Haven was definitely not a haven at present.
Since theHandymencrew had arrived, her head had been spinning.Even now, as she approached the sanctuary, there were workers all over her yard.Eli Zorn had begun his landscaping project.As a result, the grass was torn up and big machines were currently digging up the gravel walkway.
As she walked past, Eli looked up from his shovel.His brow sweaty, he grinned.“Morning, Claire.Hope that’s a strong coffee you’ve got there.”
“Morning.I don’t take it any other way.”
He saluted and resumed shoveling, and she continued into the sanctuary.As she’d been instructed, she headed to the makeup room so that she’d be ready for the cameras.Even as she chatted with the makeup ladies, other noises encroached.The moment she left the room, she was welcomed by the sound of large men in a small space, trying to extricate the old washer and dryer.There was a lot of grunting and the odd stifled curse.Michael had told her his team would be tackling the laundry room today.As a result, she’d been up late last night, washing extra blankets and cloths to get her team through the day.She poked her head around the laundry room wall.
Michael greeted her.“Claire, I hope you’re ready to demolish a wall today.”
Knowing there was always a camera present, she forced a smile.“Can’t wait.”
Lacey had explained that the cameras would pretty much always be rolling, in order to catch any cute exchanges and meaningful moments.The first few days, Claire had been conscious of eyes on her everywhere she went.She’d been on her best behavior, but Lacey had told her to relax so she appeared natural.Although more accustomed to the ever-present cameras now, she still felt like she was being watched.
“My aim is to keep the wall demo short and sweet,” said Michael.“We don’t want to agitate the cats any more than we already have.”
“Thanks, Michael.”
As if on cue, the sound of caterwauling reached their ears.The felines did not appreciate the invasion of their space.Claire had instructed all the volunteers to spend as much time as possible with the cats, soothing them and distracting them.She’d been doing the same thing.
Eager to escape, she hurried to her office, the last bastion of privacy and peace.She knew the team planned to fix her damp walls, but they hadn’t gotten that far yet.
Claire opened the door to the office and rushed inside, closing it behind her.Before she even sat down, she took a sip of coffee and closed her eyes as the hot liquid warmed the back of her throat.
When she opened her eyes, Nick Zorn came into view.
Her office faced the back yard, so Nick had been coming into view a lot lately.He was working on something in the yard that he would only refer to as his ‘mystery project’.
Mysterious, sort of like him—or at least the way she’d been feeling around him.
Still clutching her travel mug, Claire meandered closer to the window, hoping to get a sense of what he was building out there.He was the deck guy onHandymen, so she assumed he was constructing a deck.Nice, if impractical.She didn’t exactly have a lot of time to lounge in the back yard.She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d cracked the spine on one of her favorite romance novels or enjoyed a mojito in the sun.
Still, Nick had definitely improved her view this past week.
There was no denying he was a very handsome man, even though she felt guilty acknowledging it, even secretly.Unlike his dark-haired brothers, Nick had lighter, tawny locks.His hair was longish, waving around his ears, as if he’d been growing it out for a while.She guessed a top stylist had probably helped him achieve the unkempt look.
He had amber-brown eyes.They reminded her of the stone in her favorite ring.He always seemed to have a five-o’clock shadow, like his brothers.She’d taken to calling it ‘the Zorn uniform’.
As for the rest of him…well, she tried not to concentrate too much on that expanse of muscled man.There had been a moment earlier in the week when she’d been refilling water bowls for the cats.She’d been distracted, thinking about the way Nick filled out his jeans, and she’d let the water overflow the bowls.After mopping up that mess, she’d vowed not to look at Nick’s jeans again.
Too bad his ass was staring her in the face right now.
He was bent over, inspecting something, talking to one of the other crew members.Round and firm, his butt cheeks called to her in a way nothing had since she and Arthur had last made love.Flutters assaulted her stomach and her mouth went dry.
All of a sudden, Nick stood, turned around and spotted her.
Watching him.
His face went red, but he smiled and waved.
Without removing her hands from her coffee mug, she wiggled her fingers in a wave.
He motioned toward the window, asking her to open it.
She put her coffee down and moved toward him, although her feet seemed to be moving in slow motion.Get over yourself.The man’s waiting.
Feeling a little like a hesitant schoolgirl approaching her crush in the schoolyard, Claire opened the window.
