Ididn’t really need his handyman skills. I know how to install wall-mounted cable channel. I’ve done it before and it’s not hard—just a lot of screws and fitting all the cables into it. I really had planned to do it myself, but when Jude offered, I wasn’t about to turn him down. Mostly because I was selfish and wanted an excuse to see him again.
At my request, Harv had salvaged the channel I’d used at my old place. I got up from my desk—I wasn’t getting much done anyway—and found the large corrugated tube he’d put it in, shaking out a few sections to make sure it was in good enough condition. Thankfully it had been removed carefully—once again Harv didn’t disappoint. If I painted it to match the walls and ceiling, it would look good as new.
I went downstairs and dug through the box that held my meager selection of tools. My small cordless screwdriver was right on top, but the charger was nowhere to be found. I went through two more miscellaneous boxes with no luck.
I checked the time. Of Jude’s original one hundred minutes, there were twenty left. Enough time to go to the hardware store if I was efficient about it.
I slipped on some flip-flops and drove straight there. Unfortunately, when I hurried down the aisle that promised screwdrivers, I saw none other than Priscilla O’Malley coming my way. What were the chances?
At least smarmy Devon wasn’t waiting by her side.
Today’s wardrobe color was peach. A peach and white striped blouse, peach capris, and peach loafers. I briefly wondered how many pairs of shoes in non-traditional colors Priscilla owned.
She greeted me with a hug….and yes. She even smelled like peaches. It was strangely pleasant.
“Ava Ann. Sweetheart. So good to see you. I tried to talk to you after church on Sunday, but you shot out of there like you were going for first dibs on the crab legs at the buffet.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No way, Priscilla. I don’t like seafood, remember?”
“Just as well,” she said, flipping her hand as she shook her head. “They didn’t taste as fresh as usual anyway. But I was disappointed you rushed off, because I had someone I wanted you to meet. Did you know Pastor Dan’s son moved to town a while back?”
“Um, I did hear something about that,” I said, wishing I could’ve found that elusive charger and thus avoided this conversation.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Who told you? Was it Donna? Or Rosie?”
I shook my head quickly, not wanting to get any of the other women in trouble for stealing her thunder. “I just heard someone talking about it at church.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose it was inevitable,” Priscilla said huffily. “People start jabbering and pretty soon everyone knows everything.”
Which was only a problem when she wasn’t the one doing the jabbering.
I really needed to get going, so I decided to be direct. “It’s been so nice to see you, Priscilla, but I’m really in a rush.” I plucked the closest screwdriver from a hook. “I have a friend coming over and I need to get home before he gets there.”
Her shoulders went rigid and her blue eyes were like lasers shining through her lenses. “Did you say before he gets there? Is it a male friend coming over?” Her mouth pursed suspiciously. “It’s not Devon, is it? Did someone already set you two up?”
I put a calming hand on her arm. “No, it’s not Devon,” I assured her. “Look, Priscilla, I really appreciate you looking out for me and wanting me to meet new people. It’s very sweet of you. But, um, I’m kind of already seeing someone.”
She looked even more stunned. “Oh. Well. I wasn’t aware you had a man in your life. Gwen never said a word. Is he visiting from Washington, DC?”
“No, no, he’s from here.” I didn’t know what Jude would think about me implying that he and I were officially together, but if it got Priscilla O’Malley off my back about Devon, it was worth the risk. “He’s staying with my next-door neighbors, actually,” I added, providing that detail so she wouldn’t think I was making my “boyfriend” up.
Her perfectly penciled brows drew together in shock, and maybe disapproval. “But you just got to town a week ago, Ava Ann.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s new, obviously, but it’s going well and I’m really not interested in being introduced to anyone else.”
“But Devon—”
“I really need to get going,” I interrupted, trying to portray the appropriate amount of regret. “We’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Yes, but Ava,” she said, hurrying after me, “are you going to bring your new man to church? Surely he’s a church-going fellow. I know you wouldn’t be interested in some heathen.”
