Strictly Business (6 page)

Once he reached the upper floor, he walked directly into the master bedroom. It was nearly finished. Hell, he thought. The budget might be a little tight, but the work was actually ahead of schedule. Still, he’d find something for his men to do.

Light footsteps in the hall caught his attention. He glanced around just in time to see Jess walk into the room. She was gazing upward, obviously taking in the ten-foot bedroom ceiling. The instant she lowered her head she spotted him, and her feet faltered.

“It’s my turn,” he said, holding up a hand. As he walked toward the master bathroom, he added, “I prefer roast beef. Hold the mayo.”

He shut the bathroom door.

She burst into laughter.

Later that night, Jess was still smiling when she emerged from her shower. She just couldn’t help it. She wanted to laugh every time she thought of Nick strolling into the master bathroom like that. She was tempted to bring him a roast beef sandwich tomorrow, no mayo, just in case he wanted to hang out at “their” spot.

Her amusement subsided, though, as she dried herself off and put on her nightgown and quilted robe. She picked up a comb and slowly began to untangle her wet hair. She never would have imagined
that Nick Mikaris had a playful side. After what had happened at the hotel, she’d been sure the man was completely lacking a sense of humor about anything. But he’d teased her today. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had made her laugh.

Abruptly, she realized she was allowing herself to daydream about a normal relationship with Nick. Daydreams opened the way for reality. Destructive reality. A normal relationship wasn’t for her. It wasn’t that she blamed the entire male species for the actions of one. A long time ago she’d understood that was silly. But the divorce had had unexpected ramifications. The truth was, the flaw was within herself.

She cringed, as she remembered being trapped behind that bathroom door. How silly would she get in her desperation to avoid Nick?

“Don’t answer that,” she muttered in disgust. “You really don’t want to know.”

The more she was determined to act like the adult she was, the more she acted like a twelve-year-old. She’d never done this kind of thing even when she had been twelve! This was it, she decided. Beginning tomorrow, she’d act like a mature businesswoman. She’d do her sketches tonight, and in the morning she’d sit down with Nick and discuss her plans for the property. She had a job to do, and she damn well better start doing it.

“Hell!” she exclaimed, realizing that she hadn’t walked into her house with her portfolio. In fact, the last time she remembered having it was when she’d been exploring the model house. Obviously, she’d been more rattled than she’d thought since she’d never forgotten her portfolio before. The sketches would have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Her doorbell rang just then, and she hurried to answer it.

She put her eye to the peephole and was shocked to see Tony Mikaris on her doorstep. What was he doing here? she wondered, and opened the door.

“I’m Tony Mikaris. Ms. Brannen,” the young man said. He had a defiant look in his eyes. “I don’t know if you remember me or not. We … met in Atlantic City the other day.”

“I remember,” she said, giving him a cool smile. Oh brother, did she remember!

“I’m sorry to disturb you so late,” he added stiffly. “But it’s important that I talk to you.”

“I see.” Watching him turn up the collar of his bomber jacket against the steady, chilling rain, she added, “Come in.”

He stepped in just far enough so that she could shut the door behind him.

“Look, I’m really sorry about the joke I played on you and my brother,” he said, relaxing a little. “Sandy told me you were supposed to landscape Nick’s homes, and it screwed everything up for you. I just got in from Baltimore, and I haven’t seen Nick yet. When I do, I’ll explain everything to him and make sure he doesn’t blame you. I wanted to apologize to you first, Ms. Brannen, since you were the innocent victim of my trying to get at my brother.”

As she gazed at Tony, Jess knew it couldn’t have been easy for him to come here and admit his guilt. But he’d done it, and she could hardly find it in herself to be angry with him.

“Call me Jess,” she said, smiling. “I should hang you by your thumbs, you know. However, your brother hired me anyway.”

Tony’s eyebrows seemed to shoot off his forehead. “You’re kidding!”

“No, and it wasn’t easy.”

“I’ll bet.”

“That’s about what it took,” she murmured.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Never mind.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’m glad that worked out at least, although I’m surprised you managed to get around him. He’s been … rigid ever since his marriage.”

“He’s …” She swallowed heavily. “I didn’t know he was married.”

