His By Design (7 page)

“Yes, Amanda will like that.” She smiled. “So what I’m going to need is a way to get whatever I buy, if I buy anything at all, from Cambridge to here.”

Aha, so this was the favor she thought his dad might turn down. Using his van to bring the cases here. Great, another bit of indebtedness would get chalked up in his column. “No problem. I’m sure we can borrow my dad’s van for a couple of hours tomorrow before he leaves for home.”

“Oh thank you!” Zoe threw her arms around him and hugged him in her exuberance.

His own arms responded in kind and he reveled in the feel of her body pressed against his, the top of her head tucked under his chin, the fragrance from her hair intoxicating him. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and set her away from him before he could be tempted to kiss her lips.

“So, do you want to come down and have your morning sugar fix, sweet cheeks?” He brushed a thumb over one cheek to emphasize his point and saw her pupils dilate slightly. They stood so close he’d only need to dip his head to taste the softness of her lush mouth.

She stepped away and blew out a sigh. “Yeah, that’s what I need. Sugar.” She went ahead of him down the stairs.

While they finished off Olivia’s goodies, Jeff asked his dad to loan them the van. He readily agreed. “I’ll drive and Zoe can ride with me. You can follow us on your bike.” He winked at Zoe. “That okay with you, young lady?”

“Certainly. And thank you so much for letting us use your van. It will be nice to chat with you on the ride over and back. Since you’ve been here working, I’ve barely had five minutes to talk with you.”

No, no, no. Not a good plan. God knows what dad might say about me to Zoe.

He shook his head. “You won’t have to come with us when we pick up whatever you buy today. Dad and I can load the truck and pay the owner. You can stay here and . . .”

“No way. I’m not giving up the chance to ride with your dad. I’m going.”

“Okay, okay. Whatever.” He picked up a carton full of junction boxes and headed for the front of the store.

“Is he mad at me?” Jeff heard Zoe ask his father.

“Nah. He’s fine. Just jealous that I get to have you all to myself for a while.”

You got that right, Dad. Better be careful what you talk about.

“Considering he gets to have me all to himself every day, he shouldn’t complain. You’d think he’d be grateful to pawn me off on someone else for a while.”

The tinkle of the doorbell diverted Jeff’s attention from his dad’s conversation with Zoe. He did a double-take. Another knock-out. Blond, tall, slender. When had all these gorgeous women moved to Blue Point Cove? He intercepted her as she headed for the rear of the gallery.

“Hello, beautiful. You must be looking for the meeting.”

“Meeting? No, I’m not . . .” She frowned and bit her lip.

“Aren’t you here for the Beautiful Women of Blue Point Cove meeting? I know my boss is president of that club.” He gave her a slow once-over. “And, by the looks of you, I’d guess you’re the V.P.”

She laughed and put out her hand. “You must be Mr. Petrosky. I’m Amanda Adams. I’m glad to meet you.”

“Mr. Petrosky is my father. My name is Jeff.” He clasped her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

“Amanda, hi. I see you’ve met my renovation specialist and resident smart-aleck.” Zoe slipped her jacket on. “You two will have to chat more later. Right now we’ve got shopping to do.” She grabbed Amanda’s elbow and steered her toward the front door.

“What shall I do when the other women show up?”

Zoe turned back at his question. “Other women?”

“You know. For the meeting.” He sounded serious although his mouth twitched upward at one corner.

Amanda grabbed Zoe’s arm and tugged her through the door. “Ignore him. I’ll explain in the car.” She shook her head at him. He winked back.

She was a very pretty woman.

But she didn’t hold a candle to Zoe Silvercreek.

Chapter 7

The trip to Cambridge was a success. Zoe couldn’t wait to get back to Blue Point Cove and tell Jeff about the beautifully carved oak display cabinets she had purchased. It would be a tight fit to get them both in the back of the panel van, but even if they had to make two trips the reward made it worth the extra effort. Wait until he saw them. She just knew he’d admire the workmanship that went into them as much as she did.

