Could Milly have been the woman Linc mentioned earlier? Was she the one who had caught his eye? He just hoped his friend understood how fragile an abused woman could be. If he was looking at Milly for a relationship, he’d have a long hard battle ahead of him.
Abused women were strong in their own way, but not strong and independent like Hailey. Now there was a woman who could hold her own. He couldn’t wait to see her in the morning. He focused his mind on the task at hand. They’d get some exhaust fans in here to dry things out and he’d fix the drywall as soon as he could. At least the leak was fixed.
Chapter Fourteen
Rover bounded through the plastic barrier and rushed to Hailey’s side, his tail wagging happily. “Sit boy,” she commanded and he dropped onto his bottom, tail banging against the base of a shelf of glass figurines. She held up a hand. “Still.” His tail froze and began to twitch impatiently. “Good boy.” She knelt to hug him.
“Sorry, he got away from me. Morning, Hailey.” Jesse’s smile lit his eyes.
“Good morning to you, Jesse. He’s a good dog, just enthusiastic.” She rubbed Rover’s head.
“If I’m a good boy, will I get some attention, too?” He winked at her and feigned a glare at the dog.
“Maybe. How good can you be?” She teased; her cheeks heated.
He squatted down, bum near the floor, hands between his feet. “Woof.”
She ruffled his hair. It was shorter, above his collar. He’d gotten it cut. It looked good on him. “Your haircut looks nice.”
“Thanks. I had no choice after having my head stuck in a hole of wet drywall yesterday. Is that all I get? Just one pat on the head.” He winked and stood.
She kissed his cheek. “Morning,” she whispered, wondering where the courage, the desire, to kiss him came from. He brushed his lips across her cheek. Soft and warm, they sent a thrill through her.
“Was the mess at the center bad?” He’d been with her when Miss Jasmine called. The crisis center was privately funded and didn’t have a big budget. She should run a charity drive and angel tree for them to be sure they got everything they needed for Christmas.
“A broken pipe completely flooded the laundry room. We fixed it, but the walls are badly damaged. Some of the flooring needs to be replaced and all the machines are shot. Miss Jasmine called; it looks like insurance will cover most of it.”
“That’s a small blessing in the midst of chaos.”
“The best part is—I think Linc fell in love.” His grin was contagious.
“With Miss Jasmine? Isn’t she a little old for him?”
“Probably, but not with Miss Jasmine, with one of the residents. A pretty little woman named Milly. They couldn’t stop staring at each other.”
“That’s sweet. I’ve met her. She’s a lovely lady and deserves a good man. Her ex is a beast. I just hope Linc understands how fragile she’ll be. She has an infant daughter, too.”
“I didn’t know that, but I warned him to go slow. She might never be ready to date again. She smiled at him once and he volunteered to take a dozen loads of laundry to the laundromat. He probably spent half the night there, folding baby clothes. His truck was back at the center when I went by. I guess he got everything washed and dried.” He paused. “I hope Beth isn’t too disappointed. I thought her and Linc might get together.”
“I thought so, too; until I saw her going all gaga over a hunky firefighter. Some new guy from what I can gather.” Either way, Linc or the firefighter, Hailey wanted her bestie to find love and happiness. She hadn’t dated seriously since high school. Romance for Beth was long overdue.
“All’s well that ends well, I guess. You ready to work?” Jesse asked.
“You go ahead. I’ll join you when Serena arrives, she’s running late. I’d hoped to get started earlier, but didn’t want to leave the store unattended. Besides, I understand the center’s needs are urgent.” She was thrilled he’d pitched in to help out.
“I’d planned an earlier start, too, but I had to put in a supply order for the repairs. I’ll get started. See you soon.” He brushed his hand across her shoulder and smiled. He turned and walked away. In profile, she recognized his mother’s features. The same, but with a stronger, masculine edge. He was gorgeous.
Guilt gnawed at her. She’d barely slept last night. She couldn’t get his mother out of her mind. Maybe letting her off scot free wasn’t the right thing to do after all. She definitely shouldn’t have agreed to keep it from Jesse. She had to tell him, or risk losing their growing friendship.
“Jesse, wait.”
He pivoted to look at her, a question in his eyes. “What?” he smiled affectionately at her. “Miss me already?”
Acid boiled in her stomach. She was going to get an ulcer if she kept up this deception. “You forgot your dog,” she said lamely, shamed by her cowardice.
“He wouldn’t come with me anyway. He’s half in love with you.” He patted his leg. “Rover, come.”
Rover laid down at Hailey’s feet.
