Authors: Jill Sanders
Seventeen years later
…
S
helly stood back and dusted off her hands. There was a slight splinter in her thumb, which she would have to deal with later. Her clothes were covered in dust and she was sure her hair and face were as well. It had taken her almost three hours to clear out the room she would be using as a bedroom for the next few weeks. At least she hoped it was only going to be for a few weeks.
She frowned a little thinking of all the work that needed to be done as she looked around the place. Then she smiled, realizing it was all hers. She sighed and rubbed her hands together. Well, she wasn’t going to get anything done just standing around.
Rushing from the room, she grabbed her keys and headed downstairs to start bringing boxes up from her car.
When she opened the outside doors, the cold salt air hit her in the face and she smiled. It was going to take some getting used to, living by the water.
She chuckled as she unlocked her car and started pulling out the first load of boxes. She’d always dreamed about living near the ocean, of falling asleep to the sound of the waves or waking up and seeing the seagulls fly overhead.
The back stairs to her new place were wide, allowing her to carry the large boxes up easily, even though they weighed more than she wanted to lift. Her back was going to kill her tomorrow. She frowned and shook her head. It was a price she was willing to pay.
It took her less than an hour to get all the boxes from the back of her Jeep and the small U-Haul trailer she’d rented.
When she was done bringing up the last box, she rinsed her face off and brushed her hair,. Grabbing her purse, she stepped out onto the boardwalk just as the sun was sinking over the water.
Even though her stomach had been growling at her for the last hour, she took her time and watched in amazement as the sky filled with bright colors. Couples walked hand in hand along the sandy shore. She sighed and felt like spinning in circles of joy. She’d finally made it here. To her someday beach.
Even though the crisp air screamed winter, she didn’t mind. She watched as all the lights turned on along the long walkway.
There were over a dozen stores, restaurants, and other business along the boardwalk, and if she had anything to say about it, she was going to be one of them in just a few short months.
Turning away from the darkening sky, she headed back towards the buildings and smiled up at hers. It was one of the most damaged, yet it stood out like a beacon in the night. Its bright white stucco walls and mirrored windows caught the dying light. She could see every crack, every broken window, even though the lights were off.
Her stomach growled loudly as a couple walked by her. Putting her thoughts and dreams aside, she headed down to the restaurant along the boardwalk.
When she stopped in front of the Boardwalk Bar and Grill, the wonderful scents of food hit her and made her realize she was a lot hungrier than she’d thought.
Even though it wasn’t high-season, the place was packed. For a moment, she wondered if she’d be better off going somewhere else.
Then a dark-haired woman smiled at her and showed her to a small table near the windows.
“I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu. Our specials are written on the board there.” She pointed to a large chalkboard above the bar. “If you have any questions, Rose will be along shortly.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at the woman and started looking over the menu.
Rose was a beautiful looking woman who had a waist the size of Shelly’s thigh. The woman’s hair reached down all the way to her calves and was intricately weaved in long thin braids. Just hearing her accent made Shelly imagine warm summer nights and spicy foods.
“Where are you visiting from?” Rose asked with a hint of Jamaican accent, sitting down across from Shelly, looking quite comfortable.
“I just moved here from DC.” Shelly smiled. “Actually, I’m sort of your neighbor.”
“Oh, really now?” Rose smiled. “Which place did you buy?”
“The old furniture shop a few doors down.” She chuckled when Rose made a funny face. “It’s not that bad, I swear.”
“I don’t know about dat.” She frowned and shook her head. “Place ought to be burned and rebuilt. If’n you ask me.”
Shelly laughed. “Well, I am in the market for a good contractor.” She leaned forward. “If you know of any.”
Rose frowned a little and tilted her head. “I know of someone who can help out. Give me a moment.” She nodded. “I’ll put your order in first, though.” She smiled when Shelly’s stomach chose that moment to let out a loud rumble.
Shelly laughed. “Thank you. My stomach and I appreciate it.”
Just after her food was delivered, a dark-haired woman walked up to her table. Her long hair was tied back neatly away from her face. She had the most mesmerizing silver eyes Shelly had ever seen. She was smiling at her as she stood by her table.
“I hear you’re in the market for a contractor.”
Shelly nodded and set down the rest of her burger. “I just bought the old furniture shop a few doors down.”
“I’m sorry.” The woman chuckled and held out her hand. “I’m Cassey Grayton. I own Boardwalk Bar and Grill.”
Shelly instantly felt jealous of the woman’s sleek clothing and sexy shoes and wished she’d had taken a little time to unpack some of her better clothes.
“Oh.” Shelly reached up and shook her hand. “I’m Shelly Harrison. Soon to be owner of Shelly’s Boutique.” She motioned for Cassey to sit across from her.
“How wonderful.” Cassey smiled and sat down. Shelly could see the woman assessing her. “I was wondering who had purchased the old place. A boutique?”
