AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her hand landed on my chest as she spoke. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, yeah, I know you like women. I have seen you with plenty of them over the years. I just meant I can’t see you settling down with one woman.”
Her hand felt like a branding iron on my chest. I wanted to put mine over hers and shift it down to my crotch to see if I could feel the heat there too. After a moment, her hand fell away. “I guess I just haven’t found the right woman yet.”
She cocked her head, smiling. “Do you think there is even a chance you will?”
I shrugged and collected a little packet of antibiotic cream from the small first aid kit. “So, you’re going to inspect the building?”
“Nice change of subject, and yes, I am.”
I grinned at her. “And you know about buildings?”
“Yes. Does that surprise you?”
I shrugged again. “Let’s see how you do during your inspection. Then I’ll let you know that.” I finished with the medicine and stepped back.
“I have a stupid question.”
I gave her my attention. “What’s that?”
“What’s your first name? I only know you as Bollard.”
I smiled. “It’s Michael.”
“Michael, okay.” She grinned, and it lit up her face, causing my chest to tighten slightly. I frowned and grabbed the kit off the table, rushing away from her. In the kitchen, I paused and stared at the floor. Why had my chest tightened when she smiled? Why could I still feel the heat of her hand on my chest? Why was I suddenly noticing things about her that I had never seen before? I had no right to see them and was angry with myself.
When I returned, she had a computer tablet out, typing notes onto it. “Do you need me to do anything?”
“Nope, not right now. I just need to move freely, take pictures and measurements, and check the structure. Then I need to see the second floor and basement before going up on the roof.”
“You’re going on the roof?”
“I am if you have a ladder tall enough. I came in my personal vehicle, not my work truck.”
My gaze drifted down her body to her cargo pants and the tactical boots on her feet. Why did I find that attractive?
“Why are you staring at my clothing?”
I shook my head. “Just making sure you are dressed properly to be doing the job. You don’t need a ladder to get on the roof. You can get to it from a dormer window on the second floor.”
“Oh, great!” She turned and walked away, and I busied myself behind the bar while she worked. Now and again, I would lift my head to watch her do something, then yank my gaze away. I’d known the Winston family my whole life, and while in high school, they had been nice enough. I was never at their level. I grew up in a trailer park with an alcoholic mother. My father left when I was five, and my mother had one nameless man after another in her bed. That is where I learned the habit.
As I shifted around a few boxes, I wondered if my mother had ever wanted more. I couldn’t remember her ever really being happy, and she had never shared any wishes or dreams with me. Our conversations revolved around me picking her up more cigarettes or groceries and how I would turn out to be just like my father. I didn’t want to, but I hated her.
Two weeks before I turned eighteen, she died of a heroin overdose, and I stood over her grave and swore that I would prove her wrong and turn out better than my parents. My gaze slipped to the bottle of Jack, but things weren’t turning out the way they should have.
A few weeks after my birthday, I met up with a guy in the club, and before I knew it, I was in, and that was my new family. Sometimes, I told myself that I was proving my mother right, but I would dismiss that thought almost immediately.
Buying this tavern would have been my shot to prove her wrong, but that dream was slowly spinning down the drain.
I turned around when I heard a sound and almost plowed over Candy, who stood wide-eyed and alert. “Please don’t hit me again.”
I snickered. “I’m not going to hit you again, and I’m sorry for hitting you earlier with the box and almost the door. The elbow was your fault for standing too close to me.” I tilted my head slightly. “I will tell you this, though.”
“What?”
I shifted slightly, taking her chin between my thumb and finger. “If you keep showing up right behind me, you might just find my mouth landing on yours when I turn around.” Her eyes went wide, but she didn’t step away.
Instead, she shocked me by leaning forward a tad and smiling. “Keep dreaming, Bollard.” Before I could reply, she took a hasty step back, although the playful smile remained. “I need to get back there and do some snooping.”
