Wade's Way--Installment 4
Hi Readers,
Sorry for the delay in getting the fourth installment up, but here it is and I truly hope you enjoy it! :)
Two weeks later…
Wade glanced down at the address on his phone, then back up at the giant two-story with the wraparound porch. “This is the place,” he told his brother, who hadn’t stopped texting since they got in the truck.
Garrett looked out the windshield and his eyes widened. “Damn, that’s a lot of house. Didn’t you say the woman lives here alone?”
Wade nodded as he took in the impressive two-story. “When I talked to her on the phone she told me her grandmother owned it, but she passed away recently.”
“Uh-huh,” Garrett mumbled as he continued to stare. “Built in the 1800s for sure. By the looks of that porch I’d say there hasn’t been a lot of TLC given to her.”
“I didn’t get a clear picture of how much Miss Donner is willing to do to her now, but she seemed eager to get started.” Wade put the truck in gear and drove down the driveway. As he drew closer, he noticed another truck parked in front of a detached garage. A very familiar truck. “Tell me that’s not Dane,” he bit out.
Garrett cursed under his breath. “That piece of shit.”
As they pulled in next to Dane, a high pitched voice caught his attention. Wade glanced over and saw Dane nearly stumble down the front porch steps. A woman came striding out of the house and pointed at Dane. She said something that Wade couldn’t make out; her frustrated expression was clear as day even if the words she uttered weren’t.
“Well, she doesn’t look too happy,” Garrett said with a pleased smile. “If this is Miss Donner I like her already.”
“No shit,” Wade replied. “She must have been getting an estimate from him.”
Garrett chuckled. “Yeah, and clearly didn’t like what he had to offer.”
They watched as Dane turned and headed toward his truck. Just as Dane grabbed the door handle, Garrett cleared his throat. Dane’s head shot up. When he spotted Garrett and Wade, Dane quickly hid his irritation behind a fake smile. “So, she’s shopping around, huh?”
“Seems that way,” Garrett answered, he pointed toward the woman standing on the porch. “And from the looks of things you’re already out of the running.”
Dane’s smile vanished. “She’ll come around once she realizes her choices are limited.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” Garrett replied as he got out of the truck and leaned against the door. “Nice seein’ ya again, buddy.”
Dane didn’t respond, merely got in behind the wheel and sped off.
Wade killed the engine and came around to meet Garrett. “One of these days you’re going to antagonize the wrong person, little brother.”
Garrett shook his head. “That guy just makes me see red. He’s such a sleazy bastard.”
“Put it out of your head for now. We have a client and we can’t afford to have her chasing us off. Our business just might depend on this remodel.”
As they approached the front porch, Wade got a better look at Miss Donner. The floral sundress she wore was perfectly appropriate for the August heat. And it didn’t do a damn thing to conceal her lush curves. Her light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, which made her appear too damn young for him to be ogling. Her skin was fair and she had a long scar down one side of her face. It looked fairly new and Wade wondered if she were in pain. When she caught him staring her lips stiffened. He could well imagine how often she caught people staring.
Wade smiled and held out his hand. “Wade Jackson from Wade and Garrett’s Building and Remodeling.”
The woman hesitated a moment, then reached out to shake his hand. Her skin was soft and it made him acutely aware of how rough he was in comparison. “Bride Donner,” she replied, her voice every bit as soft as the rest of her. “Thank you for coming.”
Wade pointed toward his brother. “And this is Garrett.”
She nodded in his direction, then looked from one to the other and smiled. “Brothers?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Garrett replied. “Pleased to meet you.”
She smiled finally, which pleased the hell out of Wade. He didn’t want her uncomfortable around him. “Call me Bride. Ma’am makes me feel old.” She opened the screen door. “Come on in. I just got a batch of peanut butter cookies out of the oven.”
“Now you’re talking,” Garrett replied as he entered the house and sniffed the air. “Smells delicious.”
“Let’s hope they taste good too,” she said as she brought them to the kitchen.
