Her Dirty Builders (Men at Work #10) - Mika Lane Page 0,17

I wasn’t going to let a little bad news ruin my night. I had three hot men working on my house. And, if I weren’t mistaken, just this evening, one of them had sort-of kissed me.

The gorgeous Ty, with towering height and blond man bun.

So take that, universe.

“Fuck this,” Charli said, laying money on the bar. “Let’s go over to my mom’s shop and try stuff on.”

I wasn’t really in the mood for To Die For. But I also wasn’t in the mood to let Eddie the asshole invade my thoughts.

Maybe we should go try on some things we couldn’t afford. Charli had been talking about starting an Instagram with photos of the two of us wearing things from her mom’s shop.

Francesca didn’t mind us playing dress up with her things, but she’d always been clear that we were never, ever to wear anything outside the store. Unless we paid for it first.

And the likelihood of that was pretty low.

“All right. Let’s head out,” I said, waving goodbye to the bartender

“Esme? Esme, is that you?” a deep voice said from behind me.

I whipped around to find Alden standing there, wearing a surprised smile.

Jesus, he was cute with that red hair and dimpled chin. I’d never found ginger guys to be hot, but then I’d never seen one quite like Alden—broad shoulders, big biceps, narrow waist, and flat tummy. What was there not to like?

“Oh my god, Alden, what a surprise. Hi. This is my friend Charli.”

As the two shook hands, Charli didn’t let go. She also batted her eyelashes and pushed her boobs out, just like she always did with my dad.

“And how do you two know each other?” she asked, no longer interested in running over to her mother’s shop.

I lightly touched Charli on the shoulder to try to get her to stop staring. “Alden is part of McKinney Construction, the builders fixing up the house before we put it back on the market. Because, you know, it’s doubtful there’s another sucker out there besides me who would buy the place in the crappy condition I did.”

Charli finally released poor Alden’s hand, and he stuffed it in his pocket as if she might grab them again.

“Let me get you ladies a drink,” he said, waving the bartender over.

Charli clapped her hands. In addition to trying on stuff at her mom’s shop, she loved nothing more than a party. “Tequila. Let’s get tequila,” she squealed

“You heard the ladies,” he said to the bartender.

“So what brings you here, Alden? Don’t you have to be home with your baby?” I asked.

“Oh my god. You do not have a baby,” Charli gushed.

I could almost hear her ovaries doing backflips.

He beamed, which was beyond enchanting. “I do have a baby. Little Rosie.” He pulled up a photo and passed his phone to Charli. “She’s home with my mother, so every now and then on my way home from work, I swing by here for a drink. The bartender is an old friend of mine.

Charli silently passed Alden’s phone to me, and I could immediately see why she was at a loss for words. Rosie was a chubby-cheeked little human with the beginnings of bright red hair the same color as her father’s.

Delicious. There was just no other word.

“Amazing,” I said, handing the phone back.

He stared at it for a long moment, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“So where is Mrs. Alden?” Charli asked hopefully.

I’d have to talk to her later about the advantages of subtlety.

Alden’s face darkened as he reached for his tequila shot. “I actually couldn’t tell you. She split a few months ago. It’s just me and my girl now.”

I raised my shot glass. “Here’s to the beautiful baby Rosie.”

He relaxed a little, and we threw back our tequila.

Before long, one shot turned into three for Charli and me. Or was it four? Alden, who’d wisely stopped after one, offered to drive me home when Charli called an Uber.

When I stood from my barstool, he caught my arm to steady me. “Okay, cowgirl. Let’s take it easy.”

I leaned onto him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have had that much to drink. I’m going to regret this tomorrow.”

The cool glass of Alden’s passenger side window felt good on my face during the quick ride home. “Thank you for working on my house, Alden. I know you guys are really trying to help me. I appreciate it.”

He turned onto my street and pulled up in front. Even in