Face Value (5 page)

“Yeah, I feel
the same way. Re-habbing is definitely my favorite part of the
business. Don’t get me wrong, I love the renovations and new
builds, but something about taking a run-down house and turning it
back into a real family home is pretty cool.”

“I think so
too.”

She tipped her
head back to look him in the eye, and his breath hitched. He
wondered if she felt his heart pounding. A different time and place
and he may have tried for the kiss he craved, but not there with
her daddy looking on.

“Do you build a
lot of new homes?”

“Some. We’re
working on one right now.”

“How does that
work?”

She ran her
hands up and down his arms, and he wondered if she even realized
the impact her gentle touch had on him. If she didn’t, she would
soon enough because he was helpless to control his body’s
reaction.

“Are they spec
houses, or do you build them for clients?”

Tucker loved
that she understood the nature of his business. He’d never dated a
woman who cared enough to ask questions about his company, and if
she wasn’t already reeling him in with her beauty, intelligence,
and charm, that would have been the clincher.

“A little bit
of both. If I see a lot that I like, I usually buy it and build the
kind of house I think people would want to buy. More often than
not, it’s the kind of house I would want to live in.”

“Your house
must be pretty great, given all of your experience.”

He laughed. “I
don’t know about that. It’s small. I don’t need a lot of space.
Just a bedroom for me, each of my kids, and a spare one if they
want to have friends over. But there’s a man-made lake where my son
and I can go fishing. My daughter loves to swim. They seem to like
it.”

“It sounds
nice.” She smiled. “So, it’s outside of the city then?”

“It’s a little
bit off the beaten path.” He would love to show her his house. It
was a labor of love that took more than two years to build because
he’d insisted on being involved in every stage of the project. He
made every cabinet and built-in with his own hands, and he knew he
could happily live there for the rest of his days.

“I have to
admit, I’ve thought about buying a house, but I’m so busy it
doesn’t seem practical. Condo living is just so much easier.”

“It is
that.”

The song ended,
and the band announced they were taking a break. Tucker didn’t want
to let her go, but he had no choice. He glanced at his table. Tonya
sat there shooting daggers at him.
Too bad
. He wouldn’t have
traded the last fifteen minutes with Lauren for fifteen years with
Tonya.

“Well, thanks
for the dance,” he said. “I’m gonna call it a night soon. I’ll see
you in the morning.”

“Sounds good.”
She smiled up at him. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Tucker wondered
if he would get a wink of sleep that night or if a certain little
blonde bombshell would drift in and out of his mind, teasing him
with the memory of her moist lips.

“That guy is so hot,”
Ava said, propping her chin in her hand as she watched Tucker and
his date put on a show on the dance floor.

Wow.
That man could dance. Lauren would never have guessed a big, tough
guy like Tucker could move his body that way. She shuddered when
she thought of what else he could do with that impressive body.
She’d heard that men who moved like that when people were watching
were sexier than sin when the lights went out.

He was so wrong
for her. He was an ex-con, for God’s sake. Her over-protective
father would have a coronary if he thought she was even interested
in Tucker.

“He was in
jail,” Lauren blurted out. She hoped saying it aloud would send a
message to her over-heated body.

“Are you
serious?” Ava whispered. “What did he do?”

“Assault, I
think.” She bit her lip, wondering whether she should tell her
friend the whole sordid story. She couldn’t explain why, but she
felt a sense of loyalty to Tucker. Sharing his darkest secrets with
someone who was a stranger to him seemed wrong.

“That doesn’t
surprise me,” Ava said, turning her attention back to the man in
question. “He definitely has that dark thing going on. You know
he’d go off if you were stupid enough to provoke him.”

Lauren
suspected her friend was right. There was something a little
uncivilized about Tucker Brooks. Beneath the respectable business
owner who clearly loved his kids lurked the tattooed ex-con eager
to push back when pushed too far.

“He doesn’t
drink,” Ava said. “I wonder why.”

“How do you
know that?”

“Tonya told
me.”

“Huh.” Lauren
stole one more glance at the dance floor. The band had slowed it
down, and Tonya was pulling Tucker into her arms.
Yuck.
“That’s interesting.” She would have expected Tucker to be the type
to kick back with a cold beer at the end of a long day.