Shelly nodded. “I have some work to do first.” She frowned as she took another sip of her drink.
“From the look of the outside, I’d say there’s
a lot
of work that needs to be done.” Cassey smiled.
“Yeah.” Shelly nodded. “I guess the pictures my agent sent me didn’t do it justice.”
Cassey frowned. “If I remember correctly, there’s an apartment above the place. You aren’t staying there now, are you?” Shelly nodded. “So, have you talked to any contractor yet?” Cassey leaned forward a little.
Shelly shook her head and took a sip of her drink. “No, I just got into town this morning. I’m in the market for someone who’s licensed and can work fast and cheap.”
Cassey smile grew. “Wonderful, I have just the brother for you.”
*******
Marcus’s whole body hurt. He threw his booted feet up on the solid oak desk in his office and closed his eyes. Damn if his brother wasn’t working him to death.
Well, it wasn’t really Roman’s fault. After all, Marcus is the one who had accepted three jobs at once. But now that two of them were in the final stages, he was looking forward to finally getting some rest. Maybe he’d go with Cole on one of his surfing trips. His brother had recovered from the motorcycle accident he’d had last year and had doubled his efforts to get himself drowned in some of the largest waves around the world.
He chuckled to himself. Cole had enough trophies now that even he couldn’t build big enough shelves to house them all. But he had to admit, even the thought of a warm beach and half-naked women didn’t appeal to him all that much right now. No, what he wanted was a project with heart. Not one of these cookie-cutter ones he’d been working on lately.
Roman and he had started Paradise Construction a little over four years ago, just before Roman had opened Spring Haven Home for Boys. Roman ran both businesses, but everyone knew his heart was really in the home for kids. He doted on those kids and every time someone moved to a permanent home, his brother acted like he was walking on air.
Shaking his head, he thought that maybe it was time to start a special project for himself. After all, he was pushing twenty-five. Maybe he’d take a hint from his sister and settle down. He smiled thinking of Cassey and Luke, and how they’d ended up together.
Leaning his head back against the leather chair, he crossed his arms over his chest and moaned slightly at the muscles that screamed back at him.
He didn’t normally do a lot of the heavy lifting on jobs, but this morning the foreman he’d hired for the South Baptist Church job had called him and told him he was short on drywall installers for the day. So he’d woken his butt up at five and had hauled enough Sheetrock up two flights of stairs to make his back sore. Who was he kidding? Everything on him was sore.
He had to admit it, though—he loved every minute of his job, from creating the plans for a new building to seeing the finished product. Every ounce of his creativity went into each nail and screw. He was born for taking something broken, something no one else wanted to touch, and turning it into something people oohed and ahhed over.
Of course, it helped that he was making a good living from it. But what good was a bank load of money if he didn’t enjoy it once in a while?
He shifted a little in the leather chair and was thankful Cassey had talked him into buying the executive chair for his new office. It was a hell of a lot more comfortable than sitting on the wood folding chair he’d used before.
It wasn’t that he was opposed to spending cash; it was more like he didn’t have time to. Since helping Cassey rebuild the bar and grill last year, he’d been taking on job after job, including her fiancé’s new hotel, which was due to open its doors in a few short weeks. Of course, he’d only overseen that job and had put his best men on it. He’d had to contract out most of the work since his heart was in remodeling projects, not starting from scratch.
Maybe it
was
time he took a few days off? His business wouldn’t suffer if he did. He had a good bunch of guys working for him. Some of them had been there since the day he had started his business. Besides, Roman owed him one. He was positive he could talk his brother into watching over everything, at least for a short while.
He smiled a little to himself knowing just how to persuade his brother—blackmail.
He rested back as his mind conjured up images of lying on a warm beach in Australia. Or maybe he’d head down to Mexico and go scuba diving. Images of tan women in barely any clothes popped into his head and he knew without a doubt it was time to take a break.
It had been months since he’d gone out on a date. Actually, maybe it had been a little longer than a few. He thought about it as he heard his phone beep with a new message.
He tried to ignore the annoying sound. Finally, what seemed like minutes later, it stopped and he knew whatever Cassey wanted could wait. Oh, he knew it was her. She was the only one still up at this hour. He opened his right eye and tried to focus on the clock, but when it was too blurry to read the time, he closed it again.
He should have gone home, but he knew Roman had a date tonight. Sharing an apartment with his brother was becoming more of a pain in the butt than he could ever remember.
They each had their own rooms, but try explaining how you live with your brother to a date. He shifted again and tried to get comfortable. Damn, why hadn’t he bought that leather sofa for his office when Cassey had tried to talk him into it?
First thing in the morning, he was going sofa shopping. No, better yet, first thing in the morning he was going house shopping. Something old and along the beach. Something that needed a lot of work. If he was going to live in it, he was going to make it his first.
