Chapter Nine
Sam poured himself a mug of the coffee he’d made and settled into a seat at Haney & Sons’ kitchen table, waiting for Josey’s arrival. He and his sister had been van-pooling to the job since he’d moved to the construction crew.
Wyatt walked in, bringing a blast of cold air with him. “Morning,” Sam said.
Wyatt, never a morning or a Monday person, grunted and headed for the coffee.
“Say, seeing you reminds me,” Sam said. “I don’t need you at Haley’s tonight. We’re laying the kitchen floor, and she wants to help. Not exactly what you’d call a three-man job.”
Wyatt folded his lanky frame into a chair and slouched forward. Nodding in response, he rested his forearms on the table and gripped his coffee cup like it was all that was keeping him upright.
Sam played with the handle on his mug, bracing himself for Wyatt’s reaction, but hanging with his siblings was a big part of his life. If he wanted Haley to see him in his world, that meant including Wyatt and Josey. “Do you want to meet at The Bulldog Wednesday night after my hockey scrimmage? Haley will be with me.”
Wyatt’s brow lowered, and a look of confusion suffused his sleepy features. “What did you just say?”
“Haley is coming with me to my team’s hockey scrimmage Wednesday evening. Afterward, I’m going to bring her to The Bulldog for something to eat. Would you care to meet us there?” He pointed to Wyatt’s coffee. “Drink up. You need the caffeine.”
Josey walked in then, and Wyatt turned to face her. “Jo, are you free Wednesday night?”
“Yeah, why?” She too made a beeline for the coffee and filled her thermal cup.
“History is about to be made,” Wyatt quipped, significantly more alert now. “Sam is bringing Haley Cooper to our favorite bar and grill Wednesday night. Our brother has a date.”
Heat surged up Sam’s neck to fill his face. “It’s not a date.”
“OK.” Wyatt shrugged. “What are we calling it then, and how do you plan to explain fraternizing with a client to Grandpa Joe?”
“Wait.” Josey leaned against the kitchen counter. “Isn’t that the woman whose mother—”
“Yes.” Sam shot up. “Forget I said anything. I just thought it might be fun to include her at our favorite hangout place this once.”
“But . . .” Josey frowned. “You never include anyone in anything—not anyone outside of family or people you’ve known for years, anyway.” She gaped. “After the way her mother set you up, don’t tell me you want to date her.”
“Let’s go, Josey.” Sam snatched his jacket from the back of his chair and thrust his arms into the sleeves.
“Hold on. Hold on.” Wyatt straightened. “Of course we’ll meet you and Haley at The Bulldog, but first you need to tell us what is going on.”
Sam raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s hard to explain. Haley accused me of having to offer sex on the side to get work. Remember? She thinks I’m this big lothario, and she looked down her nose at me. I—”
“She’s all of five feet five, Sam. She’s not tall enough to look down her nose at you, or anybody else for that matter.” Wyatt smirked.
“You know what I mean. She passed judgment. I’ve proven I’m a skilled craftsman, and now I’m going to show her that I’m a decent guy.” He scowled. “She made assumptions about me that are patently false and entirely unfair. She and I were going back and forth about the whole thing the other day, and I challenged her to spend time in my world. It just kind of came out.”
He blamed it on the dress. Yep, the dress, her curves and those legs of hers. And her kissable mouth. “It’s not like I planned to ask her to spend time with me, but I did. Anyway, like I said before, it’s wrong to make assumptions.” Who was he trying so hard to convince? He grabbed his gloves from the table and stuffed them into his jacket pockets. “I was completely up front with her about my reasons. That’s all there is to this Wednesday night thing.”
Not exactly. There was way more to this Wednesday night thing than he cared to admit. Haley Cooper invaded his thoughts and his dreams far too often. He made up excuses to talk to her, to see her. Not good, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Wyatt and Josey gawked at him like he’d taken a one-way trip in the wrong direction—around the bend.
“Oh, Sam,” Josey said, her eyes full of pity. “You really believe what you’re saying, don’t you?”
“Yes.” He set his empty mug in the dishwasher. “Are you going to meet us at The Bulldog, or not?”