I swallowed down a giggle. “He’s not a heathen. Definitely not. He does already have a church, but maybe he’ll come with me sometime.”
“Who is he?” Priscilla asked, keeping pace with me as I approached the register. Apparently, her sciatica was taking a hiatus today.
“You wouldn’t know him,” I said quickly. It was one thing to imply Jude and I were more serious than we actually were, but it was another to name him. I laid my screwdriver on the counter and looked around for a cashier. Normally I’d be fine waiting to be noticed, but with Jude on his way and Priscilla breathing down my neck, I needed to get out of there.
I gave the little bell sitting on the counter a rather desperate tap, and thankfully a young man wearing a green store vest scurried out from an aisle. He efficiently rang me up and I grabbed the bag.
“I’ll see you soon, Priscilla.” I gave her a wide smile. “I love your outfit, by the way,” I added, throwing her a bone. “Peach is one of my favorite colors.”
She drew her chin in and preened a little. “Thank you, dear. Evvie and I went for coffee yesterday, then stopped in at Amy’s Boutique afterwards. She thought this went well with my skin tone and hair.”
I felt my eyes go wide and round, then I tried to cover my shock by giving her a quick hug goodbye. When I got in my SUV I actually laughed in delight. How I would have loved to have seen Priscilla asking sweet little Evvie for fashion advice. It had to be because of the public compliment I’d paid Evvie at church, right?
Wow. Who knew my opinion would hold so much sway with Priscilla O’Malley?
***
I pulled into my drive right in front of Jude, who had appeared in my rear-view mirror soon after I left the store. I got out of my car and stood on the sidewalk by the porch, clutching my little bag, watching as one long leg came out of his truck, soon followed by the rest of him and a big pizza box.
I really, really love pizza, but it was his gorgeous smile that made me feel a little weak in the knees.
“You’re three minutes early,” I told him as he walked toward me. I wished he had a little farther to go, because watching Jude walk was a treat. Smooth and athletic, full of confidence and purpose.
“It’s good it wasn’t four,” he said, raising a brow at me. “I’d have beaten you here.”
I held up my shopping bag. “I lost the charger for my screwdriver and I didn’t want you to have to work the old-fashioned way.”
He stopped and cocked his head, frowning as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“What?” I asked defensively. “You’d rather use a plain old hand screwdriver? We’re talking a lot of screws, Jude. The channel has to go all the way across the ceiling.”
“Ava, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head sadly, “you have a lot to learn about me.”
I had a vague awareness of being gently chastised for something, but the “sweetheart” part was what got my attention. I tried not to smile too big as he set the pizza down on the porch swing and took my hand, tugging me toward his truck.
We stopped by the bed. “I’m a builder,” he said sternly.
“I know that,” I replied.
He took his keys from his pocket and unlocked the lid of a big, shiny, metal chest that stretched from one side of the truck bed to the other, right behind the cab. Putting his hand on the lid, he paused and looked at me.
“You have your computers and gadgets,” he said, his eyes glinting. “I have—this.”
He lifted the lid, watching my face, probably to make sure I was suitably impressed. I stepped up to the truck and peered over the side into the chest.
“Tools,” Jude said needlessly.
“I see that,” I responded, eyeing the spread. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive.
He raised the hinged shelf that was on top, revealing even more tools beneath. Lots and lots of neatly arranged tools. Most of which I couldn’t identify.
I studied the stash for a few moments, then glanced over at him. “Are you a little proud of your tools, Jude?” I asked with a smile.
“Almost as proud as you are of all your stuff upstairs.”
I nodded. “I don’t haul my stuff around with me, though.”
He chuckled. “These are just the basics, the ones I’m most likely to need when I’m out and about. The real tools are at home, in a big shed in my backyard.”
