Construction Beauty Queen (18 page)

“Hello, Matt,” Agatha said, her tone cool.

“You’re interrupting our business dinner.” Wilbur scowled at him. Matt didn’t know what he’d done to upset the mayor, unless Veronica had been complaining about him.

“Business about what?” Jenny asked, standing on the bench directly behind Veronica and watching them. Matt was more than a little curious himself.

“About making Kortville a better place to live.” Wilbur winked at her. Matt could interpret his words to mean just about anything, which told him nothing.

Veronica tipped her head to make eye contact with Jenny. “What did your uncle say about the clothes? Is it okay?”

“I guess so. He took the bags and didn’t say anything.” She shrugged.

“What was she supposed to tell me?” Matt asked Veronica. He hadn’t wanted to run into her. But now that he had, he hated that she was ignoring him.

Veronica looked him straight in the eye. “Jenny and I went through some of her clothes when I visited last week.” She held up her hand to stop any comment, although he didn’t have anything to say. The fact that she could look straight at him and speak a full sentence put her light-years ahead of him in coherency.

“She’s outgrown a lot of things in the past couple years. I asked her if she’d be willing to donate her old clothes to the community needs center Wilbur, Agatha, and I are starting, which she very generously agreed to.” Eyes sparkling, Veronica reached behind her over the top of the booth and patted Jenny’s arm. “This is going to be an effort of the entire town to provide free clothing to residents who can’t afford to purchase the items for themselves or their kids. Thank you, Jenny, for doing your part.”

Well, it wasn’t exactly an effort of the whole town. It was a gift to the town from Ron.

“Times are tough, and decent people are struggling to make ends meet,” Wilbur said. “Veronica convinced me I can increase profits in the Laundromat and get more votes in the next election if we set this thing up in the back room there.”

“That’s not why you’re doing it,” Agatha admonished.

“Yeah, I’m not going to increase my profits. I’m going to kill them when I replace all those dryers,” Wilbur grumbled.

“Think how many more people will pay to use machines that actually work,” Veronica pointed out. This time she winked at Matt, and the blazing connection that he tried to pretend didn’t exist flared to life.

“Did Ron give you the money for the project already?” He felt better knowing Ron was honoring his promises, but he still was surprised. Sales of entire businesses didn’t go through quickly enough to produce instant cash.

“We’re not waiting on Ron,” Wilbur said. “And we decided we didn’t want to be hemmed in by the rules of how we can and can’t run the charity if we accept money from the Help the Less Fortunate organization. We are a self-reliant, do-it-ourselves kind of town.”

“You should get connected with the Internet, Matt,” Agatha added, “and Google Veronica in your spare time. She’s dreamed up some amazing and innovative events to raise money and awareness for various charities in Chicago. We might be a low-budget town, but we’re not going to sit around waiting for Ron or anyone else to go through with giving his money to a project. Veronica’s jumping in and making it happen on her own.”

“Not on my own.” She looked embarrassed. “I’ve had a lot of help.”

Matt slid into the booth with Jenny as Veronica bantered back and forth with Agatha and Wilbur. She’d seen a need in town, and she’d decided to fill it. He felt indebted to the town for everything they’d done for him after Steve and Leah died. But Veronica felt compelled to step up for the citizens when no one had gone out of their way to help her.

Matt’s entire life still revolved around his brother and living out Steve’s legacy, but he was starting to realize that maybe he was the only one who viewed his life that way. To everyone else, Kortville Construction was his company and Jenny was his charge. Maybe he needed to start thinking that way, too.

Except it would mean letting his brother go, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to do that.

Jenny, who had moved on long ago and accepted him unconditionally as the parent in her life, spent a good part of the meal standing on the bench and popping her head over Veronica’s booth, interrupting her conversation. Pauline delivered his food with the usual service, and then stopped to chat with Veronica and the Hollisters. Within seconds, she was sitting on the bench next to Veronica, ignoring a customer who was rating a row of espressos.

Heidi and Stephanie dropped in to pick up Jenny for her sleepover. Matt finished his dinner alone. Normally, he was comfortable with his own company, but tonight he wished Steve was across the table from him, offering his opinion on everything from the partnership to if he was a fool to want a relationship with Veronica to how he was doing raising Jenny.

Pauline never got around to giving him the bill so he left his money on the table and walked outside. He stood in the parking lot next to Veronica’s ancient car with a brand-new taillight. Eventually, she came out and said her final good-byes to the Hollisters as they drove away.

“You got your car fixed.”

