“Did Jane tell you I restore these places? The Bryman homes?” Daniel asked.
His voice, so full of eager hope and so clearly showing his vulnerability, made her ache for him even without knowing the whole story of his past. It was kind of him to pretend she hadn’t been about to make a huge mistake by tearing the roof off her bungalow before she had a livable cottage to stay in.
“Why are you so set on adding a second story to this house?”
“It was my dad’s dream.” She turned away, looked again at the water. “Jane told me your great-grandfather designed and built this place. I think my great-grandpa helped him. Those are the family stories, anyhow, that he worked alongside the builder.”
“I didn’t know that.” Daniel was quiet for a minute, the expression on his face going from thoughtful to cheery. “So if they worked together, we can too.”
Eva had no idea what he was talking about, but before she could frame a question, he said, “I’d be happy to offer you the benefit of my experience renovating Bryman properties.”
“Listen, Daniel, thanks for the offer. Really. It’s very generous of you. Except the problem remains. You don’t want me to build my second story.”
“Why would you even want to? It was your dad’s dream. Is it your dream, too?”
Not exactly, but it was a good Plan B. “Guests can gather for a glass of wine or to play a board game in front of a cozy fire on rainy days or cool evenings.”
“Really? On vacation? People do that?”
Her eyes turned from the water. He had taken off his glasses and was polishing them on his T-shirt.
“In my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, we’d each choose a cottage, but everyone would congregate in the bungalow for meals and games, movies and reading.”
“No brothers or sisters?” He put his glasses back on.
“Only child.” She almost said “What about you?” but then let it go. They both turned toward the stairs leading up the bluff. After a few steps along the beach, Daniel stopped.
“I admit I don’t like the idea of adding to an existing structure,” Daniel said. “But I’m also being practical. You need to make your first loan payment in two months. I didn’t like the terms of that contract. You could easily lose everything if you aren’t careful. I believe you’ll find that the money may not stretch as far as you think.”
She was walking a bit ahead of him, so turned back to face him. “I appreciate your honesty. I have to admit you make some good points.” She dropped her gaze to the sand, dug the toe of her sneaker into it. “I know you’ve done lots of renovations in town, but have you ever tried to build an addition? Have you ever given modernizing and expanding an original design a shot?”
“I built a second story once,” he said. “An airplane bungalow on Sugar Street. Completely gutted by fire. We knocked the burned out shell down and rebuilt it stick by stick.”
She looked up at him. His face came alive when he talked about building. So different from that brick wall of an expression he wore at the bank. “But that house was designed as a two story. There’s a certain integrity to keeping to the original design.”
“That’s what they call it? An airplane?”
“Yeah. Or sometimes story and a half.”
“Well, there you go. I only need a half on top. One big room.”
She wanted to win him over. For some reason she didn’t understand, it seemed important that their visions align.
He shook his head, not even glancing at the bungalow. “It’s your house. You do what you want with it. But be careful. Everything, electrical, plumbing, heat, it all costs twice what you think.”
“How did you know I need all that work done?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been doing this a long time.”
She wondered if he had a girlfriend. Apparently he and Jane were just business associates.
“I know an electrician.” He took her arm when she tried to walk ahead again. His touch was gentle, her skin warmed under this soft request to stop and talk a minute more.
“It’s a small town.” His hand dropped from her arm when he realized she would stay. She missed it a little bit. “Everybody knows everybody else. Including all their business.”
Hmmm. She could ask Jane all about Daniel’s business when they went out for that bottle of wine.
“These guys are competent. Dependable. There’s an excellent painter who restores wood and repairs plaster. We have a plumber in town who could use a paycheck. I even know a guy who will retrofit all your steam heaters so they work like modern but…”
“Let me guess, maintain the original integrity.”
She couldn’t help it, when he grinned and nodded, she smiled back at him. She understood him now. He really cared about these places his relative had designed and built way back when. There was something sweet about that. She might be in trouble, because something about him turned the key in her ignition. And revved it up.
