“Awesome.I’ll text you a couple of ideas.”
“I look forward to it.”
He tipped his hard hat as if it was a cowboy hat.“Thank you, ma’am.Now, I’m going to have to ask you to vacate these premises.My mystery project won’t be very mysterious if you keep loitering around, ogling the workers.”
“Ogling?But what if one of the workers was ogling me?”
“Oh, that’s allowed.”
She laughed.“Fine.And don’t worry about your mystery project.I promise I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re creating back here.This isn’t a deck at all, is it?It’s too big.”
“You’ll find out when you need to know.”
“Hmm.You really know how to withhold information, don’t you, Nick?”
“Delayed gratification is still gratification, sweetheart.Now scram, so I can watch you walk away.”
Amused, and incredibly turned on, Claire left the back yard.
She made sure to put an extra swing in her step for his benefit.
* * * *
By the end of the day, Nick had made significant progress on his mystery project.So much progress, in fact, that he was dying to put Claire out of her misery and tell her what it was.Unless he managed to keep her out of the back yard, she’d likely figure it out anyway.There was no way he could tarp the entire thing.It was too massive.Still, right now, it looked like a lot of angle brackets, posts and beams.Before long, though, it would have several runs and jumps, a whole lot of chicken wire and several little doors attached.Once he got to that stage, the jig would be up.
He needed a way to distract Claire and keep her away from the back yard.
Right now, the only thing he could think of to distract Claire was to kiss her senseless.
Damn.
He’d left her after the party and had been up most of the night reliving their kiss.That was a moment of awesomeness he’d take to his grave.
It had been so awesome he’d had to rub one out before falling asleep.That hadn’t happened in a while.
When Nick had come in the shower, exploding with the force of a hundred bombs detonating, he’d almost cried.
Now he just needed to know he could make that happen with a woman present.
Disrupting his thoughts, Lacey appeared in the back yard.“Hey, Nick.Got a second?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m not trying to rush you, but I was just wondering if you’d had a chance to review your new contract.”
Right.That.“It’s still with my lawyer.”
“No problem.If you need anything from legal, I can make a call.”
“From what I saw, it all looks good.”In fact, when he’d reviewed it, the terms had been generous.The network was clearly interested in working with him, although he certainly didn’t need that kind of money.Nick had always considered himself to be a man of simple needs.Good work boots, some sturdy jeans and a job that allowed him to be outside in the sun were about all he needed to be happy.
He worked with a few local charities.His brothers did too.So, if anything, his new circumstances meant those charities would be getting some nice donations in the near future.He knew for a fact that the local food bank was hurting.The next time he went in to help pack up food, he’d tell the administrator to increase his regular donation.
“All right,” said Lacey.“Just let me know if I can help in any way.The executive team is eager to seal the deal.”
“Understood.So am I.”
In fairness, Nick probably could have just signed the contract and returned it.It was straightforward enough, and he’d signed a few in his time by now.Still, he knew it was best to have a lawyer review it.
