed a major role in the new Super-Twins franchise.”
“Wow.” Comic book heroes were really not his thing. His taste in movies ran more to the classic 80s stuff—John Hughes, Ridley Scott, Spielberg. “What about local theater? Heavenly Falls has an improv group that meets once a month, I think. My friend Mark used to be in one for a while. Maybe he could tell you about it.”
Worth the Wait Page 4
