Bidding War (15 page)

She set the platters in the middle of the table before pouring two tall mugs of coffee.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, taking her hand when she set his coffee down on the table. “You’re not having doubts about this, are you?”

She claimed the chair beside him. How could she make him understand that no one had put her needs first in a long time, if ever? “I’m sorry. I’m okay,” she said, fixing her eyes on her plate.

He set his index finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “No, you’re not. You gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”

“This is all just a little overwhelming,” she said, gripping her coffee mug with both hands. “And unexpected. I mean, I never thought this would happen for me.”

He cursed, dipping his head. “Am I coming on too strong, moving too fast?”

She reached over to grip his forearm, anxious to reassure him. “No, this is what I want. I just…”

“You just… what? Talk to me, baby.”

She sighed, wishing she could find the words to express herself. “I just don’t want to disappoint you.” She didn’t know the first thing about being in a committed relationship. She’d been on her own, only having to think about herself and Tommy, forever. She didn’t know how another person would fit into that equation.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’ll take our time figuring it out, sweetheart.” He extended his finger between them. “As long as we get to do this every morning, I’m good.”

She smiled. “Does that mean you expect me to cook breakfast for you every morning, Stafford?”

He winked over the rim of his coffee cup. “How ‘bout you do breakfast and I do dinner?”

Biting her lip, she asked, “Who’s gonna take care of dessert?”

He flashed a wicked grin. “We’ll take turns.”  

Lacy recruited Melanie to help her with the triplex. They were hard at work when the door flew open and a well-endowed red-head crossed the threshold.

“Can I help you?” Lacy asked, setting aside the piece of artwork she’d been unwrapping.

“I’m looking for Shane. I went by his office and Jason said he might be here.” She looked Lacy up and down, obviously finding her lacking. “Where is he?”

Lacy pulled the hem of her white t-shirt down, trying not to feel intimidated by the perfectly coiffed creature standing before her. “Shane’s not here. He left a little while ago. Can I help you with something?”

She snickered. “Honey, Shane is the only one who can help me.”

Melanie stole a glance at her. Lacy was filling her in on her plans with Shane as they worked, and she was even more excited than Lacy about the unexpected turn of events. “Um, well, like I said, he’s not here.”

Melanie set the box cutter she’d been using on the table. Eyes narrowed, she looked at their visitor as she propped her hand on her hip. “What do you want with Shane?”

The woman looked Melanie over, sneering. “We hooked up at a bar a couple of weeks ago. He took me home.” She smiled at both women. “Let’s just say, a girl would have to crazy to forget a guy like that.”

Lacy gripped the chair in front of her. “Are you saying you two…?”

She grinned as she eyed her manicure critically. “Sorry, I don’t kiss and tell, honey.” She slipped a hand into her designer handbag. “Do me a favor? Have him call me when he comes back. Tell him I want to get together for dinner tonight.” She cleared her throat. “So we can pick up where we left off.”

Lacy watched her leave before sliding into the dining room chair. Propping her head in her hands, she said, “I don’t believe this. I trusted him. I believed him when he said I was the only one he wanted…”

Melanie came around the table to claim the chair beside her. “Hey, just because she claims something happened doesn’t mean it did. Talk to Shane, ask him…”

Before Melanie could finish, Lacy’s cell phone rang. She was tempted to ignore it, assuming Shane was calling to check up on her. He wasn’t. “Hello,” she said, quickly. She listened to the nurse fill her in on the latest development with her brother. Trying to focus on forcing air into her lungs, she said, “Thank you for calling. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Melanie gripped her hand. “What’s wrong? You’re as white as…”

“Tommy’s had another seizure. He fell and hit his head. I have to go there now.”

“I’ll drive you,” Melanie said, jumping up.

“No, you stay here and finish up. They have an open house this weekend and I want the house to be ready.”

“I’d offer to lend you my car, but I’m not sure you should drive in this condition.”

She knew her friend was probably right. Her whole body was trembling. “It’s okay. I’ll catch the bus home. I’ll ask Jack to drive me.”

Melanie bit her lip, looking uncertain. “Don’t you think you should call Shane?”

“No! I can’t deal with him right now. I just need to be with my brother.”

Shane pulled up to the triplex and cut the engine before reaching over to grab the paper bag from the deli and the tray of cups. He knew Melanie was helping Lacy today, so he brought enough for everyone. He was going to claim he was stopping by to check on their progress, but in truth, he couldn’t wait until tonight to see her.

Grinning like an idiot, he ran up the stairs leading to the wrap-around porch. This house was going to be an investor’s dream after all the work they’d done to bring it up to code after the previous slumlords allowed it to fall into disrepair. If they couldn’t get a fair price, they were prepared to hold on to it, renting it out, until the right offer came along. That was the nice thing about being able to finance their own deals now. They had the freedom and flexibility to adapt to market changes, selling or holding whenever the market dictated.

Ten years ago, he would never have imagined he’d be financially independent by thirty-five, but working alongside his old man in the construction trade had taught him everything he needed to know. That, coupled with some courses in real estate, gave him the foundation to realize his dream, and now he could finally share the perks of his hard work with the right woman.