She turned around, looking surprised to see him. “For now. Fred tells me it’ll probably last for another three to six months, but it could stop running at any moment. Before I can afford to trade it in, it may turn out to be the most expensive car I’ve owned.”

He shifted his feet. “So, um, we didn’t part under the best circumstances last time.”

She winced. “Sorry about my parents walking in on us.”

“
I’m
sorry. I expressed my frustration in an inappropriate manner.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Frustration’s what you were expressing? Really? Then maybe we should talk about the ramifications of ending the partnership, because I have a feeling it’s not as dire as you imagine.”

“It sounds like you have the community needs center covered,” Matt admitted, because it was easier to talk about business than about what he’d hoped to accomplish with his hands up her shirt and his mouth covering hers. “But Ron had offered a lot more. He was going to donate lights on the baseball field and plumbing for the library.”

“I haven’t heard him back away from any of those things, have you? Whether he’s your partner or not, he can still choose to donate.”

She made it sound simple, while he felt like one wrong move would send everything spiraling out of control. “But I’d be taking away his connection to Kortville at a time when he already has one foot out the door, hanging out at high-society parties in the city.”

She put her hand on his shoulder. “Sounds to me like you’re going to have to trust him to go through on his word. Or better yet, trust the town to be resourceful enough to come up with another option if their first plan falls through. Still better, trust
yourself
that you can run a company without a partner to help you with the tough decisions, and you can do it just as well—or better—than your brother did.”

He could take her first two suggestions but not the third. He’d never done anything better than Steve, and he certainly didn’t want to now. And he absolutely could not trust himself with Veronica. She deserved so much better than a man feeling her up in his office, so much more than Matt, with his brother’s small-town construction company, could give her.

Chapter Eleven

“I’ve seen the financials from the past. Leah kept good records. And I know what the financial picture is now. I’m not knocking your brother, but you have good business instincts, Matt,” Veronica said. She was proud of what he’d accomplished in the three years since he’d plunged in and taken over. She wasn’t sure that he realized how much he’d done or had anyone else point it out to him.

His phone rang before he could comment. He answered and listened for a moment. “Oh no, Mrs. Parker, not again. I thought we fixed that problem.” He ran a hand through his hair as he kept listening. “If I didn’t fix it right last time, then I’m not going to charge you again. Don’t you worry about the cost. I’ll be right there.”

He sighed as he clicked off his phone. “So much for my business instincts. I’m losing money right and left on this job.”

“Problems at Mrs. Parker’s farmhouse again?” Veronica guessed.

“More pipe issues. The basement is filling with water, and she can’t find the shut-off valve.”

Veronica had hoped to convince him they should talk in more detail about the partnership, so then she could show him the one file folder that she hadn’t left on his dining room table, the one she’d never pulled from her bag the other night, the one that could match his hidden ambition that was directly opposite of his brother’s. But nothing gave her a bigger thrill than seeing Matt in his element on a job site. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

“No offense, but you’re more of a distraction than a help when I’m trying to get things done.”

She couldn’t take offense when it was the truth. “I won’t interfere. I admit I skipped the plumbing chapter in my book, but you might need an assistant to hand you tools. I know most of their names by now, so I should be able to get it right on the first try.”

“An assistant would be handy. One I don’t have the urge to take into my arms and strip her clothes off would be handier.”

Oh my. Now there was an image guaranteed to get her libido revved up. “You can’t be too choosy when these emergencies pop up. I’ll try to make sure my clothes stay on, stay dry, and stay away from any wet concrete.”

“You’re hired.” Matt held out his hand to her.

Instead of shaking it, she held it palm to palm. She walked with him to his truck, letting her thumb graze the hairs on the back of his hand. They rode in companionable silence, but Veronica’s acute awareness of the man refused to allow her to relax completely.

The truck’s headlights caught the sagging porch as Matt turned into the driveway. She caught her breath again. “Even in the dark, this place is majestic. I would sit on the porch and watch the sunset every day if I lived here.”

“You’d fall straight through the rotten floorboards on the first night,” Matt reminded her as he killed the engine.

“Once my favorite construction worker fixed them, I’d sit there,” she amended. The thought of watching him work made her smile.

He slanted her a look across the dark cab. “I’m your favorite construction worker?”

If he had to ask, he had to be fishing for compliments. So, she shrugged casually. “Well, I really like Toby, too, but considering how young he is, I’ll give you the edge.”

“I think I can give you a more convincing reason to pick me.” His lips brushed the tip of her ear.

She shivered and leaned closer so he could reach more than her ear.