I took a step away from the truck and dug my new screwdriver out of the plastic bag. I looked at it for the first time since grabbing it blindly off the hook in my rush to get away from Priscilla. It was very small, very basic, and very….pink.
I held it up. “You’re saying you don’t need this?”
He grimaced and reached past me, taking a big, manly screwdriver-drill thing from the chest. “I definitely don’t need that,” he confirmed with a smile.
He slammed the lid closed and we walked toward the house. I picked up the pizza box with a sigh. “I went through a lot to get this pink screwdriver,” I informed him.
“Like what? Driving all the way into town?”
“No, that was the easy part. I would’ve beaten you here by a lot longer, only I ran into Priscilla O’Malley in the hardware store. She was my grandmother’s oldest, dearest, and worst friend, if that makes any sense. They loved each other but competed in everything. And I do mean everything.”
“Gotcha. My mom has a friend kinda like that.”
I opened my front door, which I hadn’t bothered to lock. “Right. So as it happens, Priscilla has been hoping I’d be a good match for our pastor’s son.” I gave Jude an apologetic look as we entered the kitchen. “I’m afraid I used you rather brazenly as the reason why I wasn’t interested in meeting Devon. I might have implied we’re more serious than we are, but I didn’t tell her your name. Just that you’re staying next door.”
He took the pizza and set it on the table, then turned back to me, folding his arms across his chest. “That is pretty brazen of you,” he said, and I couldn’t tell how he felt about it. His expression was neutral.
“I know, and I shouldn’t have done it, but I heard from a reliable source that Devon is gross and narcissistic, and he’s treated a lot of women really poorly. I have no interest in meeting the guy, but I was in a hurry and didn’t want to argue in the hardware store, so I simply told Priscilla I’m already seeing someone.”
“And how’d she react to that?”
I winced. “She thought it was pretty shocking, considering I’ve only been in town for a week.” I caught myself wringing my hands and moved them behind me where he couldn’t see. “Like I said, I didn’t tell her your name, so you don’t have to worry about the word spreading.”
His lips finally ticked up in a smile. “Ava?” he asked softly.
I just looked at him, my heart beating a little faster at the look in his eyes.
“You can use me as a way of getting out of meeting gross, narcissistic men any time.”
I gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Good to know. Thanks.”
“And while we’re on this subject, can I just say that I’d prefer you not let Priscilla hook you up with any guys, gross or not?”
I leaned back against the countertop for support, because my legs started feeling wobbly.
“In fact,” he went on, “as far as I’m concerned, we can go ahead and make things official and exclusive right now.”
I swallowed as he walked toward me, my pulse beating in my ears. He planted his hands on the cabinets on either side of my head, looking at me with hot blue eyes.
“Do you want to meet other guys, Ava?” he asked in a silky smooth voice.
I shook my head but didn’t speak, because my larynx was out of commission. Too much emotion and anticipation had paralyzed it.
He smiled and I forgot to breathe. “Do you want to be my Priscilla-official girlfriend, in spite of the fact that we only met a week ago?”
I nodded, watching as his tongue flicked out to wet his lips.
His voice got softer. Lower. “Do you want to seal the deal?”
I finally found my own voice, even if it was only a whisper. “So, so much,” I told him.
He smoothed a hand down over the back of my head before tangling his fingers in my hair. “Good, because I’ve wanted to do this all day.”
With that, he pressed his smile to my mouth and I raised my hands to his chest, unable to hold back a short, soft moan. It felt so good. So right. Jude Keller brought something inexplicably special to a kiss, and I couldn’t get enough.
I loved it. Maybe I even loved him. Was that possible?
His hands moved restlessly across my back, then he wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders and drew me closer. Right where I wanted to be. We were both breathing hard when he ended the kiss and shifted to press his face against the side of my neck.
“Ah, Ava, you make me crazy,” he murmured, causing a tremor to move through me. He felt it and chuckled against my skin. “I hope that means it’s the same for you?”