Wade followed behind, silently assessing the house and it’s condition. It was lived-in, for sure. And it didn’t appear that there’d been many, if any, upgrades over the years. He wondered just how big this job was going to be. That brought his thoughts back to Dane. “I couldn’t help but notice Dane leaving. He didn’t look too happy either.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s an annoying and pushy jerk. Five minutes into the conversation and he was acting as if he’d already gotten the job. That’s not someone I care to work with.”
Her breathy, bedroom voice was sexy as hell and Wade had to force himself to concentrate on the job rather than how sensual she sounded. As she brought the plate of cookies to the table, Wade and Garrett both sat down. Garrett dug right in. God, his manners sucked. Wade kicked him under the tablet and Garrett glared at him.
“So, before discuss the house, we might as well get the number one question out of the way,” Bride said, as she handed them each a napkin.
Wade frowned, not following her train of thought. “Come again?”
“My scar. I know you’re both curious as to how it got there.” Her expression said she’d gotten plenty of questions about it from strangers. The thought pissed him off. Curiosity was one thing, but asking the woman about something that was clearly painful to her was despicable.
“That’s your business. You don’t have to talk about it,” he said, hoping to ease her mind.
Garrett spoke up then. “Wade’s right. In fact, I’m more interested in getting the recipe for these cookies. I
She smiled. “You’re both so kind, but if we’re going to work together then we might as well get it out in the open.”
Wade liked her already. She was fearless the way she’d handled Dane and she was totally open with the topic of her scar. “Is it painful?” Wade asked, hoping it didn’t cause her any discomfort.
She touched the pink, jagged line. “Sometimes,” she admitted. “If I laugh or smile too much. I do have pain medicine, but I hate taking it. It makes me drowsy.”
Wade winced. He didn’t like the idea of her in pain. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I was in a car accident and now I have this as a constant reminder.” She tapped her cheek a moment before standing and moving to the fridge. “So, now that we have that out of the way, what would you two like to drink? We have water, iced tea and beer.”
“Water’s fine, thanks,” Wade answered. Garrett replied with the same and helped himself to another cookie. How he kept from sporting a spare tire was a mystery to Wade.
When she bent and grabbed the water, Wade got a good view of her backside. “This house belonged to my grandmother,” she said. “After she passed it went to my mom and my Aunt Jane.”
“And you’re looking to do some upgrades?” Garrett asked, clearly less distracted by the sight of Bride moving about the kitchen. Get your head in the game, damn it.
“Yes. I’ve been entrusted to deal with my grandmother’s things, as well as fix up the house.” She sat down across from them and continued. “My grandmother wasn’t really a part of our lives. This house would bring back too many bad memories for mom and Aunt June.”
“Are you looking to get it ready to sell?” Wade asked.
“Right now, I’m only looking to bring it into this century.” She shook her head. “The bathroom fixtures are ancient. The living room carpet is a 70s shag. And that’s only the beginning.”
“Are you here alone? You aren’t married?” He held his breath, unsure why it mattered. Hell, that was a lie. He was attracted to her. Mixing business and pleasure? Bad idea. His brain knew that, but the rest of him didn’t much give a shit.
She snorted. “No, I’m not married. As a matter of fact, the guy I dated recently wasn’t a real fan of my scar. I kicked him to the curb and here I am.”
Wade was too damn happy to hear she was single. He tamped down his mounting desire and pushed away from the table, then got to his feet. “Well, how about you give me the two cent tour and we can see just how big this project is?”
Bride and Garrett both stood. Bride smiled and said. “It’s going to be a very time-consuming project, but that’s exactly what I need right now.” She started out of the room, then stopped and turned. “You’re hired, by the way. Figured I should get that out there and make it official.”
Wade liked the sound of that, but he didn’t want Bride being too hasty either. “Not that I don’t love the sound of that, but I do think you should get a few more bids.”
She stiffened her spine and replied, “I’ve already made up my mind. I want you and that’s that.”
Damn, he liked the sound of that. Too friggin’ much.
