Boyfriend for Hire (16 page)

“As a matter of fact, I do happen to know the owner of Jorge’s Cocina. He’s a giant pain in my you know what, but he makes the best Mexican food in all of New England.”

His gaze shot up to meet hers finally. “Really? Can you hook me up?”

Tawny dug into her purse and handed over a card. “Tell him you want his mother’s chicken empañadas and sweet tamales. Trust me, they’re to die for.”

“Thanks.” He headed for the door, stopping short. “Hey, if you and Dave don’t have plans for Saturday, can you tell him there’s a group of us diving Fort Weatherill? He’s welcome to join. Have him call me and I’ll give him the details.” He continued out the door and down the hall he went whistling.

Why couldn’t he call David himself? What? Was she his personal secretary and delivery person now? Grabbing her purse, she headed out to her appointments and to get her away from the Fubar cult. Seriously, did she miss where they passed the Kool-Aid around at the picnic? Everyone else drank it except her? Although she had to wonder at times if her beer hadn’t been spiked at the game, because ever since that kiss the man invaded her dreams and thoughts, giving her no peace.

Two venue viewings and a canceled appointment later, and Tawny’s mood could make purgatory look like paradise. Would nothing go right this day? Not that it was Camellia’s fault she’d contracted chicken pox. The poor thing had to be miserable. Hopefully the flower basket Tawny sent over with the extra-large bottle of calamine lotion in the middle would give her some relief. Now if only Tawny could find some relief from a certain blue-eyed hottie who’d enchanted everyone he met. She needed distance, but
how
was the question when he seemed to be everywhere (at least in name).

Lost in thought, she almost didn’t see the two construction workers step out in front of her car as they unloaded a bundle of boards from their truck. Someone shouted from across the street where the actual work was going on. Something about that voice had Tawny shrinking down in her seat. It couldn’t be. The man was literally every-freaking-where she turned.

Across the street, glistening with sweat, was the man of her dreams (no, honestly, he was in every one of them lately). David reached up to grab the end of a two-by-four while a young kid drove the nail in. Tawny pulled into the empty space in front of the delivery truck. The place was a beehive of activity, with workers of every age from teen to middle age, men and women alike. Not your typical construction site.

Her attention returned to David, who appeared to be teaching the teen to frame or whatever it was called when they built a wall. Every few minutes one worker or another would stop and talk with him. Bits and pieces of their conversation floated her way, but not enough to put the puzzle pieces together. He nodded at whatever the woman talking to him said, flagged down a man in his mid-forties to take his place, then walked over to join a group of three women. She watched him for several minutes as he demonstrated how to use the nail gun they’d been holding.

In all the months she’d known David she’d never seen him look so serious, so intent, so confident. Scratch that, she’d seen him look at her with the same intensity, and the man oozed of confidence in social situations. At work, though, he’d always been the jokester, looking to Jason to lead.

“Hey, gorgeous, shouldn’t you be picking out flowers?” David’s voice sent ripples of unwelcome pleasure down her spine.

He’d walked over to where his truck was parked at the curb and stripped to the waist.
Mama mia
. It should be illegal to cover up such perfection. He pulled out a T-shirt and slung it over his shoulder.

“What? Are you keeping tabs on me now, Farber?” She gave him the steely-eyed stare of death as he walked toward her. He didn’t back off, he laughed. “Seriously, how did you know I had an appointment at the florist?”

“Didn’t you know? I have spies everywhere. Besides, you’re the one staked out by my jobsite. Maybe you’re stalking me.” He reached in and tucked a strand of hair behind Tawny’s ear, sending shivers to meet up with the ripples.

“What are you doing over here anyway? Did you already wrap up the work on the B-and-B? I thought you said it’d take you a couple of months.”

“Park and I’ll show you.”

Like she hadn’t heard that line before. Granted, the guy was usually in the car with her. She slid out of the car and looked down at her outfit, then up at the workers covered in dirt, sweat, and gawd knows what.

“Can’t you show me from here? These may not be Ferragamos, but they’re not Payless either.” Tawny wiggled her ballerina-flat-covered foot for emphasis.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to get dirty, at least not right now. I’ll save the hands-on demonstration for when we’re alone.” He took her by the hand and led her across the street.

