All The Way (All Series Book 3) (4 page)

Impressed

Brynn pulled into her office parking lot at nine forty-five Saturday morning and was pleasantly surprised to see Alec’s truck already there and the lights on in the building. They had three appointments today to meet with clients for home remodels. Their first was at ten thirty, but he had said it was close by and they wouldn’t need to leave until around ten fifteen for the appointment.

Yet here he was, early just like her. She shut her SUV off and climbed out, then made her way to the front door. She was shocked to hear a power drill running. Walking a few steps further into her office she stopped and stared.

Alec was reaching up and drilling screws into the wall behind her desk. Actually there was a small space where the shelving units stopped and the wall was bare, except her desk hid that area.

She had been thinking of getting some pictures to hang there. Right now she couldn’t think of anything more than how flat and defined his abs were from the glimpse under his shirt where it lifted slightly at his waist with his arms stretched over his head.

Clueless as to what he was doing, she walked in and announced her presence when the drill stopped. “Good morning.”

“Hey,” he said back, then picked up another screw off her desk and secured it into the wall giving her another glimpse at his abs. Damn it, she’d thought her self-lecturing last night helped. Of course that was before she saw some of his bare body, even just a tiny part.

Curiosity got the best of her and she moved forward. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

After he finished with that screw he looked up at her. It wasn’t hard to miss her reaction. “I saw you had a change of clothes and shoes with you yesterday. I thought this might help.”

What was he talking about? Oh yeah, clothes. Get your mind off his abs, she mentally warned herself.

She couldn’t believe it. She had come to work yesterday dressed in jeans again, only because she wasn’t done rearranging things just right in the office and she didn’t want to get dirty. But she brought in a suit to change into with heels. She’d had a few meetings set up with banks that day, not to mention two clients coming in to sit down and talk new home builds in the development. She didn’t want to attend those meetings wearing jeans.

That he noticed she had laid her suit out on the windowsill and her shoes next to it amazed her. He was the most disorganized man she knew, yet he noticed that small detail. And the first thing he thought to do was to come in and install a clothing rack so she could hang any changes of clothing she needed. Not to mention what looked to be a few cubbies for her shoes and work boots. Talk about considerate.

“That’s really sweet of you,” she said before she could stop herself, and prayed she wasn’t blushing, because images of his abs were still flashing in front of her eyes.

He paused for a moment, held her stare, then shrugged and replied with a smile. He was always smiling. With the exception of her interview, she’d never seen him anything but laid-back and relaxed, almost like he didn’t take anything serious half the time. “It’s not a big deal. I didn’t realize you might be changing throughout the day. This will make it easier for you.”

“Yes, it definitely will.”

“I’ll be done in a few minutes.” He looked up at the clock. “You’re early,” he commented.

She shook her head to clear it and focused on her job. “I tend to be, bad habit of mine. I wanted to look over a few things before we left, anyway. Sean gave me a list of all the costs of materials yesterday, estimates obviously. I plugged them all into another spreadsheet so that when we go out on these calls we can give a rough estimate right then if we want, with a breakdown for them to see what items cost.”

His dark brown eyes sparkled. “Really? You might be putting Sean right out of a job,” he said, laughing.

“Should I not have done that?” she asked, worried that maybe she overstepped her bounds again. She was just trying to make everything as efficient as possible. She knew that most times homeowners wanted at least a ballpark figure on the cost of construction and materials.

“No, no. I think it’s a great idea. If I were better with a computer I might have thought of it. I use it for the basics, but that’s about it.”

Realizing that he was good with the idea, she explained more. “One thing I learned when I was working real estate was that people are always asking how much it costs to upgrade finishes. I had a ballpark figure in my head, but I wasn’t doing construction then, so I didn’t worry too much if it wasn’t exact. But this way we can give them a cost on what they are looking for, and then as a sales pitch show the costs to upgrade different flooring and stuff.”

“It’s a good idea. I’ve found that when I give an estimate on the cost, I always tell them it goes up with upgrades but don’t go into details on the first quote. I give the estimates on base finishes, unless of course they know specifically what they want. Giving them an idea ahead of time takes the shock factor off once we are already into the build and they start changing their minds. I’m sure you’re aware it happens often.”

“There is that, or it lets them decide if they want to spend more than they originally thought. Gives them time to think it through rather than being told last minute and they don’t have a lot of time to decide before everything is ordered.”

“Guess we’ll see how it goes today, won’t we?” he said, smiling warmly at her.

She swore her heart just picked up pace. She had to get over this. She couldn’t be blushing every time Alec smiled at her. Geez, she didn’t have this reaction to Phil, and they were twins.

