Читать книгу The Firefighter's Appeal - Elizabeth Otto - Страница 12
ОглавлениеLILY SAT IN her SUV in the Throwing Aces parking lot for a good twenty minutes, tapping the steering wheel with a fingernail. It was a balmy Saturday evening and more people wandered in the front door than out, making her groan at how packed the place was likely to be. Her nerves refused to settle; the hardness at the corners of her mouth refused to soften. This was a job, a job their company desperately needed. If she blew it with a bad attitude and prickly demeanor, people would be laid off because of her.
No pressure, right? Lily finally managed to step out of the vehicle and smooth her skirt. She stared at the building for another minute before heading inside.
The bar was filled end to end. A basketball game played across several screens above the bar, prompting a cacophony of cheers, hollers and groans from the crowd. It took Lily a lifetime to squeeze through to get to the bar. The constant looking over her shoulder didn’t speed the process up at all. With any luck, Garrett would be off playing with fire.
“Cute top. Even better ink.” A female bartender she recognized from her previous visit gave her a nod while grabbing a glass from a rack above her head. Lily glanced down. She’d chosen the navy blue shirt with little white polka dots and a feminine ruffled hem, gray pencil skirt and neutral pumps carefully. It was about the most professional outfit she owned, and if Garrett happened to show up, she would need all the professional she could get.
“Thanks. Say, I have an appointment with Brad Mateo. Lily Ashden.”
The bartender motioned to a door behind the end of the bar. “Hmm, Brad wasn’t able to make it in today. But come on back to the office and I’ll get someone for you.” Lily followed the blonde through the back, past the kitchen and down a dim, narrow hall to a door on the left. She couldn’t help but notice how dated the back of the bar was—shabby even—with chipped and peeling faux-wood paneling, missing ceiling tiles and patchy carpet. They’d clearly overhauled the public areas of the establishment, but the rest of it was in terrible need of some TLC.
The woman opened the door and gestured Lily inside. The office looked more like a prison interrogation room than an inviting place to conduct business. The cracked yellow linoleum floor set the groundwork for boring beige wallpaper and a harsh metal desk that looked as though it belonged in a football locker room office. The rickety mismatched chairs were questionable, save for the plush leather office chair behind the desk. Lily gave the bartender a tight smile and sat carefully in the sturdiest-looking chair when the other woman left the room.
Lily’s spine felt like a rod, and her shoulder muscles were tight. To distract herself, she pulled out her laptop and set it on the desk. Despite the gloom, a full-bodied scent permeated the room. Musky, with heavy notes of spice and outside air. This was definitely a man’s office. She couldn’t imagine a woman working here, or the office wouldn’t be in this devil-may-care condition.
Time ticked away as sounds from the bar leeched into the small space. Lily was just about to get up to make her way back to the bartender to see if she’d been forgotten when steps in the hallway made her swivel in her chair to the door. A grunt followed the sound of paused footsteps, then a short sound of something being dragged.
“Seriously, Roan, I’m really tired of you passing out on the sidewalk. Next time, I’m just going to leave you there.”
Another grunt and something banged against the wall to Lily’s left.
“Lie down and sleep it off. I’ll take you home in a bit.” A door shut, followed by a mumble. “When the hell did I become a freaking babysitter?”
The voice became crystal clear as it came closer. She stood, not quite sure what was going on.
* * *
LILY’S STOMACH BOTTOMED out as a familiar form stepped into the doorway. Her eyes drank in the sight while her brain rallied against it.
White T-shirt stretched across broad, well-defined pecs. Beaten-to-death jeans hugging long legs for dear life. Work boots. Shaggy blond bangs falling in his eyes, deep golden skin covering the roping muscles of his forearms.
The only thing that would make Garrett more all-American was if his skin tasted like apple pie. But it didn’t. It tasted better. Like sex with a side of brown sugar and buttered rum. She’d half risen from her chair but didn’t realize it until her thighs started to ache from the odd angle.
“Lily.” The brilliant blue of his eyes bore into her. Garrett tugged at the leather gloves on his hands, methodically working each long finger free. “What are you doing here?”
