The Difference a Day Makes (Perfect, Indiana: Book Two) (5 page)

One side of her mouth quirked up. “Provenance? Commitment to artisanship? Hmm, y’all talk real different at work.”

“Come on, now. You know you deserved it, darlin’.” He grinned back.

She chuckled. “I was as surprised as you were last night, maybe even more so. I’m sorry for barging into your place. I didn’t know Ceejay and Noah had a tenant, or that they’d moved the business. Can we forget it ever happened?”

“Sure thing.” Last night had been indelibly etched into his memory. Forget that first impact, her sweet body plastered up
against his? Not gonna happen. “I plan to use the sign as the banner for our website.”

“Oh. You’re messing with my work?” She frowned. “I designed the website. Didn’t Noah tell you?”

“He did, and it’s great.” He watched the frown disappear. “I’m sticking with a lot of what you did, but we need distinctive branding, since L&L has been in business for a while now.”

“Sure. That makes sense.”

“Hey, come see the storefront,” Noah called. “We have it set up so that if someone wants to come in to browse through the prototypes, they ring a doorbell. Then one of us has to act like a store clerk for a while.”

“Usually me,” Ted retorted, “since Noah and Ryan aren’t real comfortable with strangers. After we photograph them, all the samples go into retail.”

Paige laid her hand on Ryan’s shoulder for an instant, and his lungs seized.

“I’m glad we’re starting over, Mr. Appleseed.” She patted him and followed Noah to the front.

Ryan struggled to get his lungs working again. Memories of Theresa’s touch, her affection, swamped him. Guilt tore him apart. He shouldn’t be attracted to another woman, shouldn’t be flirting and teasing the way he had. Besides the fact that she was Noah’s sister, she’d be better off not having anything to do with him. It was bound to end badly. Everything else had.

More coffee, that’s what he needed. To be more specific, he wanted to look at Noah’s sister some more. Not wise given the circumstances, but he couldn’t help himself. Grabbing the coffee mug, he headed for the kitchen.
Damn.
He couldn’t see her from around the bare brick wall separating the staff area from the showroom. He could hear them, though, and something about
Noah’s tone had him honing in. He filled his cup and listened, all the while kicking himself in the ass. Since when had he turned into an eavesdropping freak?

“OK, Paige,” Noah said. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean? Can’t I spend a little time with family without there being something going on?”

“As driven as you are? I doubt it. Plus, how much time off could you have accumulated in two and a half months?”

“I’m just not sure if Ramsey & Weil is where I want to be. I needed to get away and give my future some serious thought.”

Here there was a long pause, and he could imagine Noah giving his sister the commander stare. Nobody did that stare better than Lieutenant Langford. The pause went on, and he could practically see her squirming. Hell, it made him squirm, and Noah’s stare wasn’t even directed at him.

“All right, Noah. There was this guy—”

“Ah, now it all makes sense. You had your heart broken.”

“Not really. Dented a little, maybe.”

“I’m sorry, Paige, but that doesn’t explain how you managed to get time off from work.”

“I managed.”

He could hear the hedge in her voice. No doubt Noah caught it too. She was hiding something, and Ryan wanted to know why, not to mention what. Something about Paige piqued his curiosity in a way that made him feel more alive than he had in…forever. He wasn’t an idiot. Part of the allure was her being off-limits. That made her all the more irresistible.
Fight it, soldier. You don’t want to mess up what you have here.
Noah’s voice brought him back to the conversation.

Noah grunted. “How long do you plan to stay?”

“Not long. A week or two.”

Their voices grew closer, and Ryan started to make noise like he’d just gotten there. He put the carafe back on the burner and opened a cabinet for powdered creamer so that his back was to them. “Hey”—he glanced over his shoulder—“what do you think of the showroom?”

“Very nice.” Paige glanced at him.

