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Simple. Because if Tess told him Alanna was still in town, then he’d have to do something about it. A woman that gorgeous and confident couldn’t possibly be single, but he’d have to go for it anyway. Put his heart on the line. And he hadn’t done that since… Michelle.
It’d been two years since that heartbreak, but doubts still whispered in his mind. What if he wasn’t good enough, as he hadn’t been good enough for Michelle? What if Alanna saw him as a “nice guy” but not worth giving a serious chance?
Fuck it. He’d ask Tess about Alanna. Even if Alanna was only in town for a short while, or if she was dating some smoking hot professional soccer player who moonlighted as an underwear model, Sully had to find out either way. He’d never forgive himself if he let her go without knowing the truth.
And if she was single and staying put in Yucca Hills? Well, then he’d have to nut up and ask Tess for her number. Yes, good plan. He glanced out the window and noted that Tess’s battered Jeep wasn’t in the driveway.
As soon as his tenant returned, he’d knock on her door and be put out of his misery one way or another. Resolved on the matter, if a little queasy at the prospect of possibly getting his heart lacerated by a certain pair of scarlet stiletto heels, Sully clicked out ofThe Girlfriend Project.He needed a distraction and knew the perfect outlet for his suddenly jittery hands. In his brain, he switched toThe Sully Project,sub-task 5,Learn Guitar.
He pulled up a YouTube channel that offered basic guitar lessons. Staggering across the room on his weeping quads, Sully picked up his guitar and slung the strap over his head. Dropping back onto the couch with a slightly unmanly whimper, he spent a few minutes moving through a series of warmup drills. His fingers felt nimble as bricks. Even the simple scales he’d mastered weeks ago seemed impossibly elusive.
A knock sounded on his door.
Probably another delivery, Sully thought. He was expecting a whole list of supplies, from kitchen drawer handles to a new drill bit to replace the one that had warped after hitting a stud.Ooooh, maybe it was the new weight belt he’d ordered per Cam’s instructions.
Sully opened the door, and his mouth practically dropped to his knees like an old-timey cartoon character.
It.
Was.
Her.
Again.
“Hi,” Alanna said. Today, the world’s most beautiful woman wore a ruby red sleeveless top tucked into jeans that seemed painted onto her deliciously long legs.
“No pepper spray this time?” he managed.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” She gave him a wincing smile. “Uh, so this is a little awkward,” she began, “but I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”
Did she need a cup of sugar? A 10-hour ride to San Francisco? His kidney? It was everything he could do to play it cool.
“A favor?” he asked nonchalantly.Where do I sign the organ donation forms?
“You mentioned that you did some work on Tess’s house.”
“Yeah, I did, but it’s actually not her—”
“She said you did a real good job.”
“Really?” Sully beamed. It was always nice to have one’s work appreciated.
“Oh, you play guitar?” Alanna’s cornflower blue eyes landed on the instrument hanging across his body.
Sully chuckled and plucked a chord. “Not really. Just trying to learn. There are a ton of great videos online. It’s so amazing. You can learn almost anything for free.”
Oh no.He was babbling at her… again.
Alanna nodded. “Got to pass the time, right?” Her voice was gentle, sympathetic even. She looked past his shoulder into the chaotic mess that was The Ugly Duckling. “Looks like you’ve got a lot of projects to keep you busy.” She gave him a soft smile that seemed to say,Hang in there, slugger!
What. Was. Happening? Sully’s brain struggled but failed to compute the situation. “You mentioned a favor?” he asked.
“Right.” Alanna pursed her scarlet lips. “So, seeing as you are quite the handyman, I was wondering if I could hire you to do a project for me?”
Handyman?
“I’d pay you, of course,” she added quickly. “You see, the banister in my mother’s house is loose. She already fell on the stairs and sprained her wrist. I’m staying to take care of her, and I nearly ate shit on those stairs today.”