“I appreciate all your advice.” She wondered if he was thinking similar sexy thoughts about her. “But I have a budget and a timeframe, and unless your people are willing to work with my plan, I’ll find my own crew.” She spoke with authority, trying to keep a clear head around this guy who made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“I’m sure whatever you’re planning, our local guys will try their hardest to accommodate you. Everyone could use the work, to be honest. And, like I said, I’m always happy to offer advice.”
“Thanks.” She blinked in an effort to focus on his words and not his toned arms. She could see the muscles bulge and tighten right through his white T-shirt.
****
“There’s an obese cat in your shed,” Bob, the paint and plaster guy, said. A full crew had shown up that morning and the cottages, if being turned inside out was any indication, were well on their way to restoration. Every cottage door was open, every little yard space had a set of tools lined up outside the door. Rotted wood and crumbling toilet seats, rusted pipes, a broken cupboard, all were being hauled and dumped into a giant green garbage bin by competent-looking men.
Eva was just glad someone other than she had gone into the cobweb-ridden shed. Bob looked very young, but seemed in control. He’d already set up the shed as construction headquarters, and she noticed that a lot of the guys conferred with him before ripping anything out of the cottages.
“Whose cat?” Eva asked.
“Yours,” Bob said.
“Oh.” Eva mentally added cat food to her shopping list.
“Keeps the rodent population down,” Bob said.
After negotiating with these guys, she’d agreed to offer them what folks kept referring to as “day’s wages” which she finally figured out was one hundred dollars cash for every day they worked. A bargain, but after she’d struck it, she’d realized it didn’t include taxes. She’d figure how to pay taxes later. Meanwhile, time estimates were spot on. If all went well, the cottages should be ready for occupancy ahead of schedule. And then she could build her second story.
As she handed Bob the paint chips she’d picked out for the cottages, a different pastel shade for each, she casually asked him how he knew Daniel.
“He’s my brother,” Bob said, stuffing the paint samples into his back pocket and heading off to Port Huron for supplies.
Eva took advantage of the gorgeous sunshine to walk on the beach. Nobody was out yet, the weather was too raw. Windy with a chill in the air. Well, maybe one other person was brave enough, she thought, her heart now beating faster as she recognized the figure running toward her. Daniel.
Chapter Three
His hair was short, so it didn’t ruffle at all in the wind, unlike her own, which flew all around her face. She caught the strands up in one hand and walked toward Daniel.
Lake Huron churned and slapped against the rocky shore, imitating the way her heart churned in her chest. Daniel stopped in front of her, his mouth an easy grin, his words saying hello like they were old pals.
She returned his greeting, noticed his muscled legs, his strong arms, his deep, rich breath. She really needed to get a grip. Her attraction had come on strong enough now that she figured he’d either ask her out, or he wouldn’t. And if he did, they’d fight over her addition, so it was better if he didn’t. Probably.
“How’s Bob working out?”
“Fine, but you didn’t mention he was your brother.”
“Oh. Well, is that a problem?”
Since the work day was more than half over, she guessed it wasn’t. “Maybe,” she said, thinking of the cash payments.
“Really? Why?”
She explained the tax issue.
“I’m thinking of asking Bob to take a check and disburse the funds to the crew himself, that way I have something for the IRS.”
“Should not be a problem.” As Daniel lifted his hand to sweep his hair from his forehead, his shoulders strained against the material of his white T-shirt. She couldn’t help but surmise that he must do some other form of exercise besides running, because, for a banker, he was quite fit. She bet his arms around her would be strong. They’d make her feel safe.
“You have an accountant, right?”
She brought her wandering mind back to the conversation.
She didn’t have an accountant, but she’d hire one today. Somebody had to figure out how much she’d have to add to Bob’s paycheck in order to cover taxes.
“I already told Bob he could work for cash,” she admitted.