“I hate this house,” an elderly lady screamed as she toddled across the porch and down the rickety steps. “If I can’t sell it, I’m going to trade it to you, Matt Shaw, for your overdue library book. There’s a waiting list to check out
Charlotte’s Web
, I’ll have you know.”

Veronica jerked apart before Mrs. Parker could see through the windshield. “You still haven’t returned that book?”

Matt sighed and shifted to his side of the cab. “I meant to. I brought it out of the house and into the truck. I think it’s under your seat.” He sighed heavily as the librarian’s muffled rant continued outside. “You know what I hate most about my job?”

“Useless assistants?” she guessed.

“No. Talking the customer off the ledge, instead of getting straight to work.”

Really? Of all the nasty jobs he had to do, the part he despised was the one thing she was actually competent at? Veronica squeezed his hand. “You’re in luck. Your assistant’s not nearly as useless as we both thought. I’ll take care of Mrs. Parker. You go do what you’re best at.”

She leaned over and touched her lips lightly to his cheek. Then she fumbled under the seat until she found the book. As she let herself out of the truck, she called, “Mrs. Parker, I have a present for you that’s going to make you forget all about the problems with your house.”

…

The truck headlights illuminated Veronica’s trim, energetic silhouette as she jogged to Mrs. Parker. She put her arm around the lady and presented her the book with an exaggerated flourish. Whatever she said not only made the librarian crack a smile, but the crabby old lady actually laughed.

Matt would have needed at least a half hour to calm down Mrs. Parker to the point where he could make it in the house, and he certainly wouldn’t have gotten her to smile. Veronica was by far the most efficient and effective assistant he’d ever had. Assistant, hell. Someone with this much talent deserved at least partner status.

As he collected his tools and headed into the house, Veronica still had her arm around Mrs. Parker. “Have you considered proposing to Matt that the two of you trade houses?”

He nearly stumbled. Trade houses? He’d never considered the concept. As much as he loved the farmhouse, he had to raise Jenny in Steve and Leah’s house.

“Not straight up, of course,” Veronica continued, still focused on Mrs. Parker. “Your gem here has to be worth more, but his house is in the middle of town and everything works just the way it’s supposed to.”

And Steve had once told him the house was only their starter, until they could afford something bigger for the large family he and Leah had planned to have.

“You make it sound so simple,” Mrs. Parker said wistfully, echoing Matt’s thoughts.

“It probably wouldn’t be,” Veronica admitted. “You’d have to get bankers and lawyers and surveyors and who knows who else involved. But I imagine the hassle would still be worth it for your peace of mind. Just think, you wouldn’t have any stairs in your house and you’d only be a block from the library.”

Matt trundled down to the basement, his head spinning. She’d shared her front porch fantasy and then turned around and practically handed the house to him, instead of trying to find a way to keep it for herself. If he read too much into it, he would start to believe all sorts of fanciful things that he hadn’t entertained since Kimberly had killed his faith in happily ever after.

Eventually, Veronica joined him in the basement. “Mrs. Parker’s going to bed. I promised her you had everything under control. I also promised you wouldn’t catch a glimpse of her in her nightgown.”

He certainly hoped Veronica could keep
that
promise. “I believe you’re the one who wrestled everything under control. Hand me the big wrench, please.”

She stepped around a puddle and picked up the tool, bringing it to him. “What else do you need?”

“Nothing right now. In a couple minutes, I’ll want you to turn the faucet handles so we can test the connection and see if I fixed the leak.”

Veronica didn’t sit idly as she waited. She found a mop and began cleaning the floor until it was dry and quite possibly cleaner than Mrs. Parker had ever seen it.

It was the middle of the night by the time he was convinced he’d finally solved the problem and Mrs. Parker wouldn’t have any more trouble with the water pipes. Veronica covered his hand with hers and snuggled against his side as he drove back to the diner to return her to her car.

“This is going to sound crazy, but I think tonight just became my gold standard of a date,” Veronica said, not lifting her head from his shoulder.

It did sound crazy, but he wished he’d driven slower to make the ride last longer. “That had to have been the least sexy date on record.”

She laughed.

He tried to laugh, too, as he shifted the truck into park, but his chest was too tight to allow one to escape. He still couldn’t quite believe he was lucky enough to find someone like Veronica. There had to be a catch, something that he’d overlooked.

“I have a couple ideas to up the sexiness rating.” She straightened in her seat and slid her fingers along his jawline. “Follow me back to my trailer.”

“Of course I’ll follow you, but just to make sure you get in the door safely. We’ve had a long night, and we’re exhausted.”