“He’s divorced now.”

She tried to ignore the relief that ran through her.

“That was a long time ago,” Tony continued. “But he hasn’t loosened up at all. And he hates my dancing.”

She chuckled. “I can’t imagine Nick would be the kind of person who’d stand up and cheer.”

Tony made a face. “Trust me, he’s not. It’s been a continual argument ever since I started. That was the reason I pulled the joke in the first place. I knew I was going to get another lecture from him, and I thought that if he were caught with his pants down, figuratively speaking, maybe he’d take a good hard look at himself and realize what he’s been like. Maybe he’d even start to relax a little. But I expected to find you there when I walked him up to his room that night. Where did you disappear to at two
A.M.
? I was in the room when your friends put you in there, and you were flat out.”

“That’s probably when I was in the bathroom exorcising the Bahama Mamas I drank.” Jess shuddered.
“I will never touch those things again. They’re lethal.”

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t ruin the job for you,” he said, putting his hand on the doorknob. “Again, I’m really sorry about what hap—”

The ringing of the doorbell interrupted him.

“Great,” Jess muttered. It figured that the whole world would drop in for a visit when she was in her “jammies.” Brushing past Tony, she glanced through the peephole. Disaster stood on her doorstep.

“It’s Nick!”

“Nick!” Tony exclaimed in astonishment.

His voice seemed to reverberate through the house, and Jess clamped a hand over his mouth. She could easily imagine Nick’s reaction to finding his handsome, single brother here—especially with the way she was dressed. She didn’t even want to attempt explaining her way out of this one.

The doorbell rang again.

“Just a minute!” she shouted.

She dragged Tony away from the door and into the living room. “Be quiet!” she whispered. “I don’t want Nick to know that you’re here.”

Tony pulled her hand away. “But—”

She practically slammed her hand over his mouth this time. “Will you keep your voice down!”

“Mmmpff!” Tony twisted his head away and asked in a low voice, “Jess, what’s all the fuss about?”

“Your brother thinks I’m the original fun-time girl. Lord knows what hell think when he sees you here,
and I can’t afford that. Damn! Where can I hide you?” Her downstairs consisted of a living room/dining room combination with the kitchen separated from it by a counter bar. A powder room was situated to the left of the counter area.

“Get in the bathroom.” She shoved Tony toward it as the doorbell rang a third time. “I’m coming!”

“Look, I’ll explain everything to Nick,” Tony said, resisting her efforts to hustle him into the bathroom. “It will be awkward at first—”

“Awkward is when one is caught with a surprise visitor while fully dressed. My attire is a different cupcake, Tony.”

“You’ve got a point,” he conceded.

“Good. Now just be a nice guy and get in the damn bathroom until I get rid of him.”

“I’ve heard of women hiding men in closets, but not bathrooms,” Tony said, finally cooperating with her.

“Bathrooms are turning out to be my specialty.” She pushed him into the little room. “Don’t move until I come and get you. And don’t you ever breathe a word of this to anybody!”

As soon as she shut the bathroom door on Tony, she whirled around and raced for the front door. She was panting for breath when she opened it. Nick smiled, her portfolio tucked under his arm. The rain had started in earnest again, and he was sopping wet.

“Nick!” she exclaimed. “Come in, come in.”

She sent a desperate prayer toward the bathroom for its occupant not even to breathe, let alone sneeze.

Nick stepped inside, and she shut the door behind him.

“I thought you might need this,” he said, holding the portfolio out to her.

“It was very thoughtful of you to bring it to me.” She took the portfolio from him, wishing he hadn’t picked this particular night to be so gentlemanly. One courtly Mikaris at a time was quite enough. Forcing a smile, she added, “The rain came so quickly that we had to race for the trucks, and I didn’t even realize I’d left my sketches behind until a few minutes ago. I hope you haven’t gone too far out of your way to return this.”

“No.” He glanced around. Jess held her breath. He looked back at her, surveying her attire. “I’ve come at a bad time, haven’t I?”

“Oh … ah … well, I’d just gotten out of the shower when the doorbell rang.” She set the portfolio down on the table in the entryway, then pushed her damp hair behind her shoulder and clutched her robe to her throat. “Really, though, it’s no problem. I’m only sorry I kept you waiting so long.”

