Hammer, Nails, and Happily Ever After?

by Mitzi Kelly

  Actually, that was only partly true. There were days she was so lost that the pain of losing her parents made her want to scream. However, if she dwelled on what had so suddenly been taken from her, she would not be able to get up in the mornings. Her parents would want her to keep moving forward, to find happiness and security and love. She was working hard on the happiness and security thing, but finding love was not on her “list of things to do” at the moment.

  “So tell me about your childhood,” she said, hoping to lighten the conversation. “What secret talents do you have?”

  He leaned back in his chair and stretched his jean-clad legs out in front of him, a wicked grin on his face. “Well, I hate to brag—”

  “Then don’t!” She found it hard to hide her amusement. He was so…cute, sitting there in his faded Dallas Cowboys T-shirt, an innocent, little-boy expression plastered across his face. She had a strong feeling, though, Greg Tucker was anything but innocent.

  He laughed. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything too interesting to tell you. I wish I could say my childhood was as idyllic as yours was, but the truth is it wasn’t. In fact, I barely remember it. Let’s see, you already know I am the youngest of three brothers. My mother ran off with someone else when I was seven.”

  A startled gasp escaped her lips, but he continued with the same emotion he would have used to discuss the weather.

  “We did okay for a while. My father kept thinking she would come back home, so he continued to work hard and tried to keep things as normal around the home front as he could. But when the weeks turned into months and the months into a year, my dad sort of gave up. He started drinking. Just a little at first, then more and more.

  “We recognize now it was depression, but at the time it felt like Dad was also giving up on the family. I hate to think what would have happened to all of us if it hadn’t been for Justin. I remember him pushing us out of bed in the mornings to make sure we got to school on time because our father was usually passed out on the sofa. Man, you should have seen the school lunches Justin made.” He grinned. “Squished peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baggies full of chips and those baby carrots everybody but us loved. What made it so hard was we all went to the same school, and he made sure we didn’t toss out our lunch. To this day I can’t eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

  He fell silent, and she didn’t dare break into his reverie. He spoke matter-of-factly without displaying any of the anger or hurt he had to have felt at first his mother’s and then his father’s betrayal. Her eyes were stinging, and her heart broke for the lost little boys, but she doubted Greg would appreciate any sign of sympathy or pity.

  So much for lightening the mood. She got up from the table and grabbed two cans of beer from the fridge and then placed one in front of him. The coffee could wait. “Wow, your childhood really sucked.”

  He narrowed his eyes and tilted his beer can toward her. “It could have been worse, you know. At least I know how to bake cupcakes.”

  “Well, there is that,” she conceded. “So what happened to your father? Did your mother ever come back?”

  “My mother—and I use the term loosely—never returned. We got birthday and Christmas cards with some money in them for a few years, with never a return address, of course, and then nothing. Justin stayed on our butts, forcing us to do our best in school and teaching us how to do household chores. Dad was a project manager for a large construction firm—we have that in common, by the way—and Justin pestered the hell out of him to go to work every day. And every afternoon, Dad came home, planted his rear in front of the TV, and drank.

  “Finally, little by little, Dad pulled himself out of it. He taught us how to do construction work, and when we were old enough, we began working with him. He insisted we start going to church as a family, and that’s where Dad met Mary, my stepmother. She is the best thing that happened to all of us. We became a complete family again.”

  Ginger shook her head slowly. “That’s an amazing story. You all must be very proud of what you’ve accomplished, and proud of your father for turning himself around.”

  Greg shrugged. “We are, but we’re mostly proud of Justin. I speak for Steve when I say we because he and I have often talked about this. I can’t imagine what would have happened to Dad, or Steve and I, if Justin had not been such a mother hen. He still is, to some extent. He believes he always knows what is best for us, and he isn’t afraid to voice his opinions. It gets old sometimes, but I guess it’s a habit he will never be able to break. We tolerate it pretty well. Justin carried the weight of the whole family on his shoulders for several years, and we owe him a debt of gratitude we’ll never be able to repay.”

  Admiration and respect for his older brother were evident in Greg’s voice. The Tuckers were not typical, everyday men. They had struggled emotionally and physically and come out on top, now running one of the most successful construction companies in the city. Obviously, there was an unbreakable bond between the brothers, and she had a feeling the unsuspecting fool who hurt one of them would live to regret it.

  Greg started chuckling. “I have just told you more about my life than I’ve ever told anybody before.”

  She smiled. “It must be the beer.” She felt honored he had shared such a private part of himself with her, but it also frightened her. She didn’t want to feel close to him, she didn’t want to care, and yet she could feel herself being drawn to his strength and his compassion.

  She was not naive, though. Every time her mind started to trick her into believing that here was a man who was different, one who had integrity and who was truly the real deal, she needed to remind herself she’d been wrong before…and often.

  Still, it was a shame she wouldn’t be able to test Greg with her List of Mandatory Traits because he already failed big time on number one.

  He was her boss.

