Chapter One
Nick Zorn opened the coffee shop door and paused at the entrance, waiting for the now-familiar giggles of ridicule.Releasing his death grip on the door handle, he took a hesitant step.
Luckily, no one noticed him.
This time.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he hurried toward the back of the café, and sat at a table in one of the darker corners.
Maybe it was time to start holding his head high again.He was Nick fricking Zorn, beloved TV star, businessman and friend to all.
A young woman at one of the other tables glanced in his direction.Her eyebrows shot up and she stifled a grin.
Beloved TV star.Yeah, right.And maybe it was time to start wearing dark sunglasses everywhere he went.
Seeing as his brothers hadn’t yet arrived, he pulled out his cell phone but didn’t turn to any social media apps.He just bowed his head and stared at his home screen, trying to appear busy.
Within minutes, Michael and Eli arrived.
“What took you so long?”asked Nick.
“Uh,” said Michael.“We’re right on time.”
Only when they sat, providing a buffer between him and the rest of the café customers, did Nick relax a little.
“You good?”asked Eli.
“Yeah.Just dandy.”Change the subject.Pronto.“Hey, did Lacey tell you what this meeting was about?She was vague with me.”
“Me too,” said Eli.
Lacey was typically the first to arrive for meetings.Of course, they usually held their meetings at the Inspiration Network offices.
For the last few years, Nick and his brothers had been hosting the Toronto-based TV showHandymen, as well as operating their own contracting business.On their show, they helped families realize their home renovation dreams, suiting them up with new appliances and teaching them how to tackle difficult renovation projects.
It wasn’t unheard of for Lacey to pull the brothers in for a meeting, rather than involving the whole crew, but there was an unusual air of secrecy about this tête-à-tête.
“What about you?”Nick asked Michael.“She must have told you something.”
Michael grunted.“Why would she tell me anything that she didn’t tell you?”
Nick and Eli just stared at him.
“For God’s sake.I don’t have any more of a direct line to Lacey than you fools do.”Michael frowned.“Although she was acting cagey the last time I saw her.”
Michael liked to pretend he and Lacey Styles didn’t have a special bond, but they did.Or at least, it was a different sort of bond from the one Nick or Eli had with her.Not only was Lacey their director onHandymen, she and Michael had had a relationship.It had been some time ago, and Michael was now very happy with his wife, Emily.His only present connection to Lacey was a solid working relationship, one based on trust and mutual respect.
That didn’t mean Nick and Eli hadn’t teased him about his ill-fated tryst for a good long time.
Not anymore.Nick had recently made a vow not to tease anyone about their relationship status, especially since his last one had ended up being such a clusterfuck.
Besides, they all cared about Lacey.She’d been good to them.She’d singlehandedly guided their TV careers, coached them on navigating the press and even taught three Neanderthal builders how to develop their presence on social media.
In Nick’s case, she’d also recently taught him the merits of keeping a low profile when needed.
Of course, most importantly of all, she had turnedHandymeninto a popular home renovation show.Their success was mostly in the Canadian market, but they had big plans.From day one, Lacey had made it clear she aimed to get the team a coveted timeslot on the Create Network, the biggest home improvement network around.It hadn’t happened yet, but Nick was hopeful.He knew they had the chops to break into the American market.
The shop door opened.Lacey spotted them and walked over.Dressed in her customary heels, a slim skirt and a frilly blouse, the brunette turned a few heads as she made her way to the table.“Gentlemen.”She sat down next to Nick and smiled.“I appreciate you meeting me outside of our regular venue and time.”