Happy reading,
A Touch of Amber-- February 2016!
http://annerainey.com
Sorry for the delay in getting the fourth installment up, but here it is and I truly hope you enjoy it! :)
Two weeks later…
Wade glanced down at the address on his phone, then back up at the giant two-story with the wraparound porch. “This is the place,” he told his brother, who hadn’t stopped texting since they got in the truck.
Garrett looked out the windshield and his eyes widened. “Damn, that’s a lot of house. Didn’t you say the woman lives here alone?”
Wade nodded as he took in the impressive two-story. “When I talked to her on the phone she told me her grandmother owned it, but she passed away recently.”
“Uh-huh,” Garrett mumbled as he continued to stare. “Built in the 1800s for sure. By the looks of that porch I’d say there hasn’t been a lot of TLC given to her.”
“I didn’t get a clear picture of how much Miss Donner is willing to do to her now, but she seemed eager to get started.” Wade put the truck in gear and drove down the driveway. As he drew closer, he noticed another truck parked in front of a detached garage. A very familiar truck. “Tell me that’s not Dane,” he bit out.
Garrett cursed under his breath. “That piece of shit.”
As they pulled in next to Dane, a high pitched voice caught his attention. Wade glanced over and saw Dane nearly stumble down the front porch steps. A woman came striding out of the house and pointed at Dane. She said something that Wade couldn’t make out; her frustrated expression was clear as day even if the words she uttered weren’t.
“Well, she doesn’t look too happy,” Garrett said with a pleased smile. “If this is Miss Donner I like her already.”
“No shit,” Wade replied. “She must have been getting an estimate from him.”
Garrett chuckled. “Yeah, and clearly didn’t like what he had to offer.”
They watched as Dane turned and headed toward his truck. Just as Dane grabbed the door handle, Garrett cleared his throat. Dane’s head shot up. When he spotted Garrett and Wade, Dane quickly hid his irritation behind a fake smile. “So, she’s shopping around, huh?”
“Seems that way,” Garrett answered, he pointed toward the woman standing on the porch. “And from the looks of things you’re already out of the running.”
Dane’s smile vanished. “She’ll come around once she realizes her choices are limited.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” Garrett replied as he got out of the truck and leaned against the door. “Nice seein’ ya again, buddy.”
Dane didn’t respond, merely got in behind the wheel and sped off.
Wade killed the engine and came around to meet Garrett. “One of these days you’re going to antagonize the wrong person, little brother.”
Garrett shook his head. “That guy just makes me see red. He’s such a sleazy bastard.”
“Put it out of your head for now. We have a client and we can’t afford to have her chasing us off. Our business just might depend on this remodel.”
As they approached the front porch, Wade got a better look at Miss Donner. The floral sundress she wore was perfectly appropriate for the August heat. And it didn’t do a damn thing to conceal her lush curves. Her light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, which made her appear too damn young for him to be ogling. Her skin was fair and she had a long scar down one side of her face. It looked fairly new and Wade wondered if she were in pain. When she caught him staring her lips stiffened. He could well imagine how often she caught people staring.
Wade smiled and held out his hand. “Wade Jackson from Wade and Garrett’s Building and Remodeling.”
The woman hesitated a moment, then reached out to shake his hand. Her skin was soft and it made him acutely aware of how rough he was in comparison. “Bride Donner,” she replied, her voice every bit as soft as the rest of her. “Thank you for coming.”
Wade pointed toward his brother. “And this is Garrett.”
She nodded in his direction, then looked from one to the other and smiled. “Brothers?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Garrett replied. “Pleased to meet you.”
She smiled finally, which pleased the hell out of Wade. He didn’t want her uncomfortable around him. “Call me Bride. Ma’am makes me feel old.” She opened the screen door. “Come on in. I just got a batch of peanut butter cookies out of the oven.”
“Now you’re talking,” Garrett replied as he entered the house and sniffed the air. “Smells delicious.”
“Let’s hope they taste good too,” she said as she brought them to the kitchen.