Twenty minutes later, they were locking up the office and heading to Alec’s truck for their first appointment.

Her second shock came when she opened the door to his truck. It was immaculate inside. It even smelled fresh and clean, but she bit her lip from saying a word. She was going to pretend she didn’t notice. She didn’t have to, though.

“My mother blistered my ears for letting you in my truck knowing how messy it would be,” he said, grinning ruefully. She could tell there was love behind the statement, no heat at all.

“You really did a good job cleaning it,” she replied politely.

“I didn’t clean it.” He laughed. “I don’t have time. I brought it to get detailed last night.”

“That works just as well.”

***

Alec pulled his truck in front of their first appointment. He’d fought the embarrassment from creeping up his neck when he’d explained to Brynn what he was putting in the office for her clothing. He thought it was a nice gesture. He wanted her to be comfortable there, to feel comfortable. He didn’t expect her to be so sweet about it.

She
almost looked embarrassed when she said he was sweet. He didn’t care though. He was raised to be thoughtful, it’s how he was, but he was surprised she blushed about it.

Together they made their way to the front door and rang the bell. It was opened quickly by a young woman, followed by her husband holding the collar of a golden retriever. “Let me just put the dog in another room,” the husband said. “She’s good, but I don’t want her to get hair all over you.”

“She’s fine,” Brynn said, reaching a hand out and letting the dog sniff her. “I love dogs.”

“It’s okay,” Alec seconded, then watched when the homeowner let go of the dog’s collar to see the dog rushing up to Brynn and pushing its nose on her palm again. “I’m Alec Harper.” He held his hand out to both of them. “This is Brynn Palmer.” Brynn wiped her hand on her shorts briefly to get rid of any dog hair, then shook hands with everyone.

“Mike and Sherry Brown,” the man said. “Come on back to our kitchen, and you will see why we called you.”

Alec made his way back through the older home. The walls all had fresh coats of paint on them and the floors looked to have been recently refinished. To his eye, someone had been making updates little by little and doing a decent job.

Mike started. “We’ve lived here for about a year. I can handle the small things, but I promised Sherry a new kitchen when we bought the house. We’re ready, and she doesn’t trust me to do it myself.”

Alec stopped in the small doorway of the closed-off kitchen. There wasn’t a lot of space to work with, and it was a complete gut job. Actually, it looked like it hadn’t been touched in thirty years. “What do you have in mind?” he asked, then looked over at Brynn and saw she already had her tablet and a tape measure out. He felt his lips twitch but was going to just let her take the lead and see what she did.

Sherry spoke up first. “I want to be able to see into the living room. Can we take this wall out? And then maybe put a big bar with some stools there. It would be nice to sit in here and eat breakfast rather than always having to go in the dining room to eat. I guess I really want some kind of seating in here if possible.”

Alec watched as Brynn started measuring the dimensions of each wall, then held her tablet up to take a picture, and quickly type in the measurements. He was intrigued and continued to watch her do it for the entire room, even the doorway. “It’s not a load bearing wall, so it can come down easily enough,” she said, after poking around a bit more.

Alec stepped out and looked on the other side of the wall to see the living room. It was pretty spacious actually. “Do you want to make the kitchen bigger by grabbing a few feet from the living room? Or would you prefer to leave the kitchen the same size? It will be bigger with the wall down anyway, and feel bigger too.”

Brynn slid by him and walked out to start taking measurements of the living room while Sherry and Mike talked back and forth. “I think a few feet won’t make a difference in the living room. Then it won’t feel like we’re bumping into each other all the time,” Mike told his wife.

So far Brynn hadn’t said much. She just kept taking pictures and keying in information. Alec hadn’t even had to do one thing other than talk. He’d watched her though. To his eye, she knew what she was doing. The measurements were all correct, she did everything right, and exactly the same way he would have, minus the pictures, of course. He’d never thought to do that before and wished he had.

“What are we looking at for the price of this?” Mike asked.

“A lot of it is going to depend on the finishes you want. Do you want custom cabinets? What type of wood, countertops, backsplash, flooring? Do you have any ideas of what you want? Don’t forget about appliances. We can get and install them if you are going new, or you can do that after the fact, your choice.”

“Oh, I know exactly what I want,” Sherry said, all excited, smiling enthusiastically at her husband.

Forty minutes later Alec sat in his truck shaking his head. Though the actual consult took longer than if he had done it alone, there was less work on the back end. Brynn had everything they wanted all neatly typed in the tablet with pricing next to each item. She was able to show them different choices of standard materials they used, along with pricier pieces.

