The Merger (13 page)

Spencer had promised to come back for Julie and give her a ride back to the office. He had an offsite meeting first. Now that she was comfortable in her surroundings it didn’t matter if he picked her up or not. She was sure either Tiffany or Chuck would have given her a ride into town to pick up her car. Though she wasn’t sure that Chuck wouldn’t have a heart attack doing so.

The thought made her laugh when her phone buzzed on her desk and it was Spencer.

I’ll be a little after five-thirty. But don’t leave. Need help on
a design.

She absolutely had no idea what that meant, but she’d wait for him. She had the urge to dig deeper into his relationship with Tiffany now that she’d spent most the day with
the woman
in the custom made jewelry.

Chuck had said his goodbyes nearly an hour earlier and now as it inched toward six-fifteen Julie was getting worried about Spencer.

Tiffany had brought her a set of keys and had offered to drive her home, but Julie told her about Spencer’s text.

“That man,” she’d said as she took her phone out of her purse and pushed a button. “Where the hell are you? You can’t leave her sitting here all night.” She paused. “Fine. I’m calling her in ten minutes and if you’re not
here,
I’m turning around and coming for her.”

Tiffany put her phone in her purse. “He’s just down the road.”

“What does he want help with?”

Tiffany shrugged, turned the camera on her phone to face her, and fixed her lipstick. “This will only be late night number one. You’re in for a million of these. The man’s head doesn’t work nine to five.”

She tucked her phone back into her purse.

“I’ve spent many nights working late with him. When he gets something in his
head,
he wants to talk about it until he’s satisfied with it.”

Tiffany nodded. “I guess his moods aren’t new to you.”

No, they certainly weren’t.

“Will you be okay here until he gets here?” Tiffany asked.

“Yeah. I’m almost sorted out with everything. A few more minutes would be good.”

Tiffany looked around the little space she’d set up for Julie. “You are very organized aren’t you?”

“As a lawyer you have to be detail oriented.”

Tiffany nodded. “Remind me to never invite you over to my place. You’d have an aneurism.”

Julie laughed. “I doubt that.”

Tiffany only grunted. “Okay, I’m out of here. Lock the door.”

Julie nodded, but when Tiffany opened the
door,
she saw Spencer drive up.

“About time,” Tiffany’s voice faded away as the door closed.

Curious, Julie moved to the window to watch them.

Spencer climbed out of his car on the gravel patch and gave her a long, lingering hug. Then giving her an arm to balance against, he walked her to her car behind the other trailer.

Julie moved to another window to watch.

Spencer opened the door for her and she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips then gave his cheek a playful slap.

Julie let out a breath as he started back toward her. She sat down at her desk and flipped open a book full of countertop colors.

She wanted it to seem as though she was perfectly normal in her surroundings.

The
kiss
played in her mind as she heard his steps on the gravel. It wasn’t intimate.

Spencer pulled open the door. He didn’t see Julie immediately, but he heard the sounds from behind the little wall.

She was sitting at her neatly organized desk looking at a design book. Eleven hours after he’d seen her the first time that day, she still looked fresh and nice as she had when he’d opened his eyes from his little nap.

“Studying?” He asked as he walked toward her.

“I suppose. I think this will be fun. I can’t believe how simple some of these clients are and how fussy others are in their taste. I mean one of the files I put together today had a thirty thousand dollar kitchen,” her voice rose as she said the figure aloud. “The next one had your run of the mill, basic kitchen for ten thousand. It’s fascinating to think they will be next door neighbors.”

He loved her enthusiasm. He wasn’t sure that she had anything like that buried down under that lawyer skin.

“Now, I particularly like Mr. and Mrs. Svenson’s choices on their flooring. Look at this,” she said as she opened the file to their build. “That is going to be one marvelous entry way, don’t you think?”

“I do,” he said smiling and wondering why she’d ever taken up law. It didn’t fit her now that he’d seen this side to her. “So do you know anything about kitchen cabinets or countertops?”

“Only what I’ve been looking at in books today.”

“Sky’s the limit. What would you choose?”

She was studying him now with those rich, dark eyes. Critical of giving him an answer, he thought.

Spencer pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. “Go on. Show me.”

She waited a moment and pulled out a book which had a sticky note attached to it. She opened it and laid it in front of him, facing him.

“You do have good taste,” he said looking at the dark granite countertops and cherry cabinets. “Stainless steel appliances?”

Her lips puckered as she thought. “Yes, but the brushed kind that don’t take fingerprints.”

“Flooring?”

“I was going for wood, but I changed my mind.” She pulled out another book with another sticky note. “With the dark cherry and the granite I think a stone floor.” She pointed to the tiles that had warm tones and nothing too dominant in color.

His gaze moved from the book and up into her eyes that were wide with the wonder of it all. “This is
fun
, isn’t it?”

“I suppose if I were paying for it, it would be a different story. Laminate counters, light cabinets, subway tile backsplash.” She grimaced.

Spencer stood and took a set of keys from his pocket. “C’mon, I want to show you something.”

He moved toward the door as she slowly walked around the wall. “It’s getting late. I should be getting back to my car.”