I nodded and let my head fall back, giving him better access as his lips found the pulse point below my jaw.
“I don’t want to stop, babe,” he said a moment later, “but our pizza’s getting cold and we have work to do.”
I exhaled long and slow, shivering again, because my extremely hot boyfriend had called me babe, and it sounded fabulous.
“I’m really happy Grandma gave me this house,” I said dreamily when he raised his head and took half a step back.
His smile flashed and my overworked heart gave another lurch. “Me too.”
I blinked up at him, still having a hard time believing how fast I’d fallen for him. “Are you serious about me being your…..girlfriend?” I asked, feeling shy about it in spite of that incredible "seal the deal" kiss. “I mean, the next time you introduce me to someone, will you say, ‘This is my friend, Ava Milton,’ or ‘This is my girlfriend, Ava Milton’?”
He grinned and shrugged. “I’ll probably just keep it simple. Something like, ‘This is my amazing, talented, incredibly smart, and smokin’ hot girlfriend, Ava Milton.’”
I giggled. “Okay. That’ll do.”
He gave me one more quick kiss right on the mouth, then let me go. “Plates?” he asked, getting back to the business of pizza.
I pointed to the cupboard and went to the fridge for the pitcher of iced tea I’d made earlier. We ate, talked, and laughed—avoiding any mention of Abigail for now—then grabbed his big, not-pink screwdriver and went upstairs. I showed him where I’d planned to run the channel, and he wondered why I was putting it across the ceiling instead of going around the walls above the baseboard where it would be much less visible.
“Well, it ran up the walls and along the ceiling in my other place,” I said, frowning as I thought back to when my brother-in-law had helped me put it up. “You know,” I said slowly, giving him a sheepish look, “now that I think about it, it was because we didn’t have enough channel to go all the way around the wall. That room was a lot bigger than this one.”
He nodded. “I’ll put it wherever you want, I just think it would look a lot better down low and almost out of sight. As long as we have enough.”
“You’re right. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I’m just so used to it going across the ceiling.” I butted him lightly with my shoulder. “Thanks for setting me straight.”
“That’s what boyfriends do,” he teased, squatting down beside the pile of channel I’d laid out on the floor. He did some quick counting and measuring, then announced there was plenty to make it around the walls.
For the next hour I tried to be as helpful as possible, handing him pieces and screws, but mostly I just watched him work. He was smooth and efficient. Leveling each section, zipping in the screws, moving on to the next.
When we’d made it across the back wall from the server rack to the corner and were halfway along the long wall, he slanted a glance at me.
“You wanna do this?” he asked, holding up the tool.
“Nah, you’re so much better at it.”
He grunted. “Maybe, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be better at stringing all the cables through this thing.”
I chuckled. “In other words, stop gawking and get busy?”
He sat back on his heels and gave me a knowing look. “Were you gawking? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Liar,” I accused, making him smile. “I can’t help it. It’s very hot watching you work.” I scrunched up my face. “It’s okay to say that, right? Since we’re—together? Priscilla-official and all?”
“Mm-hmm.”
We were both on our knees, side by side, and I leaned over and planted a light peck on his irresistible mouth. His hand clamped onto the back of my head, holding me there while he made a proper kiss of it.
When it ended, I opened my eyes to see his twinkling at me from only a few inches away.
“I like this together stuff, Ava,” he said softly.
“Yeah, so do I.” I looked down at the floor. “It’s been a long time for me. I haven’t been in a relationship since my first year of college.”
“How long did it last?” he asked curiously.
I stood up and walked to the window, looking out over my backyard. “Around a year.”
“Why did it end?” he wondered, coming up behind me. “Did you realize he was a jerk and didn’t deserve you?”
I laughed. “No. He was a really nice guy.”
“Then why?”
“I guess it was because he was much more a friend than a boyfriend.” I turned around to face him, forcing myself to meet his eyes even though I was feeling self-conscious. “I liked him a lot, but he didn’t make my breath stop or my heart pound.”