  Chapter Five

  “I’m glad you told me your story, Greg. Knowing what you’ve been through is going to give me strength during the times I turn into a whiny baby and start feeling sorry for myself.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You may be a lot of things, but from what I’ve seen, being a whiny baby isn’t one of them.”

  Heat crept up her neck. He didn’t know about the weeks after her parents’ funeral when she had floundered, not knowing what she was going to do. Their deaths had happened so fast, and she had no idea she was so ill prepared to be on her own. All of that was in the past, though. She had a goal now, and she was moving forward.

  He took a sip of his beer and looked at her. “So what did you leave behind in California? An apartment? A house? A boyfriend?” His tone was casual, and he kept his expression bland, but she sensed a hidden question he was not asking. Did he wonder if she would pack up and move back to California if the house became too much for her?

  Fat chance of that happening.

  “I don’t have a dark, sinister past if that’s what you’re wondering. I do have a house, however. My parents’ house. A neighbor is watching over it until I decide what to do with it.”

  Jack rose from the corner of the room and stretched out first one leg and then the other before sauntering over to Ginger’s side. He plopped his big head in her lap and looked up at her. She was definitely a sucker for those big brown eyes. She ran her hand lovingly over his head. “Need to go outside to make a pit stop?” Jack’s tail started wagging, and she laughed. She pushed away from the table and walked to the back door, Jack almost knocking her down in his haste to get to the yard.

  “I think you’ve made a friend for life,” Greg said. “By the way, I’ve searched my neighborhood for signs announcing a lost dog, but there haven’t been any.”

  She raised her chin. “If nobody has reported a lost dog by now, then they’re not going to. I am officially declaring that Jack is mine. I’m already so attached to him it’s scary.”

  “It looks like the feeling’s mutual. Do you make a habit of bringing home stray animals?”
>
  She stood at the back door, looking out at shapes barely discernible in the darkness. “No, even though I wish I could help every lost and hungry animal, Jack is the first one I’ve ever brought home. There was just something about him…I don’t know.” She looked over her shoulder at Greg with a smile. “Maybe I was so happy I had just landed a job that I wanted to share my good luck.”

  She hoped her luck would continue because she felt more at peace in this house with her new dog and her new job than she had in a long time. In addition, if a friendship was developing with one of her bosses, that would be okay, too. She had everything in perspective, and nothing on her list of requirements stated it would be unwise to have friends.

  ****

  As Greg backed out of Ginger’s driveway, his glance fell on the passenger seat. He groaned and then gave a sigh of defeat. Reaching over, he opened the baggie full of chocolate chip cookies and stuffed one in his mouth. He had a weakness when it came to cookies. As a thank you for the pizza and beer, she had presented him with her version of dessert as he was leaving. “I may not be able to bake,” she had said with an impish smile, “but I am a first-class shopper when it comes to buying the best cookies.”

  She might have stumbled learning kitchen duty, but he had a feeling if cooking and baking would have interested her, she would have excelled at it.

  Funny how similar their backgrounds were. They had both grown up learning construction, so he wouldn’t impress her with the manly-man task of swinging a hammer, but she would certainly appreciate having the benefit of the doubt that she could perform the same feat.

  He chewed thoughtfully as he pointed his truck toward home. His gut instinct had told him to drop by Ginger’s house this evening unannounced, and it had paid off. Gone was the tension that had besieged them all day. She had made it clear she did not intend to discuss the condition of her home with him, but he had to find a way to let her know he was not judging her. Quite the opposite, in fact. He admired her courage and tenacity in dealing with that situation by herself. However, it wasn’t in him to pretend her problems did not exist.

  Despite her scowl on finding him on her doorstep, she had not been surprised. He took that as a good sign she had gotten over most of her anger. She had looked so cute standing there in a white, big-man’s shirt covered with old, multi-colored paint splatters and fresh sheetrock mud, red sneakers, and gray sweatpants, and he appreciated that she hadn’t shown any embarrassment at the way she was dressed.

  An involuntary laugh escaped his lips. It went without saying Ginger was a strong, confidant woman. An enigma—so different from the humans sporting the XX chromosomes he was familiar with. That must be the explanation for this strange attraction he was feeling.

  Not the sort of attraction as in love at first sight, or that underlying tingling that presented itself when two people decided there was something brewing between them that might be worth following up on. Good Lord, no, he shuddered. He would never again succumb to that kind of attraction.

  It wasn’t worth it.

  What he was feeling was more like what an astronomer might feel when discovering a new extraterrestrial object. A curiosity. Something to be explored and identified so there would be proof this strange object truly existed. Not that he thought for one minute Ginger would appreciate being compared to an unidentified object, but in his experience with women, she really was unique.

  He did want her to know he was sincerely concerned about the monumental task she had in repairing her home. The purposeful destruction was sickening. And it was also important that she understood nothing was wrong with them becoming friends, despite Justin’s earlier outburst. She had gotten the job at Tucker Construction based on her qualifications, and she would keep her job because she was very good at it. She had already shown a remarkable aptitude in managing the office responsibilities.

  He hoped the pizza, beer, and conversation they shared tonight had gone a long way to accomplishing what he set out to do.

