Framed and Hung (2 page)

‘Jake, I think you should know there’s only going to be one painter and Zoe’s it…er, him…her,’ his mother said.

Painter?
Ah hell, that bloody portrait. His mother was going to ride his ass until he gave in and had it done. Between his brothers and his mum, he didn’t have a chance.

‘Mum, I told you I wasn’t ready — ’

‘House painter,’ Jessie interrupted.

‘You mean she — ’

‘Is going to finish painting and decorating the inn for me and I’ve invited her to move in here until the job is done,’ his mother finished.

‘What the — ’ Jake reared up in preparation for jumping out of the spa and confronting his mother. At the last moment, he remembered he wasn’t exactly presentable. He ground his teeth together again as he collapsed back on the seat, the water licking at his chest.

He lifted his gaze and flicked a glance at Zoe to catch another one of those sassy grins on her face. Damn it, she was enjoying this.

Here he was, the managing director of the biggest bank in Alice Springs — a family-owned bank with the highest of reputations — and the favoured candidate for the local council elections, and he was sitting here in his birthday suit, totally at a disadvantage. Way past time to re-establish the status quo, and maybe, a little bit of dignity.

He drew on his business persona and stared at Zoe again, one eyebrow raised in what he hoped was a sign of superior intelligence.

‘Mother, are you certain this…person has the right credentials to re-do the place? After all, it’s heritage listed and has to be finished to certain standards. I mean, Ms Chandler doesn’t look old enough to have the required experience. In fact, she looks like she should still be finger painting.’

Ah crap, now I sound like a pompous asshole
.

No, he sounded like the stuffed shirt his staff called him. He knew darn well they thought he was an arrogant, stuck-up pain-in-the-butt, but he had big shoes to fill. His father had coached him to take over the bank since he was old enough to understand what his dad was talking about. And now he sounded just like his father.

Before he could apologise for his appalling bad manners, Zoe leaned over the side of the spa again. He couldn’t help but focus on those enticing breasts. He had an insane urge to move closer and fit his mouth over the telltale bump of an erect nipple. Close his lips around it and draw it deep. Suckle hard until she groaned in response and —

He cut the thought off before he found himself having to pole-vault out of the spa, because with the erection hidden beneath his hands, there was no way in hell he’d be walking out of here. At least not until he got his body back under control.

A wave of heat burned his cheeks again as Zoe stared at him, a knowing look on her face. Surely she didn’t know what he was thinking? He risked a glance at her. At the grin spreading across her face.

Yep, given the present focus of her gaze, she knew exactly what he was thinking.

He found himself sliding down, his shoulders hunched in an effort to hide that vulnerable part of his body. He willed his body to behave, but to no avail. His cock was wide awake and taking notice.

‘I thought I raised you better than that, Jake. Now you apologise this instant.’

His mother’s sharp words broke through his preoccupation with certain parts of his anatomy. God, he felt as if he were five years old again and he and his brothers had gotten up to some type of mischief. He was a grown man, for crying out loud. Even so, he did owe Zoe an apology.

‘I
am
sorry, Zoe. That was uncalled for.’

She pushed up onto her knees again and crossed her arms under her breasts. ‘Hey, no biggie. Actually, I’m quite good at finger painting.’

He grimaced and opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off with a lift of her hand.

‘But I’m even better at looking after heritage homes. You might take the time to check out my portfolio instead of judging me by my appearance. I have a degree in history. I know this era well and know exactly what the building should look like inside and out.’

She leaned down and hit the button to turn off the bubbles in the spa. The water suddenly became crystal-clear. As Jake struggled to make certain his crown jewels were covered, she stood and joined his mother and her friend. All three had wide grins on their faces.

‘Oh, by the way, I’ve seen better. Not really much point hiding it.’ With a little finger wave, Zoe turned her back on him and walked towards the house.

Jake’s mouth dropped open. He stared down at his poor old cock, which was deflating at a great rate. Jaw still hanging, he lifted his head and followed Zoe’s progress to the house.

He closed his mouth and gulped. The little shorts hugged her hips and gave him a peek-a-boo glimpse of the lower curve of her ass. Snow-white skin that he wanted to lick. To sink his teeth into.