Ryan didn’t miss the rabbit-in-a-trap expression on her face. He wanted to put his arms around her and tell her it would all be all right—after he pried what was going on in her world out of her. So much for fighting
it.
Wait. If he managed to piss her off enough, he wouldn’t have to fight the attraction. She’d stomp all over him with those fancy high-heeled leather boots of hers.

“I have to make a call about my truck. Do you want to stick around down here?” Noah asked.

“What’s on the top floor?” she asked.

“It used to be the apartment where the family who owned the place lived. We have a couple of rooms set up for photos so the images we put on the website give customers an idea how our stuff might look in their homes.” Noah nodded his way. “Ryan’s brilliant idea.”

“Do you mind if I poke around?”

“Be my guest.”

The two of them veered off toward the elevator, and Ryan went back to work, mulling over the conversation he’d overheard. Spoiled Little Rich Girl had a secret. He should leave her alone, but he wasn’t going to. Torn between curiosity, attraction, and self-preservation, he walked back to his workbench with fresh coffee he didn’t want.

An hour slid by before Paige reappeared. She gravitated his way, dragged a stool over, and plopped down to watch him update the website. Occasionally, she’d make a suggestion or point out
something. He understood her sense of ownership since she’d created the site, and he welcomed her suggestions. She knew her stuff—that much was clear.

“Paige, how about I take you to Jenny’s diner for lunch?” Ted put his sandpaper down and stood up to stretch. “I know she and Harlen would love to see you.”

“Oh, I’d love to see them too.” She moved away from Ryan. “How is your aunt doing?”

“Still cancer-free, knock on wood.” Ted rapped his knuckles against the workbench. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her leather jacket from the hook by the door and tossed it to her.

Ryan had to fight the urge to snatch her back to his side. The thought of Ted taking her anywhere didn’t sit well. Something ugly coiled in his gut and sprang free before he could check himself. “Don’t you think Paige is a bit out of your league, pup?”

“My
league
?” Ted glared. “I suppose you see yourself as being
in
her league? Man, you’re not even on the same planet.”

Probably true. No. Absolutely true. What planet was he on, anyway? “Maybe I’ll join you for lunch.” Ryan rose from his stool. “I could eat.”

Ted moved closer to Paige. “I don’t recall asking you to join us.”

“And don’t think I didn’t notice that lapse in manners, kid.”

Paige gasped and glared his way. “What is wrong with you?”

“Post-traumatic stress disorder. Irritability. Hostility. Aggression. All part of the package.”

She’d moved to stand toe-to-toe with him. “That’s no excuse. Noah has PTSD, and he doesn’t act like a prick.”

This close, there was no mistaking the anger he’d caused. He was no stranger to shame, but this was different. He’d acted like a jerk toward Ted for no good reason, and she’d called him on it. That laid him low. A painful lump formed in his throat. “Your
brother is a far better man than I’ll ever be.” His voice came out a hoarse rasp, and her mouth formed an O. All the anger he’d glimpsed turned to pity. Damn, he didn’t know which was worse.

“I don’t have a
league
, Ryan,” she replied softly. “And Ted is family.”

“Trust me on this, darlin’, the kid here is not looking at you like you’re family. He’s looking at you like—”

“Fuck you!” Ted snapped and guided Paige away from him toward the door.

“Exactly,” Ryan muttered as he watched them leave. Bad move. Very bad move. He paced around the room and pulled at his beard. He’d look like a total idiot if he showed up at the diner now, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Ted making a pass at her. Whatever brought Paige to Perfect, he’d seen the vulnerability. What red-blooded male wouldn’t move in on that? “Not good. Not good at all.”

“What’s not good?” Noah stepped off the freight elevator and looked around. “Where did Ted and Paige go?”

“They went to Jenny’s diner for lunch. You hungry?” If he showed up with Noah, he could pass it off as being the boss’s idea. He wouldn’t come across as such a schmuck. Noah studied him like he was some kind of new species of one-celled pond life he’d discovered under a microscope. Several seconds passed.

Noah smirked. “Sure, let’s go eat. How about the truck stop outside of town? They have great burgers.”

“I was thinking the diner might be nice.”