By the time they walked out, everything was complete with current market prices. There was nothing for Sean to do other than print up an invoice based on Brynn’s projections—which were the same projections Sean used—and draw up the contract.

“See, you
are
making Sean’s job easier,” he said, joking.

She smirked at him. “Yeah, I know. Be honest, how many times have people told you on the spot they were ready to sign the contract?”

She had him there, he had to admit. “Okay, your way worked, I admit it. I’m impressed, really I am. Even more so when you said the prices change weekly so the quote could change if the materials did.”

“A little sales pressure never hurts. You and I both know there is a buffer in the estimates for that anyway. Very rarely does the price change so much so that it affects the complete bottom line, but they were worried enough because you can’t start for another two months, and they didn’t want to risk the prices rising.”

“You are going to end up making us a lot of money,” Alec said cheerfully.

“That’s what you pay me for.”

He had to keep reminding himself that. He couldn’t help thinking about earlier when she’d turned sideways to slip by him and brushed against him. It had felt like a jolt of electricity slicing through his body on that simple contact. She’d blushed, apologized and moved on quickly. But he still saw she was as affected as he was. Damn it.

Mantra

The next consultation went by pretty fast. The homeowners were looking for a second-story addition and they wanted it done before the holidays. There was no way that could happen. The best Alec could promise them was the shell and roof would be up before the weather changed, and it would be a winter project. They were just too booked right now.

Even though the homeowners weren’t thrilled, they still wanted the estimate, and then said they were going to shop around. Most of the cost was just standard construction material and labor. They were looking to add two bedrooms and another bath. Just a small simple full bath, with simple finishes. Easy enough.

So now, here they sat outside a local restaurant, grabbing some lunch on the deck in the sun. They had about ninety minutes until their last consultation for the day and Alec suggested they grab some food. She was all for it, as she was starved.

“Do you think they will call you for the addition, or go with someone else?” Brynn asked as she browsed the menu.

“Hard to say. Guess it depends on what the timelines of their other estimates are. Frankly, I’m not sweating it since we’ve got more than enough work right now to take us through the holidays. Not to mention there are several other consultations you’re setting up right now too. We’re good to go. I can probably get away without laying anyone off this winter.”

“That’s always nice,” Brynn said. She really hated that part of the job. She had a few years where she was laid off and did some side projects. Once she was a foreman, she worked all year round while others were laid off. Plenty liked having their winters off and taking the break, but just as many would have rather worked.

“I try not to lay people off. The last few years we haven’t had to, but I hired so many new crew with the development. Thankfully we planned it well enough so that it would take us past the holidays, which is what normally puts people in a bind when they’re laid off.”

That he thought that through was just another testimony to the type of person he was and how he thought of his employees. Every day she loved Harper Construction more and more, and after spending some time with Alec she finally thought she was getting a handle on his personality. “It can be rough. My father was always laid off in the winter, but he had his side jobs under the table, and he plowed driveways too. I think he was more frustrated over the lack of something to do, rather than the money. My mother was always thrilled though, as all the projects she had for him got done in that time,” she said, smiling fondly at the memory.

“Did you help your father with those projects?” he asked, a grin tugging at his lips.

“Of course I did. So did Drew, my brother.”

“How old is your brother?”

“Two years younger than me. Twenty-seven. So yes, that makes me twenty-nine. The Big Three-Oh is around the corner.” She laughed. It didn’t really bother her to be turning thirty, not like it bothered Carly. Carly figured she would be married with one, if not two kids by now. But not Brynn, she knew there was time for marriage and kids. They were in her plans, but she wasn’t as focused on them as Carly.

“You still have plenty of years under me,” he said, laughing back at her.

She raised her eyebrow. “You don’t look too old to me.” He looked just about perfect in her eyes. She felt the heat in her neck the minute those thoughts entered her head. The self-lecturing had failed again. She would have to come up with something else to stop her crazy thoughts about Alec.

She sincerely hoped she wasn’t blushing again. She never blushed. She was used to working around men and could hold her own, yet every time she was around Alec—or thought of Alec—she blushed. It was getting embarrassing.

It was bad enough she couldn’t stop staring at his thighs in the truck showcased in his long shorts. It didn’t even matter that his thighs were covered up. Enough of his leg showed and her mind went into overdrive. He was built—there was no way around it.

“Thanks,” he said. “I don’t feel it, but I guess I feel it when someone says they aren’t even thirty yet.”

“It won’t bother me. Besides, thirty is the new twenty, right?”

