Face Value (3 page)

“Oh.” She tried
not to let panic set in. He wouldn’t be able to meet her timeline.
Not even if she begged and offered to pay his crew double time.

“Why the long
face?” He propped his hip against the raw wood where the granite
counter top would eventually go.

Lauren sighed.
“These buyers have been really difficult. The contract has a clause
about late fees, and if I’m more than sixty days late, they can
back out of the deal. Then I’m back to square one, trying to find
the right buyers.”

“It’s not easy
with homes like this, I know.”

“No, it
isn’t.”

“Why don’t you
just concentrate on the typical subdivision homes? They’re a lot
easier to sell.”

“I know, but
that’s boring.” She wrinkled her nose. “They all look the same.
Finishings are the same, floor plans are the same. With these
houses, you never know what you’ll find.”

He grinned.
“Yeah, I’ve found some pretty cool stuff going through attics.”

“I know,
right?” She smiled. “In this house, I found an old trunk with
letters the original homeowner wrote to his wife while he was in
the war.” She rested a hand against her stomach. “It was
heart-wrenching. He told her how much he loved her and their kids
in every letter, just in case he didn’t make it home. He said
looking at her picture was the only thing that got him through
every day.” She bit her lip when she realized she was getting a
little emotional.

“Did you keep
them? The letters?”

“Of
course.”

“You’re a
romantic.” He chuckled. “I never would have guessed.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.
You seem a little…” He shook his head. “Forget it.” He checked his
watch again. “Damn, it’s getting late. I have to go. Will you be
here in the morning? I’d like to see the rest of the house, but I
really don’t have time now.”

“I can be.” At
least he hadn’t told her he couldn’t meet her timeline. That gave
her reason to hold out hope.

“Great, why
don’t I pass by before I head into the office? Say around seven
thirty?”

She usually
didn’t leave her condo until eight. “Sounds good.”

Lauren offered
her hand, feeling silly when he glanced at it before accepting it.
She normally concluded a business meeting with a handshake. Just
because she’d never conducted business with a man who looked like a
god… She would just learn to ignore his perfect face and chiseled
body and pretend he was like any other plumber or electrician.

“It was nice to
see you again, Lauren.”

He said her
name like an intimate endearment. A shiver moved through her body
before she could tamp it down.

He smirked.
“You’re cold? Funny, I was just thinking it’s getting hotter than
hell in here.” He winked before turning to leave.

That time, she
was the one watching his very fine backside as he exited the room.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed her friend Ava.
Most of her friends were married or engaged and preferred to spend
all of their free time with their men. Ava was the only one still
single. Bless her.

“Hey, what’s
up?” Ava asked.

“I need a
drink.”
Or ten
. “Meet me at Jimmy’s in half an hour?” She
heard the front door close and hoped Tucker assumed she was talking
to a man. Maybe if he thought she was unavailable, he’d quit
looking at her as if she was a piece of fresh fruit he couldn’t
wait to peel.

“You got
it.”

***

Tucker knew
taking Tonya to Jimmy’s was a bad idea. The original plan was to
grab a bite to eat and head back to his place for dessert, but when
he overheard Lauren making plans, he couldn’t resist the urge to
find out what she was up to. Was she meeting a man? Not that it
should matter. That woman was so far out of his league…

“You’re quiet
tonight,” Tonya said, reaching over to squeeze his thigh.

Tonya was too
young for him, but they had fun together. If another woman caught
his eye though, he wouldn’t feel guilty about it.

“Busy with
work.”

Tonya rolled
her eyes. “What else is new? You’re always busy with work.”

Tucker
questioned whether it might be time to cut Tonya loose. If there
was one thing he hated, it was a woman nagging him about the hours
he worked. He’d had enough of that when he was married. God, he
cringed just thinking about his ex-wife. If she wasn’t the mother
of his children, he would gladly live the rest of his life without
setting eyes on her again.

“Gotta make
money.”

“Yeah, but you
have to give it all to
her
and your kids.”