Turning the doorknob, he heard someone banging a hammer in the back of the house. He peeked into the living area. Lacy had already had the movers drop off some furniture from their warehouse. The place was starting to come together.

“Hey,” Melanie said, rounding the corner. “I thought I heard somebody come in. What’s up, boss?”

He grinned. “Not much, you?” He handed her the paper sack containing salad and sandwiches. “I thought I’d bring you hard-working ladies a little lunch.”

She smiled. “Uh, thanks.”

“Where’s Lacy?”

Melanie turned away, setting the paper bag on the dining room table.

Shane got the distinct impression she was trying to hide something from him. “Melanie, I asked you a question. Where’s Lacy?”

She sighed. “She left a little while ago. She had a family emergency.”

He walked into the adjoining space and gripped Melanie’s upper arm, forcing her to look at him. “What kind of family emergency?” When she didn’t respond right away, he said, “I want to know what the hell’s going on, right now.”

She sank into the oak dining chair, lowering her head. “I really didn’t want to get stuck in the middle.”

His intuition told him something was wrong, very wrong. “Start talking, now.” He knew he was being abrasive, but he needed answers and he didn’t have time to waste on social niceties.

She slid a business card across the table. “She stopped by to see you earlier… when Lacy was here.”

He instantly recognized the photograph on the realtor’s card. He’d met her at a bar less than a week after Lacy walked out on him. Faith, she’d said her name was, was too drunk to drive home, so he gave her a ride. She came on to him, inviting him inside for a nightcap, but he politely declined. “I don’t understand. How did she know where to look for me?”

“She said she stopped by your office earlier and Jason told her she might be able to find you here.”

He’d told her his last name and that he was a real estate investor. Given her profession, it wouldn’t have been hard for her to find his office. But Jason had obviously pointed her in this direction to try and stir up trouble between him and Lacy. He would kill that little bastard when he got his hands on him. “What exactly did Faith say to Lacy?”

“It’s not what she said so much as what she implied… that you two had slept together.”

“Shit,” Shane muttered, dropping his head into his palm. He and Lacy were finally on the right path and this had to happen to de-rail them. “Where is Lacy now?”

Melanie glared at him, crossing her arms. “Is it true? Did you sleep with her? Have you just been feeding Lacy a line about
—
”

He held his hand up, silently warning her to keep her mouth shut. “I didn’t sleep with her. We met at a bar. She had a few too many drinks, and I drove her home. End of story.”

“You sure about that?”

Sighing, he picked up the card. “She’s a real estate agent, Mel. She probably wanted to hit me up for some of our listings. I swear to you nothing happened. I’m not interested in her, never was.”

“Then you’ve been honest with Lacy… about everything?”

It took everything in him not to lose it. He wanted to know where Lacy was, not play twenty questions with her well-meaning friend. “Yes, of course I have. Please, just tell me where she is. You said something about a family emergency?” The thought of her having to deal with yet another crisis by herself made him sick. He wanted to be there to support her, to hold her…

“Her brother had another seizure. It sounds like it was pretty bad this time. He hit his head. Lacy had to go there to be with him.”

He frowned. “I don’t understand. Why the hell didn’t she call me? I would have gone with her.”

“Uh, she’s pretty pissed at you, Shane.”

He sighed, trying to hold his temper. He hadn’t done anything to warrant her anger this time. Damn it, he was going to kill his brother. First the bet, now the girl. He’d be lucky if Lacy would even speak to him. “She doesn’t have a car. How did she get there?”

She busied herself opening the take-out bag, refusing to look him in the eye.

He grabbed her hand. “Melanie, how did she get there?”

She cleared her throat. “I offered to take her, but she wanted me to stay here. She said we needed to have the house finished by Saturday. You guys have an open house scheduled, right?”

Right now, he could care less about the open house. Lacy, and setting things right with her, was the only thing that mattered to him. “Just tell me how she got there.”

“She took a bus from here to her house…”

“And? How did she get from her house to…” He paused, realization hitting him like a drop-kick to the gut. “Oh no, hell no. She asked that Jack guy to take her?”

Melanie nodded. “Yeah. I told her to call you, but she refused.” She shrugged. “Sorry, Shane.”

He gripped her shoulder, sighing. “Hell, it’s not your fault. Tell me about this guy. What’s he like?”

“He’s a graphic designer. He works from home, so he’s always available when Lacy needs him.”

Shane clenched his teeth. He didn’t like where this was going. “You telling me he has a thing for her?”

Melanie snorted. “Yeah, you could say that. He’s asked her out every week since she moved in there.”

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

Melanie patted his hand. “Don’t worry. I know she’s not into him. Every time he asks her out, she tells him she only thinks of him as a friend.”

That was small consolation when she was trapped in a car with the guy for hours feeling scared about her brother’s condition and angry with him for his perceived betrayal. “I need to go there. I need to be with her, Mel.”

Melanie smiled. “I knew you were one of the good guys. When we moved here, I told her she would meet the right guy and settle down someday. I’m so happy for her, for both of you.”

He reached over to give her a hug. “Thanks, hon,” he said, patting her back. “Tell me something, you two have been friends a long time, right?”