Every nerve in my body was on alert, and I could barely breathe. I lifted my gaze up, up, up to his full height, a foot taller than me. Above those broad shoulders, which stretched out his T-shirt, was his sharp-planed, sun-burnished face. The body he’d pressed to me seven years ago had been long and lean and boyish. Now he was a man, filled out, but his features were defined and his cheekbones more pronounced. That slow smile around the corners of his lips was irritatingly familiar, along with that teasing look under the long eyelashes that fanned across his cheeks, but both seemed practiced now rather than charming.
My gaze hooked on his full, soft lips that once had taken mine in a searing kiss that should never have happened.I couldn’t get it out of my mind, and the thought that he’d irrevocably left his imprint on me burned in my blood.
His brown eyes twinkled. “Glug, glug, glug—remember?”
I knew the gaze I returned was hostile, and his smile immediately dropped. I hated how I acted around him. That wasn’t me. I was seldom short or sharp with others, never snarky, never mean-spirited. I could feel my chin tremble, and I pressed on my eyes to stop the blinking, which always happened when I was distraught. A fraction calmer, I refocused on Tim.
His face turned soft. “Everything okay, Tabs? You seem more upset than usual.”
He knew me, and that hurt even more.
But instead of confiding in him, I gave him what I hoped was a quizzical look. “No, all good.” Unless you counted my revolting ex cheating on me, my mounting debt, and my parents’ irresponsibility. “So, there’s a crisis in the walls?”
His forehead creased. “Yeah, look, I won’t sugarcoat it. The wiring in the kitchen’s fucked. I’ll take you over what we have to address to bring it to code. We need to get my electrician mate, Sparky, to do the work immediately, this morning, before I go any further. Normally, he’d take weeks to get to it, but I’ve called in a favor.”
My chest felt tight, but I forced my voice to be calm. “Thank you for that. How bad is it? What’s the number?”
He grimaced. “Let’s just say you’ll be paying for Sparky’s next holiday to Tenerife.”
I slapped my hands over my face, feeling my cheeks burning, livid…with everything.
“I’ll pay it right now so you can book your friend,” I said.
There went my savings. I wouldn’t be going on holiday to Brighton, let alone Tenerife.
“Tabs, I know this is shite, but I have an idea that will help.”
I hated dealing with Tim on these issues, pretending we didn’t have a messy history, but his tone was so hopeful and kind, almost like before it had all gone so wrong. Maybe trusting him to help me might be different this time.
2
Tim
Iwas used tolaying down the law with my rugby team and my workers. Tabitha, with her long, shiny blond hair and luscious curves, didn’t look like any of my rugby mates, and I wished I didn’t still find her so attractive. Seeing her sad hit me hard, but she needed to know the truth. So, taking my usual wide stance, I folded my arms over my chest.
“These plans of yours aren’t practical. We don’t have to widen the doors, open up the walls, or make the kitchen bigger. And your tile idea for the bathrooms is just bizarre. Leave the house how it is—put in basic tiling, basic counters, basic cabinetry, paint the walls a nice color, stick out some flowers and cushions, and call it a day.”
I raised my hands.How simple is that?
She shifted toward me, and her sweet rose-and-apple scent hit the back of my nostrils. But her eyes narrowed with fury, and her cheeks fired red as her whole body vibrated with anger.Oh fuck.
“Thank you, Tim. Wow! Just like that! Golly, how easy. I wish I’d thought of that.” She clamped her teeth together. “Know why I didn’t? This house is a veritable rabbit warren of rooms. We have beautiful dining and drawing rooms where no one goes, next to a horribly cramped kitchen where everyone ends up. These rooms must be opened up to make a generous, beautiful, inviting kitchen, because that’s where everyone wants to be. If we go with your suggestion, well…” She rolled her eyes. “Quite frankly, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig.”
Outraged oinks sounded from below us, and a wet nose nudged against my hand. Perky and Pinky, the pigs.
Tabs huffed out at me, before cooing to the pigs, “Sorry, guys. Lipstick would look divine on you.”
I edged forward, getting in her space. “Tabitha, you’re making a rod for your own back,” I insisted. “Trust me on this.”
She tipped her face back to me, the crest of her cheeks still flaming. “Timothy, I’m a trained architect.” She pushed her fists down against her sides. “Why do you have to constantly undermine me and question everything I’ve decided? I’m so tired of this—just bloody do it.”
Just bloody do it?What the hell?
I felt my jaw twitch. Nobody could rile me like this woman. “AndI’vebeen a contractor since I left school, and I’m telling you that these plans of yours are bloodyridiculous.”
She screamed in the back of her throat, and we glared at each other for a few minutes, both too furious to speak. The flush on her chest and the way she was heaving were too damn sexy. A flurry of wings from the pond interrupted our angry staring match.
Uncomfortably, without speaking, we both trudged back into the kitchen. Why the fuck was everything wet in here? I eyed her father suspiciously. Then I pointed out all the wiring issues as Tabitha listened, grim-faced.
