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Authors: Laura Browning

Balancing Act (10 page)

BOOK: Balancing Act
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* * * *

Tessa tried to be upbeat over the weekend for Zach. She knew seeing her cry had upset him. She had hoped to get in the apartment before he left the neighbor’s and saw her. It would have given her at least a few minutes to calm down, but Zach had been watching for her and had run out into the hallway to greet her. She’d wiped her eyes, but it was too late, he had seen and his excited grin had faded. She spent most of the evening in her room, apologizing to Zach, but telling him she was tired and did not feel well. The look on his face was enough to let her know he didn’t believe her.

She played video games with him over the weekend and they watched movies together. She even took him to the theater to see an animated movie he’d been wheedling to go to. By Sunday evening, she thought her head would burst if she had to listen to one more note of arcade game music.

It was almost a relief to enter the relative quiet of Barrett Newspapers Monday morning. She still didn’t care for all the chrome and glass, but this morning the thick carpeting of the upper floors was comforting in a way, as though there might be a softer side to something at Barrett. Tessa would go on as if the trip to Chicago had never happened. She needed this job, and she was not going to let embarrassment over what had happened–or almost happened–get in the way. What on earth had she been thinking? The man was her boss and he was at least ten years older than her. She’d never wanted to sleep with anyone before. So why him? And bringing the incident up again, even if it was to apologize and assure him she would never bother him again, was not a good idea.

She sprinted up the stairs, pausing at the top to slip on her pumps before opening the door. The first thing she noticed was the huge bouquet of summer flowers sitting on her desk. It was not a formal florist’s arrangement; instead it looked like someone had cut as many flowers as they could stuff into a lead crystal vase. Her lips twitched. There was a card leaning against the vase. Inside was a picture of Seth holding the flowers in front of an almost denuded flowerbed, and scrawled on top of it, “Please forgive me?”

This time she smiled, but she sure wouldn’t let him know it. She made his coffee as she always did and took it into his office.

“Hmmph,” he grunted from behind the pages of one of the innumerable newspapers he read each morning. The day continued as it always did, with Seth working nonstop and barking orders at her. It made her wonder if the flowers and the picture with the hastily scrawled note were figments of her imagination, but no, every time she stopped by her desk, there they were. She took the flowers home with her at the end of the day. They were too much of a distraction sitting beside her while she tried to work.

The next morning when she arrived, a large coffee from Starbucks and a cinnamon scone awaited her…along with another card. Tessa flipped it open to find a single question scrawled on a thick note card, “Would it help if I were sweeter?”

Tessa glanced at Seth’s office door and smothered a giggle. Seth? Sweet? But she smiled at the thought, and somehow many of the objections she kept raising to Seth Barlow-Barrett as a man began to disappear.

He grunted when she took in his coffee and then drove her like a workhorse until late morning when he stopped and looked up. And then she wondered why she had ever thought him at all appealing.

“I’m supposed to meet my mother for lunch at the club,” he stated. “It’s this Habitat thing again. Would you come with me?”

Tessa tilted her head. “Do I have a choice?”

“Would you still come if I said yes?” he countered.

“Yes. I happen to have a lot of experience with Habitat.”

“Then you have a choice.”

“I’d be happy to go with you.”

By the end of lunch, Seth was scowling, his mother was beaming and Tessa was smiling wickedly at her boss. She could almost feel the steam rolling from him as he helped her into his SUV. He’d raked his hands through his wavy, golden hair so many times it stood on end.

“Did you have to volunteer me to work with a bunch of Women’s Club do-gooders who have some insane idea about building a house?” he bit out as he slid behind the wheel and slammed his door. He glared at her with eyes that shot angry sparks at her.

Tessa smiled at him with as much innocence as she could muster. “I’m sure you can handle it, Mr. Barrett. You do know how to hammer a nail, or does the butler see to that?”

Seth dropped an F-bomb before putting the car in gear and driving in stony silence back to Barrett. Tessa kept her expression blank, but congratulated herself on setting him up. It would do him good to learn a little patience on a volunteer work crew.