“I’ll straighten it out for you.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll speak to Bob.” Eva felt her heart speed up and her stomach clench. Was it from attraction or irritation or both? This was her project, not his. She took long calming breaths of lake air as they walked. They stopped together at the rickety steps leading up to her property.
“You have good insurance, right?” he said, eyeing the steps.
“I do.” She’d taken care of that earlier today when she realized she had a crew of men on her property who’d need to be covered in case of injury.
He went over to the steps and pulled lightly at a board. She’d already noted that several had bad spots, splits, a bit of rot, but this one fell completely apart in his hands. She didn’t remember them being in such disrepair when she and her mom had come here last summer to scatter her dad’s ashes.
“I can fix these for you.”
She must quit staring at his muscled arms. She focused on his hair, glinting in the sun. You didn’t see that color of natural blonde on men much downstate.
Stop it right now.
“I’m sure someone on the crew can handle it,” she said.“Who’d you bring on?” he asked casually, still inspecting the steps. They were all the names he’d given her, so she didn’t understand why he was shaking his head.
“You don’t have a carpenter. Nobody who really knows wood, except Bob, and he’s going to be busy restoring the wood in the cottages.”
She thought about how her insurance premiums would skyrocket if someone crashed through a rotted beach step. And the way Daniel kept prodding them, they were all likely to collapse in a heap before he was finished.
“Honest to God, it would be a pleasure to help.” Daniel continued poking and prodding the rotted wood.
“You didn’t give me the name of a carpenter. “He didn’t look at her. She wondered if he had omitted that information on purpose. So he could be the carpenter. So he could oversee the renovation.“What about the bank? Don’t you have a real job?”
“I’m easing out of my role at the bank.”
“You’re leaving?”
He nodded and finally turned around, dusting his hands on his jeans. A huge grin split his face as he looked into her eyes. “I’ve been training my replacement for when Bob goes to college in the fall.”
He was still smiling. He had really nice teeth. Was there anything about him that was not perfect? Well, he wore glasses, but then, they suited him.
“Why?” She bit her bottom lip. Had she been too intrusive?
“My family came up to Michigan from Georgia about a hundred years ago.” He went back to pulling and prodding at the rotting steps. More silver wood fell to the sand. “After he became an architect, Bryman went south every winter, to oversee the homes he designed down there. That’s my next move.”
“You’re moving to Georgia?” She had to stop repeating his words, but they made no sense. She collected the discarded the pile of wood, moving it closer to the bluff leading to the house, away from the sandy beach and the running path.
“For the winter months. I’ve already bought a couple of Bryman properties there. In pretty bad shape, too.” It was like she could read his mind by the tone of his voice. He loved a challenge. They had that in common. She tried to pull off a board of her own.
He came over and helped her pull the stubborn step off the foundation board. When their shoulders touched, she could have sworn he leaned into her on purpose.
Keep leaning.
“I could use a hammer. And some gloves,” he said, but they stayed where they were, pulling at the loose boards together, letting arms, hands, shoulders touch.
“Ow.” A splinter of wood spiked the pad of her thumb. She pulled it out quickly, blotting the bead of blood on her jeans.
“So is it just you and Bob? You’re like his guardian?”
He nodded, but kept working, kept his eyes on the job, and didn’t explain.
She began to form a mental picture of Daniel as a dad. He was young, but solid. Kind but not a pushover. Good job. Stable life. Perfect dad material. She forced herself to stop the direction her thoughts were heading. Since Marcus shot her down, she’d been licking her wounds, barely even dating. Now all that baby lust came flooding back. Because of Daniel.
“I’ll go up and get some tools and do this right,” Daniel said. He stopped working and, looking down at the sand, said, “After our parents died, we sort of grew up together. My grandparents were still alive then, so they helped.”
Eva’s heart softened, but she kept her face as neutral as possible. Guys hated pity. So did she. She never knew what to say to the people at her dad’s funeral. Some of them cried so hard she had to console them, when it was her mom and her who were the bereaved.