The ride in Amanda’s car gave them plenty of time to chat and brought their budding friendship into full bloom. Zoe’s spirits rose with each mile on the return trip.

“I wonder how much they finished while I was out enjoying myself,” she mused. A sliver of guilt slipped under the delight in her new acquisitions. Boss or not, she’d promised Jeff to work right alongside him till the renovations were completed.

“They might have appreciated having some guy-time since I gather they don’t see each other very often,” Amanda suggested.

“I hope so. I know there are lots of things Jeff doesn’t want me to do, either because I don’t have the skills or because he’s afraid I’ll hurt myself. Maybe having his dad help with some of the heavy lifting was a good thing. Want to come in and see the progress on my new digs? Now that the walls are framed in you can get a pretty good idea of how it will look.”

“I would love to.” Amanda parked in front of the gallery and they went inside.

“Jeff? Frank?” Zoe could hear rhythmic hammering but neither man was on the main floor. The second restroom was plumbed and waiting for the sink and toilet to be installed. That meant her space was probably ready for floor tile and cabinetry. She headed for the stairs. “Come on up. Let’s see what’s new in my place.”

A short hallway, created to separate the gallery storage area from her space, led to her apartment door. Although none of the doors had been hung yet, Zoe noticed how much brighter the hallway was. When she went inside she couldn’t believe how much daylight flooded her studio area. She looked up and saw Jeff nailing something around the edge of one of her brand new skylights. She clapped her hands to her cheeks.

“Jeff!” she shouted. No response. “Jeff!” she shouted even louder, then went to stand under the skylight and waved her arms to get his attention.

“I don’t think he can hear you, honey,” Frank commented from behind her.

She whirled to face him. “This is amazing. These are amazing. I didn’t even know the skylights were here, let alone that you two would get them in today.” She gave him a hug. “Thank you so much for helping me, us . . . Jeff. I’m just awestruck at the difference in this room.”

She gestured Amanda to come closer. “Frank, I don’t think you had a chance to meet Amanda Adams this morning before we left. She’s my accountant—and my friend. Amanda, this is Jeff’s father, Frank Petrosky.”

“How nice to meet you, Mr. Petrosky.” They shook hands. “I understand from Zoe that you’ve gotten a tremendous amount of work done in the few days you’ve been here.”

The hammering on the roof stopped and Zoe went to stand under the skylight where Jeff had been working. Getting his attention at last, she blew kisses up at him with both hands, and gestured for him to come down. She turned with a smile. “He’s amazing, Frank. I am so glad he stopped by that first day. I have to admit this renovation would never have moved along this quickly if I’d had to hire a bunch of different contractors. And his plans for this apartment were so much better than what I had envisioned.” She reached over and gave his arm a squeeze. “You must be so proud of him.”

Frank nodded. “I am, I am. He’s a very talented fellow. And while I can’t take any credit for his artistic abilities, as far as construction goes, I taught him everything I know. Give him a scrap piece of wood, and in a day or so he’ll give you back a horse or a dolphin or—”

“A bunch of toothpicks,” Jeff interrupted with a dismissive shake of his head. “Enough about my meager talents as a wood carver. What do you think of the skylights?”

For the second time that day, Zoe threw her arms around him. This time she added a kiss to his cheek. “I-I-I can’t begin to tell you. They’re wonderful.
You’re
wonderful.”

Realizing all of her exuberance had an audience, she quickly backed away and attempted to sound more matter-of-fact. “I just told your dad how grateful I am that you stopped to talk the first day you drove by. I mean it, Jeff, I am beyond grateful and I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“Glad you’re happy with the work, boss. I can always use another good reference.” He gave her a wink and turned to Frank. “Dad, I’m going back up on the roof to put some pitch around the flashing for those skylights. When I get done, you can help me put the drywall up. As long as you’re going to stay till tomorrow, I might as well take advantage of the extra help.”

