Brock kept his eyes on the road, but he could feel her gaze on him.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she said suddenly.
“Oh, yeah?” His fingers drummed lightly on the steering wheel, a way to keep himself from looking over at her. “What kind of deal?”
“I’ll do interior design for you, but I’ll need a glowing recommendation when I leave.”
Her words were a sucker punch to his gut.
Leave.
“When you leave?” This time he did steal a quick glance at her, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was trained on her lap where she fiddled with the sleeves of her coat.
“Yeah.” Juliette sighed then, smoothing away invisible wrinkles from her leggings. “I can’t stay here forever.”
“Of course not,” he agreed, but there was no mistaking the way her gaze shot to him the moment the words were out of his mouth.
Uneasy silence settled between them, weighted down by years of unanswered questions.
“Any more progress with the beach house?” she asked, drawing his attention away from the past.
The beach house.
A spike of irritation rattled him. The beach house had been on his mind for the last few days, even more so with his father and his crew of “investors” making a surprise appearance on the scene. If he didn’t think of a way to prevent Yaya from selling it, it would only be a matter of time before his father swooped in like a predator stalking his prey.
“Not yet.” He tried to keep the frustration from his voice. “I think I’m running out of time.”
He drove up the winding driveway lined with palms and dotted with sycamores. His house wasn’t too typical of the type of property one would find at the beach, but since it doubled as his office for Silver Eagle Construction, he valued practicality over looks. It was a stone front with plenty of windows to let in natural light, and a wide porch housing a swing. He custom-built the house himself, so he converted what would’ve been a garage into a massive office space with room for conducting day-to-day business and operations.
“Wow, Brock.” Awe hung from Juliette’s voice as she got out of the truck and walked up to his property. “This is beautiful. You’ve done really well for yourself.”
“Thanks.” He darted past her to the front door. “Welcome to Silver Eagle Construction.”
He watched as her silvery blue gaze swept over the interior, drinking it all in, analyzing every detail. She focused on the dark hardwood floors and exposed beam ceiling, the stone fireplace, the brushed nickel hardware, and the placement of his leather furniture.
The corner of her mouth quirked. “It’s very...masculine.”
“Well, I’m a guy, so?—”
“As am I.” Anders stepped out of the garage office with a pencil tucked behind one ear. His blue gaze zeroed in on Juliette and he offered his hand. “Anders Sorenson.”
“Juliette Laurent.” Her smile was warm, and when she shook his hand, Brock smothered the twinge of jealousy burning in his chest. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Anders is a good friend of mine. He’s also my business partner.” Brock gestured toward the office, holding the door open for Juliette. “We started Silver Eagle Construction together.”
“Really?” Juliette asked, but he could tell her mind was already focusing on the layout of his office instead.
Two large desks faced each other, both of them with multiple widescreen monitors. A large mahogany shelving unit ran along the far wall, filled with picture frames, books, miniature models of buildings, and awards. A black leather sofa was situated on the other side of the room along with an oval glass coffee table, its surface piled with home construction and renovation magazines. The walls were painted a bluish-gray, and sleek black-framed posters showcasing all their remodels, designs, and projects filled almost every empty space.
However, Juliette seemed focused on the smaller picture frames decorating the shelves.
“So.” Anders tucked his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans. “You’re an interior designer?”
She gave a half-hearted, nonchalant shrug.
“I know a thing or two. Is this…” She peered closer at one of the pictures, then glanced back at them. “Is this the two of you?”
“Yeah.” Brock realized she was looking at a photograph of him and Anders in uniform. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “We served together.”