“Of course you were.” Noah barked a laugh, shook his head, and headed for the door. “You’re in for it, buddy.”

Don’t I know it.

Paige seethed. She hadn’t been able to keep her eyes off Ryan Malloy all morning, and that ticked her off. She’d developed some kind of obsessive fascination with the hairy guy. Was it because his smart mouth didn’t match up with the vulnerability she glimpsed in his gorgeous blue eyes? Maybe. Most likely, the attraction stemmed from the fact that she’d never met anyone like him before in her entire life. Not up close, anyway. That had to be it. Seeing him naked sure didn’t help matters much. He certainly was well proportioned. Broad shoulders, narrow hips, his lean, muscled torso…the dark-blond chest hair leading her gaze farther south to his…
Stop it!

She shook her head, disgusted with herself. No matter where she’d managed to hide out in the building, all she’d wanted to do was head straight for him. Had she learned nothing from her most recent disaster?

Stay away. Get your act together, and focus on your career.

Plus, he’d behaved like such a prick. Again. He’d been so sweet with Lucinda and Sweet Pea. He’d even been fun to talk to while they worked together. Normal one minute, primo-jerk the next, and intensely attractive in between—to her, anyway—which should have been a big clue to stay clear. “I wonder what he looks like under all that hair?” she murmured.

“What’s that, Paige?” Ted asked.

“Um…nothing.” Heat rose to her cheeks. “How’s school coming along?”

“It’s tough. Between work and school, I don’t have much time for anything else.” He flashed her a wry grin. “It’s temporary, though. If I want to keep half ownership in the business, I have to finish.”

“My brother is brilliant, and he wants the best for you. I hope you know that.” She hooked her arm through his and turned her
face up to the sun’s warmth. It had been chilly and overcast when she’d left home. Here, spring had already begun, and the temperature was a balmy seventy.

“Yeah. I know.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “What about you? How’s the new job?”

“Eh, I’m not real happy there. I’m trying to come up with a new plan.” She looked away. Telling lies and half-truths all morning made her stomach hurt. She bit her lip and tried to come up with a way to turn the conversation in another direction. “What’s with your newest employee?”

Ted let out a heavy sigh. “Ryan served under your brother in Iraq. I guess he was in the same Humvee as Noah when they got hit.” His jaw tightened. “Noah has this new mission. He wants to save all the veterans he can, and I’m afraid all of them are going to end up working for L&L.”

She frowned at him. “You see that as a bad thing?”

“Not in principle, no. It’s a worthy cause. I’m just not happy about how he excluded me from the hiring process. I didn’t have any input. I didn’t even get to meet Ryan before he was hired, and I’m supposed to be a full partner.” He glanced at her. “There are limits, or there should be. You saw how Ryan behaved. Noah says I have to put up with it until he’s got the guy on the mend.”

“Noah thinks it’s his job to fix Ryan?”

Ted nodded. “He feels responsible for what happened in Iraq, so he also sees it as his job to make it right. He has this funny notion about Perfect holding some kind of healing magic for veterans.”

Paige smiled. “I think he got that from your aunt, and anyway, Noah has always been like that. He’s always been the one to step in to fix things for others.” She shrugged. “You gotta admit,
though. Despite the crazy, Ryan seems to have skills that lend themselves well to L&L.”

“Yeah. Enough about him. Here we are.” Ted opened the door to the diner and ushered her in.

Delicious smells, warmth, and welcome enveloped her the moment she was through the door.

“Oh my goodness! Will you look at who just walked through our door, Harlen?” Jenny headed straight for them, menus tucked under her arm.

Harlen smiled her way from behind the cash register. Paige couldn’t help but notice how content the two of them looked. Jenny’s hair had grown back to its usual length, with a lot more silver and a lot less blonde. Right now, it was busy trying to escape from the clip she wore at the crown of her head to hold it up. Lord, it was good to see her so healthy and happy. Jenny was one of the lucky ones. She’d survived breast cancer.