Begin Again (2 page)

“Most people call me Paulie.”

God, no, not a boy’s name. He preferred the more lyrical form of address. “Call me Adam. Can Lana get you something?”

She shook her head, and a few tendrils of hair escaped her functional braid. Soft and blond, they kissed her face
.

“Then let’s sit.”

They took chairs at an oval teak table by the windows. Her eyes widened like a child’s as she perused the skyline. Right away, he knew this woman wouldn’t dissemble, which would be a welcome change from some business partners he’d dealt with. “What a pretty office,

Adam, and a gorgeous view.”

“It’s inspirational.”

“I’ll bet.” Smiling, she still gazed out the
window. “I love all the styles, sizes and heights of the buildings in the city.”

“I do, too.” Though nobody had ever voiced his own affection for New York like that. Glancing down, he unrolled the blueprints. “Ready?”

The corners of her mouth turned up
.

“What?”

“You sound like a little kid opening a present.”

He chuckled. “I guess that’s how I feel about my work. Even though
you’ve gone over the preliminary drawings with my father, you haven’t seen the actual building.”

“Go for it.”

The facade was first. Paulina Pettrone drew back when she saw it. What the hell? He waited as she leaned in closer and examined every inch of it, then raised her gaze to his. The color of fall leaves now, her eyes were filled with something he couldn’t name. “I didn’t expect this.”

“Is something wrong?” He felt as if somebody had told him his baby was ugly.

“I’m surprised at the traditional arches and windows. Carvings into the stone. The classic lines.” She gestured to encompass the office. “I was anticipating something more modern, like this.”

“The city wants a classic look for the exterior. This style fits in with the neighboring buildings. But the inside has
some modern elements.” He stared down at his plans. “Besides, it will be filled with some of the greatest music in the world, so it should be a combination of both.”

“I’m glad you believe in matching the exterior with what’s inside.”

He’d been called the new Frank Lloyd Wright, whose mantra was exactly that. He wouldn’t brag to her, though.

She took a bead on him. “I checked you out
online. Now I remember the comparison to Wright. Very nice.”

“Thank you.” Her gaze went back to the plans, as if she couldn’t stop looking at them. That tickled him. After he let her study each and every page, he asked, “Do you think you can handle the outside?”

“Of course.” She seemed amused at his question, making him feel silly. “We’ve done older facades like this before. I’ve worked
on all of them.” Now her eyes twinkled. “Literally. I helped set stone in place and built the arches.”

“I’m impressed. Your company has been in the contracting business for ten years?” “Uh-huh. I started to work there right out of high school but ended up getting a degree in building construction at a local college and took several more structural-engineering courses.”

Since he knew what
had happened to her, he felt he needed to mention it. “I know your husband and his twin brother started the business years ago. Is it all right if I say how sorry I am for their accident?”

The light went out of those eyes. It didn’t dim, it was doused completely. And the effect was startling. He’d never seen that kind of transformation before. “Yes, you can say that. It’s worse when new people
ignore that he’s gone.”

Adam squeezed her arm. Now, that part of her skin was silky. And he got a faint whiff of lotion. “Then I’m glad I said something.”

“Don’t you want to know if I can handle the job since I’ve only been in charge three years?”

“Word on the street says you and Don were equal partners.”

Her laughter was soft. Sincere. “I like that. He would, too.”

“Let me
show you the inside. There are some complicated sections.”

Her chin raised, and his attention dropped to the cuffed neckline of the dress. “I can do anything that needs to be done.”

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you could, Paulina.”

“I know. Now show me your baby.”

“Get the lead out, Benson. We need that lumber up to the house right away.” Paulina was walking toward Frank Murray, her foreman, as he spoke to a worker who’d been slacking off. “Everything okay?”

Frank turned and his jaw dropped. “Who are you lady, and what have you done with Paulie?”

Glancing down, she felt herself blush. She’d change in the firm’s
trailer, parked at the job site and containing the office, a bathroom and a small kitchenette. “Very funny. I had a business meeting. I’m going to turn back into Cinderella now. But I wanted to make sure everything went fine without me.”

His gaze softened. “You know Don didn’t check on us every second.”