“Of course,” Jo said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” Wyatt grinned. “What time are we talking?”
“The scrimmage will be over by seven. Let’s say between seven thirty and eight. That’ll give me time to wrap things up at the rink.”
“It’s a date,” Wyatt teased as he rose from his chair. He chuckled his way down the hall toward Grandpa Joe’s office.
“Ready?” Sam asked his sister. She nodded and grabbed her mug. He strode out of the building with Jo trailing him. Sam climbed into his van, stuck his key into the ignition and glared at his sister as she buckled her seat belt. “I don’t want to talk about Wednesday or Haley Cooper anymore today.”
“Fine by me.” One side of her mouth quirked up.
Thankfully, his sister sipped her coffee without another word, and he drove them to the custom house they were finishing. A few of their contracted workers were already there—a painter, and the company putting in a gas fireplace in the downstairs family room. He and Josey were working on window frames and the trim around closets today. Nothing too challenging, and that was the problem. The day would drag by, and he wouldn’t have enough going on to keep his mind off Ms. Cooper. Nope. He’d be counting the hours, minutes and seconds until he could see her again.
Haley peered into the office Kathy shared with Felicia. “Can you go to lunch today?” She glanced at the empty desk beside Kathy’s. “Where’s Felicia? I haven’t seen her all morning.”
“Yes, I can go to lunch, and Felicia is out in the field today.” Kathy took her purse from her desk drawer. “What’s up? You sound tense.”
“I had a very strange weekend, and I need to vent,” Haley said. “Why weren’t you at the Christmas party Friday night?”
Kathy smiled. “I had a date.” She joined Haley in the corridor, and they headed down the hall.
“You could’ve brought him along, you know,” Haley said.
“I didn’t want to. We’ve only been out a few times, and we’re just getting to know one another. Bringing him to a company party at this point didn’t feel right, and he’d made plans for us already. Maybe you remember him. I met him at Ground Zero the night we went clubbing.” She glanced sideways at her. “He and I danced a few times, and he sat with us for a while.”
“The tall dark-haired guy?”
Kathy nodded, her grin growing wider. “His name is Blake, and he’s a Saint Paul firefighter.”
“Wow.”
Kathy sighed happily. “Wow is right. He’s a great guy.”
They decided to go through the skyway to Rock Bottom Brewery on Hennepin Avenue, hoping the popular spot wouldn’t be too busy since it was a Monday. No such luck. Even though it was only eleven, a line had already formed at the door. Kathy gave the hostess her name and took a pager, and the two of them moved to the mall area outside the restaurant’s entrance.
“So, what’s up?” Kathy asked.
“Sam the handyman is what’s up. He asked me to go out with him. He says he wants to prove I’ve misjudged him.”
“Perfect.” Kathy laughed. “Did you accept?”
A pleasurable shiver sluiced through her as she remembered the awkward, endearing conversation she’d had with Sam about the weather. “I’m going to watch his Pee Wee Hockey team play a practice scrimmage on Wednesday, and afterward we’re going out for dinner.” She turned to face Kathy. “That’s not all. We kissed.”
“Say what?” Kathy’s brow rose.
Haley told her all about what had led up to the kiss. “He was so sweet when he took out my sliver.” She held up her hand. “He even kissed my palm before he put on the Band-Aid. I don’t know what to think, or what to do. Is spending time with him a huge mistake?” Haley asked. “I need help.”
“Well, you already agreed to go out with him. Seems to me you’re killing a few birds with one hot hunk.”
“The hot hunk part is right,” Haley grinned, “but, how do you figure?”
The pager went off. “Come on. Let’s get our table.” Kathy handed the pager to the hostess. “Has it occurred to you Sam might be right?”
“About what?” She trailed Kathy through the crowded restaurant and took a seat. “You heard the radio show.”
“I did.” Kathy slid into her chair. “Isn’t it possible the radio show blew everything way out of proportion? Isn’t it also possible you’ve been a little hypercritical?”
“I doubt it.” Haley took her seat and opened her menu. “He admitted on the air that women throw themselves at him on the job. If Yvonne was anything to go by, he doesn’t turn them down. Would you trust a man like that with your heart?”
