Lenora Worth - Her Lakeside Family

“Do we need to reschedule?” he asked, the hesitation showing her a crack in his moody demeanor. At least he was coming around on being involved in the day-to-day decisions of renovating a house.

“Of course not,” she said. “I’m here and I’m ready.”

She ended the call and stared at her chocolate dinner. “You’re going to have to wait,” she decided, not wanting to gulp down her cupcake right before she met with him.

Grabbing a banana instead, she ate it and then fluffed her hair and put on some lip gloss and mascara.

She wouldn’t change out of her leggings and tunic, however.

Davina had an early day tomorrow so she planned on staying casual and comfortable tonight. In spite of her rapidly beating heart.

* * *

She invited him in and plopped a huge chocolate cupcake on the counter. “I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast,” Davina announced. “I’m starving and I’m going to eat this before I go to bed or someone is going to pay.”

Santo actually chuckled and felt something like a jolt of heat moving through his heart. “And hello to you, too.”

“Sorry.” Her green eyes reminded him of a lush tropical forest. “I’ve had a long day and I’m mortified that I completely forgot this meeting. That’s not how I conduct business.”

Santo should have insisted they cancel but he’d been looking forward to this all day long. But obviously, Davina had a lot more on her mind than spending a couple of hours with him. Which should have been okay, only he had to admit he felt a bit disappointed. But he’d get past that because she wasn’t here to sit around with him. She had a lot of work to do yet.

Since he was here now, he carried on. “I’ve had some of the best shrimp fettuccine I’ve ever eaten for dinner,” he said, handing her a warm plate covered with foil. “Miss Virginia is an amazing cook and she insisted I bring this over to you.”

Davina’s eyes lit up, causing yet another aftershock to charge through him. The woman was like an exotic chameleon, ever-changing. Then she said, “Are you going to feed me?”

He liked the way she asked that with a bit of a dare. “Yes, I am,” he said. “Because I’ve had a long day, too, and...I want to make some changes in my life. That’s one reason I wanted to talk to you alone tonight, without any interruptions from my wonderful children or their equally wonderful nanny.”

She eyed him as if he’d turned into a sea monster. “You mean changes such as being on time and being a little more organized? Or maybe being more available?”

“Ouch.” Did he look like a total loser to her? “Yeah, those things and more.” Watching as she sank onto a bar stool and dug into the shrimp dish with gusto, he said, “I guess I need to work on a lot of things.” Then he glanced around the little beach-themed apartment. “At least Miss Virginia got the children to bed on time. She’s a keeper.”

“I’m sorry,” she said between bites. “I shouldn’t have implied you’re not organized and involved with these projects. It’s obvious you’re doing the best you can. And yes, Mrs. Brownlee is a jewel.”

Santo stayed across from her, the kitchen island separating them. He needed a buffer to remind him he’d hired her to help him, not so he could stand here and stare at her. “No, you have every right to be a little put out with me. First, I mistook you for the nanny and shoved one of my screaming children at you and then I left you and the real nanny standing in the middle of my den. And tonight, I didn’t call until it was almost too late to have a business meeting. We could do this some other time.”

“No, no,” she said, waving her hand. “You’re here now and I shouldn’t judge you. I don’t have children but I grew up in a big, crazy family. My mom, bless her, was always running behind. It drove me nuts but now I’m beginning to appreciate her efforts a whole lot more.” She shrugged. “I have four siblings, so growing up, I watched several train wrecks and a whole lot of drama being played out. All my life, I only wanted some peace and quiet and to be my own person. I became a nomad of sorts, just to be by myself.”

“So you don’t get along with your family?”

“We get along,” she explained. “Well, my older brother is also in construction and he resents me a tad but I ignore him. My younger brother is in the army so I don’t get to see him much. But my sisters Tilly and Alana and I are close. We butt heads but we love each other.”

She saw the darkness in his eyes, the searching glance.

“Do you ever get lonely?” he asked, the ache of his own loneliness echoing out around them.

“All the time,” she admitted. “It’s hard being a woman in construction but...I’ve always loved old houses and I want to fix up the one I grew up in one day. It’s a beauty but it’s falling apart. I want to do that for my parents if they’ll allow me. We are a proud clan.” She went on to tell him about her father’s health and struggles. “I want to do what I can to keep them afloat since they’ve supported all of us through thick and thin.”

Santo could see the remorse and the pride in her expression and in her eyes. Her amazing green eyes. “A big family, huh? That explains why you didn’t complain when I threw Nate at you. You’re probably used to that kind of messy morning.”

She smiled at that. A pretty smile that seemed to make this tiny space shrink even more and go at least twenty degrees warmer. “Yes. I’m the middle one. Irish to the core, too. So you can only imagine fighting over the last slice of pizza or who got dibs on my mom’s car on Saturday night.”

“I’m thinking you won in both cases.”

She laughed and dug into the shrimp again. Then she tore off a piece of the chunky French bread he’d included in the meal. “You’d better believe it. Being caught in the middle kept me out of the fray on either side. I got away with a lot.”

Santo relaxed, his face muscles going slack, the constant ache in his neck loosing up the vise grip it had held on him for so long now. Glancing at her cupcake, he said the same thing he’d said about the Peaches-and-Cream cupcake they’d shared a few days ago. “I know where you bought that and I sure hope you’re willing to share it.”

“Let’s go over my plans for the lake house and then we can fight over the cupcake. But I seem to remember I won last time.”

“Can we negotiate?” he asked, realizing he just might be flirting with his house contractor. He’d forgotten how, but this felt dangerously close. Too close. It also felt refreshing and good. Too good. He’d made a vow to never open up his heart to a woman again. Santo had loved his wife but his love couldn’t save their marriage or her. He’d been blinded by ambition and a need to please her, no matter the cost. Why would he want to risk that again? No, he’d go into this with his eyes wide open and his children as his first priority. Why would he put his children through any more trauma?

“Of course we can negotiate,” Davina said, bringing him out of his anxious reevaluation. She opened her battered canvas tool bag and pulled out a notebook. “Everything is negotiable, right?”

“Right.” But Santo decided this woman would be a tough adversary. And she probably always came out a winner. At least she’d keep him on his toes.

“Are you ready?” she asked, a bright glee in her eyes. “Let me show you what I have in mind to make your next home look like the showpiece it’s supposed to be. Once I’m finished, you should be able to move your children into it knowing it’s the best house it can be. I’ll keep the historical integrity while updating the kitchens and baths, and adding charm to the living areas and bedrooms.”