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“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“I hope she’s worth it.”
Tom raised a brow. “She?”
Steve leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. He smiled like he was enjoying himself. “I’m a married man. Which means I pretty much hear everything that goes on in this town.”
“Your wife’s been talking about me?”
“Not just my wife. Her whole Bunco group. Something about you and your old girlfriend getting back together. How romantic the whole thing is and how I’m supposed to help with the cause.”
“I’m a cause?”
“Brother, we’re all causes to them.”
“Yeah, well, this cause doesn’t need any help.”
“I didn’t think so.” Steve’s gaze turned serious. “I get the initial delay on the demolition. One day isn’t a big deal. But another two days after that? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Probably.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to continue. Not with the crowd we had. Delaying the demolition makes us look like the good guys. It’s solid PR for the company.”
But he hadn’t done it for the company. The first time he’d agreed to delay the demolition was because he hadn’t been himself. Like he’d told Allie last night, he’d had that song in his head and it literally compelled him to put a halt to things. But this second delay? It had been easy to let Allie think it was courtesy of Steve Pappas, but the truth was it was more likely courtesy of Tom’s bonus. He’d hated seeing the disappointment on her face when she realized her story was going nowhere. If this séance helped her land her dream job, then it would be worth putting his bonus in jeopardy. There would always be other projects. Other bonuses. But most likely, this was the only time he’d ever have with Allie Grant.
Steve looked like he wasn’t buying the PR bullshit. “Just so you know, there’s no overtime for this project.”
“Understood.”
“So there’s no problem with the building coming down tomorrow morning?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.” He nodded toward a chair. “Have a seat. Now that we’ve cleared that up I want to talk to you about something.”
Tom settled himself into a chair but didn’t make himself too comfortable. Steve Pappas was a man of few words so Tom didn’t picture himself staying very long.
“You know my partner, Dave Hernandez, is growing the Tampa office. New construction is on the rise in the Bay area and now’s a good time to get an in there. You interested?”
Tom shifted in his chair. “In moving to Tampa?”
“Once the new rec center gets built. I envision that’s about the time we’ll be ready to expand our operation. I know you have an ex and a son here in town, but the money could be substantial. Hell, you could keep a place here and live on the cheap in Tampa. Come back home every weekend if you wanted. Have the best of both worlds.”
It was a similar deal he thought he could make work when he’d stayed behind in Atlanta, and Lauren and Henry had moved back to Whispering Bay. But the weekend visits hadn’t always been regular, and even when they were they never seemed to be enough. He’d missed soccer games, a birthday, school teacher conferences, the everyday stuff that came with being a parent. The little stuff that added up to a life. A life he didn’t want to give up. On the other hand, that life was definitely missing something. The last few days had taught him that.
Allie lived in Tampa. Plus or minus?
Yesterday it would have been a plus. But today? Last night she’d made her feelings crystal clear. She’d slapped her hand over his mouth and told him to shut up.
This doesn’t mean anything. It’s just sex.
Golden words to most guys. But he wasn’t most guys. Those words had registered somewhere in that tiny portion of his brain that had still been getting some kind of blood flow. If he could have stopped, he would have. He would have rolled right off her and told her to go straight to hell.
Those words had served another kind of purpose, though. Before she’d spoken he’d been full steam ahead. He’d have lasted a few minutes, max, he’d been so hot for her.
This doesn’t mean anything.
It had been almost as effective as a cold shower. In retrospect, he should have thanked her. It had enabled him to gain control. Enough to slow things down. To draw it out. He’d wanted to make her scream. He’d wanted to make her want him as much as he wanted her. She’d screamed all right. There’d been a hell of a lot of satisfaction in that.