“Uh-oh.” Kathy’s brow creased. “We’re talking hearts here?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a groan. “He’s so sweet, considerate, patient, fun to be around. He’s also complex and sexy as hell. But Kathy, he’s completely promiscuous. I shudder to think how many women he’s been with. I don’t know if I could get past that part of his history. I’m not sure I could ever trust him.”
“First of all, it’s just one date. Aren’t you kind of jumping ahead? And second, just because a person is promiscuous while they’re single, that doesn’t mean they’ll continue being promiscuous when they’re in a relationship with someone. Haven’t you ever read any Regency romances?”
Haley laughed. “What do Regency romances have to do with anything?”
“In all the Regency romances I’ve read, the matrons always tell the heroines that reformed rakes make the best husbands.” Kathy shrugged. “There has to be a kernel of truth to that, or the theme wouldn’t be so frequently repeated.”
“Regency romances are fictional. You do know that, right?” Exasperated, Haley flashed her friend an incredulous look. “Are you suggesting I base my decisions on works of romantic fiction?”
“Look, do you still want to end your mother’s meddling? Because, as you might recall, I suggested the best way to go about it would be to date the handyman. Lo and behold.” She waved her hand. “Look who asked who out. Here’s your chance to teach Trudy a lesson.”
“Oh.” Haley sat back.
“How does Sam feel about your mom’s reason for setting the two of you up the way she did? I’m assuming you’ve discussed it with him.”
“I have, and he didn’t take it well at all.” Her heart ached, recalling how he’d gone silent, the way his shoulders had slumped and his jaw had tightened. “I did tell him I wanted to find a way to end Trudy’s interference in my personal life once and for all.”
“Well there you go. He knows. Did he object?”
“No, but . . . don’t you think it would be wrong to use him to get back at my mother? I mean . . . won’t I be lowering myself to Trudy’s level of manipulation?”
Kathy shrugged. “Not if Sam knows you want the setup to backfire, which he does. And not if he doesn’t object, which he didn’t.”
“Hmm. True, but when he and I talked, I wasn’t planning on using him to teach Trudy a lesson.” Haley tried to look at it from all angles. “On the other hand, he might appreciate the chance to give my mom a spoonful of her own medicine.”
“Exactly,” Kathy crowed.
Haley went back to studying the menu. “I’ll think about it.”
“You do that.” Kathy laughed. “It’s perfect, you know. Trudy never expected you to date Sam.”
“That makes two of us.”
After rushing home to shower and put on clean work clothes, Sam climbed back into his van and drove to Haley’s house to install flooring. He pulled his truck into her driveway, and his pulse kicked into high gear. He shouldn’t be this eager to see her. Torn between smiling and thumping himself in the head with a hammer, he climbed out and went to the rear of the van for supplies. Haley had the front door open for him by the time he’d gathered everything.
He couldn’t decide which he liked better: Haley in old jeans and a sweatshirt, or Haley all dolled up and ready for a night on the town. “Hi,” he said as he approached, his smile winning the battle against the head thumping. “Ready to work?”
“I am.” She smiled back. “I’ve already diagrammed the floor and done the math exactly the way you showed me when you put in the bathroom floor.”
“Good.” He handed her the chalk line. “Let me check it over once I put this stuff down.” He’d dropped off his power tile cutter the same day he’d delivered the boxes of tile. Sam followed her to the kitchen, hyperaware of the way she moved. Her clean, sweet scent drifted back to him, and he was glad he’d showered before coming over. Something he never did between jobs until today.
Haley took the diagram she’d made from under a magnet on the fridge and handed it to him. He’d already measured and marked off the place on the floor where the new cabinets would go. “The new tiles are twelve-by-twelve, and you’ve got us cutting the end tiles to three inches.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Well, this is where experience comes in. As a general rule, we don’t want to cut a ceramic tile under half. So we’re going to borrow a twelve-inch tile, add it to your remainder, and divide that total by two. That way, we’ll have end tiles of nine inches instead of three. It’ll look better, and there’s less chance of breakage when we cut.”
“Makes sense.” Haley leaned over and studied the diagram, looking adorable as hell.