  He popped another cookie in his mouth and turned right to merge onto the freeway. She had neatly avoided the issue about a boyfriend back in California, but she hadn’t been evasive about it. She probably figured it was none of his business, and she was right. But for some reason, it bothered him that there might be somebody back home waiting for her. And the thought that she had a house she could return to anytime she wanted did not make him feel any better.

  Not that he had any claims on her—or even wanted to, for that matter. He was just curious.

  The relationship she was developing with Jack was heartwarming. That dog already worshiped her. He recalled how his gut had tightened when she knelt to give Jack a hug.

  It probably wasn’t natural to be jealous of a dog. Probably…

  He let out a deep breath and stuck his hand in the baggie. Empty? How had that happened?

  ****

  The next few days passed quickly. Becky had been extremely helpful in training Ginger as her replacement. It was already Thursday afternoon, and they had just turned off the computer, ready to stop for the day, when Justin’s voice came over the intercom. “Ginger, can I see you a minute, please?”

  “Don’t worry,” Becky said when Ginger raised her eyebrows. “He probably wants to tell you what a great job you’re doing. I have been singing your praises. I’m going to go ahead and scoot out of here, though, before the phone rings again. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She waved and gave Ginger an encouraging smile.

  Ginger smoothed her hair and made her way to Justin’s office. She knocked lightly on the door before entering. “You wanted to see me?”

  Justin looked up from the paperwork on his desk. “Yes, have a seat.”

  She sat in the chair he indicated and watched as he got up from his desk and walked to the doorway, peering down the hall. “Has Becky left yet?”

  “Yes, she had some things to take care of after work today.”

  The leather chair squeaked slightly as he sat back down. “Tomorrow is her last day here, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Is there something you need me to do for you?”

  “Actually, there is.” His eyes lit up with mischief. She recognized that look, having seen it on Greg’s face when he was having fun. “We’re planning a small surprise going-away party for Becky tomorrow. Do you think you could convince her to go to the restaurant next door for an early dinner?”

  She smiled. “What a thoughtful gesture. I’m sure I can get her to the restaurant.”

  “One thing you’ll soon learn is we’re all like family here. Becky is going to be missed, but we are very happy for her. And, thanks to you, the office will continue to run as smoothly as it always has. I must say you’ve really impressed me with how fast you’ve picked up on our procedures.”

  “Thank you. I’m really enjoying the work and the people I’ve met so far.”

  He nodded. “That’s good to hear. Now the party is going to be out on the patio. Don’t let Becky order anything to eat. Just stall if you have to. We’ll plan on getting there around four p.m., so try to get her there before then.”

  She grinned and rose from her chair. “No problem. It’s going to be fun.” She loved this part of office affinity. Working with the same people over a period of time created a family-like bond. Even though she would never again let the people she worked with know intimate details about her life, she could still appreciate the sentimentality of saying goodbye to a beloved co-worker.

  Would she and Greg have that same kind of working relationship? She could not deny every time the office door swung open, her heartbeat sped up a little. A voice inside her had begun to pop up with a warning she might be more interested in him than was wise, but so far she had been able to silence that voice. She was not going to ignore the blessing of a good friendship. Besides, she was smarter and wiser now. No way would she make the mistake of getting involved with someone she worked with.

  The next day was almost manic. Becky
answered many phone calls from vendors and clients wanting to say goodbye while simultaneously going over last-minute details with Ginger. Justin stayed in his office most of the day, and Greg had once again been out on jobsites. It was suddenly three thirty. Becky was on the phone again, and several folders still lay open on the desk.

  Ginger bit her lip. Getting Becky out of the office might be more difficult than she had thought.

  By the time Becky finally hung up the phone from the latest well-wisher, Ginger was standing beside the desk. “It’s obvious we aren’t going to finish going through the last of these folders here at the office. Since we skipped lunch, I’m going to take you next door and buy you a meal as a thank you for all your help these last few days, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Becky rolled her head from side to side, a tired sigh escaping her lips. “Actually, that’s a great idea. I’m not even going to make you twist my arm. Let me go tell Justin we’ll be back in a little while.”

  It only took five minutes to walk next door. Ginger requested a table out on the patio at the popular restaurant, and soon they were sipping Chardonnay and talking about Becky’s plans for the future. “I’ll probably never find a place I love to work for as much as I do here,” she explained, her voice turning emotional. “The Tuckers are amazing men and incredible employers. But we can’t have everything we want, can we?” Becky’s chuckle was tinged with sadness. “At least I’ll be close to my mother, and that’s very important to me.”

  Becky’s elderly mother was beginning to develop health issues, and since Becky’s younger brother was in the navy and her sister was married with three young kids and living out of state, Becky felt it was her duty—and her pleasure, she was quick to add—to return to Florida where she could look after her mother.

  Becky leaned close to Ginger. “My motives aren’t completely altruistic, though,” she said conspiratorially. “After I decided to go back home, I found out my high school sweetheart has recently divorced. If I didn’t believe in fate before, I certainly do now!”