His mind raced over the small town of Surf Breeze. It was small enough that he knew almost every square inch of the place. There were several properties he could look into. Maybe the blue home on Crystal drive. Or the old three-story yellow house just down the road on Beach Front.
He was so busy mentally driving through the town looking for a house, that he hadn’t heard his door open. When someone cleared their throat in front of him, he almost jumped out of his chair.
S
helly stood over the sleeping man and felt her knees shake. He looked nothing like his sister. They both had dark hair, but that was as far as the resemblance went.
Marcus Grayton was sexy. Too sexy. She tried not to focus on how his long legs looked in his worn jeans, crossed up on the desk. Or how his wide chest looked full of all the right kind of muscles as his shirt stretched tightly over him.
His chin was covered with a full days of growth, giving him an even sexier look. Since his eyes were closed, she couldn’t tell if he had silver eyes that matched his sister’s. She thought that if he did, he’d be even more dangerously good looking than he was with his eyes closed.
When Cassey had told her that her brother owned a construction company, she’d jumped at the contact. She’d asked for his number, but Cassey had smiled and tried to call and text him first. Then she’d called her other brother, Roman, who had informed her that Marcus was most likely at their office. She was happy to find out that was just a few doors down from her place.
“I’m sure he’s still there,” Cassey had said. “I’ll text him that you’re going to stop by on the way back to your place.”
At first, she’d tried to convince her that she’d deal with it tomorrow, but Cassey had assured her that it was better to get him now, outside of normal business hours.
She had found his office easily enough. It was above the ice cream parlor like Cassey had said. There was a small sign, Paradise Construction, lit up in light blue hanging next to the office door.
When she reached for the door, she was amazed that it wasn’t locked. When she’d walked in and noticed that he was asleep behind his desk, she’d thought about turning around and walking out again. But then she’d gotten a look at him and something had held her in place.
Realizing she’d been standing there looking at him for well over a minute, she cleared her throat. If he didn’t wake, she’d quietly turn around and leave, then return first thing in the morning. His eyes flew open and zeroed in on her as his body jumped slightly.
“I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat again, trying not to smile.
He blinked a few times and slowly unfolded his arms from across his chest. Then shook his head.
“Cassey called you.” She fiddled with her fingers and when his blue eyes dropped to watch the motion, she shoved them behind her back.
He shook his head again as his eyes focused on her. “I didn’t answer.”
“Yes, well, I know. She told me to stop by your office.”
He dropped his legs from the top of the desk and nodded. “And here you are.”
She smiled. “I’m Shelly Harrison. I purchased the place two doors down.”
He frowned. “The old furniture store?”
She nodded. “I was just having dinner at your sister’s place and she told me about you.”
His eyes shot up and a slow smile crossed his lips. She noticed a sexy little dimple at the corner of his mouth and, for just a moment, her eyes couldn’t focus on anything else.
When he didn’t respond, she blinked a few times and tried to remember what she’d just said. Realizing the conversation could have taken any number of turns since she hadn’t been listening, she fumbled for control.
“I’m in need of a contractor,” she blurted out. “My place needs a lot of work.”
He nodded as his smile grew a little more. “I figured it might.”
“Yes, well,” She cleared her throat again and tried like mad not to fidget with her hands. “I was…”
“You shouldn’t be walking around without a jacket. Even though it’s still warm during the day, the wind will give you the chills after the sun is down.”
She blinked a few times. “I’m fine.” She tried to start over, but he shook his head.
“You keep clearing your throat. Sounds like you’ve already caught something.” He frowned and stood up. He moved towards her and she took a slight step back. “Here.” He handed her a brown jacket that was tossed over the edge of a tall file cabinet. “Wear this as we walk.”
“Walk?” She took the jacket from him absentmindedly.
“Sure.” He smiled. “In order to work on your place, I’ll have to see it first.” He helped her on with the jacket, then walked to the door and held it open.
“Yes, well.” She frowned as the warmth of the coat made her realize she’d been chilled before. “I hadn’t planned on—”
He shook his head. “No time like the present.” He waited. Something in his eyes told her that he would stand there all night if needed.
She walked over to him as she shoved her hands deep into his jacket pockets. He shut the door behind them softly and when she turned to say something, she bumped squarely into his chest. His hands came up to her shoulders and she took a giant step backwards as his hands dropped to his sides.
“Sorry,” he mumbled as he moved slowly around her and held the outer door open for her to walk through. She avoided his eyes as she moved past him and out onto the landing. She waited as he locked the door.
“What are you going to sell?” he asked as they walked down the wide steps that led up to the balcony. He reached the bottom and turned back and looked to where she was standing on the last step.