She nodded. “I want everybody to see I can take his place effectively.”

Reaching
out, he gently touched her arm. “It’s been three years, honey.” The term wasn’t sexist, more old-fashioned. “We know you can do this. The men and women who work for us full time, as well as the subs we hire, respect and like you.”

“Thanks.” Turning, she headed toward the trailer.

Frank called out, “Hey, nice hairdo.”

Her hand went to the braid. “Mags’s idea.” As she walked to the trailer,
she thought about Frank. He’d been Donnie’s best friend, outside Pete, and they’d worked together for years. Donnie used to tease her about him.

Frankie’s got a crush on you.

He told you that?

Nah, I can tell. And he makes unconscious comments. “Paulie seems tired, but she’s still pretty… Like that dress your wife had on last night.”
Donnie had grinned
. I hope I don’t have to punch
him out someday.

She’d jumped on her husband then and wrapped her arms and legs around his body. If she recalled correctly, they’d had sex right there on the couch in the corner
.

A burst of pain shot through her, so strong she had to grip the purse she carried. She missed Donnie so much and still, sometimes, couldn’t believe he was gone. Though everybody thought she was the strong one
and Nia the most affected by the deaths of their husbands, sometimes the loss of him made her want to crawl under the covers and stay there
.

Her sister Sofia, who owned a yoga studio, had taught her to deal with the ambushes of grief by taking deep breaths and concentrating on them instead. So, once inside, she sat down and took in air slowly, then let it out. Several times, and her hands
stopped shaking. Finally, she was together enough to change into a T-shirt, jeans and work boots and head out the door. She had work to do. And a lot more to come, one of which was a beautiful new building in Queens, where she’d lived her whole life and was surrounded by loving friends and family. “You have a lot to be thankful for, Paulina,” she reminded herself as she walked to the house. “Remember
that.”

Adam sat in the backseat of his limo, fingering the small cell phone Paulina Pettrone had left behind in his office. She’d checked the time on it and must have thought she’d slipped the thing back in her purse. Lana had spotted the small device under the chair
.

Paulina had seemed uncomfortable with that purse—an expensive deep brown one—and maybe even in the dress
she’d worn. He hadn’t expected the woman he’d looked up online to wear such sophisticated clothes. He’d pegged her as what they used to call a tomboy, but she was certainly feminine when she showed up today.

Hell, what did he really know about women?

Do you realize you call your buildings
she
? You’re married to them, not to me. All you think about is work.

To be honest, at the time,
Bethany had been right. He’d joined his father’s firm after graduating from Cornell, and in typical-dad fashion, Andrew Armstrong had told him he’d have to earn his way up the ladder. Adam had not only risen to his father’s expectations but enjoyed the sense of accomplishment. He’d worked hard to please his dad, and himself, too.

Unfortunately, Bethany hadn’t been able to wait for success
to come their way and had had an affair with his best friend. He didn’t know what hurt more—losing his wife or his longtime buddy, which in itself said something about his marriage
.

“The site’s right up here, Adam.”

Adam could see the trailer labeled Pettrone and Ludzecky Builders and the frame of the current building they were erecting. The scent of fresh-cut wood filled his head when
he opened the door. “Thanks, Joe. I’ll only be a minute.”

His driver, Joe, had been with him for years, so it wasn’t odd that he turned around in the seat and wiggled his brows. “Must be some woman to come this far out of your way.”

“What?”

“Bringing her the phone instead of having me run it out. You must like her.”

“No, actually, I only met her this morning. And she’s not my type.”
He thought of Elyssa, the woman in his life these days, with the sleek, short hair and long, lean body.

Joe faced forward again. “Uh-huh.”

Since it was seven at night, the site was deserted. No vehicles were parked on the grass, but a light was on in the trailer. After he exited his car, he walked over to it and knocked. No answer. He knocked again. Then he heard, “Who’s there?”

