“I’m up for a promotion. The CO wants to see that I’m settled. Stable. For some reason, having a woman in my life would make him think that I’ll be more focused, which is not exactly how I see things, but he won’t see reason. So, yeah. I just need you to act like you’re into me, and be polite and stuff.”
“All right, but so we’re clear,” she said, having a brief, rare moment of clarity. “I think this is a superbad idea. Someone will probably find out. And then we’re both going to look foolish.”
“Ten-four. I couldn’t agree more. And if I could manage to tell him without him reading me the riot act for the fifth time this week, I would. But this will be more of a business relationship between us, right? You need a handyman and I need a girlfriend. We fix up your place, go to a couple of events and chill out, and then we break up, like most couples do.”
Hmm. “Can I be the one to break up with you?” She didn’t know why, but that was a deal breaker.
He shrugged. “Fine by me.”
“Can you tile a floor?”
“Yes.”
“How good are you with a paintbrush?”
“Better than most.”
“How about drywall?”
He peeked around her into the dining room behind her. “I could have those walls up in less than an hour.”
Really? He would save her countless days and all she had to do was go out on a couple of dates with a good-looking guy?
And we’re questioning this because...?
“Okay. I’ll do it.”
He smiled then, and her heart tugged. She suddenly remembered why this was a bad idea.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
“Really?” He stared at her as if he expected her to take it back or something. What? Were they in second grade?
Why not torture yourself? At least you get the eye candy up close. “Yes. It’s a win-win. You’ll be forcing me to get out of my house once in a while and I get free labor. I might even cook for you, as long as you don’t mind simple food. I can’t do much more than tacos on the hot plate.”
He thumbed some dirt off her nose.
Great. So attractive. Should have washed her face or at least looked in a mirror before she opened the door. She’d caught a glimpse of him running up the street and had stood staring until he’d jarred her to her senses by approaching her house.
Well, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about him making moves on her, given her messed-up appearance.
He was staring at her again as if she were crazy. Had he been saying something?
“Okay. Deal.” She held out her hand and pretended to have been thinking about whether or not she wanted to do this.
His hand swallowed hers. It was so big and rough and she wondered how it would feel on—
“What are you working on?” he asked.
It took a few seconds for her to clue in to what he’d said. No sex. Just friends.
Keep telling yourself that.
“Bathroom fixtures arrived. I’m laying tile so I can put everything together.”
“I can help you with that.” He glanced down at his sweat-soaked shirt. “Forgot I might need a shower.”
She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “Seems silly for you to get cleaned up only to get dirty again.”
Dirty. Why did everything out of her mouth sound like sexual innuendo?
Because those shorts were tight against his—
Stop it.
She pushed away the idea of stripping that tank off him and running her hands across the tight abs underneath. Far, far away.
Until she was alone, later, in her bed.
He’s staring again!
“Right. Tile.” She opened the door wider.
“Cool.” He stepped past her and into the house. “Is the bathroom on the second floor?”
“Yeah. First door on the right.”
The man’s backside as he climbed the stairs was a sight to behold.
Free labor. Free labor. Free labor.
No, this wouldn’t be torture at all.
BRODY USED A rag to clean the last of the grout off the guest bathroom floor. The black-and-white hexagon tiles were dizzying up close, but when he stood and backed toward the door it made the bathroom appear bigger than it was.
“It’s an optical illusion,” Mari said from behind him. “And you did that so fast. I can’t believe it.”
“I put down floors in my grandmother’s house the last time I was on leave. She wanted tile and wood, so I learned a lot through trial and error. Every summer from about the time I was eleven until I went into the Marines after high school, I worked for my uncle’s construction company.”
It was one of the final chances he’d had to be with his grandmother, and he was glad it was a happy memory. She’d died from complications from a stroke later that year. As her only grandson, and with his mom gone, his grandmother left him her house, which he’d sold. That place had nice memories for him, but the offer had been good. And it would be several more years before he’d be able to pick where he wanted to live. Probably not until he retired from the military. He missed her—she’d been the one constant in his life when he was growing up. Well, that and working with his dad’s brother. But his grandmother had been such a solid female influence, and one of the kindest women he’d ever known. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. Best not to start thinking about the past.
“I brought you some water, I didn’t know you’d be done so fast.” She handed him the bottle. Her pink bikini top was snug against her breasts and he had to force himself to look away. She was going to be his fake girlfriend, not the real one. It wouldn’t pay for him to act on his attraction to her. Keeping it simple was how he made it through each day. Work, eat and sometimes sleep.
Her head cocked. She was watching him.
“So it needs to dry overnight, and then we can start moving in the cabinets and stuff. Is there anything else we should get done tonight?” He chugged down the water.
“You’ve done so much already, thank you.” She handed him another bottle of water and took the empty from him. But her eyes were on the room behind him. He stepped around her, so she could have a better view.
