Page 47 of Tangled in Temptation

I forced a smile. “It’s the city. I’m not sure how enjoyable that is. I did a little shopping.”

I wasn’t about to tell him about Timothy. He would be pissed. I just told him I was going for a few days and left it at that.

“I’m glad you came by,” he said. “Have you decided on a new project yet?” He wiped his hands on a rag. “I know I sent you a lot of options. Some were pretty big jobs. Did any of them appeal to you?”

I shook my head. “Not yet,” I said. “There are a couple I’m interested in, but I haven’t made a decision.”

“Good, because I have some exciting news. The historical society reached out, and they want to discuss the possibility of you working on upgrades for one of the historic churches in town.”

“What? Really?”

“Well, of course, they do. You’re incredibly talented. They’d like you to come on as an official contractor for the group.”

The prospect of working on a historic project was exciting. It’s what I had been hoping to do, but there was a lot of pressure.

“Wow,” I said. “I don’t even know what to say. What about you? Are they asking you to do the job?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “That’s your area of expertise. I’m content doing what I do. You’re the one for these historical renovations. They heard about the Manor and wanted to bring you on. I told you that project was going to put you on the map.”

“I’m so honored,” I said. “But it’s a big job.”

“Everything worth doing usually is,” he said, his eyes twinkling with pride. “Just think about it. No need to make a decision right away.”

“That seems like it would pigeonhole me to one job.”

“But that’s what you always wanted, right?” he said. He seemed to be studying my face, looking for some hint of hesitation or fear. “I thought you wanted to work on restorations. That’s been your dream.”

I sighed, anxiety creeping in. “But what if I mess up? What if I’m not as good as they think I am?”

He gave me one of his wise smiles. “You won’t know until you try. And even if you do mess up, that’s okay too. Everyone does at some point. The point is to take the opportunity and make the most of it.”

His words were comforting, but the anxiety didn’t go away completely. “Yes.” I nodded. “I’ll do it. I was terrified of the Manor project and that turned out well.”

“Good point.” He nodded. “Very good point.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I didn’t do anything.” He smiled. “You did it. I’m proud of you. I’ll send the information to your email.”

“Thanks.”

I grabbed a few tools and loaded them into my truck. I was going to spend the next couple of days busting ass on my house. It was exactly what I needed to keep my mind busy.

“Hey, one last thing,” Dad said when I came back in.

“What’s up?”

“Can you run some invoices to Gloriana Manor?” he asked.

My stomach dropped. That was the last thing I wanted to do. But he asked me to do very little. “Sure, Dad. I’ll take care of the invoices for you.”

He handed me a small stack of papers and grinned. “Thanks, Catherine. They’re expecting you, so it shouldn’t take long. Just drop them off, and you can get back to your own projects.”

I nodded, tucking the invoices under my arm. I reassured myself Timothy was still in the city. I didn’t have to worry about him. The drive to Gloriana Manor was a familiar one, the grand estate looming on the horizon as I approached. A mixture of nostalgia and apprehension settled within me. The house was so beautiful. It was too bad I couldn’t really enjoy it.

Chapter Twenty-One

Timothy