“Adam
Armstrong. You left your cell phone in my office, and I had a meeting out this way, so I’m returning it.” He told the little lie because, Joe was right, his actions were unusual. Nothing. Then he heard the lock snick. Paulina opened the door. The first thing he noticed was she held a baseball bat. The second was she wore men’s clothes, reinforcing his tomboy expectation. And last, she was dirty…really
dirty. Her face was smudged. The T-shirt dingy. Jeans sported patches of mud and clunky work boots were scuffed and caked. “Hi.” She nodded to the phone. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“No problem.”

“I’m not used to carrying a purse. I usually stick the cell in my pocket. But then again, I didn’t have one of those in the dress, either.”

Her confession stumped him. No coyness from her.
And she certainly wasn’t trying to impress him. “Um, okay.”

She shook her head. Her hair was still pulled back, but now the braid was messy. “It’s Mags’s fault. She made me take the damn thing.”

“Mags?”

“Magdalena, my sister. She dressed me for our meeting.” Her hand went to her mouth. “Oops, I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that.”

“Why?”

“She thought I should appear
more sophisticated.” The sound that came out of her mouth was almost a snort. “As if.”

“You looked perfectly lovely.” He gave his version of a snort, then scanned her up and down. “Quite a difference from now. What the hell did you do today?”

“Plumbers were putting in the bathroom piping, and somebody had to go into the crawlspace beneath. I went because I’m the littlest. Not that I’m
little. But smaller than the guys.”

“Interesting.” He couldn’t help but smile. Who would have known once he got her talking, she’d ramble on. And reveal a lot about herself.

“Sorry for running my mouth. I got nervous when you came to the door.” He nodded to the bat, which she still gripped in a gritty hand. “That’s not much protection. I could wrest it away from you in seconds.”

“Ha!
No way.”

“Want to bet?”

“Sure. You can buy me a beer sometime if I win, and if I lose, I’ll treat you to one of those fancy martinis that comes in all flavors.” It was his turn to chuckle.

With a light in those hazel eyes, she eased her way outside. Night hadn’t fallen, but they were in shadows. He thought briefly how this so wasn’t him, but her playfulness was contagious. Whipping
off his jacket and hanging it on the doorknob to the trailer, he rolled up his sleeves and took a crouching stance. “Go ahead, try to hit me.”

Raising that bat, she winked. “Don’t worry. I got good reflexes. I won’t hurt you.” She aimed for his shoulder, but he darted out of the way. She pivoted fast and went for his hip. Again, he evaded. When she tried to get around him, he caught the end
of the bat and snatched it from her.

“I told you—”

His feet went out from under him—and he went sprawling face first in the dirt
.

Standing over him, she laughed. “I wouldn’t call that a win.”

He managed to sit up and dangled his hands between his legs. “I got the bat, but you got me. For the record, I wasn’t prepared for a street fight.”

“Always be prepared for a street fight.
My brother taught me that.” She held out her hand.

Taking it, he rolled to his feet. But he didn’t let go. “When?” he asked.

“When what?”

“When can I take you for the beer?”

“Oh, forget it. We really tied.”

Suddenly, he didn’t want to forget it. “I—”

“Mr. Armstrong?” The voice came from under a nearby tree—full of humor
.

“Damn. Did you see that, Joe?”

His friend
came over to them. “Every bit. I’d say you’re losin’ your touch, boss.”

“Joe Corleone, this is Paulina Pettrone. She’s building the music hall.”

“So you said.” Joe turned an affectionate smile on Paulina. “Hello, Mrs. Pettrone.” “Mr. Corleone.”
Her
expression was mischievous again. “Should I, like, be afraid of you?”

A deep laugh rumbled out of Joe. “Maybe. I got connections, lady.”

Adam cocked his head. Was Joe hitting on Paulina? She must like Italian men, given who she’d married
.

Paulina bestowed an equally flirty expression on Joe. “I have a few things to finish, and then I’m leaving.”

Glancing around, Adam frowned. “Where’s your car?”

“My truck’s back home. I stayed with Magdalena in the city last night, then I caught a train back out here. I’ll call a
cab tonight.”

“Won’t your family come get you?”

“Yeah, they would. But then my sister will…never mind. I’ll be fine.”

Joe crossed his arms over his chest. “We aren’t goin’ anywhere without you. You shouldn’t be out here all alone.”