The next morning when she arrived, there was a construction apron and a hammer on her desk with a note that said, “Mother was so happy when I told her you loved working on Habitat houses and would be joining us this weekend.”

This time when she set his coffee down, he lowered his paper and stared at her.

“You know what they say about payback,” he said in a silky voice.

Tessa arched one brow at him. “Bring it on, big boy. I can hammer a nail. Can you?”

Thursday morning she arrived to find a short piece of rope tied in an intricate knot. With it was a card. Tessa found herself looking forward to Seth’s morning messages. The card read, “It’s called a fisherman’s loop. If we work all day Saturday, may I take you and Zach fishing on the bay Sunday?”

Tessa’s hand trembled as she read the note. Two thoughts raced through her mind at the same time. He’d remembered what she had told him about Zach’s love of fishing. More to the point, he wanted to see her again, not just mend a working relationship.

Friday, a single red rose in full bloom in a delicate bud vase awaited her with no note. Tessa touched the velvety petals with trembling fingers and leaned over to inhale its rich fragrance. She glanced at the closed door to his office. She would not read anything into it. Seth fascinated her more and more, however wrong she knew that might be.

She arranged for Zach to stay at her neighbor’s Saturday since the house under construction was just getting started, so there wasn’t much he could do. She told him Seth was taking them fishing Sunday.

“He’s not going to make you cry again, is he?” Zach demanded in a tone that said he would take care of Seth, if need be.

Tessa smiled at her little brother. “No, he’s not going to make me cry again.”

He couldn’t hide his obvious relief. Tessa grinned at him, wondering if he was relieved she wasn’t going to cry or relieved because now he wouldn’t be disloyal if he showed how excited he was about the fishing trip.

Tessa was one of the first volunteers to show up at the work site Saturday morning. She checked in with the site foreman, described her previous experience, and discovered why he seemed so happy to see her.

“We’re looking at putting up exterior walls today and one of our crew leaders has called in sick. Can you take over that spot?”

“Sure.” She was comfortable with any phase of the construction, and today’s work would not be that complicated, at least if the crew could swing a hammer.

Seth arrived a few minutes later. Tessa almost groaned when she saw he was on her crew list, but the practical side of her knew his physical size and strength would come in handy when they were setting the walls.

“You’re my crew leader?” Seth asked with an odd note in his deep voice. His eyes glinted, but Tessa couldn’t tell whether it was with humor, respect, or a bit of both.

She grinned at him. “Someone called in sick. When they heard what my experience was, they asked me to fill in.”

Seth studied her. “And what is your experience?”

“I helped with my first house in Jamaica and then another one in Bolivia. I worked on two more as a crew leader while I was in graduate school.” Tessa paused. “Did you want to know anything else?”

Seth shook his head. “Tell me what you need me to do, Boss.”

By lunchtime, Tessa was glad she had Seth there. True to his word, he did what she asked him to do, proving that he was no stranger to building things. Between the two of them, they more than made up for what he had accurately described as a bunch of ‘Women’s Club do-gooders.’ She wasn’t sure how many more times she could stand to explain why it would be easier to drive the nail if they learned not to choke up on the hammer. When they raised the exterior walls and set them in place in the afternoon, Seth grinned at Tessa. She’d never seen him look so relaxed and had never realized he had dimples in both lean cheeks. He worked without complaint, pulling nails and re-driving them with amazing patience behind a couple of their volunteers.

At the end of the day, Tessa produced a big water jug from the trunk of her car. She offered it to Seth, who popped open the spout and poured it straight down his throat. When he handed it back to Tessa, she took a long swig, then poured water on the bandana in her hand. After setting down the jug, she wiped her face and throat down to the V of her shirt. She looked up to find Seth watching her movements, his stare intense.

He shifted his gaze and cleared his throat. “Are we still on to go fishing tomorrow?”

