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“Hello?”
“Zachary, it’s Joe Rodriguez.”
I did jobs for him sometimes. Maybe he had something quick and easy for me. I scrubbed a hand over my face, trying to wake up. “Hey, Joe. What’s up?”
“Sorry to bother you this early on a weekend, but I’m in a jam. I have a bathroom light fixture that needs to be replaced in my building on Main Street. Any chance you could get over there today?”
Bathroom light fixture? Definitely easy. “Sure, no problem.”
He let out a relieved breath. “Thanks so much. I promised I’d have someone out there this morning, so this is a big help.”
We said goodbye and I dropped the phone on my bed. I rubbed my face again and pinched the bridge of my nose. I was hungover as hell. Which was stupid. I hadn’t had that much to drink last night.
I worked my jaw a few times, expecting it to be sore, but Cory hadn’t hit me all that hard. Barely felt anything. My fist was sore, but I figured it was worth it.
Wait. What had Joe said? Which building?
He owned several, all of them downtown. But the one on Main Street?
That was Timeless Beauty. Marigold’s salon.
Shit.
For a second, I thought about calling Joe back and telling him I couldn’t make it after all. Her salon was open on Sundays. She’d be there. Spending time in close quarters with Marigold was worse than a hangover.
But if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t just be leaving Joe in a bad spot, I’d be screwing over Mari.
I promised myself I’d never do that again, so I threw off the covers, got my ass up, and headed for the shower.
A little bell tinkled when I opened the door to Timeless Beauty. The place was so Marigold, it was ridiculous. Everything from the fancy framed mirrors to the velvet chaise to the vintage art on the walls were perfect representations of her.
“I’ll be right there.” Her musical voice came from the back and my chest tightened.
She came around the partition behind the front desk wearing a navy-blue dress that brought out the blue in her eyes. She stopped and I didn’t miss the look of surprise on her face.
“Oh. Hi.” She absently clasped her hands, as if she were suddenly unsure what to do with them. “You must be here to replace the restroom light.”
“Yeah.”
Yeah? That was all I could say? Smooth, Z. Real smooth.
A hint of pink crept across her cheeks, giving me an instant hard on. Which made me feel like a total creep.
“I already tried changing the bulbs in the existing one and that didn’t help, so Joe bought a new fixture. Hopefully that works. It’s the only restroom I have and it’s pitch black in there without a light.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks.” She gestured toward the back of the salon. “It’s back there.”
I walked past her, through the empty salon, and tried to ignore how good she smelled.
She was right, the restroom was dark as hell. Not even a tiny window to let in some light. I propped open the door and looked up at the light fixture while I flipped the switch a couple of times. Not that I expected it to turn on, but you just never knew.
“Do you know where the electrical panel is?” I called out, then winced. Hangovers were a bitch.
“I think it’s in the back.”
Her voice was soft. And too close. I assumed she hadn’t followed me, but she was in the doorway of the restroom.
