Her Dirty Builders (Men at Work #10) - Mika Lane Page 0,38

to her.

There were mornings I woke up when the only thing I looked forward to was her coming home at the end of the day and seeing the progress we’d made on her house. The thought of not having that was… well, unfathomable.

It was funny. The more time I spent with her, the more I thought I might remember her from high school. There were flashes of familiarity, but never anything very clear. But I’d been so wrapped up with my buddies and sports back then, it was amazing I’d even graduated.

It would have been nice to know her better in high school.

Mom leaned on my desk and looked at me with raised eyebrows. “If I didn’t know better, Case, I’d swear you were a little sweet on her.”

If she only knew.

I sat back in my chair and shrugged. “I do like her, Mom. We’ve become… friends. She’s a really cool girl. But look, I know Dad did things differently than I do. But that didn’t make him a good businessman. I mean, look at the condition of our books.”

“Well, that’s not exactly—”

“I know he meant well, but his kind of operation burned bridges. I’m trying to establish a better reputation for McKinney Construction. I’ll call the mayor and let him know he’s next on our list.”

Mom pressed her lips into a thin line. “You know, he might just go to another builder if he has to wait.”

I nodded, somehow buoyed by having made a definitive decision. “I know there’s the possibility of that. But after I talk to him, I think we’ll be fine.”

She sniffed. “Well, just watch out for her. I know how girls like her are—”

“Mom,” I interrupted. “Whatever you think you know about her is probably wrong.”

“Well, you know, her own mother—”

“Mom, Esme’s mother is not in the picture.”

I was inches from telling her to back the fuck off, but I resisted the thought of speaking to my mother that way. However, we were business partners and needed to be straight with each other.

“Case, you don’t have to—”

“Mom, I am doing all I can for our business and our family. Dad left us with a mess that I’m trying to clean up while finishing my degree and having some modicum of a life. I’m sticking with our commitments and that means finishing with Esme’s house first. Now, I’d like to finish the last of this paperwork so I can get out of here and enjoy the rest of my Saturday.”

She nodded. “Fine.”

If I were so sure I was doing the right thing, then why did I feel so shitty?

26

CASE

“Whoa. You scared the crap out of me.”

Putting down her paintbrush, Esme playfully pushed me in the chest after I’d grabbed her from behind. She leaned to give me a kiss, transferring the smudge of paint on her nose to my own.

A kiss from her was worth the mess and I wanted a lot more of where that came from. But I could be patient.

To a point.

I picked up a rag and scrubbed the paint off her face and she did the same for me. “I was at the office this morning. I’d had enough of work, and… realized I really wanted to see you.”

She beamed. “That is the nicest thing I think I’ve heard since… well, maybe forever.”

“So you’re painting the kitchen,” I said, examining her work.

She grabbed the paint roller to fill in one last swath of wall. “Well, Ty’s new cabinets are looking so awesome, I thought a fresh coat of paint was in order. Doesn’t it look amazing?”

Those couple things really did make a difference. And even better, I could see Esme was thrilled.

She deserved a break.

“I’d really been tempted to paint the kitchen turquoise, my favorite color, but I know white is best for selling a house. So I made an adult decision for a change.”

I loved a woman who could laugh at herself.

And when I thought about it, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d known one.

She washed her hands and when she realized she had nothing to dry them with, wiped them down the front of her T-shirt.

“Hey, let me show you what we’re doing in the little room.” I led her by the hand, and when we entered, I got on my knees to show her how we were filling the cracks in the old plaster walls.

She ran her hand over our work. “It’s so smooth. You’d never know how lumpy this wall had been just one week ago. You