Finding Summer - Suzanne Halliday Page 0,206

he saw the humor in Stan’s comeback.

“I sound like a girl, huh?”

“Yep, and it’s all kinds of funny. I’m not used to seeing this side of you. You’ve always been self-assured and cocky as fuck. This quivering unsure hulk thing you’ve got going on is way entertaining.”

He flipped him off and took a slug of coffee. Admitting he didn’t exactly have his shit together nibbled on his confidence, but after all, Stan was along for this very reason.

“You’re gonna have to take the lead.”

“Don’t worry.” His brother chuckled. “I’ve told everyone to deal with me because you’re a grumpy old man deserving of a wide berth.”

There was a new, confident set to Stan’s shoulders. He was a man coming into his own, and Arnie was glad to have had a hand in his brother’s transformation.

“Aye, aye, Captain McGee. You have the conn.” Arnie saluted.

They kept busy through the morning with Stan lining up half a dozen work crews and specialty contractors to speed through the renovation.

The way the side-by-side driveways lay, Stan’s work truck blocked any view of Summer’s driveway, so he wasn’t able to see her get in her car. All he saw was the side view of her face as she backed out, and it was enough. Having her close by was what made the difference between him being totally mental and somewhat keeping it together.

About half an hour after she left, Lynda knocked on the side door, and he slid into his cover role.

“Oh fuck,” he muttered to Stan when his brother’s hand touched the doorknob. “Do I have a name?”

Their shocked faces mirrored each other. “Oops,” Stan replied. He paused for a moment, and said, “If it comes up, how about Fred? Simple, easy.”

“Done,” he agreed with a nod. Quickly backing off to let Stan have pole position, Arnie picked up a clipboard and tried to appear busy.

“Hey, Lynda,” Stan greeted their visitor and let her through the door. “Come on in. Just watch yourself. There’s stuff everywhere.”

Lynda Gerry walked in and immediately turned in a circle, taking in the whole place. She smiled. “This little house has so much potential.”

When her gaze found him, Arnie stiffened. There was no need to worry. This woman wouldn’t know him from Mickey Mouse, but he was emotionally overwrought by every little thing.

“This is my big brother, Fred. He’s the nuts and bolts guy on our team.”

What the fuck did those words even mean? He glanced at Stan and then at Lynda.

“Fred, say hello to Lynda Gerry. She’s going to show us the addition on the house next door.”

In a conveniently realistic way, the limp he rocked courtesy of falling on his ass beefed up his disguise. He put out his hand and greeted the woman. It was funny how she barely gave him a second look.

After a quick, “Hi,” she referred her comments to Stan and more or less dismissed Arnie. The smug expression on his brother’s face was priceless.

“If you gentlemen would like to see them, my husband, Bud, dug up the original plans for the addition. You could easily do something similar off the back of this place.”

Arnie tuned out the conversation. He had to. His heart was power thumping in his chest. The very idea of getting access to Summer’s apartment while she wasn’t home filled him with both dread and incredible excitement. He hated trampling on her privacy and to let himself off the hook hung his regret on the facts. He wouldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t necessary.

Stan was a motor-mouth of schmooze and flattery. He oohed and aahed over everything. Lynda sucked it up like a sponge.

The moment they went through the gate of the wood privacy fence, Arnie was all business. He noted the blank space, barely a courtyard, and was concerned by a lack of visible security. At the very least, there should be a doorbell camera. You never knew who was brazen enough to walk through the gate.

Lynda opened the door and waved them inside.

“To the left of the vestibule are a laundry closet and the private entrance to the main house. This is the guest apartment,” she explained, turning in the other direction with a wave at a white door decorated like a snowman.

The snowman was so Summer. Seasonal decorations are definitely something she’d enjoy.

More annoyance ate at his nerves when all it took to get into Summer’s place was a doorknob lock. The deadbolt wasn’t in use.

What the actual fuck? Her security was so