Sam fought the urge to haul her into his arms. “Find the middle points for the length and width of the floor and mark them, and then we’ll use the chalk line to create our grid.” He gestured toward the pile of equipment. “While you’re marking off the center points, I’ll mix the mortar.”
The two of them went to work on their tasks, and fifteen minutes later, they were side by side, ready to lay tile. He loved how Haley wanted to know how to do things on her own, and he couldn’t help but appreciate how quickly she learned and the meticulous way she did everything. She was smart lazy—like him and Grandpa Joe. “If it’s OK with you, Haley, I’ll stop by tomorrow sometime in the early afternoon to do the grout work. That will give the mortar time to dry.”
“OK. I’ll give you a spare key before you leave tonight. Just leave it on the dining room table and lock the doorknob when you leave.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling swelled in his chest. He sat back on his heels, trowel in hand, and watched Haley set a tile, and then place the spacers. “You do good work, Ms. Cooper.”
“Thanks,” she said, looking pleased. “Can I ask you a personal question?” She set another tile and kept her eyes on her work.
The warm fuzzy feeling disappeared. Ever since he’d asked her out, he’d been afraid this would come up. “I know what you’re going to ask, and it’s not as many as I’m sure you imagine.”
Haley peered at him over her shoulder, her expression puzzled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Never mind.” Damn. “What were you going to ask?”
“Oh, no you don’t, Sam. You said the words, and now you have to explain them.”
“That’s a rule?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“It is in this house.”
He scooped up another glob of tile mortar and spread it over the next patch of floor to be tiled. “I thought you were going to ask me how many women I’ve been with. You know, because of the radio show.”
“Oh.” Haley seemed to ponder that for a minute. “Not that many? Really?”
“Really.” He grunted. “The whole thing started a few months after Haney & Sons added handyman services to our business. Believe it or not, before that, I was pretty shy with women. Nothing like Wyatt, mind you, but not all that active.” He troweled more mortar onto the floor.
“Haney & Sons was strictly construction, remodeling and contracting before the recession. Plus, not all clients are young, available women, and not every woman is the sort to throw herself at a guy who’s there to fix a leaky sink.” He stared into Haley’s soft brown eyes. “So . . . no. Not as many as you probably think, and it’s over with now, anyway.”
She laughed. “In trouble with the boss?”
“Something like that.” More like no interest, but he wasn’t about to let that slip. “What were you going to ask?”
“You never mention your mother and father, and I’m curious about why that is. If it’s too personal, you don’t have to answer.”
“They died on my fifteenth birthday.” He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. Dread tightened his gut. He wouldn’t be able to handle it if she went all sentimental and sympathetic on him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Her eyes met his in a steady gaze. “I know it must be difficult for you.”
“I don’t mind,” he lied and went back to work. “My dad had his pilot’s license, and he loved to fly. He and my mom owned a single-engine plane, and every now and then, they’d have Grandpa Joe and Grandma Maggie come stay with us so they could fly away for a weekend.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “What happened?”
He swallowed a time or two. “Their anniversary and my birthday were only a few days apart. They flew to Grand Marais to celebrate on a Thursday, planning to be back in time for my birthday party on Sunday. On the flight back, they were caught in an unexpected ice storm, and their plane went down in Lake Superior. We got the call during my party.” His jaw tightened.
“That must have been horrible for you.” Haley placed her hand on his forearm and gave it a squeeze. “Your grandparents raised you after that?”
“Yep.” He never talked to anyone about what had happened to his parents. He’d never needed to, since his family and friends already knew. “It all happened a long time ago.”
“Hmm.”
Sam sat back on his heels again. Haley’s brow had creased, and she looked like she might be puzzling through something. “What are you thinking, Haley?”
She shrugged, kept her eyes anywhere but on him. “I’m just wondering.”
Waiting patiently for her to continue, he marveled at the fact that telling her had been so easy. For some reason, he’d wanted her to know. “Wondering?” he prompted.
“Do you think losing your parents the way you did at that critical point in your life might have something to do with why you’ve never allowed yourself to become seriously involved with anyone? Maybe you have”—she cast him a furtive glance—“a few unresolved issues surrounding your loss.” A few blotches bloomed on her neck and cheeks.