“Ha, in your dreams, Farber.”

“Every single night, darling.” They stopped at the bed of a work truck where two women were chatting. “Hey, Jody, mind if we borrow your hard hat for a few while you take your break? Got us a possible new recruit.”

A petite brunette grinned from ear to ear as she handed over the requested item to Tawny. “Sure, boss, take your time. Feel free to show her how to frame the east bedroom window while you’re at it.”

Tawny put the ugly plastic helmet on and followed David up a well-beaten dirt pathway. About ten feet from the actual structure, he stopped. Tawny stood next to him and took in all the people. The guy she’d seen David helping earlier was no more than a kid, maybe sixteen tops.

“So is this another jobsite for Valentine Rehab? I thought you only did remodels, not from-the-ground-up projects.”

He slipped his dirty T-shirt back on, and that’s when she finally noticed the logo: Habitat for Humanity.

“Side gig. What you see before you is the Johnson family’s new home, or it will be in a couple of weeks. Everyone here is a volunteer. For some, like Zach there—” He pointed to the kid. “This is his first project. Others like Rich, the older dude helping the ladies, he’s a veteran and has put up more houses than he can remember. Jody, whose hat you borrowed, this is her fourth home in the past year, year and half.”

Zach waved to them, then pointed to the board he’d nailed in place. David gave him a thumbs-up and signaled for him to go work with Rich. Someone else yelled a question for David, which he answered without hesitation.

“Hey, boss, we’re going to take our break now,” two of the women she’d seen him with earlier said.

Tawny tried to put it together, but it was like a puzzle missing several pieces. “This doesn’t make sense. I thought you were working on the B-and-B?”

“I am, but we’re waiting for a shipment to come in, and until it does on Monday, we’re on hold there.”

“So you spend your day off volunteering here?” It didn’t seem like much of a day off to her and not where she’d pictured Mr. Playboy to be, especially on a gorgeous summer day.

“When I can, yes. I’ve been doing this since high school.” He turned to her, all playfulness aside. “Let me guess. You thought I’d spend my day off at the beach picking up anything in a bikini?”

Well, yeah, but no way could she admit the truth. “No, of course not. It’s more I thought you’d spend the day doing something fun, like diving or mountain biking or repelling off the side of a cliff. This . . .” She waved to the work going on around them. “This is what you do every day.”

He grinned. “I like what I do and this gives me a chance to give back. Jason and I wouldn’t have the skills we do today or our company if we hadn’t got involved with Habitat.”

Maybe David Farber went a little deeper than a three-layer parfait. “Are you the project manager?”

“Nooo, not me. I leave that to Curzon, the big guy over there on the phone.”

“Why do all the women call you boss, then? And the kid, Zach, he seems to look to you for direction. Kind of sounds like you’re in charge.”

“Nah, just seniority.” His hand slipped from the middle of her back to slide down her arm and link their fingers together. “Come on, let me show you what we do.”

Pride lit up his eyes. The look on David’s face kind of reminded Tawny of a kid with a new toy at Christmas who couldn’t wait to show it off to his friends. He maneuvered her around stacks of lumber, keeping her away from the work and the dirt (for the most part), explaining what each worker was doing and what the building would look like in the end. When finished, the home would be a three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,200-square-foot ranch-style. Not huge, but more than enough room for a family of four.

“When did you start?” Tawny asked.

“We started the framework this morning. By the time we clock out tonight most of us will have put in a twelve-hour day. We’ll rinse and repeat over the weekend. Monday it’ll be a skeleton crew during the day and almost everyone you see here will be back after they’ve put in a solid eight at their day jobs.”

“Including you?”

“Yeah. This is my mistress. I’ll be here pretty much every day, at some point or another, until she’s finished. Except when you need me.”

From the moment they’d met months ago, when David and Jason won the contract to rebuild the West End Community Recreational Center, she’d seen David work hard. He and their crew overcame obstacles that others would have walked away from. He was a hardworking, dedicated employee. But this, this was definitely a labor of love for him, and a side she’d not really seen before.