“I have an appointment with...” Her voice trailed away as the tongue-brain connection faltered. “With Brad, but I hear he’s unavailable.” Crap, that came out as a squeak. Lily’s cheeks heated. This wasn’t the reaction she wanted to have. What happened to cool and professional? Out the window, apparently.
He palmed the gloves in one hand. “Wait...you’re the carpenter?” He leaned against the door frame as he tucked the gloves in his back pocket. Despite her dumbstruck brain, he didn’t seem at all ruffled to see her. Surprised, maybe, but not ruffled.
“General contractor,” she corrected. “From Ashden Construction and Design.” Lily smoothed her palms over her shirt and tipped her chin up. The move always helped when she needed a composure boost. “Did you...did you just drag something down the hall?”
He cracked an amused smile. “Ah, you heard that? I’m sorry—I didn’t know anyone was in here. You’re, uh, early. Anyway, yes—someone, actually. My buddy Roan had a little too much to drink, and I figured the couch in the employee room was a better mattress than the sidewalk, so...”
“Right.” She nodded as if it made perfect sense.
Next time, I’m going to just leave you there.
She tried to shake off the image his words brought to mind. Someone lying facedown on the sidewalk, passed out and vulnerable. Someone needing help but being left behind. She knew she should say something, but her mouth was suddenly dry.
“I didn’t peg you for a contractor.” He raked a hand through his unruly bangs, drawing her eyes to every delicious movement. If she hadn’t braced her hand on the desk, she might have leaned forward in time with his arm as it moved up and along the curve of his head as he swept his bangs away.
Instead, she turned to the laptop. Looking at Garrett brought back all the sour thoughts she’d had about Katja the last time she was in this bar. He reminded her... That was a problem. He reminded her of firemen and death and feelings she was working hard to get past.
“Well, I guess we’re both full of surprises, then.” Her chest was already wrenching the breath right out of her. Doug’s threat of layoffs gave her pause. This was a game—that was all. One she needed to win. If she looked at it that way—as a challenge she had to face and conquer—it was easier. She liked challenges, had faced and overcome her fair share, that was for damn sure. Lily gathered her composure and faced Garrett again, ignoring the flip of her heart.
“There’s an insult in there somewhere.” He spread his hands wide. “I feel like I should apologize for something, but I don’t know what.”
“You don’t need to apologize for anything.” Except for not wearing a damn DFD shirt like every other firefighter had been that night so she could have avoided him.
His face took on a boyish quality that made it seem he was teasing her. “Hmm, I’m getting the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ vibe.”
“Does it matter? Look, Garrett, I’m here in a professional capacity, not a personal one.”
“I’d say the other night was a bit personal.” Two lazy strides brought him in front of her. Lily stiffened, though her insides had turned to mush. His eyes fell to her lips. “Talk to me, Lily.”
“There’s...nothing to talk about. The other night was...interesting, but I don’t want more. Frankly, I’m surprised that you’re acting as if you do.” Garrett’s eyebrows shot up. He leaned in just slightly, and the timbre of his voice made her skin prickle.
“Trust me, Lily, if I wanted more, you’d know it already.” He leaned back with a smug smile. “I’m just curious about why you bolted. That’s all.”
She drew away from him, heat flushing from her chin to scalp. He was as arrogant as he was charming.
“I don’t get involved with firemen.” It was a simple, uncomplicated answer, and he’d have to take it at face value, because she wasn’t going any deeper. To his credit, it wasn’t as if she’d asked him for his résumé and work references before they’d gotten their make-out session on. It wasn’t his fault she kept having flashbacks of her sister’s death—it was hers. She owned it, claimed it, and that was good enough.
“Ah,” he said, as if it made perfect sense. “You got burned once, I take it?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
He flipped one palm up. “I was just thinking your aversion to firemen could be because you’ve been burned by one. If so, I hope it wasn’t a member of DFD.” His impetuousness was almost amusing; Garrett didn’t seem to even realize he was being rude. No way was she responding to that, because nothing good was likely to come out of her mouth.
When she didn’t say anything, Garrett had the grace to look uncomfortable—for a second. “It’s just that I know a few of my guys have their priorities mixed up is all, so...”