Tucker would
gladly give his kids every dime he earned, but he enjoyed making
Amanda sweat for the alimony. He’d paid off her house and car in
the divorce. The only bills she had to take care of were the food,
utilities, taxes, and insurance, and his monthly payments would
have paid for those several times over. He knew she spent most of
it on the designer clothes, shoes, purses, and jewelry she loved,
but as long as his kids were well taken care of, he wouldn’t
complain. He knew she worked because she loved to hear the gossip,
not because of her strong work ethic.

“The court sets
the rules. I just abide by them.” He made more than enough money to
maintain his lifestyle and Amanda’s, but Tonya didn’t need to know
that. He feared if she realized just how much he made from his
business and real estate investments, she might look at him as a
potential husband. Hell would freeze over before he agreed to be
anyone’s husband again. One miserable marriage was one too
many.

Tonya crossed
her arms. “Why are we going to Jimmy’s? I don’t want to go
there.”

“I can always
take you back home.”
You spoiled little brat.
Sometimes he
thought his ten-year-old daughter was more mature than her.

“Fine, we’ll go
there. But I don’t see why you wanna go to a bar. You don’t even
drink.”

That much was
true. His temper was legendary, and when he drank, it was like
pouring gasoline and setting a match. Everybody best stand back. At
least when he was sober, he was in control of his words and
actions. If eighteen months in jail taught him one thing, it was
that he didn’t intend to waste one more day behind bars.

“We can grab a
bite to eat, dance. Some of the boys at work said there’s a pretty
good band tonight.”

“Whatever.” She
rolled her eyes as she looked out the window.

Tucker
suspected he would be busy the next time she asked him out.
Spending time with her was taking its toll, and the last thing he
needed was more drama in his life.

He parked and
she hopped out, walking around to the back to meet him. Tonya
slipped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder.
“You’re gonna take me back to your place when we leave here,
right?”

“I don’t think
so, sugar. I’ve got an early morning meeting.”

“But we haven’t
been together in weeks.”

And the sad
thing was Tucker hadn’t even missed the sex. It was definitely time
to cut her loose. Maybe he’d tell her their relationship had run
its course when he dropped her off. “I know. Like I said, I’ve been
busy.”

“Do you really
have to take your kids to the game this weekend?”

“I spend every
weekend with my kids, you know that.” Knowing he could pick them up
on Friday night was sometimes the only thing that got him through
the week.

“Maybe I can
come with you guys.”

“Uh, I don’t
think so.” Tucker nodded to the bouncer holding the door open for
them.

“Why not?”

Tucker didn’t
introduce his kids to the women in his life. Ever. They had enough
confusion with the men passing in and out of Amanda’s life. He
didn’t want them questioning whether they were getting a new
stepmother as well. Especially when the girl in question was only
eleven years older than his twelve-year-old son.

Tucker sighed.
Tonya really was too young for him. His kids would be ashamed of
him, and that’s the last thing he wanted. Their opinions were the
only ones that mattered. He aimed to make them proud with
everything he did. Except for the women he dated, but he reasoned
that was a non-issue because they would never meet the Tonyas in
his life.

The hostess led
them to a booth and handed them each a menu, promising to come
right back and take their order.

Tucker faced
the door so he would have the perfect view when little Miss McCall
strutted in. He wondered if she would be with a man. Did she have a
boyfriend? If so, her boyfriend should be worried. The sparks
flying earlier could have burned that old house to the ground.

“What are you
looking at?” Tonya grumbled. She spun around to look at the door.
“See someone you know?”

“Uh, no. I was
just thinking about something that happened today.”

“Did you have a
good day at work?”

It got better
after Lauren walked into his office. “Uh, yeah, it was okay.”

“I saw your ex
today. She gave me the filthiest look.” Tonya tossed her long red
hair over her shoulder and giggled like a tweenie. “She’s so
jealous it’s eating her up. She tells anyone who’ll listen that
you’re a loser, yet every time you see someone new, she starts
trash-talking them.”