“It’s amazing. You’re amazing, David.” Tawny walked over and picked up a hammer, testing its weight. Heavy. Her arm would be throbbing within ten minutes of swinging the beast. “I owe you an apology.”

He closed the distance between them. “For thinking I’d rather be chasing beach bunnies?”

Dipping her head, she fanned her flaming cheeks. “Yes, and more,” she murmured.

He lifted her chin, brought her gaze to meet his. “No apology required. People seldom look past the dressing.” She started to speak. David laid a finger against her lips. “I don’t mind, it makes life easier. When people don’t expect much from you, it’s hard to let them down.”

A spark of sadness in his eyes pulled at her heart. He gave of himself to his friends, his family, to complete strangers, yet he took nothing in return. Not many people she knew were as generous. She wanted to bring the old David back, the playful, cocky playboy.

Tawny ran a finger down his cheek. “So, you gonna show me what you do here, or are you one of those guys who’s all talk and no action?” She walked her fingers up his chest until her hand landed on his heart.

David’s jaw dropped.

Didn’t see that coming, did you, big boy?
The man recovered quickly. His jaw shut and the smile grew, reaching his eyes.

“You think you can handle it? It’s kind of big for you.”

“You underestimate me, Farber. I’m not a china doll and I don’t mind getting dirty for a good cause.” She hefted the hammer, tested the weight, and again thought how her muscles were going to hate her. Didn’t matter, she’d been challenged and she never backed down from a challenge.

He led her closer to the site. “We’re working on framing the walls right now. Each stud needs to be sixteen inches apart to prevent sag and bowing. We’re also installing the window frames. Before we start on the real thing, let’s test you out over here.” He pointed to a couple of sawhorses with a piece of plywood and some two-by-fours lying across it.

“What’s this?”

“Carpentry 101. Safety first. Always.” He handed her a pair of goggles.

“Not very sexy, are they?” Tawny slipped the bulky glasses on, trying to imagine what kind of dork she looked like.

“Darling, most carpenters don’t care if they look sexy or not. They’d rather have their eyesight so they can whistle at all the pretty ladies walking by.”

“What do we do first?” she asked, excitement coursing through her, whether at the idea of spending more time with David or from learning something new, she wasn’t sure and didn’t care.

David took the hammer away and replaced it with a tape measure and a pencil. He explained they were going to frame a window and took her through the steps of measuring each board. Once they were all marked, he grabbed the board and led her over to the table saw. He ran through the specifics and Tawny nodded her understanding. David stepped to the side where he could keep an eye on the saw and help, if needed. Tawny slowly moved the wood until it hit the blade, jumping back before the two could make contact.

“I don’t know—” She started to tell him she’d changed her mind when he wrapped his body around hers, his long arms framing hers, his hands covering hers.

“You can do it. Go slow. I’ll guide you.”

Eyes on the board, she was aware of every inch of him glued to her. Their bodies touched from her shoulders to the backs of her calves. Vertical spooning. His cheek rested against her head, his warm breath blew across her cheek and down her neck, sending her heart pounding. He smelled of sweat and dirt and man.

She wanted nothing more in that moment than to turn around and press against his chest, to run her hands down his back, and to taste his sensuous lips.

“Come for me.”

“Excuse me?” she stammered.

“Come over here.” He waved her to where he’d moved next to the sawhorses again.

She’d swear that wasn’t what he had said a moment ago. “What are we doing now?”

“Framing a window.” Together they slid the horizontal board between two vertical ones. “If it it’s too tight, you might have to give it a push.”

Too tight. Push
. She shook her head and wondered if she’d gotten sawdust in her ears.

“Are you okay? You look flushed,” David asked as he looked around before stalking off to a cooler and grabbing a bottle of water. “Here, drink this.”

Tawny took a sip, then pressed the cold, wet drink against her chest. “Thanks. It’s sure hot out here today.”

A small smile crept up David’s face. “Trust me, I noticed the rise in temperature.” He turned and picked up the board, muttering something that sounded like “always around you.”

“Did you say something?” she asked.

“How’s work going?”

He picked up a nail gun, quickly securing the board in place. He held the next one out to her. Tawny grabbed it, slid it into place, and held out her hand for the power tool.