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“Kendall,” Ridge’s deep voice greets me.
Looking up, I see those dark eyes of his trained on me. Tyler throws his arm over my shoulders.
“This is her grandparents’ place. Small world, huh?” he says to Ridge.
“Tyler,” Ridge growls. He doesn’t seem too happy with him at the moment.
Tyler just chuckles and drops his arm.
“Morning.” I wave awkwardly at Ridge, and a small smile tips his lips. It really is too early to be subjected to this man and that dimple. The rest of the guys are now gathered around, so I smile and wave to them as well. “So, my grandparents are out of town, as are my parents.’ My dad sent me—not that I can be of much help,” I explain quickly.
“No problem, we know what he wants done. Your grandfather, I mean. We do need a set of keys though,” Ridge says.
“Right. Sorry, I have them. Come on in.” I open the door and go inside. Grabbing the envelope on the table with the keys, I hand it to Ridge, who’s now standing right next to me. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. So, if something does come up, should we call you?” he asks.
“Yeah, for the next couple weeks anyway. My grandparents will be gone longer, but my dad will be back in town after that.”
Ridge pulls out his phone. “Number?” he asks.
He’s not asking because he’s interested in you, it’s for work purposes. I rattle off my number and he types it in his phone.
“Thanks, beautiful,” Tyler says, shoving his phone into his pocket.
I just smile and laugh at his antics. Ridge, however, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m not paying you to stand around,” he says, irritation lacing his voice.
Tyler smacks him on the shoulder, laughing as he and the rest of the guys—who were oddly silent—head back outside.
Chapter 17
Ridge
I spent the remainder of my weekend trying to work out my reaction to Kendall in my head. Why all of a sudden do I feel this pull to her? She’s beautiful, with long dark hair, and big blue eyes. There’s something about her, something I can’t quite figure out, but whatever it is, it pulls me to her.
Now here she is.
“Small world,” I say once the guys are out of earshot.
“Yeah.” She tucks a curl behind her ear. “How’s Knox?”
I can feel the smile as my lips tip up. “He’s good. He’s with my mom. She’s going to be watching him for me.” I’m rambling now.
“You’re lucky he’s with family. Most are not that fortunate.”
“Yeah, I feel bad, though. Dad’s only been retired a couple of years, and I feel like I’m tying them down again.”
“Doubtful. First of all, he’s adorable, and from how your mom was talking this weekend, she’s flying high being Grandma. Seems like your dad is as well.”
“You talked to my mom?” When was that? How did I not know this?
“Yeah, Dawn and I had lunch with her and Reagan at the mall. I thought we told you that.”
Well, shit. Reagan said she ran into them, but she didn’t mention Mom being with her. Why do I hate the fact that she got to see Mom, but I wasn’t there? It’s not like Mom never met her—she and Reagan graduated together, and this is a small town—but still, I feel like I should have been there with her, like I should have been the one introducing her, not Reagan.
“Yeah, that’s what they tell me.”
“Well, if you ask my parents,’ that’s the point of retirement. However, I seem to be throwing a wrench into their plans.” She grins.
“Not ready to settle down?” I ask. What the hell? Why am I prying into her life? It’s none of my damn business, but I want the answer.
“That’s not it. Just keep hitting roadblocks.”
Her eyes seem to lose some of their sparkle. Now I want to know what—or who—the roadblock is. Or has been, anyway. Is she seeing someone? Why does the thought of her being someone else’s bother me?
“Roadblocks?”
She chuckles. “Yeah, you know, dating one loser after another. Falling for the lines, finally seeing the smoke through the mirrors.”
“Boyfriend?” I have to know.
“Nope.”
“He’s an idiot.” I blurt the words out without thinking. No truer words have been said, but I still should’ve kept my mouth shut.
She blushes.
Sweet girl.
“I would have to agree, although I’m sure it’s for different reasons.”
“Regardless, he’s an idiot,” I say again.
“Yo, Ridge, we doing this?” Kent yells through the front door.
“I should get started. We’re good here, but I’ll call you if something comes up.”
“Sounds good.” She looks down at her watch. “Shit, I need to get to work. Have a good day, Ridge.”
I watch her grab her purse and rush out of the house, and then I stare at the door for several minutes, transfixed by her. It’s not until Seth comes into my line of sight that I snap out of my Kendall trance.
“You good?” he asks.
“Yep. You all got everything unloaded?”
He nods. “She’s cute.” He motions his head toward the door.
“She is,” I agree. She’s more than cute—she’s fucking gorgeous, and sweet as hell.
“You think you can give me her number?”
What. The. Fuck.
“No,” I growl.
“Dude, come on. It won’t interfere with the job, promise.”
“What’s taking you two so long?” Mark asks.
“I’m just trying to get Ridge to give me Kendall’s number,” Seth tells him.
“Hell yes.” Kent holds his fist out to Seth and they bump.
“Not fucking happening,” I say, my voice low and stern.
“Come on, man. Why are you being stingy?” Tyler asks.
I glare at him.
“Unless . . .” Mark taps his finger against his chin. “You want her for yourself.”
Yes. “She’s a client’s granddaughter,” I say instead.
“I call bullshit,” Seth fires back, the peanut gallery voicing their agreement.
“What the fuck business do I have getting into a relationship right now? My son needs me. I have to be both Mom and Dad, and it’s a fucking daily struggle. I don’t have room for anything else right now.”
Kent crosses his arms over his chest. “Who said anything about a relationship?”
Fuck!
“That’s not your MO, man,” Mark points out.
“Like I said, I’m calling bullshit.” Seth smirks.
“We’re wasting time,” I say, trying to get them off the subject of Kendall. Of me and Kendall.
“You didn’t seem to mind so much when you and the sexy Kendall were chatting it up,” Kent accuses.
“We have a schedule to keep,” I say, ignoring his jab.
“Ridge and Kendall sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S—” Tyler sings.
I punch his shoulder, effectively cutting him off from finishing his little song. “Work,” I grit out. I don’t stick around for more of their ribbing, stomping out of the house to my truck. I grab the folder that holds the details of the renovations and try like hell to wrap my mind around what needs to be done. The here and now—that’s what I need to concentrate on. Kendall is beautiful, but I was serious when I said I need to learn how to take care of my son. Sure, I’ve been doing okay up to this point, but it’s been a week. One whole week, and only three of those days did I have him on my own. It’s tiring and scary as hell. I’m man enough to admit that.