“Understood,” she said, grateful she’d managed to stay polite when her head was churning with so many snarky replies. Lily recalled how Garrett had made the flirty face with women at the bar before she’d approached him. It was no secret that some of the firemen thought highly of their prowess—Garrett probably included.
He put his hands in his front pockets and spun on one heel, then walked to the doorway. Lily’s chest loosened a little. Garrett paused and ran a hand down the ancient trim in the doorway, his back muscles moving effortlessly beneath the thin layer of white cotton.
“Brad is going to be laid up for a while. Is working with me going to be a problem for you?” The challenge in his eyes when he turned to face her was clear; the smug tone of his voice was infuriating. She cleared her throat.
“Of course not.”
He tilted his head, observing her quietly for a moment. The intensity of his stare was unsettling and delicious. “Walk with me.”
She followed him out front, drawn by the incredible movement of his muscles beneath his clothes and his scent until they were at the packed dance floor. Garrett reached for her hand and grasped it lightly. Before she could pull away, he began maneuvering them through the crowd. They stopped at the empty stage.
“This dance floor needs to double in size. We want to put in another bar so patrons don’t have to wait. Another set of restrooms, a second waitress station and a larger seating area.”
“What about the property? Do your lines extend enough to allow the expansion?”
Garrett nodded for her to follow him and took her hand again as they walked back through the crowd.
“The property lines are another conversation,” he replied as they rounded the bar. “But first, let me show you what else we want done.”
He pointed things out, chatted about expansion, showed her what needed to be changed, enlarged and updated. Lily made mental notes, as it was a little hard to write anything down at the moment.
After another twenty minutes, Garrett led her back to the office. He motioned for her to go in first. She did, exceptionally aware of his body heat as she passed by him. Her brain was running numbers, and the preliminary, best-guess scenario would pad Ashden Construction for months to come.
“Of course, this office needs a total overhaul, as well,” he said offhandedly as she passed through the door. Lily smirked.
“No kidding.”
He chuckled, slipping behind the desk and settling into the leather chair. Lily remained standing, laid her pad of paper down and began scribbling notes. He leaned back, hands folded across his firm middle.
“What’s your time frame for beginning this project, Mr. Mateo?”
He rubbed his chin with a thumb before crossing his hands again. “Really? The other night it was Garrett.”
Lily’s spine stiffened. She closed her laptop before placing her palm on top of it and leaning in slightly.
“As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Mateo, I’d prefer if we didn’t let that evening interfere with a professional relationship.” Before he could speak, she straightened even more. “Your uncle called Ashden Construction for a reason. Hopefully because he was aware that we’re the best commercial construction firm in the area. Let us live up to that instead of letting our mishap cloud your judgment.”
His gaze swept over her, leaving behind a warm tingle. “Agreed.” He leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk. “I need someone who will give us a fair price, do exceptional work and start as soon as possible. No pressure, right?”
She thought of the twelve men working under her father and the dozen subcontractors who could be called in to help if needed. That, combined with their stellar reputation and her ability to create a solid budget, meant there was a lot less pressure than there might have been.
“No pressure.”
“Give me a proposal I can’t turn down, Lily.” Their eyes locked. “But before you do, come back tomorrow so I can show you the property lines. There’s more you need to see. I’m sorry Brad arranged such a late meeting. I’m not sure what his initial plan was for this, but in order for you to get the full scope of what we have in mind, you’ll need to be here in the daytime.”
Lily finished writing but didn’t look up. She had plans for tomorrow already. She wanted to say no, she’d have to come another time, but she didn’t want to jeopardize this contract. If Garrett wanted her to come back, she would.
He stood, moving to the doorway as she packed her things.
“What time?” She gathered her bag, pushed in the chair and strode to the doorway. Expecting that he’d move to let her out, Lily’s neck tingled again as Garrett simply remained stationary, filling the space.
“Noon.” A slow grin made a dimple dig deeply into his left cheek, as if he was mulling over a dirty little secret. “There’s more you need to see, but I can’t show you in the dark.”