His cock snapped back to attention, letting him know how interested it was in satisfying that scenario. Jake groaned.

‘Oh, shit, I am in so much trouble.’

* * *

‘You’re really going to run it as an inn, Jessie?’ Zoe followed Jake’s mum across the bricked patio and into the main building. ‘Seems an awful lot of work.’

‘Oh, I won’t be doing all the work. I’m not that stupid even if I am old.’ Jessie rolled her eyes and grinned as she waddled down a narrow corridor towards the reception area at the front of the motel, ushering the two younger women before her. ‘No, Simon, my youngest son, has just finished a stint at a hotel in Fiji. He’s coming home to manage the place. I’m going to swan around and play lady of the manor. Now, let me show you around and you can see what’s still to be done. We’ll start from the outside and work through.’

Zoe turned to her friend. ‘You have time, Rach? Or do you have to get back?’

Rachel grinned. ‘Oh, I’m staying for the moment. I want to see how you handle Mr Naked-and-Dangerous when he finally gets the gumption to crawl out of that spa. He might be a stuffed shirt, but I have a feeling he’s going to give you a run for your money.’ She suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth and glanced at Jake’s mother. ‘Oops. Sorry. That was a little rude.’

Jessie grinned. ‘Not at all, my dear. I love him to death, but he is a bit of a stuffed shirt. And arrogant as all get-out at times. His father was the same way when I first met him.’

She patted her beautifully coiffed hair and gave Zoe a wink. ‘Of course he didn’t stay that way long after I got hold of him. It will do Jake good to have a bit of a shake-up. I can already see the sparks flying between the two of you. Jake’s far too serious for someone who’s only 35. It’s like he’s taken on his father’s personality along with his position at the bank.’

Zoe lifted her hands. ‘Hey, forget the sparks. I’m just here to work.’

Yeah, but you still wouldn’t mind taking him down a peg or two
.

She bit her lip so she wouldn’t laugh out loud at the look on Jake’s face when she’d told him she’d seen better. Catching Jake Lord naked had made her day.

Mind you, she
was
slightly piqued he didn’t remember her. Not that she really expected him to. She’d been 16 years old and had been crushing on him in a serious way.

He’d sat behind her at school for years and the most attention she’d managed to garner from him had been when he’d glued her braids together with chewing gum. Then he’d decided to ‘help’ her by chopping the end off her hair to get the gum out. Her mother had been seriously pissed.

‘Well, as you can see, most of the outside still needs a bit of work,’ Jessie continued. ‘The brickwork has been washed down, a little bit of carpentry work done, some of the paintwork sanded, but that’s about all.’

Zoe shook her head and dragged her mind back to the work she’d been employed to do. The inn was the picture of a bygone era and it would be a pleasure to work on it. ‘I can see why it has been heritage listed.’

Constructed of dark red brick, the inn was one level, only the width of one brick up from the ground. The uprights that supported the red corrugated iron roof were solid timber originally painted white, as were the window surrounds.

Someone had already replaced the lacy timber fretwork brackets that framed the uprights where they met the roof. When painted white to match the posts, they’d blend in beautifully.

Rather than paving, the same red bricks formed the verandah that ran along the front of the building. Conifers planted in terracotta pots marked the entrance and hugging the edge of the verandah on both sides were lavender bushes in full flower.

Zoe sucked in a deep breath. The perfumed air made her smile. Some people might consider lavender old-fashioned, but the scent was heavenly. They definitely blended in with the rest of the décor of the inn. And given the thickness of the gnarled branches, she’d hazard a guess these bushes were originally planted when the inn was first built.

‘Looks like it’s mainly painting needed out here, although we’ll have to find a gardener to tidy the grounds up a little.’

‘This was the original building,’ Jessie said. ‘It was built in the late 1800s as a changing post for the stage coaches that used to travel this route. The old stables are still out the back. We use them for storage now.’

‘The rest of the inn, the three blocks where the rooms are?’ Rachel interrupted. ‘When were they built? Whoever drew up the plans did a fantastic job of matching this building.’

‘Oh, that happened in the early ‘60s. The inn remained in the family until then. The first owner was a great-great something on my husband’s side. When the old buzzard died, my cousins couldn’t be bothered with it so they sold it.
After
they dumped most of the antique items at the local rubbish tip.’