“But …” He looked puzzled. “I could have sworn I heard voices.”

“Voices!” she squeaked, panic running through her. Obviously, she and Tony hadn’t been as quiet as she’d hoped. Thinking fast, she said, “It must have been the television you heard. I turned it off right before I answered the door.”

“You leave the television on when you’re in the shower?”

“Ahh … I’m a TV freak. Yes, that’s it. I leave it on all the time.” Desperate to change the subject to anything but voices, she said, “It must be really pouring out there. You’re all wet, Nick.”

He chuckled. “Yes, I know. Could I borrow your bathroom?”

“My bathroom!” she exclaimed in shock. “What do you want the bathroom for? I mean … well, it’s a mess right now. A real mess. Sorry I snapped, but I just didn’t expect you to ask to use the bathroom.”

He grinned. “I don’t care what it looks like, Jess. I only wanted a towel to dry off before I go back out in the rain again.”

“Oh, of course.” She smiled brightly and said in a very loud voice, “Let me get you a towel, Nick. It must really be pouring out there. You’re soaking wet.”

“So you told me,” he murmured, shrugging out of his leather jacket.

Nodding, she took it from him and dropped it over the back of the sofa, then hurried to the powder room. She had no sooner opened the door when a hand thrust a towel at her. She grabbed it and rushed back to Nick.

“Here you go. A nice dry towel.”

“Thanks.”

As he began to rub the excess water from his hair, she sighed inwardly. She’d been a towel away from total disaster.

“It was really nice of you to bring me my portfolio,” she said. “And on such a miserable night.”

“I was glad to do it,” he said from under the towel. She heard him yawn. “Lord, but I’m bushed.”

Horrified that he might ask to borrow a bed, she said, “How about some coffee? I bet you’d love a cup of coffee right now.”

He flipped the towel up and smiled at her. “I wouldn’t say no.”

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I’ll have it ready in a jiffy.”

She raced into the kitchen and literally threw coffee and water into the brewer. As she switched it on, realization dawned. She was stuck with him through a cup of coffee. If she had only remained calm, she could have been sending him on his way by now.

“Damn,” she muttered, deciding against fixing a plate of cookies too. Courtesy only went so far. Hoping Tony would hear her, she bellowed, “Two minutes, and you can have a nice
quick
cup of coffee, Nick!”

“I’m right here,” he said from behind her.

She whipped around to find him sitting on one of the stools on the other side of the counter. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

She swallowed at the dazzling smile he gave her.

“I was really sorry the rain started right after lunch today,” she went on, leaning against the stove. “I had been hoping to get the back part of the property roughed out this afternoon.”

He shrugged. “It’s supposed to clear up tomorrow. I was lucky to find enough work inside for the men.”

Recognizing she had a nice neutral topic at hand, Jess nodded eagerly. “The weather’s a real problem for construction and landscaping, isn’t it? Especially landscaping. You can’t work outdoors in the winter. Well, you can in certain instances. And then you have the spring rains to contend with. Summer kills everything with the heat. And with the fall, you’ve got balmy skies one day and frost the next …”

She was babbling, and she knew it. Fortunately, she was saved by the last sputter of the coffee maker.

“Coffee’s ready,” she said, and hurried over to a cabinet.

As she reached up to get a cup hanging from a cupboard hook, her arm brushed the one next to it. It fell off the hook with a clatter, and she scrambled to catch it as it rolled toward the edge of the shelf.

“Very good,” Nick said.

“Thanks,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at him as she set the cup down on the counter.

But the near miss with the cup seemed to turn her into a klutz. She fumbled with the saucers and it took three tries before her suddenly shaking hands could get two spoons out of the silverware drawer. The sugar bowl was nearly empty, and she spilled more fresh sugar on the counter top than she managed to get into the bowl.

Brushing the crystals aside, she sighed in exasperation. She had good reason to be nervous, she thought. But not this nervous. Pulling herself together, she opened the refrigerator door. She was determined to get out the half-and-half without incident.

Two seconds later, she helplessly gazed at the creamer shattered on the floor in front of her refrigerator.