“Yes,” she replied a little breathlessly. “Zach is very excited.”

“I’ll pick you up around seven, if that’s okay? Oh, bring your swimming suits in case we decide to cool off in the water.”

Tessa nodded and closed the trunk of her car. “Okay.”

He started to say something else and stopped. She’d never seen him hesitate before. After clearing his throat, he said, “I didn’t expect it, but I had a good time today.”

Tessa grinned. “Me too.”

He grinned back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

She watched as he walked over to his SUV. He was dusty and sweaty, his faded polo shirt wet with perspiration and the worn jeans molding his long legs streaked with dirt. His hair was damp with sweat where he’d removed the baseball cap he’d worn most of the day, and despite his blond beard, she saw the glint of a thick five o’clock shadow. He’d never looked better.

* * * *

When he got home that evening, Seth soaked for a long time in the hot tub on his deck. He had a whole new respect for Tessa and the aching muscles to prove it. She’d drawn the most out of their crew, patiently directing women who’d probably never held a hammer or nails in their lives, but the brunt of the work had fallen on Tessa and him. He’d watched her several times during the day. She didn’t hesitate, measuring angles and hammering with an efficiency that would put a lot of men to shame. For all her small size, she possessed amazing strength.

Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail that stuck out the back of her ball cap. A t-shirt had hugged her upper body and snug jeans had fit her hips and thighs like a second skin. Seth grinned. He had almost hit himself in the thumb a couple times, watching as she bent over to help someone pull a nail or finish hammering one home. She was a lot more relaxed working on the house than he could ever remember her. Seeing the way her smile made her eyes sparkle, he felt himself sliding closer and closer to the edge. Of what?
Love?
He was thirty-five years old and had neither expected nor looked for a serious relationship. Yet every time he looked at Tessa, he felt a catch in his chest somewhere awfully close to his heart.

He hoped she would like sailing. He hadn’t told her about that part of the fishing expedition, but it was something he wanted to share with her. He’d never taken another woman sailing, other than his sisters, and they didn’t count.

* * * *

Zach was somewhat subdued when Seth arrived the following morning. When he arched a questioning brow at Tessa, she explained, “He’s not awake yet. Give him a few minutes. Then you’ll find out.”

As they pulled into the Marina, Zach piped up. “Wow, Tessa! Look at all the boats.”

And there were hundreds of them, everything from huge houseboats to sleek speedboats. In the distance, the masts of various sailboats weaved and bobbed with the motion of the bay.

“Seth?” was all Tessa said.

“I thought we could go out on the bay in my boat, if that’s okay?”

“Sure,” she replied, as if it was something she did all the time. She’d told him she’d never been sailing. He must have remembered. She was touched. It was something she had longed to try, but never expected to have the chance.

Zach bounced all the way down the dock. “Which one is it?” he trilled.

“Her name is
Wistful
,” Seth told him. “Try to find that.”

Tessa opened her mouth to say something and then decided to let it go. She watched as Zach studied each boat. He looked back and forth between two boats before pointing to a dark-hulled sailboat.

“Is that it?” he asked at last, a note of uncertainty clouding his voice.

Seth grinned at him. “Good job, Zach.”

As they cast off, Seth explained to Zach that they would use the motor until they were out of the marina. Then they would switch to sails. As Seth continued to explain how to sail the boat, Tessa watched how he related to Zach. He was patient with all her brother’s questions and even promised to show him how to handle
Wistful
once they were under sail. The boat was designed so it could be sailed by one person, despite being about forty feet long.

The breeze on the bay ruffled Seth’s blond hair. Dressed in shorts, a t-shirt and deck shoes, he was more casual than she’d ever seen him–well, almost. She had seen him far less clothed. Tessa turned away as heat rose in her cheeks at the memory of his aroused body, clad only in his boxers, pressing close against her. Watching him work, it was obvious he was at ease with the boat and being on the water, but then, she’d read somewhere that sailing was a family pastime.

BOOK: Balancing Act
11.7Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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