“Perhaps.” He waited for the defensiveness to kick in, but it didn’t. Instead, her tentative attempt to psychoanalyze him made him want to drag her into his arms and kiss her breathless. Again. Pretty much everything she did elicited that same response. He grinned. “Are you going to bill me for this session, Dr. Cooper?”
“I might.” She smiled back. “Thanks for telling me what happened, Sam. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you and your family.”
“It’s no big deal,” he said.
She studied him for a few seconds, and then went back to laying tile. A companionable silence settled between them, and they fell into a rhythm. Trowel mortar, lay tiles, move on, repeat. “You’re easy to be around, and you work hard. If you ever get tired of being a paralegal, you can come work for Haney & Sons. We’re always on the lookout for good workers.”
“Good to know.” She smiled. “Kind of makes you feel guilty for charging me so much, doesn’t it? I mean, I’m working as hard as you are.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “How about we trade what you owe me for the psych session and my labor, and you reduce my bill?”
“Uh, no. You’re paying for my expertise, which I am”—he placed his hand over his heart—“graciously sharing with you at no additional charge.”
“Well, it was worth a try.”
“I will agree to buy you dinner on Wednesday, though. How about that?”
“That depends. Where are you taking me?” Her eyes filled with a mischievous glint.
“The Bulldog.”
“Do they have lobster on the menu?”
He chuckled. “Not even close.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. Expect my bill for your session within the week.”
He laughed again. When had he ever felt this comfortable with a woman before? He’d just told her about his darkest moment, and doing so had left him feeling relieved, closer to her. Before he knew what he intended to do, he dropped the trowel and swept her into his arms, his lips finding hers for a scorching kiss.
Haley gasped and put her arms around his neck. They were both on their knees, and he maneuvered them around so he could hold her against him. His tongue delved into the sweetness of her mouth, and he cradled the back of her head with both hands to deepen the kiss. She groaned and pressed herself closer. Intense longing overpowered him, and it wasn’t just for sex. For the first time in his life, he yearned for more—more moments involving closeness and sharing. He burned for her, only for her. Dangerous. Where women were concerned, he never lost control. With Haley, he had no control.
Much to his regret, she ended the kiss. Her pupils were dilated, and her breathing came in ragged puffs. “Whew.” She placed her hands on his wrists where they rested on her shoulders and drew a long breath. Her gaze roamed over his face, and befuddlement clouded her expression. “I don’t know what to make of you, Mr. Haney.”
A few strands of hair had come loose from her ponytail, and he tucked them behind her ears. A wave of tenderness nearly knocked him on his ass. “I don’t know what to make of you, either, Ms. Cooper, and that’s the truth.”
She nodded and they continued to stare into each other’s eyes. He didn’t know how to break the spell, or if he even wanted to, but they couldn’t keep this up for much longer without falling back into each other’s arms. Why was that a bad idea again? Oh, yeah, because Haley was not a one-night stand. She deserved more, and he wasn’t sure he was prepared to step up to the plate for what that would entail. He forced himself to break the eye contact first.
“We have a floor to finish, and we don’t want this mortar to dry up on us. We should get back to work.”
“Right.” She crab-walked back to where they’d left off. “I’ve been meaning to tell you about what I did this past weekend.”
“Oh?” Concentrating on bringing his breathing back to normal, he scooped up mortar from the plastic bucket. “What’s that?”
“I e-mailed my ex and asked him why he bolted the way he did—only not in those words. Talking to you about him made me realize I need closure. I wanted to thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” Her ex was the last thing he wanted to hear about. What if the guy had a change of heart after hearing from her? “Have you heard back?”
“No. I might not ever, but at least I feel better for trying. Either way, I did what I needed to do, and it feels good.”
“Would you take him back?”
“Huh?”
“If Michael showed up at your door this week, begging for your forgiveness and a second chance, would you take him back?”
“Absolutely not.” She grunted. “I may not be over how it all went down, but I’m definitely over him.”
“Good for you, Haley.” Grinning, he went back to troweling cement. Good for me.