Wade followed behind, silently assessing the house and it’s condition. It was lived-in, for sure. And it didn’t appear that there’d been many, if any, upgrades over the years. He wondered just how big this job was going to be. That brought his thoughts back to Dane. “I couldn’t help but notice Dane leaving. He didn’t look too happy either.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s an annoying and pushy jerk. Five minutes into the conversation and he was acting as if he’d already gotten the job. That’s not someone I care to work with.”
Her breathy, bedroom voice was sexy as hell and Wade had to force himself to concentrate on the job rather than how sensual she sounded. As she brought the plate of cookies to the table, Wade and Garrett both sat down. Garrett dug right in. God, his manners sucked. Wade kicked him under the tablet and Garrett glared at him.
“So, before discuss the house, we might as well get the number one question out of the way,” Bride said, as she handed them each a napkin.
Wade frowned, not following her train of thought. “Come again?”
“My scar. I know you’re both curious as to how it got there.” Her expression said she’d gotten plenty of questions about it from strangers. The thought pissed him off. Curiosity was one thing, but asking the woman about something that was clearly painful to her was despicable.
“That’s your business. You don’t have to talk about it,” he said, hoping to ease her mind.
Garrett spoke up then. “Wade’s right. In fact, I’m more interested in getting the recipe for these cookies. I
She smiled. “You’re both so kind, but if we’re going to work together then we might as well get it out in the open.”
Wade liked her already. She was fearless the way she’d handled Dane and she was totally open with the topic of her scar. “Is it painful?” Wade asked, hoping it didn’t cause her any discomfort.
She touched the pink, jagged line. “Sometimes,” she admitted. “If I laugh or smile too much. I do have pain medicine, but I hate taking it. It makes me drowsy.”
Wade winced. He didn’t like the idea of her in pain. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I was in a car accident and now I have this as a constant reminder.” She tapped her cheek a moment before standing and moving to the fridge. “So, now that we have that out of the way, what would you two like to drink? We have water, iced tea and beer.”
“Water’s fine, thanks,” Wade answered. Garrett replied with the same and helped himself to another cookie. How he kept from sporting a spare tire was a mystery to Wade.
When she bent and grabbed the water, Wade got a good view of her backside. “This house belonged to my grandmother,” she said. “After she passed it went to my mom and my Aunt Jane.”
“And you’re looking to do some upgrades?” Garrett asked, clearly less distracted by the sight of Bride moving about the kitchen. Get your head in the game, damn it.
“Yes. I’ve been entrusted to deal with my grandmother’s things, as well as fix up the house.” She sat down across from them and continued. “My grandmother wasn’t really a part of our lives. This house would bring back too many bad memories for mom and Aunt June.”
“Are you looking to get it ready to sell?” Wade asked.
“Right now, I’m only looking to bring it into this century.” She shook her head. “The bathroom fixtures are ancient. The living room carpet is a 70s shag. And that’s only the beginning.”
“Are you here alone? You aren’t married?” He held his breath, unsure why it mattered. Hell, that was a lie. He was attracted to her. Mixing business and pleasure? Bad idea. His brain knew that, but the rest of him didn’t much give a shit.
She snorted. “No, I’m not married. As a matter of fact, the guy I dated recently wasn’t a real fan of my scar. I kicked him to the curb and here I am.”
Wade was too damn happy to hear she was single. He tamped down his mounting desire and pushed away from the table, then got to his feet. “Well, how about you give me the two cent tour and we can see just how big this project is?”
Bride and Garrett both stood. Bride smiled and said. “It’s going to be a very time-consuming project, but that’s exactly what I need right now.” She started out of the room, then stopped and turned. “You’re hired, by the way. Figured I should get that out there and make it official.”
Wade liked the sound of that, but he didn’t want Bride being too hasty either. “Not that I don’t love the sound of that, but I do think you should get a few more bids.”
She stiffened her spine and replied, “I’ve already made up my mind. I want you and that’s that.”
Damn, he liked the sound of that. Too friggin’ much.
Happy reading,
A Touch of Amber-- February 2016!
http://annerainey.com
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