“Hey, I was supposed to help you with that,” Zoe protested.

Jeff raised a brow. “Dressed like that? I don’t think so.”

“I only stopped in because I wanted to tell you about what I bought at the antiques shop in Cambridge. Then I’m going home to change into my work duds. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Whatever you say, boss.” He ambled toward the stairs.

“Aren’t you the least bit interested in what I bought?” Hands on her hips, she frowned in annoyance.

Jeff kept walking. “All I need to know is whether it will all fit into Dad’s van. As far as looks go, tomorrow is soon enough to see what you spent your money on.”

Zoe watched him disappear down the stairs. “Gee, I thought he’d be at least a tiny bit curious.” She squared her shoulders to hide her disappointment. “Well, I guess I’d better get over to Marjorie’s and change clothes.”

Frank patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t take it too hard. There are times when I’ve wanted to kick him in the pants, myself.”

She gave him a half-smile. “I guess any kind of shopping is a girl thing as far as Jeff’s concerned.”

“I’ll drop you off at the B and B, Zoe,” Amanda offered. “I’ve got a new client appointment in twenty minutes so I’m leaving anyway.”

Zoe brightened. “Thanks, Mandy. I owe you dinner for seeing that ad and driving me there and back. Pick a night next week and we’ll go to Donatelli’s.”

Jeff almost missed the first step as he headed down
stairs. If Zoe put her arms around him one more time he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to pull her closer and kiss the hell out of those perfect lips. He needed to get outside where the cool air would help get his libido under control.

She’d been so damn cute standing under the skylight blowing kisses up at him, it was all he could do not to grin at her like a fool. Then she had to hug him right in front of his dad. Jen would get the exaggerated version of that episode at home tonight and his life would be a living hell from then on as she teased him about Zoe mercilessly.

He grabbed the bucket of tar and climbed the ladder to the roof. Once up there, he took a moment to watch Zoe climb into Amanda’s car. By the time he was done up here, she would be back. While his dad finished up the final plumbing connections he’d let her help him with the sheet-rock. He chuckled to himself thinking about how indignant she was when he’d said his dad would give him a hand with that.

Having his dad there to help with the skylights had put him ahead of schedule, so the time they would take off to pick up the furniture Zoe bought today would basically be a wash. The timing was fine with him but the thought of Zoe and his dad chatting as they drove to Cambridge had him worried. He had no doubt that he would be the topic of conversation if his father had anything to do with it. If he made a slip and said anything about Jenny their carefully laid plans would go up in smoke.

He finished sealing the flashing and hurried inside. His dad was attaching the showerhead in Zoe’s bathroom. He’d chosen a molded shower enclosure to save money but picked one large enough to occupy the same amount of space that a tub would in case Zoe wanted to upgrade in the future. She’d told him not to worry about that since she was a ‘shower-girl,’ not a ‘tub-girl’ but he wanted to keep all the options open. He had visions of Zoe in a tub full of bubbles, crooking a finger to invite him to join her. Heat arrowed through his body, settling solidly in his crotch. Maybe he’d better test that shower now. On cold.

He heard the door open downstairs. Zoe must be back already. In a moment she appeared in her usual work clothes, jeans and a scruffy T-shirt. She came to the bathroom door, pulling her long hair back into a low ponytail. The motion stretched the shirt, outlining her breasts, and he fought to keep his eyes on her face.

“Okay, I’m ready to work.”

“Before you two get started I’d like to mention something for you to consider, Zoe.”

“What is it, Frank?”

“I checked the hot water heater downstairs. It’s pretty old and not very large. You may want to think about replacing it with a larger capacity one or one of those newer heat-on-demand types, especially since it will be handling your apartment as well as the restrooms down in the gallery.”

Zoe nodded slowly. “What do you think, Jeff?”

“I had similar thoughts when I worked up the estimate for you, but since you needed to cut costs to the bone, I decided to let that wait until you had some money coming in. Dad’s right about the necessity but I don’t think it’s urgent. The decision’s yours, though.”