“We’ll see how much energy reserves you have left when we get there.” She pressed her lips to his and then slid out of the truck.

His heart thundered for the entire drive through town. If he had an ounce of self-preservation, he’d stay on the shoulder of the road and gun the engine as soon as she stepped over the threshold. Instead, he pulled into the trailer park directly behind her.

She walked to his truck and opened the door. “Come inside with me.”

His instinct was to grab her hand and run to the bedroom before she changed her mind. Instead, he sat with his hands clenched on the steering wheel, summoning the last of his control. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She held out her hand to him.

He’d wanted to make love to her in that ridiculously large bed since the moment he first showed her around the trailer. He wasn’t fool enough to pass up the chance. He cut the engine of his truck and stepped toward her.

Instead of taking the hand she offered, he lifted her in his arms. For a moment she tensed, but then she relaxed and burrowed her lips against his throat. He tried to keep his gait steady as he walked inside her home, but he didn’t feel as strong and all powerful as the last time he’d carried her in his arms. He felt vulnerable, like she could knock him over with a kiss.

He set her on the bed and leaned over to trail his lips down the column of her neck.

“You’re seducing me,” she murmured. Her body rose to meet his touch.

“Do you have a problem with it?” He wanted so badly to fill her every need, enough to ignore his body begging to be inside her now.

“No. But I want to return the favor.”

“Later.”

He concentrated on the tiny buttons of her shirt, drawing out each one, revealing an inch of skin and cleavage at a time. Then he slowly kissed his way down her chest to her navel, reveling in her staccato breathing.

Her fingers fisted at the hem of his T-shirt. She drew the shirt up, then abandoned it to smooth her hands around his waist. Her deepening arousal reflected in her eyes, in the heat of her hands as they sifted through the hairs at his belly. Knowing there was an answering infatuation on her side released the last of his misgivings.

He tossed aside his shirt, and then peeled back the fabric on her blouse. Lord, she was perfect—too perfect to settle for him on a permanent basis. But for tonight, she was all his, and he was going to make the precious moments they did have as perfect for her as possible.

Matt awoke alone to blinding brightness. He blinked and turned away from the light. He’d never paid attention to window treatments before, but at the first opportunity he was going to present Veronica with a set of very dark shades.

Outside, the rumbling of the ancient Oldsmobile grew louder, then silenced, followed by the opening of the trailer door. Wherever Veronica had gone, she was back. The energy in the trailer changed. The sun shining through the window was nothing compared to how she brightened a room.

Matt pulled on his jeans, stopping in the bathroom to brush his teeth and splash water on his face. When he got to the kitchen, she had two containers of yogurt and a box of doughnuts from the convenience store on the tiny table. Next to the food was a folder and a pen.

He ignored it all and went straight for her, clasping her in his arms and clamping his mouth over hers. He could smell her shampoo and feel the expensive silk of her blouse. In contrast, he was shirtless and smelled like yesterday’s sweat. For the first time, it didn’t make him feel inferior—not now, because of what they’d shared together. “Next time, wake me when you get up. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

She smiled and her cheeks flushed, but she pulled back from his embrace. “I thought maybe we could have a working breakfast before you pick up Jenny, since we never got around to what I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

The last thing he wanted to do in his few remaining hours of alone time with her was pour over boring paperwork. But he couldn’t refuse her anything. At the farmhouse, they had been partners, working together the way he’d always envisioned his life with a mate would be. In the bedroom, they’d taken their partnership to another level and given him an entirely new appreciation for the word
harmony
.

She opened the folder and spread the papers across the table. “I worked up some cash flow estimates for the next couple years. They take into account the different office personnel scenarios, as well as buying new equipment.”

He ate his jelly doughnut and reluctantly skimmed the figures while she opened a yogurt. “You’re probably right that I’ll need a new wheelbarrow, but not even ten of them would cost this much.”

It pleased him that she’d keyed in her numbers wrong. They could put off the discussion until she fixed it. The yogurt looked much more appetizing on the spoon going to her lips. Maybe they could take the containers back to the bed and spend the morning promoting healthy eating. He sucked the jelly from his fingers. Or enjoying sweet confections.

She ignored his comment and picked up a pen, circling the variable items that altered the figures. Matt took another bite of doughnut. He couldn’t make any sense of it. Considering he was consumed with creative ways to eat yogurt and jelly doughnuts, whatever came out of her mouth sounded like genius. His body was in no shape to analyze business figures.

“Those are all based on the assumption you don’t build the new office for my father’s company.” She scooped up that stack and spread out another set of papers. “These are the estimates if the project is a go.”