H. Mallory - Ghouls Rush In

“I did! So tell me, did you come up with that one yourself or was that borrowed from a Hallmark card?”

He shook his head and playfully swatted at me. “You, Peyton Clark, are a ballbuster.”

I laughed and even though I knew I was headed into dangerous territory, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. “Are yours feeling a little sensitive?”

Ryan’s eyebrows reached for the ceiling in obvious surprise that I was referencing his man beans. But the surprise only lasted for a few seconds before a knowing smile captured his mouth, and I realized he could play as down and dirty as I could, which was a relief because the last thing I wanted to do was offend his genteel Southern manners. “Nah, I’m all man…these puppies are made of steel!”

I couldn’t help my laugh but then struggled to hold back another quip, instead burying my face in my coffee mug as I emptied the last few drops into my mouth. When I put the mug back on the table, I watched Ryan reach inside his back jeans pocket and produce a folded-up piece of paper, which he handed to me. “Here are the names of three contractors I told you I’d recommend for your remodel.”

“Oh,” I said, surprised our conversation had taken this turn and disappointed all the while. Even though I’d thought Ryan was right there with me, enjoying our flirtation, it seemed like maybe he wasn’t as comfortable with it as I’d thought. And, yes, I had to wonder if maybe it was because I wasn’t his type either? Or it probably had to do with his deceased wife.

“Like I told you, I know these men personally,” Ryan finished at the exact moment that Jenny appeared at our table with our food order. She said nothing as she unloaded both croissantwiches and my napoleon. She then spun on the ball of her foot, returning to the counter just as quietly as she’d come.

I swallowed hard as I unfolded the paper and glanced down at the scratchy handwriting that said, “Swan’s Remodeling,” “Tate Construction,” and “Tandy and Sons.” I cleared my throat and folded the paper in half again, feeling the color draining from my cheeks as I glanced up at Ryan, who was studying me intently.

“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?” he asked. I didn’t answer, so he shook his head. “Peyton, that’s too much work to take on yourself. Not only that, but if you bid out each and every job, you’ll end up spendin’ a fortune.”

“Ryan, I want you to be the general.” I wasn’t sure I’d said the words until they were already out of my mouth, and Ryan looked back at me like I’d just sprouted another head.

“What?” he asked.

The color returned to my cheeks and I could feel myself blushing from my head to my toes. “I want you to be the general contractor on the job,” I repeated, my heart in my throat. It wasn’t lost on me that both of our ham and cheese croissants and my napoleon sat untouched.

Running his hands through his hair, he suddenly seemed distracted, his attention riveted on the view beyond the front windows. “I, uh, I can’t,” he said finally, his gaze settling on me. “I’m no longer in the construction business.”

“I know.”

He pointed to the folded paper clutched in my right hand. “So, choose someone from that list. I can show you lots of the homes they’ve worked on, if that’s what you’re worried about. If you don’t want to take my word—”

“I trust your word,” I interrupted. “I’m sure they’re great.”

“They are all highly qualified for your job, Pey—”

“But I want you to run my job,” I interrupted him again.

“I don’t know what that sister of mine put into your head,” he started and shook his head.

“She didn’t put anything into my head,” I answered immediately. I definitely didn’t want to get Trina into any sort of trouble. “She just told me you remodeled the Omni hotel, and that was enough for me.” I took a breath and beamed at him. “And the Omni hotel was beyond impressive, Ryan. I mean, hot damn, you did a good job!”

He cleared his throat and frowned at me, but a smile burned at the ends of his eyes and lips. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

But I had a feeling it would. “Going to play hardball, are you?” I asked with a quick laugh. “Okay, how about this—I know you and I don’t know them.”

“I could introduce you and then you would know them.”

“Blah,” I said and stuck my tongue out at him as I searched for another good reason why Ryan should run my job and not someone else. “You’re my neighbor.”

“So what?”

“Soooo, that bodes very well for me.”

He crossed his arms against his chest and studied me with dancing eyes. “Why?”

“Because it means you have to do a good job!” I answered with a heartfelt smile. “Because if you don’t, I know where you live and I will come after you!”

A smile cracked its way across his lips but vanished just seconds later as he shook his head and sighed. “I, uh, I’m sorry…”

“If you don’t take on the job, I won’t hire anyone at all,” I said finally, huffing out my frustration as I tightened my arms against my chest to prove I was serious. “And even though you don’t know me that well yet, I promise I’m stubborn when it comes to getting my way.”

He laughed and then grew quiet, studying me while a smile still crested his lips. “Trust me, I believe you.”

“And it wasn’t that cold with the heater on…”

He sighed. “Goddamn, that bloody heater…”

“It’s your choice.”

We just sat there looking at one another, me with my arms crossed and a severe-looking expression on my face, while he wore a poker face. Neither of us had so much as touched our food. Finally he sighed and thrust both of his hands onto the tabletop, making it shake. “I don’t have a work crew anymore. I don’t even know what tools I still have,” he protested, but I shook my head.

“You can figure all that stuff out.” I took a deep breath, wondering if he would actually go for it. “I expect you to give me a fair price and I also want to know how long you think the project will take to complete.”

He didn’t reply for a while but looked at me as if he were seeing right through me. “I’m not agreein’ to anything before I inspect it,” he started with a determined look in his eyes. Probably the same expression I had in mine.

“That’s fair enough,” I answered, smiling up at him. “So when shall I schedule the inspection?”

He frowned, but it seemed insincere. “No time like the present, eh?”

Ryan frowned, then sighed, then frowned again. I’d just given him a tour of my house, and from the looks of it, he wasn’t impressed.

“She’s a beauty, don’t you think?” I asked hopefully, nudging him in the arm like a used car salesman while beaming the widest smile I could manage. We’d worked our way through all five bedrooms, four bathrooms, the living room, family room, dining room, laundry room, and the kitchen. Now we stood on the curb outside, both of us gazing up at the monstrosity that I called my new home. While my face reflected hopeful optimism, Ryan’s did not.

“It’s saggin’ on one side,” he answered, straight-lipped.

“What? Where?” I demanded, moving my attention to the far west side of the house where Ryan pointed. Yep, it definitely looked as if the house was a tad shorter on one side. “That just gives it character.”

He glanced down at me and raised both brows. “That, or it’s got a shoddy foundation.”

“I’m gonna go with it’s got character.”

Even though the rain had been nonstop for the better portion of the day, it had paused for the moment, although dark-gray clouds still occupied the skies and the wind hadn’t let up. I wrapped my arms around myself and pulled my blue raincoat closer, adjusting the brim of my baseball cap so it didn’t sit too low on my forehead. That was one thing I loved about having shortish hair—it always looked good underneath a ball cap. It was like the two were made for one another.