I raised an eyebrow, a flicker of doubt creeping into my mind. “Shiloh? That’s the place on Main Street, yeah? I’m not sure I’m the right person for the job.”
My reluctance had nothing to do with the scope of the work and everything to do with the man himself. There had been a short time after the fall festival last year when I’d spent far too many hours in this very workshop thinking about the way he moved around the bakery’s booth with grace I hadn’t expected from someone with his build. If I’d bumped into him on the street, I would have thought he was more likely a jock or a blue-collar worker like myself rather than a baker.
I’d wondered if the definition of his muscles were from hefting bags of sugar and flour in his kitchen or hours spent in the gym. And on more than one occasion, I’d imagined what the scruff on his cheeks would feel like buried in the cleft of my ass.
Last fall, it had been all I could do to not rush in and insist he take five minutes to catch his breath at the fall festival. From what I’d heard from Waylon and Jasper, heneverslowed down.
Between the fact he needed someone to force him to take care of himself and that fit, but not too damned skinny body, he could easily be my downfall. And my undoing, because there was no way in hell a guy as good-looking as him would be interested in a graying, middle-aged man with a paunch that refused to go away no matter what I did. But Waylon didn’t need to hear all that.
And now that Waylon had mentioned his name, it seemed all those same thoughts came rushing back again. It would definitely be risky working for Shiloh.
“Come on. Hear me out,” Waylon urged, his eyes pleading with me to listen. “Think about it. Not only would you be helping a fellow local business owner, but there’s potential for growth and collaboration. Shiloh is ambitious and driven, and I think he could use someone like you to help bring his vision to life. Once other people see what you’re truly capable of, they’ll quit thinking of you as just the guy they call when a pipe bursts or a faucet is leaking.”
I hesitated, weighing the pros and cons in my head. On one hand, the idea of working with someone as independent and stubborn as Shiloh would require all the willpower I could muster. But on the other hand, I knew I couldn’t let my personal interest hold me back from taking on the very type of project I’d been longing for. I was old enough to be professional. And if I couldn’t, then I didn’t deserve the job.
“Look,” I began, rubbing the back of my neck, “I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I’m not sure if I can handle working with someone like Shiloh. He’s... well, he’s...”
He’s good looking enough to render my ass speechless.But I wasn’t about to tell Waylon that. He’d never let me live it down. As it was, he liked making cracks about me needing to go out and get laid.
“Oh, I think I see the problem.” Waylon smirked. “I thought I saw you checking him out a few times, and you always make excuses when I head in for a quick treat. You like him.”
“So what if I do?” I tossed my sanding block onto the table and crossed my arms tightly over my chest. God, I sounded like a kid about to throw a tantrum. “It’s not like anything would come of it, anyway.”
“Then there’s no harm in meeting with him,” Waylon argued. “You’re a talented handyman, and I know that Shiloh would be lucky to have you working for him. Besides, no one else in Harmony Grove would pay as close attention to preserving the history of those Main Street buildings as you will.”
As much as I wanted to refute his argument, I knew that Waylon was right. I had a deep-rooted connection to Harmony Grove, and my skills as a handyman were an asset to the community. I used to spend summers following my dad around, working on some of those same structures. He’d been passionate about trying to preserve the character of Harmony Grove and keep it from becoming a cookie-cutter replica of so many other small towns out there.
Maybe it was time to step out of my comfort zone and take on a new challenge—even if it meant working with someone who had the ability to make me think twice about my reluctance to jump into the dating pool.
“All right, all right,” I groaned with a hint of annoyance, offering him a roll of my eyes. “I guess it’s worth a shot if only to get you off my case.”
“Trust me, Teddy, you won’t regret it,” Waylon replied, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “And who knows? Maybe this partnership will lead to something a bit more…personal.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” I grumbled. “And please, for the love of god, quit before you start trying to play matchmaker. You’re no good at it and you’re not nearly as good at acting innocent as Jasper is.”
“Teddy, I know you’re still skittish,” Waylon began, leaning against the workbench and crossing his arms. “But let me share something with you.”
Good lord, here we go…Waylon settled on the stool, ready to impart his unsolicited wisdom. Sometimes, I was certain he forgot he was no longer a teacher.
“When I came home, I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew was I wanted to lick my wounds while Mom recovered from her surgery.” I kept waiting for him to pause for a breath so I could not-so-subtly invite him to be on his merry way, but the man seemed intent on dragging me down memory lane with him. “I sure as hell didn’t expect anyone like Jasper. But he came barreling into my life whether I was ready or not. And I get what you’re saying because I didn’t want my mom meddling, either, but she did.”
“And you seriously don’t understand how messed up it is that you’re comparing yourself to your mom? I love her as much as anyone, but Ms. Ruth is one of the pushiest women I know.” She always had been. When we were kids, she had an opinion about everything. “Are you sure you want to be like her when you grow up?”
“If it means you quit sulking around and pretending you have plans so you don’t have to come to our place for dinner, yeah, maybe I do.” It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy their company, but there was only so much newly-in-love one freshly-divorced man could take.
“As happy as I am that things worked out for you, not everyone needs someone to warm their bed at night,” I insisted, feeling the weight of his words. I picked up a small chisel, running my thumb over the sharp edge, trying to focus on anything but the growing uncertainty within me. “You found happiness with Jasper, and that’s great. But I’m not in the market for a boyfriend more than a decade younger than me. I’ve finally reached a point where I don’t have to answer to anyone, and I’m content with that.”
As I spoke, I couldn’t help but marvel at how effortlessly Waylon had managed to rebuild his life in Harmony Grove. He was happier now than he’d been in the years he’d been away, trying to please his now ex-wife. But not all of us needed or wanted that.
Waylon said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’m not trying to push you into a relationship. I just want you to consider the possibility that this partnership could lead to something more than just professional growth. Jasper and I didn’t plan on falling in love, but we did. And it changed both of our lives for the better. You don’t have to go into this trying to find someone to warm your bed at night, but maybe don’t be so closed off, either.”
I sighed, setting down the chisel and rubbing my hands together, covered in sawdust from hours of work. “I appreciate your concern, Waylon, but I’m fine on my own. I have my workshop, my projects, and my friends. That’s enough for me.”
“All right,” Waylon conceded, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I won’t push it any further. But just remember, sometimes the best things in life happen when we least expect them to—both personally and professionally.”
“Point taken,” I said, forcing a smile of my own as I picked up the sanding block again, determined to finish the jewelry box. In the back of my mind, however, a tiny seed of doubt had been planted.
Was I really content with my solitary existence? Or was I merely convincing myself that I was because I was afraid to take a chance? The problem with marrying the first guy I ever dated was I didn’t truly knowhowto put myself out there.
