After all, he was fairly certain she’d been putting on an act for him for a while now, and she’d done it well.But lately, he’d seen her mask slipping.
Claire might like to think no emotions ran between them, but he’d glimpsed several flitting across her face lately.Of course, desire was always there.They couldn’t keep their hands off each other.Other emotions hid just below her surface.
Claire had begun their relationship as a woman who stifled her giggles, but she now greeted him with huge smiles and didn’t hold in her throaty laughter anymore.When she’d begun her time with theHandymencrew, she’d been wary and skeptical.Now, she seemed to be embracing the journey, happy to learn new things.And when she shared those secret smiles with Nick, her gaze was full of something that looked suspiciously like hope.
He liked to think he gave her hope, because he felt it too.
They were on the verge of something.He still wasn’t sure how it would end, but he was beginning to have more faith that they could make it work.
He just needed to be patient for a little longer.
He steered her past where everyone was eating and led her to the back yard.
“Don’t tell me,” she said excitedly.“I finally get to see what you’ve been building?”
“Yes, ma’am.I’ve kept you in the dark long enough.Just promise me you’ll act surprised in front of the cameras afterward.”
“You bet!”
Before they turned the corner into the back yard, Nick paused.“Before you see it, I just want you to know it doesn’t have to be a permanent structure.If you decide you don’t want one of these things in your back yard, it can come down easily enough.”
“Nick, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“Okay, but there won’t be any hard feelings if you think it’s too much.I mean it.”
“Show me.”
“All right, then.”He stood behind her and placed his hands over her eyes.“Walk with me, beautiful.No peeking until we’ve turned the corner.”
Unable to see, Claire stumbled, but Nick guided her.
Having her rely on him, even for that short moment, gave him a thrill he couldn’t deny.
How incredible would it be to have her really rely on him?It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to feel independent or strong, but at the same time, he wished she would allow him to be there for her in a substantial way.
He wanted to be her anchor, the thing that kept her from drifting away.
He helped her turn the corner into the yard, and whispered, “Here we go.You can look now.”He removed his hands from her face, taking a step back so he could see her reaction.
Claire glanced at him then took in the massive structure.It took her a moment, but when the realization hit her, her face opened into the most incredible smile.“It’s an indoor play place for the cats!”
“That’s right.When I was first looking at the plans for the property, it occurred to me it might be a good use of the space.The back yard is huge and you still have lots of room to move around.And because the cat B&B also opens into the back yard, all we had to do was build an enclosure leading from the door.So the play place can still be used on a rainy day.”
“It’s awesome.”She ran her hand along one of the beams, her eyes wide.
“I know I’m the deck guy onHandymen, but I didn’t feel good building you a plain old deck.I wanted to build you something serviceable, as well as fun.And this way, the cats can get some exercise and fresh air, without any danger of them escaping into the field.The chicken wire is heavy duty, so there’s no way even the most mischievous cats will ever break through it.Anyway, I thought it might be a nice touch.After all, you have long-term residents here, like our friend Mortimer.Now, the Manager can stretch his legs a bit and sun himself on one of the little ledges.”
She laughed, her voice tinkling with joy.“Look at the ramps!They’ll love this.I can already imagine Mortimer and his buddies scrambling over all the platforms.”She covered her mouth with her hand, but she couldn’t hold in her glee.“It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen, Nick.Thank you.This will really improve their quality of life.”
“I’m glad.”
“How did you ever come up with this idea?”
“I did my homework.I was online one night and saw an ad for a kennel that had this sort of setup.It wasn’t hard to throw together a plan.After spending so much time creating fantasy decks, this was a nice change of pace.”
She approached him, swinging her hips.“You justthrew it together, huh?”
“You know what I mean.”His cheeks blazed with pride.“I was happy to do it.Do you like it?”
