She nodded. “How’ve you been?”
“Fine. So, what needs to be done?”
Natasha growled under her breath. He was not going to make this easy. She pulled out her iPad, opened the file, and headed up the walkway to the porch. “The wood on the porch needs to be replaced all the way around.”
Without a word, Antonio climbed the steps and walked the length of the area that ended on both sides of the house, stopping here and there and testing spots with the toe of his boots.
She followed him around one side and saw him leaning over the rail to see the back of the house. “The deck needs replacing, too.” Still nothing. He just made notes on his iPad. “Do you want to go out back or see the inside first?”
He gestured toward the front.
Rolling her eyes, she walked off.No, I’m not doing this today.Natasha stopped abruptly and whirled around. Antonio plowed into her. Not even her anger could dampen the effect of feeling his hands around her waist and his hard, warm body against hers. Arousal hummed through her veins. Natasha quickly tried to pull back.
“What are you doing?” he said, steadying her. “I could’ve hurt you.”
“You already have. How long are you going to give me the silent treatment? I’ve tried to apologize several times, and it’s beenyears,” she said, her voice rising with each word.
“I’m not giving you the silent treatment, and I’m over the past. We’re here to do a job, and that’s it. Are we going inside or what?”
She ignored his question, folded her arms, and glared up at him. “No? Then what do you call it? And those little shady comments about me still sending letters… what would you callthat? Yes, we have to do a job, but you acting like a butthead isn’t going to make it easier.”
Antonio frowned. “A butthead? Seriously? Look—”
Natasha jabbed a finger in his chest. “No, you look. You need to learn how to accept an apology,Antonio Jamal Hayes! I was barely eighteen and I know I messed up, and I tried to tell you I was sorry, but you never,everlistened.” Her voiced cracked.I amnotgoing to shed one more tear over this man.Waving a hand, she said, “You know what, I can’t do this right now.” She rushed around to the front and down the steps to her car.
He hurried after her and placed a staying hand on her arm as she opened her car door. “Tasha, wait.”
She shook her head, got into the car, and drove off, angry at herself for allowing him to get to her. With no real destination in mind when she left, Natasha decided to go to the one place that always gave her solace.
Ten minutes later, she parked at Summerhill Creek, grabbed the blanket she usually kept in her trunk, and trekked through the trees to the small hidden inlet she’d found as a teen. Because she knew she’d be doing a lot of walking at the house, she’d worn comfortable shoes and slacks, and she was grateful now for the forethought. Natasha dropped down on the blanket, inhaled deeply, and let it out slowly, hoping for the peace she always felt out here. She closed her eyes and listened to nature’s sounds—trees rustling in the gentle breeze, water rushing in the creek, birds calling to one another. Pulling the Ziploc with her brownie out of her purse, she bit off a piece and savored its rich, chocolaty goodness. Maybe because they’d been close friends long before dating, Antonio’s aloofness really bothered her.
She tried to see it from his point of view, knowing that she’d hurt him. But she’d been hurt, too. Every missed phone call had chipped away at the confidence she’d had that their relationship would survive the distance until they graduated. And hearing a female voice answer Antonio’s phone had been the final straw. Looking back, she probably should have confronted him then. However, in her mind, all the naysayers had been right. She couldn’t hold on to him. Sighing, she broke off another piece of brownie and shoved it into her mouth. “So much for us being able to work together,” she muttered.
Antonio stood in the same spot minutes after Natasha roared out of the driveway and muttered a curse. Walking around the house with her had conjured up memories of them doing the same thing whenever he built something. She used to follow him and give pointers on whatever needed to be fixed or adjusted and plan how it should be decorated. It also didn’t help that she looked good in the gray slacks that hugged her shapely backside and a long-sleeved, button-down black blouse that revealed a hint of the smooth mahogany skin above her breasts, causing his body to react. Angry that she could still get to him after all this time, he’d thought it best not to say much. Yes, she had apologized, and he thought he’d accepted it and moved on, but after this… he obviously still had some things he needed to deal with inside.
Calling him by his full name let him know just how angry he’d made her. The only other time she’d used his government name was during an argument when they were dating over something he couldn’t even remember now. It had taken a week to get back into her good graces. His brother’s words played loudly in his head:The only way you’re going to be able to move forward is to forgive her.Admittedly, Antonio tended to be short on forgiveness—something he’d been working on—but his problem, he finally realized, centered on forgetting. Forgetting how much she’d meant to him. Forgetting all the plans they’d made. And forgetting how much he’d loved her. He blew out a long breath. She was right, however. He’d acted like an ass, and he owed her an apology.
He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called her, but it went directly to voicemail. A second call to her office went unanswered, and the receptionist told him Natasha wasn’t due to return for another hour. “Where did she go?” She had been upset when she left, and although they weren’t on the best terms, he still didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. He thought for a moment about where she might go, then jumped in his car. Growing up, Natasha went to only one place when she was upset or worried about something. Antonio took a chance that it hadn’t changed and headed in that direction.
A short while later, he spotted her car in the far corner of the lot and smiled.Some things stay the same.After parking, Antonio got out and surveyed the area. With towering trees, the mountains rising in the distance, and crystal-clear blue-green waters, Summerhill Creek still took his breath away. A gentle breeze blew across his face, and he inhaled deeply. He’d missed being home.
Antonio stood there a moment longer, then made his way to the hidden inlet. He hadn’t been there in close to two decades, but he remembered how to get there by heart. As soon as he cleared the trees, he saw her sitting with her head down, which made him feel even worse. He must have made a sound because she turned his way, a scowl lining her beautiful face. Natasha met his gaze briefly before turning away.
“What are you doing here?”
He sauntered over and lowered himself next to her. “I came to make sure you were okay.”
Natasha snorted. “Like you care.”
“I guess I deserve that.”
“What you deserve is for me to never speak to you again, but you caught me on a good day.”
A soft chuckle escaped his lips. “Lucky me.” They sat silently for a minute, and then he said, “I’m sorry. You were right. It has been a long time, and I’ll work on my attitude.” He had to in order for him to move forward and not stay stuck in the same cycle of heartbreak. When he’d decided to move back, he’d honestly believed seeing her around town wouldn’t trigger those emotions that had taken him years to get over. He’d been proven wrong in spades. And seeing the tears in her eyes and hearing the anguish in her voice unexpectedly got to him. But, then, Antonio could never stand to see her cry.
She whipped her head in his direction and studied him as if determining the truthfulness of his statement. Seemingly satisfied, she nodded. “I know it’s probably too late, but no matter what you think, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Your heart wasn’t the only one broken,” she added softly, focusing on something in front of her.
Antonio really wanted to ask her why she did it, but they seemed to be headed toward some sort of fragile truce, and he didn’t want to mess it up. However, he knew they’d need to have that conversation sometime soon. “How about we table the past and focus on the here and now?”
