crying out loud, dog,” Eli yelled at Blue, his father’s old Heeler, when the mutt started yapping up a storm at the front of the shop. “What’s your problem?” A moment later, light flashed across the front room as the door swung open.
“Anybody here?” Tess called out.
Thinking, What the hell? Eli set down the sander and walked out front, his fingers jammed in his jeans’ pockets. Busy with the dog, Tess didn’t see him at first, giving him time to give her a nice, leisurely once-over. Tight jeans. High-heeled boots. A soft, body-hugging sweater too long for her leather jacket. Big old dangly earrings. An aura of purpose he still wasn’t used to.
“Slumming?” he said mildly, making her jump. She straightened, clutching a purse bigger than she was to her side, out of which she dug his sweatshirt.
“Um…I brought this back,” she said, handing it to him, then looking around. “Your dad here?”
“Nope. Out on that install. So’s everybody else. Just me and the dog holdin’ the fort. What can I do for you?”
Yeah, the double meaning had been sorta deliberate.
Not that she’d give him the satisfaction of reacting. Except for her eyes. Gal’s eyes gave her away every time. And why he was goading her, he had no idea. Wasn’t like he expected, or wanted, anything to come of it. Then again, maybe that was the point. That, knowing he was perfectly safe, he could goad all he wanted.
Safe from her anyway. Safe from himself? Maybe not so sure about that.
“I just got the Coyote Trail listing,” Tess said, and he dragged his head back from wherever it had wandered.
“You’re kidding.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Because the place is a dump?”
“It’s not a dump, it just needs…a little TLC.”
“Honey, what that place needs is ten years of intensive care.”
“In an ideal world, maybe. But what I got the Harris spawn to agree to is the rehab equivalent of Botox. In any case, Fred Harris apparently went to school with your dad, wants to give him the work—”
“Wait a minute…you actually talked them into fixing the place up?”
She almost smiled. “I can be very persuasive,” she said, her voice all low and sexy, and Eli literally bit his tongue to keep from saying something stupid. Instead he squatted to scratch Blue’s ears.
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Dad’s booked through January. Unless y’all can wait until February—”
“No, it has to be done immediately. I only have the listing until Christmas.”
“That’s insane.”
“Tell me about it.” For the first time, doubt wrinkled her forehead. “Are you sure he couldn’t squeeze this in? Somehow?”
“You’re talking, what? Kitchen and bath update?”
“And redoing some of the built-ins, and the window trim…”
“Then I think it’s safe to say Dad’s not gonna be able to ‘fit you in’.” To prove his point, he walked over to the old, beat-up desk on the other side of the room and picked up a bulging folder.
“Crap,” she said. “Not that I’m not thrilled for your dad, having so much work.”
“Of course, if you’re really hard up…” Eli grinned. “There’s always me.”
“Um, I think I’ll pass.” But she didn’t sound all that happy with her decision. Or him, hard to tell. “Were you always this…cocky and I somehow missed it?”
“I prefer to think of it as charming.”
“As I said.”
Eli crossed his arms. “How come you didn’t call first, save yourself a trip?” Saved yourself the awkwardness of having to talk to me.
“I did. Nobody answered. Kept getting the machine.”
“But I’ve been right here…” Eli glanced over at the phone, blinking its little butt off. Messages, 3. “How many times you call?”
“Three.”
“Guess I couldn’t hear over the sander.”
“Guess not,” Tess said, starting for the door.
“You’d rather lie naked on an anthill than work with me, wouldn’t you?”
Slowly, she turned, her brows drawn. “Something like that, yeah.”
“Funny, I would’ve never pegged you as somebody who’d judge a person without having all the facts.”
The frown deepened. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Frankly, yeah. Because apparently what I said, about how I’ve changed? Didn’t even register. And excuse me, but it’s just the tiniest bit annoying that you’re assuming a lot based on what basically amounts to hearsay.”
“You’re saying…the gossip’s untrue?”
He hesitated. “Not all of it, no. But…” Digging his fingers into the back of his neck, Eli tried to pull in enough breath to ease the tightness in his chest. “But what you hear…I’m more than that, Tess. I swear.”
“Then if there’s some salient fact I’m missing, by all means, clue me in.”
A couple of beats passed before Eli walked over to an old futon on the other side of the room and sat on the arm. Unfortunately, this wasn’t just any random piece of furniture, but the very one where they both lost their virginity many moons ago. When Tess sucked in a breath, Eli softly laughed. “Yep. It’s still here. Even if the two kids who enjoyed each other on it aren’t.”
“Eli…don’t—”
“You know, I still see glimpses of the crazy, funny girl who could light up a room just by walking into it. Not to mention the one who never had a bad word to say about anybody. It’s not that I don’t understand why she doesn’t come around much anymore,” he said quietly, “but I sure do miss her. Like I said, I know I hurt you back then. And I don’t even expect you to accept my apology. But seems to me that girl wouldn’t still be obsessing about a failed high school romance.”
Tess gave him a long, penetrating look, then let out a sigh that seemed more perplexed than mad. “First off, that girl? I’m not all that sure she ever really existed. Secondly, I’m hardly obsessing about our breakup. What still bugs me, though, is that you never gave me an explanation. Not even when you called to apologize the other day. So, combined with your reputation? The anthill’s looking pretty good.”
Eli’s brow knotted. “You never asked.”
“I