He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “It’s only six-thirty.”

“I realize that. When do you go home? You don’t work twelve hours a day
every day
do you?”

He considered for a moment then rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Yes.”

“That’s not healthy. Do you take off on weekends?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Sometimes.”

“I thought being a lawyer was bad,” she said moving toward the door. “That was why I chose to work internally in a big company. I didn’t want to be in court. Of
course,
the merger took a lot of time, but…” She stopped as she neared him. “What?”

“
You’re being
chatty.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For being chatty? Why?”

“I thought it was bothering you.”

He shook his head. “No. It means you’re warming up to me. I’d prefer that,” he said opening the door and letting her walk through.

“Where are we going?” she asked as he locked the door behind him.

“Just over to the model house. I want you to see it.”

She looked across the street where the house under construction stood. “And that’s where I’ll be working?”

“In a few weeks. The garage is made into offices.”

“What do you do when the community is done?”

He started across the street with her next to him. “We convert the offices into garages and sell the house.”

“Someone will live here?”

He slid the key into the
door
where the offices would be and unlocked the lock.

“Yep. Some family will make their home here, but first you and Tiffany will work here. You’ll probably have a few more people join you in the office when it’s done.”

She nodded as she stepped through the door.

“Seems odd that this will be done in a few weeks,” she said looking around at the bare walls with wires and pipes running through them. “Is it safe to walk around?”

He walked over to
a worktable
and picked up two hard hats. He handed her one. “Safer with this.”

“This will do wonders for my hair.” She placed the hat on her head as he retrieved a flashlight from the table.

“It gets shady in the evening.”

He held out his hand to her and she studied it for a moment and then looked up at him.

“I’m not making a pass at you. I know my way around here.”

“There is still enough light,” she countered.

He withdrew his hand. “Fine. I want to show you the kitchen.”

He walked up a small set of three steps and into a mudroom. Through the next
door,
it opened up to an open entry. To the right was a vaulted ceiling entry and front door, which opened to the staircase to the second level. An office was to the left and a family room right in front of them. On the back side of the staircase, hidden from view, or would be, was the kitchen.

Spencer led her through the room and to the framed out kitchen. “There will be an island here,” he demonstrated with his hands. “Sink under the window. Stove. Fridge. Dishwasher,” he said all while pointing to areas that were bare.

“Spacious.”

“Families like their space.”

“I suppose they would,” she said softly and it reminded him of how lonely she seemed.

“I want you to design it. Fill it with whatever you want.”

She turned to look at him fully. “Me? You want me to pick what goes in here?”

“Sky’s the limit.”

“Oh, no. No. No. I’m not cut out for this. This isn’t what I’m doing.”

“You’re the assistant on the job. That’s what I need assistance in.”

“I’m
the woman
who filed all the paperwork for all the other builds. I’m
the woman
who will follow up with the clients when Tiffany can’t. I’m not the one to pick and choose things and spend other people’s money.”

“It’s my money.”

“That’s worse. I’ve cost you too much money as it is.”

He could see the skin on her neck grow red.
Usually
that was a sign of anxiety. He hadn’t meant to do that to her.

“Fine, I’ll…”

“Wood floors. What kind of woodwork in the house?” She scrubbed the thought with her hands. “Doesn’t matter. Don’t paint the wood. Keep it stained. Floor darker.”

Spencer smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

“Do that glass tile on the backsplash. Cabinets a shade lighter than the floor. Very neutral, but warm.” She walked around the island that had
already
been framed. “Dark granite,” she said shaking her head. “I’ll have to look again. Not black, but,” she sighed. “Brown?”

When Julie looked up at
him,
he was leaned against a framed out wall. His arms were crossed over his chest and his feet crossed at the ankles. A smile had widened when she looked at him.

“What?”

“You did just fine designing this.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t design it.”

He stood and walked toward her, taking the hard hat off of his head. “You didn’t even break the bank. You went for warmth.”

“
A family
home should have warmth.” She gulped back the buzz she was feeling from seeing the space in her head and him looking at her.

“I like seeing this softer side of you.”

Julie pursed her lips. “Are we done here? Will you take me back now?”

She turned to walk back out of the house, but he caught her arm. For a
moment
she hesitated before turning to look back at him.

“Why did you kiss me?”

This again? Was it going to be like this every day? She wasn’t really sure she had an answer to his question anymore.

“It was a mistake,” she said as he took the hat from her head. The inside of the hat caught strands of her hair and worked them loose from the knot at the back of her head.

She took her free hand and tucked them behind her ear, but his hand had moved from her arm to the base of her neck.
He p
ulled the band from her hair and let it fall.

“That’s better,” he said freeing the hair with his fingers.

“Spencer,” her voice sounded weak. She didn’t want to be weak.

He set the hats on the floor and looked down at her again, this time without touching her.

“Why?”

“Why is it important?”

He took a small step toward her closing the gap between them. “Because I can’t sleep.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You say that too much,” he said as he lifted his fingers to her hair again and let them slip through the strands. “I’m not good company either.”

“Who told you that?” She forced herself to keep her eyes open as his other hand lifted to her hair.