Despite herself, Lily smiled before she dipped her head and tried to move past him. Immediate warmth wrapped around her, followed by the heady scent of spicy bergamot and sage. Her right shoulder brushed against him, sending sparks through her entire body. Before she could withdraw, Garrett scooped her elbow in one hand and turned her. Her back pressed against the door frame opposite him so they faced each other, his heat washing over her. Jacking up her blood pressure. Sending her pulse skyrocketing.
When was the last time she’d had such a spirited reaction to a man? Even her ex-fiancé hadn’t affected her this way. When Garrett had tempted her with his inviting gaze across the bar last week, something had felt different. The way her heart had jumped in her throat after battling a minefield of nerves had been different. The way her skin had flushed at the sound of his voice...it had all been different.
Nonetheless, she couldn’t read anything into her body’s reaction. The dreams that had resurfaced since the night of the fund-raiser were enough to set her back. All those firemen had triggered the anxiety she was trying to overcome, and Lily wasn’t going to risk going down that road again.
Despite her resolve, her gaze flicked to his lips. They were model perfect, soft yet undeniably male. The kind of lips that could kiss you tenderly good-night or grind you to aneurysm-worthy pleasure.
She squeezed her eyes shut and sidled to the left. The space was narrow, causing her chest to bump his, making her gasp and stiffen. He dipped his head, his hair tickling her temple as his gravelly voice filled her ears.
“Are you a vegetarian, Lily?” His expression was a tease and a dare rolled into one sexy smolder as he shifted to let her out of the office.
“Yes.”
Garrett paused before replying with a light chuckle. “Seriously? I was expecting you to say no. Either way, plan on staying a bit tomorrow.”
Lily pulled in a slow breath. There would be no staying. She was inspecting property lines, not—
“I’m the client, remember?” he said. She must be wearing her reluctance like a perfume. “Indulge me a little. Please?”
“The client.” Her voice trailed off before her brain broke free of its sexy-Garrett stranglehold. “Of course. However—”
There was loud thump from the room next door, followed by a long muffled groan. Both of them looked at the wall, as if they could see what was happening on the other side. From the sound, it was obvious Roan had fallen off the couch.
They turned back to look at each other, and Lily didn’t miss Garrett’s eye roll and sigh. He ran a hand over his face and was suddenly transformed into a man who looked as if he could sleep for a week. It was as though he’d taken off a mask, reducing him from cocky, confident Garrett to someone with a lot of weight on his shoulders.
“I’m going to check on Roan.” He thrust a hand out. Lily took it for a firm shake, interest in his transformation niggling at her. It shouldn’t matter, but it piqued her even so because in that moment he wasn’t a hotshot fireman. He was just a man who radiated hidden sadness and deep responsibility.
And that rubbed her both ways: wrong and right. Wrong because she didn’t have time to care what was going on under Garrett’s surface, and right because she’d be a complete bitch not to at least wonder.
Their hands parted more slowly than she would have liked, prompting Lily to make a half turn toward the hall and her exit.
“I’ll clear my schedule and meet you here at noon.”
“Okay.” He followed her down the hall until he stopped at the employee lounge. “Oh, and, Lily?”
She didn’t look back. If she did, he’d see how badly she was trembling. “Yes?”
“I’m not opposed to you wearing that coconut bra again.”
His voice was lighter, and the sound made her pause and look back. His weariness was gone and the usual confident charm had returned. His cocky grin seemed a bit out of place, as if it was a mask he hadn’t quite gotten to fit right. True colors? It was hard to tell which were really his. Not that she’d be finding out.
Lily turned back to the exit without a reply. The last thing she needed was to try to figure out a complicated man. She just wanted to secure this job, pack her bags and get the heck out of Danbury.
* * *
“THREE WEEKS?” LILY slid to the edge of her bed, taking the comforter with her until it bunched against her butt. She held the phone away from her ear, stared at it a moment to be sure she wasn’t still asleep.
Doug’s gruff voice floating through the receiver made it clear she was awake.
“It’s what you wanted, right?”
The blanket—and Adam the cat, who Lily hadn’t noticed—landed on the floor when she abruptly stood, excitement prickling her skin. Hell, yes, this was what she wanted. She just wasn’t expecting to have it so soon.