Tucker managed
to keep things with Amanda civil in front of his children, but
behind closed doors, all bets were off. He couldn’t stand that
woman, and the feeling was mutual. They’d married and had kids
after falling in love in high school. Everyone told them it would
never last, but he was too stubborn to listen and too proud to
admit they were right when Amanda started showing her true colors
only months after the honeymoon.

“Don’t worry
about her.”

“I could care
less what that cow says,” Tonya said, reaching for his hand. “As
long as I have you, that’s all that matters.”

He shifted in
his seat as he withdrew his hand. “Easy now. That’s the mother of
my children you’re talking about.” Not that he hadn’t called her
worse in his head a time or two. “Y’all need to play nice.”

The waitress
returned to take their order. Tucker opted for a burger and fries
with a Coke. He was famished, and he realized he’d been so busy
visiting his job sites that he’d skipped lunch. Business was
booming, and he would be the last one to complain if he had to skip
a few meals to get the jobs done on time.

“I heard she’s
dating some cop.”

Tucker glanced
at his cell phone, which he’d set on the table. Its flashing
indicated he had new messages. Tonya hated it when he checked his
phone while they were together, but since their time together was
ticking down, he didn’t see the harm. “Who’s seeing a cop?”

She scowled
when he reached for his phone. “Your ex.”

“Oh.” He would
grill his kids about the new guy when he saw them that weekend.
Experience taught him to be over-protective, especially when it
came to Amanda’s boyfriends.

“Does it bother
you?”

“What?” He
looked up and saw her pouting. Barely able to suppress an eye roll,
he returned his attention to his phone. “No, why would it? Amanda
and I have been divorced a long time.”

“I heard that’s
why you went to jail, because you beat up the guy she was dating in
a jealous rage.”

“I don’t wanna
talk about that.” He set his phone down and shot her a warning
glance. Some topics were off limits, and his brush with the law was
definitely one of those things. Most people knew better than to ask
him about the details, but Tonya must think their intimate
relationship gave her special privileges. She was dead wrong.

Tucker nodded
when he glimpsed J.T. McCall behind the bar. He knew Lauren’s daddy
didn’t like him very much, not that he could blame him. Tucker’d
lost count of all the times he’d gotten into fights at Jimmy’s, but
that was before Tucker’s reckless behavior finally landed him in
jail. He’d learned to control his temper. The mandatory anger
management sessions helped, but not as much as the fear of being
taken away from his kids again.

Tucker couldn’t
contain his smile when Lauren finally walked in. And she wasn’t
with a man.
Hot damn.

“Oh no.” Lauren
groaned when she spotted Tucker and his date. “What the hell is he
doing here?”

Ava’s eyes
followed Lauren’s. “Hey, there’s my hair stylist, Tonya. Oh. My.
God. Who’s that guy?”

Lauren couldn’t
blame her friend for gaping; she’d had the same reaction. Unable to
tear her eyes away in time, she had no choice but to wave when he
spotted her staring.

“His name’s
Tucker Brooks. He has a construction company not too far from
here.”

“Yeah, I think
I’ve seen him in here before. He’s usually playing pool in the back
room, right?”

“How should I
know?”

Ava smiled at
her sharp tone. “How do you know him?”

“I needed a
contractor. His ex-wife is my nail technician. She suggested I pay
him a visit, see if he might take the job.”

Ava wrinkled
her nose. “Are you still going to Amanda? God, I had to switch to
someone else. That woman gave me a headache going on and on about
her personal life. As if anyone really cares.”

Lauren couldn’t
deny she would listen a lot more closely the next time Amanda
mentioned her ex-husband.

“Come on,” Ava
said, tugging on her friend’s hand. “I should go and say hi to
Tonya. Besides, I want to know if she can squeeze me in for a trim
tomorrow on my lunch break. It’ll save me a phone call in the
morning.”

“Uh, you go
ahead,” Lauren said, digging her heels in. “I’m gonna go and say hi
to my dad. Why don’t I grab our drinks? What’ll you have?”

“The
usual.”

Resisting the
urge to look over her shoulder, Lauren weaved through the crowd. It
was busy for a Thursday night, but Lauren wasn’t surprised. Her
father’s bar was always busy.