He shook his head and comically rolled his eyes. “Only women say those things. I don’t even know what that means.”

They paused their conversation for a moment while the server brought their drinks and took their lunch orders. Then she leaned across the table and told him in confidence. “Neither do I, but it seems like the thing to say.” She figured he liked to tease and joke so much, why not do it back? She always did before with men at work.

He looked startled for a moment. Brynn was trying to figure out what she said to cause that reaction in him and thought maybe she shouldn’t have slipped back into her old ways of trying to be one of the guys. Then he shook his head as if to clear it. “Oh, your last comment. Sorry, it took me a second to put it together.”

Did his cheeks just get pink? No, it had to be her imagination. They were outside sitting on the deck, so it was probably the sun.

She changed the subject quickly and started talking about work again. Before she knew it, their food had arrived.

Her mouth was salivating over the triple-decker club sandwich and fries set in front of her. Glancing over, she noticed that Alec’s burger was even bigger than her sandwich. Laying her napkin on her lap, she picked up one half and bit right in. It was delicious.

“I appreciate a woman who has a good appetite,” Alec said a moment later.

Crap, what does that mean? Did she have food on her face? Was she eating like a pig? She wasn’t actually inhaling the sandwich, though she was hungry enough to.

To his credit, he flushed and hurriedly said, “I meant that as a compliment. Seriously I did, even if it didn’t come off that way.”

“Ah, okay,” she said, hedging. Was he picking on her? Is that how he compliments women?

He burst out laughing. “Brynn, I’m sorry.” He laughed even harder when she wrinkled her nose at him. “I can’t stand it when a woman picks at a salad or takes a dainty bite out of food, like I’m not supposed to know she eats. I really meant it in the best possible way.”

She believed him, especially because he was starting to look so panicked. Again, considerate of her feelings. But they weren’t on a date, so the whole comment threw her off. Why would he care how or what she ate? She just worked for him. Just because she found herself fantasizing about him didn’t mean this was a date, or that he cared.

To put him at ease, she picked up her sandwich, took a huge bite, chewed and swallowed, then said, “Good, because I’ve got a big appetite for a lot of things in life.”

He flushed again. Then she did. Holy cow, she didn’t just say that. And it looked like he took it to a whole new level of meaning. Damn. But hey, with him, it might be true at that level, too.

***

Alec was struggling to pull it together. This whole day was nothing but a roller coaster. Up and down, work and personal conversations, side glances and innocent touches. Blushes. And not just her, he actually flushed a few times himself.

When she had leaned in close and told him in secret she had no idea what the comment about thirty being the new twenty meant, he hadn’t heard a word of it. All he saw was her leaning in, the V of her T-shirt giving him a bigger glimpse of her chest, and his eyes went right there. Then he hated himself for that. He knew she wasn’t doing it on purpose, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering downward.

He just didn’t seem to be able to help himself. She showed up today with a pair of jean shorts on and a pretty purple V-neck T-shirt and casual sneakers, nothing dressy at all, nothing special at all. Yet it fit her all so well, and she looked gorgeous to him. The right mix of woman and worker. He knew it was crazy, and he had to get it out of his mind. He had no intention of having a fling with an employee and he had a feeling she wasn’t the type to be receptive to it anyway.

Only he couldn’t keep thoughts of her out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. She could wear anything and look perfect to him.

It wasn’t even the added sight of her chest—though that was fine—it was her eyes. Her brown eyes sparkled in the sun, twinkling with mischief while she almost whispered her confession to him. Her voice, those words, her eyes—it was a punch to the gut. He lost every train of thought and had no clue what she was actually saying. He never reacted like that to another woman before, why now? Why someone he had no intention of even getting close to?

Then he pulled it together and figured it out.

But it didn’t stop there. Nope. He had to go and say something stupid like appreciating a woman with a big appetite. Just what every woman wants to hear, that she’s a big eater. He was never this out of touch with women before. He knew what to say, how to say it, and always came across smooth and sweet. He had women eating out of his hand most of his life.

What was it about Brynn that made him stumble so much?

Added to that, they weren’t even on a date. Why would he care? Why would he even say what he did? But damn if her response didn’t shoot laser beams through his veins all the way to his groin. Then she went and blushed again and he knew she didn’t mean it the way it came out of her mouth.

Except, he was a man. A man with a serious attraction to her, and that attraction was causing him to have thoughts that weren’t quite so pure when it came to her.

His employee.

It was going to be his new mantra. “Brynn’s my employee. I can’t touch her.”

Maybe if he said it to himself enough he would actually believe it.