We made plans for him to stop by, a time when I knew Benji wouldn’t be home, and I set the phone aside.
“Who was that?” Benji asked, appearing at the door with a bowl of soup in his hand. “Got a date?”
He seemed intent on getting me to date lately. Probably because he was leaving for school and didn’t want me to be alone.
But I had just gotten back to a sense of peace after the turmoil of my divorce. The divorce had been amicable, Scott and I were still friends, but dividing up a life that had been intertwined for nineteen years wasn’t easy.
I wasn’t eager to disturb my new sense of calm for a silly dream about love. Besides, between working at the diner, getting this business going, and keeping track of Benji, I had no time for anything more.
Chapter Two
Wyatt
“I’m headed out, Bossman,” I called to Jace as I grabbed my tools.
He raised an eyebrow.
“He’s talking to a potential client about a side project,” Layne said, elbowing Jace. “Remember?”
Jace’s eyebrows rose, and he nodded quickly. “Right, forget about that. Uh, let us know how it goes.”
“Okay,” I said, confused by their reaction. I took on side projects all the time when we were slow. Why they were acting all weird about this one, I had no idea. I’m sure they would just miss me.
I got into my Wild Timber Homes truck and started the engine. Wildrose Bend was a tiny place, all things considered, so it wouldn’t take me long to get there. Even if I hit the one stoplight in town on a red, it wasn’t exactly rush hour.
I arrived at my destination in no time and I parked my big white diesel in front of the house, then grabbed my tool belt and secured it around my waist. I was used to building homes so building furniture would be a piece of cake. Which was perfect.
Work was actually smoking busy, but we were waiting on materials for a big project we affectionately called the Beast. It was a hurry up and wait game, and I couldn’t handle standing still.
I glanced up at the house as I walked up the driveway. It was a small place with a one car garage and a loose gutter to the left of the door. I made a mental note to mention it to the homeowner. Hell, I could fix it while I was here if they wanted me to. My brain automatically made a list of repairs wherever I went. My mom always said I’d try to fix heaven’s front gate if they ever let me in.
I knocked on the door, and a moment later it swung open. I opened my mouth to introduce myself, but no words came out. The woman in front of me had her dirty blonde hair pulled back from her face. She was wearing light blue jeans and a t-shirt, arms with visible muscle on display. I was six feet tall, more with my boots on, and she wasn’t far behind. Her blue eyes were big and round, and there was a small smile on her light pink lips.
So much for my professional greeting. My brain had apparently clocked out early.
“You must be Wyatt,” she said, her smile widening. “I’m Vera.”
She stuck out her hand. I gripped it in mine, and shook it. “You look familiar,” I blurted.
Real smooth, Wyatt. Next, ask if she comes here often.
Her cheeks colored, and she let her hand fall from mine. “Oh, uh, I wait tables at The Bent Rose if you’re ever there.”
I nodded. “This town only has so many places to eat, and Bent Rose is great, so I’m there all the time.”
She moved past my awkwardness, and stepped back. “Come on in.”
I stepped into her house; it was tidy and well kept smelling like something delicious. Meatloaf, maybe. I expected her to lead me to the garage, but we ended up at the kitchen table.
She sank into a chair, and I followed suit.
I glanced around the table. There was a notebook with the corners rolled from use, a ruler, a pencil, and a collection of items that made my cheeks burn red.
“Uh, are those…relevant to the project?”
She followed my gaze, looking completely unfazed. “Oh, yes,” she flipped through her notebook, but didn’t explain why she had what looked like dildos and vibrators in a variety of sizes in the middle of her kitchen.
“Ah, here we go,” she said, turning the notebook in my direction. I studied the image. It was a carefully hand-drawn blueprint for a small dresser or nightstand. “Okay, that looks simple enough.”
