Will and Mac jerked in stunned silence, a little bit of margarita spilling over the side of Will’s glass at her jolt.
“Why the hell not?” Mac was never one to pull punches.
Rory smoothed back her hair, ensuring it was still perfectly in place, ignoring the ache that had started at the base of her skull from it being up for so long. “Well, I’m just so busy. With the girls not back in school yet and workin’ more hours at town hall, all the while tryin’ to get the house into some semblance of decency.”
“Mhmm.” Mac leaned back in her chair and lifted the margarita to her lips. “Sounds like a whole lotta excuses to me.”
Rory shot her a blank stare. “They’re not excuses if they’re true.”
Will glanced at Mac, who just shrugged before turning her gaze back to Rory. “But the time you save at the house by utilizing Nash will free up whatever you need in order to do the design work.”
Rory blew out a sigh. If she thought her sisters were going to be her voices of reason, she was dead wrong. But she couldn’t very well tell themwhygoing into this partnership with Nash was a bad idea. It had nothing to do with time and everything to do with her losing her damn mind whenever she was around him. Her skin felt too tight when he was in her vicinity, and she had the urge to rip off his shirt and stuff it between his teeth, just so she could look at his glorious chest without the irritation of him running his mouth.
He was too young, too brash, too loud, too easygoing. Tooeverything.
“I don’t see what the problem is,” Mac said, her tone deceptively bland. “It’s just a business partnership. A damn good one, if you ask me. Not only will you get help with your house, which means it’ll be done faster—by a trained contractor, no less—but you can also add to your design portfolio. Seems like a win-win.” She shrugged as if she didn’t care one way or another what Rory’s answer was, but her eyes were sharp and assessing. A challenge. Daring Rory to spill the real reason she didn’t want to partner with Nash. Mac might not have a clue as to what it was, but she was astute enough to know a bullshitter when she came across one.
But Rory wasn’t an amateur, and she’d been harboring her secrets for a long damn time. What was one more? “You’re probably right.”
“Yeah?” Mac said. “Why don’t you go on and let him know you accept his offer, then.” She smiled like the cat who ate the canary, so sure Rory wouldn’t go through with it when pushed.
But Rory wasn’t going to back down. Roryneverbacked down.
Her life had already fallen apart. She’d lost her perfect home, her perfect family, her perfect life. She’d be damned if she allowed her sisters to think she’d lost her self-control as well.
She plucked her phone from her purse and typed out a quick text to Nash.
Your offer still stand?
Before she could even drop it back into its pocket, it buzzed in her hand.
Be there tomorrow morning at 8, princess.
Heaven help her, but this was going to be nothing but trouble.
“Alittle birdie told me you’re workin’ with the devil spawn,” Nat said in lieu of a greeting when Nash answered his phone. “What the hell’s that all about?”
Fucking Asher. Nash had just gotten off the phone with the douchebag who made up the third leg of their trio since elementary school. A douchebag who was now dead to him. If he weren’t currently driving, he’d shoot off a text and tell Asher exactly what he thought of his big mouth and lack of ability to keep any-fucking-thing to himself.
“Well, hello, Natalie. So lovely to hear from you on this fine mornin’.”
She gagged, no doubt over the use of her full name. “Don’t try to lay on the charm with me, asshole. That hasn’t worked since junior year.”
Ah, yes. Junior year and the infamous failed kiss that nearly dissolved a friendship. He shuddered at the memory of it. They’d somehow gotten it into their heads that since they were such good friends, they’d naturally make a good couple. Asher had—wisely—watched from the sidelines with amusement at the entire unsuccessful attempt.
Nash blew out a deep sigh, knowing there was no use avoiding her questions because she wouldn’t let up. Nat was like a dog with a bone when she got her mind set on something.
“It’s nothing, just a couple clients askin’ about Rory doin’ some work for them. Ever since we did The Willow Tree together, people’ve been wantin’ her services when they get mine. They get her, she builds her portfolio, and I gain more clients to help me buy out my old man all that much quicker.”
Nat harrumphed. There was certainly no love lost between the oldest and youngest Haven girls. And while he couldn’t blame Nat for that stance given how Rory had treated her while they’d been growing up—and did, at least according to Nat,stilltreat her—he had to admit Rory wasn’t quite the bad guy Nat had always made her out to be. At least, not as far as he could see.
“She’s got some solid ideas—shit I’d never come up with. And she’s calmed on her devil ways, promise. You should stop globe-hoppin’ and come home to see for yourself.”
“Ummm…” Nat drew out the word so long, he knew he was in for a verbal beatdown. “I’msorry, but I must’ve dialed the wrong goddamn number because there’s no way my best friend since for-fucking-ever would be sidin’ with Sister Satan instead of me.”
He coughed out a laugh. “Shit, Nat. I’m not sidin’ with anybody. I’m just sayin’—”
“That you’ve lost your damn mind? That you had a lobotomy? That you’ve been body snatched? That you—”