Jude’s hands found my waist. “No?” he asked softly.
I shook my head. “No. And I was pretty sure there should at least be some of that….you know, if he was my boyfriend.”
“I agree.”
I smiled. “You make my heart pound.”
“I know.” His lips curved as he pressed a finger to the pulse point he’d kissed earlier. “I felt it.”
“What about you?” I asked curiously.
A brow shot up. “Seriously, Ava? You don’t know what you do to me?”
“No. I mean, yes. I mean, I hope I do. But that’s not what I meant.”
“Ahhh.” He tilted his head and looked down his nose. “You want to know about my last relationship?”
“Not details,” I said quickly, “just, you know, when it was and whether it was serious.”
He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “It was more than three years ago, and it was fairly serious for a little while. I thought it had potential. But then it didn’t.”
That made me nervous. What if Jude and I were the same? Serious for a while, and then he would lose interest.
“Why’d you break up?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged. “It was pretty much the opposite of you and your guy. For me, there was a certain physical attraction, and that can carry a new relationship for a while. As time went on, though, I realized I didn’t enjoy being with her as much as I should. I didn’t look forward to seeing her and found myself coming up with excuses not to. At that point, trying to keep things going wouldn’t have been fair to either one of us.”
I must have looked worried, because he smiled and took my head in his hands. “It’s different with us, Ava.”
“Different how?”
“For one thing, I enjoyed you more the first day we met than I ever did her.” He smiled. “She would’ve never let Lulu stay if it had been her kitchen she barged into.”
I grinned.
“And two,” he continued, “I may have thought I was attracted to her, but I’ve never, ever had to pray for restraint the way I do with you.”
My grin grew. “Have you ever gone official and exclusive in the space of one week before?”
He laughed. “Not even close. In fact, a week ago I would’ve said it could never happen.”
I hooked my hands over his forearms. “Yeah, me too. But, Jude?”
“Yes, Ava?”
“Promise to tell me if you ever start to dread seeing me?”
He kissed me gently. “I promise, but I’m telling you right now, it’s completely different with you. I’m not saying we’ll never have issues we need to work through, but getting tired of you isn’t going to be one of them.”
Then he just held me for a while. It was nice. I was able to enjoy the feel of him, revel in the closeness, without it taking a back seat to the fire of his kiss.
Eventually we finished the channel, and when I had all the cable stuffed inside and we snapped on the last front panel to cover it, we high-fived and looked around the room proudly.
“So much better than putting it on the ceiling,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re as far from an idiot as a person can be,” he countered. “Just a little stuck in a rut.”
I laughed. “I admit it. And now I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh yeah?” His gaze dropped to my mouth. “Something I’ll like?”
I shook a finger at him. “Yes, but it’s not that. Come on.”
I took his hand and we went back downstairs to the kitchen where I opened the fridge and took out the pie I’d made him that morning.
“Is that…..is that what I think it is?” he asked, eyeing the meringue hungrily.
“If you think it’s coconut cream, then yes.” I set it on the counter. “I called Hannah to see what your favorite dessert is. Did you know she can’t stand coconut? I think talking about it literally made her nauseous, but that could be because she’s pregnant.”
“She has no taste,” Jude scoffed. “Did you actually make this?”
I nodded. “I found the recipe in Grandma’s binder, so it should be good. She never put any recipes in there without trying them first, and then only if they were higher than an eight out of ten on her taste scale.”
I cut him a slice and watched as he took a big bite. The man was even sexy when he ate.
“What’s your rating?” I asked hopefully. “On Grandma’s one to ten scale.”
He refused to tell me until his plate was empty. Then he said he needed another half a piece to be sure.
After which he told me it was a ten. A definite ten. And he kissed me to thank me for my trouble.
He tasted like coconut, but that wasn’t a problem. I like coconut just fine.