Damn, they were way behind, and as much as he’d like to help out, there simply wasn’t a second available in his schedule until after the holiday. “Here is where I spend most of my time, putting these little gems together. Every crib has to have the original manufactured parts or we can’t use them. Jen’s husband orders them, bags them, and then he or volunteers, usually me – well, it used to be me– put them together. How are you at construction?”
“Once again, you underestimate my abilities.”
The snappish comment reflected the sudden flare of fire in her eyes. He’d hoped to avoid this confrontation. Alice had other ideas. “I wasn’t about to stand by and let him bully you or anyone else.”
“I’ve been dealing with men like Beau my entire career.” She arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms, the action enhancing her cleavage.
Keep your mind in the fight or she’ll kick your ass. “And you handled yourself well. It’s a shame he couldn’t be more of a professional, especially when his son was watching.”
Niko brought out a red tool kit and handed her an electric screwdriver before he retrieved the back and side rails of a white crib. He wasn’t in the mood to argue and he wouldn’t apologize for doing the right thing, no matter whom Beau was attacking.
“Henry is a sweet boy.” Alice’s expression softened.
Whew, he’d dodged a bullet.
For now.
She shrugged off her coat and placed it on the work bench while he opened the bag to remove the correct screws.
“How did you find this place?” she asked.
“My agent, Howler. He set up this charity in his grandmother’s name and I did a promotional appearance here a while back with other athletes from the agency.” After Jon died and he returned to the states, the charity had become an escape for Niko. Since he was no longer competing in the sport he loved, he wanted to use his hands to build something for the greater good. It gave him peace in a time he needed it. He was glad he could share it with Alice, if for no other reason than time spent away from the grind of his real life and the problems that lay beyond these four walls.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Hefting the electric screwdriver, Alice bent down and began to fasten the bottom screw. He was sharing something personal with her. Like they were on a date. What would a first date with Niko be like? He’d asked her out and she’d said no. Part of her regretted it, even knowing it was for the best. Every day, she learned something new about this multifaceted man and the more she learned, the more she liked. And it was a scary prospect considering her reasons for being in his life. Standing, she began to put in the upper screws. “How many of these have you put together?”
“I lost count a long time ago. I don’t get to come here as much as I used to,” his mouth turned down at the edges.
“They’re ninety percent volunteer. Grams’s Kids isn’t meant to provide all needs, but give the child a small boost in a difficult situation.”
A difficult situation was putting it mildly. She allowed her hair to hide her face lest her expression give anything away.
“Jenny’s husband assembles them as well. As you saw, we get formula, diapers, anything a baby could need. The customers vary from social workers to foster parents, anyone who needs assistance with a child.”
Alice’s time in foster care was painful and riddled with sadness. She’d been fortunate never to suffer physical abuse, just the emotional turmoil of knowing she was unwanted—by not only her mysterious father— but also the one anchor in her world, her mother. “Brooke is eight years younger than me. When she was a baby, my mom could only afford cloth diapers. Washing them was a pain, and time-consuming.”
“Brooke told me you used to be quite the videographer. Sneaking out of the house to take pictures of drunken people. Is that why you got into broadcasting?”
She snapped her head up, mind spinning. How much had Brooke told him? Alice rarely spoke to Brooke about her years in foster care and she’d insisted her mother leave it in the past. Her mother had proved time and time again that she wasn’t the most trustworthy person, however. “She’s got such a big mouth. But yes, I’ve always been fascinated by people. When I turned sixteen, I was hired as a hostess in a restaurant, a fish place on the beach. The owner wanted to do a commercial and I talked him into letting me film it.”
“You made a commercial at sixteen? I’m impressed.”
Alice finished the screw and waited while Niko put the other side of the crib in place before she attached a new one. “Don’t be. It was crap. It was a local commercial, no frills but it paid well. The owner was a great guy with a bad toupee.”
Niko crouched beside her; his black T-shirt stretched tight over his muscular chest. He pointed to the two holes in each end of the bed frame, the action drawing her eye to the swell of his bicep. Grace had been right. They were both adults. She wasn’t a judge; thus, her opinion didn’t affect the show’s outcome. Was it morally reprehensible to consider an affair, especially with Chloe looming over her head?
“We’ll be putting the bottom frame here and here.” He reached behind him for the assembled spring frame, his thighs straining against his jeans as he held it in place. Thighs she’d straddled between her own while he explored her breasts. Her nipples tightened at the memory.
“Was the owner in the commercial?”
“Of course, it was his restaurant. Not sure if it helped or hindered because the restaurant shut down before I graduated from high school.” He shifted on his feet and brushed her shoulder with his. Was he torturing her on purpose? Who would have thought putting together a crib could be sensual.
“The end of a lucrative career in B commercials.”
Alice snorted. “Not even B, more like D list, if that’s even possible. But no, it wasn’t my last commercial. I did several local commercials for small businesses. It’s how I earned money for college.” Niko was close enough she could see the dark hair on his arm and the raised veins on his forearm as he held the part steady. She wanted to lean into him but she kept herself upright and finished the job.
“I think we’re done. Want to get the last piece?”