‘Oh my God, you’re kidding me, aren’t you?’ Zoe shook her head. ‘Why didn’t they sell them with the building?’

‘Heaven only knows,’ Jessie said. ‘Luckily, the new owners were able to retrieve some of the stuff. Then they set about restoring the original inn, as well as adding the motel units. It’s certainly made my life a lot easier having so much of the work done.’

‘It’s amazing you managed to get it back.’ Talk about being able to trace your family roots.

‘Oh no, dear, I was quite determined. The new owners went bust and closed the place up about five years ago. I’ve had Jake watching ever since. When it finally came on the market, he made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.’

‘Now there’s a banker for you,’ Zoe said with a grin.

She cast a final look across the front of the building, cataloguing what she had to do to get the inn in top condition according to the dictates of the heritage committee. Moving back until she stood on the edge of the pavement, she stared up at the roof with its red brick chimneys standing out like silent sentinels.

‘We’ll need to water-blast the chimneys to clean the black soot off the bricks, but otherwise the roof area looks good.’

Hands on hips, she wandered over to a large signboard, at least six feet high, fixed to two ornate poles beside the walkway up to the front of the inn. ‘Looks like they used this to post the restaurant menus. A lot of space for a couple of bits of paper. It’s a bit of an eyesore. Think we can get rid of this, Jessie?’

‘Dear girl, I’ll leave it in your hands. You think it should go? Then it goes.’

A loud beeping filled the air and Jessie spun to face the road. A bright red sports car crept along in front of the inn. The blonde driving it thrust an arm out the window and gave a little finger-wave as she passed. Then she gunned the engine and the vehicle disappeared around the corner.

Jessie scowled and stomped up onto the shaded verandah. Zoe followed her, concerned about the crimson flush on Jessie’s face. ‘Um, friend of yours?’

The old lady snorted. ‘Not likely. Can’t stand the bitch. That’s Tanya Murphy. A nasty piece of work to be avoided at all costs. She’s running against Jake in the council elections and would do anything to knock him out of the race.’

She waved her hand as if brushing all thoughts of the woman away. ‘Now, where were we? Are we finished out here? Anything else you need to see?’

Zoe shook her head. ‘How about inside though? How much still needs to be done there?’

Jessie bustled past her and into the narrow hallway that bisected the building. ‘The main dining room is finished. Have a look.’ She waved a hand towards the right.

Zoe entered the room and paused just inside. ‘Oh my,’ she whispered. ‘I feel like I’ve gone back in time.’

In keeping with the period of the building, the walls were a soft mauve colour. A polished rail ran around the room about three feet off the floor. The timber floorboards were finished in the same high polish. What dominated the room was the mantelpiece over the brick fireplace.

She moved over to it and ran her fingers lightly across the mahogany wood. ‘This is original. It’s beautiful.’

Tables dressed in white linen and set with gleaming silver and crystal glasses took up most of the room. The chairs were antique, dark-stained mahogany timber with brocade-covered seats. Overhead were two multi-tiered chandeliers that looked to be the real thing, too. Jessie hit the light switch and the candle bulbs illuminated the room with a soft glow.

‘Unfortunately, a few of the lead crystals are missing from the chandeliers. I haven’t been able to track down anything that looks close to what’s there.’

‘That’s my job,’ Rachel chipped in.

‘Rach is an absolute wizard at finding things like that.’ Zoe grinned at her friend. ‘While you’re at it, we could do with a couple of candelabras for on the mantelpiece.’ Zoe studied the fireplace. ‘And maybe an old china vase. One of those hand-painted ones that looks like an urn.’

Jessie clapped her hands. ‘Oh, you girls are terrific. You know exactly what I want. This is going to work out so well. Now, let me show you the bar.’

Zoe and Rachel followed her across the hallway and entered another smaller, intimate dining room. Here the walls were a light lilac shade, with one feature wall in a rich purple. It shouldn’t have worked given the depth of colour, but somehow it did.

This room, too, had an open fireplace with a polished timber mantle over it. Above the mantle hung what looked to be an original oil painting showing a woman in period dress. An ornate gold frame set off the picture to advantage.