“Lincoln’s having an open house in the showroom and he could really use you there. That way you can check it out, see the sights—see if moving to Nashville is what you really want. Linc’s getting too busy with the construction end. Thankfully, he’s doing better than we are, but he could use some help.”
The Ashden Construction and Design office in Nashville wasn’t just an office, it was a showroom. Junk artists, master furniture builders, concrete and textile artists all had work on display. Lincoln managed both the construction business and the showroom, but he’d been trying to dump responsibility for the showroom for the past couple of years.
Lily wasn’t much of a crafter herself, but helping others support a career doing just that was close enough. The poetry of artisan construction elements had always fascinated her—bathroom sinks made from decorative concrete, mosaic tabletops, hand-carved finials and molding created by loving hands were as beautiful as stunning architecture. Managing the showroom would be a dream come true, especially since Lincoln was talking about starting an architectural salvage yard. Instead of watching reruns of American Pickers, she could be living it.
Her father had been reluctant to approve Lily’s request to transfer there—always citing that he needed her in Danbury more than she was needed in Nashville. Lily knew that her father played on her guilt over leaving him alone, so she stayed. Until recently, she hadn’t felt completely ready to move on, but the loneliness of her days and nights made her realize now was the perfect time.
The sound of swallowing came through the receiver. Scalding coffee, she suspected, black and strong enough to disembowel a T. rex.
“Linc’s excited that you’re coming, Lil. He wants you to give him a call when you can.”
Lily paced her small bedroom, barely feeling the scratchy carpet that usually irritated her bare feet. Leaving her father alone with no family in Kansas seemed cruel. But Doug seemed to be managing, as far as she could tell. Maybe he was ready for her to go.
He’d never said either way, because they never talked about how their relationship had changed since Katja had died, or about the tension between them. Knowing Doug, he never would. She’d tried so many times to get him to talk, to no avail. It was just easier to give up trying and keep her emotions bottled up.
“We need to talk this through a little more, Doug. I mean, if I do decide to move there, who will replace me in the office?”
She’d decided a long time ago that moving to Nashville was a no-brainer, and before she and Katja had decided to open a salvage yard in Danbury, she’d been ready to go. It was Nashville, for crying out loud. The nightlife. The shopping. The men. Guilt was the only thing holding her back now, and Lily was starting to see that was an obstacle she could skirt around.
“How’d it go last night? You didn’t text me like I asked.”
She sighed heavily at Doug’s deflection, but it didn’t dampen her excitement. The chance to meet new people, make new friends. Maybe find someone...who wasn’t Garrett. The thought prompted her to grab the alarm clock from her nightstand to check the time. Eleven o’clock. She’d tossed and turned last night, finally waking up after another nightmare only to spend hours staring at the wall.
“Doug, I have to go. Talk to you soon, okay?”
He hung up without a proper response, as usual, leaving Lily to rush through a shower with no time to dry her hair. A flowing, lacy top from her favorite store, Magnolia Pearl, and slim, well-worn jeans did the trick. She slicked on a touch of red lipstick on the way out the door.
Lily was still on an endorphin high when she pulled into the Throwing Aces. It was great to have something to focus on, something that helped drown out the reality that the first anniversary of her sister’s death was fast approaching. She’d been thinking about that a lot lately, wondering how she’d handle it—whether Doug would acknowledge it or ignore it. For once, Lily hoped he’d face the tragedy they’d been through, maybe talk about it—something.
Lily pushed her thoughts away as she tried the front door, frowning when she found the lobby completely dark. The building was eerily quiet and a little calming in its emptiness. She wandered through the main room of shadowy tables with upturned chairs, drawn to a soft glow coming from behind the bar.
Her excitement started to fade and apprehension about being alone in the deserted bar with Garrett crept in. She frowned. There was no reason to feel nervous. Sheesh. It was a business meeting, not a date.
“Hello?” Lily paused at the bar, running her fingers along the silky wood as she moved toward the door that led to the back. The door was slightly ajar, letting a sliver of light through. Then it suddenly swung open, startling her and revealing a smiling Garrett, wiping his hands on a towel. Lily jerked back, nearly dropping her canvas workbag. The impact of Garrett’s smile was nearly as intoxicating as the savory scent wafting out from the kitchen.