“Lots of things.” She sighed and watched people walking along the boardwalk. Even after dark there were still plenty of people strolling along, even in the chill of the winter night. She turned back to him when she realized he was standing there quietly watching, waiting for her. “I plan on opening a boutique store. Clothing, shoes, and purses. The kinds of things that tourists who flew to the area could enjoy and yet locals would still utilize.”
He nodded then moved aside to let her step all the way down. “Do I hear a little Boston in your voice?”
The question threw her for a moment; she hadn’t thought about being from Boston for a long time. She had grown up there, but her family had moved to Philadelphia when she was eleven, shortly after the family trip to Surf Breeze. Recently she had been living in DC. When she slowly nodded, he smiled.
“I haven’t been up north in years.” He sighed. “I hear they got dumped on a few weeks back. I can only remember seeing snow once in my life.”
For a moment she thought that she saw longing in those deep blue eyes of his. But when he blinked, the emotion was gone. He smiled slowly and started walking towards her new place.
“What made you decide on Surf Breeze?”
She shrugged her shoulders and easily matched his lazy pace. “My family vacationed here when I was young.” She looked off towards the dark water and vaguely remembered the last good time she’d had with her parents, before all the fighting and cheating had taken over their lives.
“Yeah, this place used to be something.” He glanced at her. “Going to be again soon. It’s starting to get there.” He smiled. “Course, I’ve had a huge hand in turning these places around, myself.”
She nodded. “That’s what your sister said.” She stopped in front of her place and nodded to him. “Well, what do you think?”
*******
His eyes roamed over her tight body and his mind was flooded with pictures of what he’d like to do with her, to her. Shaking his head clear, he forced his eyes and mind to focus on the empty building that stood in front of them. It needed a lot of work before any inspector would allow customers to set foot in there.
The front windows would need to be replaced. Maybe even enlarged so product could be shown to passersby. The awning and the old sign above it would have to go; even standing here he wondered what was keeping them up.
Shaking his head, he stopped her from walking towards the front door. “Those need to go.” He nodded above the door.
She stopped and looked up with a slight frown. When she nodded, her eyes slowly made their way down to their joined hands. He hadn’t realized he’d kept hold of her or how much he enjoyed feeling her cool, small hand in his.
Dropping her hand, he shoved his deep into his pocket to fight off the chill in the air and to keep himself from touching her again. “Is there a back door?”
She nodded and started walking to the side of the building. He followed her and tried not to wonder if the rest of her would feel as good as her hand had.
When they stepped into the place and she flipped on several lights, flooding the main floor with bright light, his mind changed gears.
The room was silent as he walked around and took mental notes of what would need to be done. Old carpet would need to be ripped out. A wall could be taken down to give the appearance of a larger space. Paint. New lighting.
All in all, it was a good space. Nothing he hadn’t transformed before. He’d have to officially sit down with her and go over her thoughts and plans for the space, but he had a few ideas swimming around in his mind.
The electrical and plumbing would have to be checked and updated. He knew that much from his experience working on the other buildings along the boardwalk.
There was a small staircase along the back wall that had been boarded off at the top, reminding him that she had living space upstairs that she’d mentioned needed some work.
When he was done assessing everything, Shelly was leaning against the back countertop, watching him.
“Don’t you need to take notes?” She rested her chin in her hands and watched him.
“No.” He shook his head and tapped his temple. “It’s all locked up here.”
“Well?” she said as she straightened and walked towards him. “What do you think?”
He smiled and moved closer to her. “I think there’s a lot to do here before you can open your doors.”
“I know that.” She frowned a little. “But do you think you can handle it?”
He chuckled. “Lady, I can handle anything.” He glanced around again. “We’ll need to go over exactly what it is you want in here first, but I can work up an estimate and have it to you by tomorrow afternoon.” He started walking towards the back door and then turned towards her again. “Use this door instead of the front one until I can have my men come tomorrow and take down the sign and awning out front. It’s a hazard.” He shook his head.
“Wait,” she called after him and rushed towards him. “I’d like to see the estimate before I agree to…”
He stopped her and shook his head. “It’s on me. Don’t worry about it. They need to come down for the safety of people walking by.” He turned back towards the door. “See you tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder.
By the time he stepped out on the boardwalk again, he was wishing for his bed. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he texted his brother and stood on the empty boardwalk, watching the dark waves hit the beach as he waiting for a reply.
When he heard the door open and close behind him, he glanced over and watched Shelly lock the back door. She looked over at him and nodded, giving him a nervous smile, then she started up the stairs towards what he could only assume was the apartment.
“Didn’t you say you need some work up there as well?” he asked, moving a little closer to her.
She stopped, her hand on the railing, and nodded at him. “I can show you around there tomorrow, when it’s light. Goodnight.” She turned and started heading up the stairs and he watched her disappear. He knew that he’d dream that night about a sexy, hazel-eyed woman with pouty lips that just begged to be kissed.