Chapter 2
Heat scored Michael’s face as he shook hands with the pretty blonde in front of him, although he didn’t understand why meeting her should make him erupt in mottling worthy of an embarrassed Dalmatian.
Lacey had given him the basic details on Emily Daniels and her fiancé Trent Andrews. He’d even seen several photos of them, so he already knew Emily was cute. He’d particularly liked the photo of her in which she stood outside the Beatrice Street house on a sunny day, wearing a cardigan and some shorts. Her smile had struck him as genuine and heartwarming. Anyone with eyes could see Emily was attractive. Between her short blonde locks, green eyes, and freckles, she could be the wholesome girl-next-door.
Out of his periphery vision, he took note of an ample bosom. Okay, she was a lot better than the girl-next-door. He’d never lived next to any girls who appeared so effortlessly sexy as this one. Her faded jeans emphasized curvy hips. She wore a red plaid, button-down shirt, the kind many men wore. It looked better on her, like the sort of thing a woman might steal out of her boyfriend’s closet.
It made Michael wonder what Emily Daniels would look like wearing one of his shirts and nothing else.
She has a fiancé, dimwit.
He cleared his throat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in the flesh.”
She colored and grinned.
“I mean, in person.” Heat streaked through his own cheeks. Again.Jesus, when was the last time I blushed in front of a woman?
“It’s great to meet you too, although after all our emails, I feel as if I know you already.”
“Yeah, I hear you. Lots of details, huh?”
“It’s exciting to finally discuss details. I’ll admit I’ve always been a fan of the show, so it’s fun for me to see what happens behind the scenes. I half expected to see you with your brothers today.”
“I tend to do most of the preliminary work as far as general contracting. As you know, Eli’s in charge of landscaping, and Nick handles decking, which means I handle the rest of the grunt work.”Lame ass. “Not that meeting you is grunt work.”
Emily laughed out loud. It was a boisterous laugh that made him want to tell some cheesy knock-knock jokes just so he could hear it again. “It’s okay. I understand what you mean. Although I’ve bothered you with so many questions over the last few weeks, I wouldn’t be upset if you thought it was grunt work.”
“God. No. Not at all.” Michael didn’t think he’d ever sounded so awkward around a female. Emily made him feel like a teenage boy leaning in for his first kiss.She’s taken. Cut the theatrics.“So, where’s your fiancé? Trent, is it?”
Her smile slid off her face. “He was unable to make this meeting. Sorry. The house and the plan for the business are really my visions, though. He just signed on to do the show as moral support.”
Some moral support. “Okay. Let’s have a look around and I’ll tell you how we’re going to bring those visions to life.”
A fiancé who didn’t show up for aHandymenmeeting when he was booked as a guest? Not that Michael had an inflated sense of his own importance, but Trent’s no-show struck him as odd. Perhaps the guy had a last-minute conflict. Wasn’t he a chef at some fancy restaurant?
Maybe he was dealing with a food emergency. Perhaps his kitchen had run out of truffle oil.
Dismissing his unflattering thoughts about Emily’s fiancé, Michael realized he couldn’t wait to share his own plans with her. During their email exchanges, she’d been so enthusiastic and he’d grown more and more eager to share each development with her. It was always great to work with a client who appreciated the sweat and intricacy that went into a project.
“I have to admit I was excited to hear the house was in Little Italy. I’ve always loved the neighborhood.”
Emily beamed. “What’s not to love? With all the quaint stores and coffee shops, I think my organic soup business will fit in well. Lots of families live in the area and many new ones are moving in. They want healthy options for their kids.”
“I’ll share a secret with you. It’s not just the neighborhood. I’m always happy when someone decides to renovate an old home rather than tearing it down and starting fresh. Nothing bores me more than sterile box houses with no character.” He cast an experienced eye over the original hardwood. He couldn’t wait to buff it and make it gleam again. “I think it’s great you’re using your grandmother’s place for this project. The house has good bones, the exterior will make an effective storefront, and you’ll have lots of space for storage. Because it used to be a home, the bedrooms upstairs can be converted into walk-in pantries or office space. You have lots of possibilities.”
“That’s what I thought, although for me, the clincher was the setting. When I was doing my research on possible locations, I knew I wanted to stay away from the downtown core. Sure, it’s busy at King and Yonge, but I want to be in a neighborhood, in a place where people will want to linger.” Emily’s eyes misted. “I talked about my plan with Nonna Olivia before she passed. I mean, my grandmother.”
“I know that much Italian. That and the swear words, courtesy of some friends from Naples.”
She grinned. “Anyway, my grandmother believed in the business. She believed in me, even at times when I didn’t. She’d already told me she would leave me the house, hoping I’d make use of it. No one else in the family needed it, but we all agreed it shouldn’t be sold if at all possible.”
“Sounds as if she’d be proud of you.”
“I like to think so. My grandmother always thought outside the box. She was a bit of a rebel for her times.”
“How so?”
Emily ran her hand along one of the door trims. “Well, this house wasn’t just her home. She opened it up to many people who needed help. It was never made official and you wouldn’t find it in any city documents, but she took care of several young girls who found themselves in a family way.”
