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“When do you leave?”
Matthew checked the smart watch wrapped around his wrist. “About an hour.”
“An hour?” Cade couldn’t help the outburst of words. He and Matthew worked well together for several reasons, but open communication was number one. Now his buddy was leaving to do God knew what for God knew how long and tossing his sister in Cade’s lap like a sexy grenade.
“I’ll explain when I can. But for now, I’ve got to swing by the house, grab Brandon, and get the hell out of Dodge. Call if you need anything.”
Cade’s mouth hung open as his lifelong friend hurried out of the office.
A tiny twinge of irritation crawled up his spine, and he shut off his computer. Something wasn’t right, but Matthew hadn’t given him a chance to ask many questions. He had no choice but to trust his friend and whatever secrets he held.
Besides, he had a bigger problem. Keeping his distance from the one woman he could never, ever have—no matter how sweet the temptation.
2
The sugary scents of vanilla and cinnamon doughnuts wafted up Cade’s nose and drew him closer to the brewing coffee in the corner of the reception area at Mountaintop Construction. His stomach growled, forcing him to grab a round glazed pastry. He sunk his teeth into the still-warm dough and groaned.
“I see you found the breakfast I brought in.”
The soft feminine voice spun him around. Laura stood in the doorway with a shy smile, her blond hair pulled back into a low ponytail and minimal makeup on the delicate planes of her face. Not like she needed any goop to enhance her beauty, but in the years since Isaac’s abuse had intensified, she was often seen with failed attempts at covering the bruises.
He forced the bite down his throat before setting the rest of his early morning treat on a stack of napkins Laura must have brought in as well. “You did this?”
“Is that okay? I wasn’t sure what time you started work, so I got here bright and early to make sure everything was ready. Coffee’s fresh, and I found some sugar and cream packets in the bottom draw of the reception desk.” She tilted her head towardthe neat-as-a-pin desk in the corner of the small room. “I can get something else if you prefer. Just tell me where it’s kept.”
Words tumbled out of her mouth, the pitch a tad higher than her normal voice.
He held up a palm to stop her and smiled. “This is perfect. Your brother pretends like he doesn’t know how to work the machine, which leaves me to make coffee when I get in. And Lord knows there’s never anything good to eat. Thank you.”
She blew out a small breath, but the knotted hands in front of her waist told him not all of the anxiousness had left. Silence ebbed between them, the sound of the overworked air conditioning unit the only noise, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “So, any idea where Matthew and Brandon went?”
Frowning, she shook her head. “He didn’t say. Only that he had to leave right away and would call when he could. He didn’t mention anything to you?”
“Nope. Nothing.”
“Weird.”
More silence, the mounting tension hardening his jaw.
“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. This was one of the reasons why having Laura here was a mistake. They needed an employee who didn’t stand there and stare at him with giant blue eyes that turned his insides to molten lava. One who could sit down, do her job, and not need direction.
Especially direction from him. He had a hard enough time getting his own shit together. He didn’t need to be responsible for babysitting someone else. His job was to build things and oversee projects, not micromanage people. That’d been his job once before and it’d ended in a tragedy that had almost cost him his life.
Had cost the life of others.
She cleared her throat. “So what’s first on your agenda?”
“Now that our bid has officially been accepted, I need to double check my measurements and make sure Mrs. Collins hasn’t changed her mind about what she wants. Then I’ll need to show her options for the materials needed for the remodel.”
“Makes sense,” she said, eyes wide as if absorbing his every word.
He glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment with Mrs. Collins at the pantry in about fifteen minutes.”
“Can I go with you?” Laura asked.
He wanted to say no, to keep as much space between them as possible until it was time to send her on her way, but he couldn’t. “Sure.”
She beamed at him. “Perfect.”