“How much are we looking at?”

Frank fielded that question. “Depends on whether you go for gas or electric, tank-less or traditional tank models, and size if you go with a tank model. Cheapest would be electric tank, probably around four hundred dollars. They’re cheaper to buy but cost a bit more to run. I didn’t see any gas lines downstairs so I’m guessing the building isn’t connected to a gas main, right?” He looked to Jeff for confirmation and got an affirmative nod. “Tell you what. There’s a wholesale plumbing supply outlet in Salisbury and since I’m a contractor I should be able to get you a good price. I could drive over there and have one back here and hooked up this afternoon.” He shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

Jeff watched Zoe weigh the pros and cons. It was a tough call.

“Since you offered and you’re able to do it so quickly, I think I’ll go ahead and make the investment. Winter’s coming and I’m not really into cold showers.” She smiled. “Thanks for offering, Frank. You’re sure you’re okay with doing this?” She glanced between him and his dad.

“Nah, no problem. Let me wash up and I’ll get right over there.”

“Okay, I’ll get you a signed check to take with you. Thank you again, Frank.” Zoe went down the stairs to the office.

“I can come along if you’d . . .” Jeff began.

“Not necessary. They’ll load it into the truck. I won’t need you till I get back with it. Meanwhile you two can work on the drywall.”

At which point Jeff would be the one needing the cold shower.

The dry wall went up faster than Zoe had anticipated. Jeff installed it horizontally so o
nce the bottom piece was nailed in place, he hoisted the top sheet and let it rest on the bottom one. She merely had to hold the panel steady as he nailed it in place.

Cutting the holes for the electrical outlets took the most time. Kneeling on the floor in the bedroom, Zoe worked on one while Jeff finished cutting the odd pieces that went above the door frames. When her blade slipped and she put a nasty slice across her thumb, she knew immediately she was in big trouble.

“Ow. Shit. Damn it!”

She dropped the knife and looked around for something to staunch the bleeding. This was so not good.

Jeff came running, took one look, and laid into her while he spun her around, took the knife and quickly cut a strip from the back of her T-shirt.

“Wait. What are you—? Hey!”

“Where are your gloves? How many times have I told you, you have to wear them when you’re working? They’re not a fashion accessory, Zoe, they’re protection.”

He gently wrapped the strip around her thumb, the tenderness of his ministrations completely at odds with the verbal tongue-lashing coming out of his mouth.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” She gasped slightly as he secured the piece with a strip of masking tape. “It’s just that they’re so awkward and bulky. When I have them on I feel so clumsy.”

“Well, obviously with them off, you’re not clumsy at all,” he growled.

“Yeah, I guess . . .” She winced and bit her lower lip.

“Not only that, but you had to pick a day when we have the water turned off so I can’t even clean it properly.”

He looked so worried, she hesitantly caressed the side of his face with her uninjured hand. He started at her touch and looked up. Which brought that finely sculpted mouth within inches of her own.

Danger. Danger. She could practically see red lights flashing on and off; hear warning sirens.

“I’m fine. Really. The cut’s not deep, just messy. It doesn’t need stitches, only a good scrubbing, some antibiotic ointment and a bandage.” She tried delivering this message with as much nonchalance as possible, but her eyes were locked on his and her voice faded to a whisper. “But thank you for taking such good care of me.”

She was barely breathing now.
Kiss me. Please, please, kiss me before I die of wanting you.

He raised her bandaged hand up to the level of her ear. Like she was about to pledge allegiance to the flag. “Keep your hand higher than your heart. That will help stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling.”

She nodded, speechless, her mind too clouded by lust to pay attention to his words.

His gaze flickered to her mouth then locked on her eyes again. He stood so close she could feel his breath on her face, see the intricate lacy pattern of light and dark blue in his irises. Slowly, ever so slowly, the distance between them decreased until their lips met. Gently. Tentatively.