“Anyways,” Ava
said, pulling her gaze away from Tucker, “what’s new with you?”

“Not much. This
house I’m working on is driving me crazy. Phil broke his arm and
can’t finish the work, so I’m hoping Tucker and his crew can help
me out.” Without Tucker’s co-operation, she was so screwed.
Whatever it took to convince him, she was prepared to do it.

“What’s going
on with you and that accountant?” Ava asked. “What’s his name?
Sean?”

Lauren wrinkled
her nose. “He’s okay, I guess.”

“Gee, there’s a
ringing endorsement.” Ava laughed as she reached for her glass of
wine. “He just doesn’t do it for you, huh?”

Lauren hadn’t
met a guy who
did it for her
in so long, she wasn’t even
sure she remembered what it felt like. Her eyes traveled back to
the dance floor. Oh yeah, that man definitely did it for her. “No,
not really. Sean’s a nice guy, but there are no sparks.” Unlike the
sparks she felt around Tucker. It felt the fourth of freakin’ July
in his office.

“Awww, that’s
too bad. He’s cute.”

“Yeah, he is.”
Lauren smiled. “Maybe you should go out with him.”

“No, thanks.
I’m too busy helping other people find their soul mates to worry
about finding my own.”

Ava owned one
of most successful upscale dating services in the state. She
connected people who often found meeting people the traditional way
difficult. They were usually celebrities, wealthy entrepreneurs, or
busy professionals. According to Ava, her clients wanted to weed
out the prospects who were only interested in money or status, and
her service helped them do that.

“I know what
you mean. Despite everyone around us heading toward the altar, I’m
in no hurry.”

Ava grinned at
Justin, who was playing darts with Mitch. “Justin is so sweet,
isn’t he? I’m so happy for Anna.”

“Yeah, me too.
He’s the best.”

“You and Mitch
looked pretty cozy on the dance floor.” Ava giggled. “Are you sure
he doesn’t ‘do it for you’?”

“Mitch is hot,
no question, but things would be awkward if we dated and it didn’t
work out. It’s best if we stick to the friends thing.”

“I guess you’re
right. Speaking of cozy, you and Tucker looked friendly on the
dance floor too. What was that about?”

“Nothing.”
Lauren’s face was turning red, so she reached for her wine glass,
hoping she could blame the flush on the alcohol. Judging by her
friend’s laughter, it was too late. “We were just talking business.
He told me how he got into construction, a little bit about his
family.” When he spoke about his uncle, he’d looked so sad she was
tempted to hug him, but she suspected he wasn’t the type of man who
tolerated sympathy.

Ava groaned
when she glanced at the time on her cell phone. “It’s getting late.
I should go.”

“You’re okay to
drive, right?”

Ava rolled her
eyes and pointed at her wine glass. “I didn’t even finish the first
glass.” She reached into her wallet for some bills to toss on the
table.

“Don’t let my
dad see you doing that,” Lauren said, smiling. “You know he doesn’t
want you to pay for anything here.”

“A tip for the
waitress then.” Ava got up and kissed Lauren on the cheek. “Are you
coming?”

“I think I’ll
see if my dad has a minute to sit down with me before I leave. I
haven’t had a chance to talk to him in a while.”

“Okay, call me
tomorrow. Maybe we can get together for dinner this weekend.”

“Sounds good.
Bye.”

J.T. was
already walking over. Lauren watched her father hug Ava before she
left.

“I was
wondering if you’d be able to make a little time for your favorite
daughter.”

J.T. laughed.
“Seein’ as how you’re my only daughter, only child for that matter,
I’ve always got time for you, baby.” He kissed Lauren’s cheek
before squeezing her shoulder.

Catching the
waitress’s attention, he motioned for her to come over. J.T. waited
for her to clear the plates and glasses before he said, “Thanks,
Melissa.” He handed her the cash Ava had left behind. “Since my
girls know better than to try to pay for their food and drinks
here, I’m assuming this is for you.”

“Thanks.”
Melissa smiled at Lauren before she tucked the cash in her pocket.
“You want me to bring y’all some coffee, J.T.?”

“That’d be
great. Thanks, darlin’.”J.T. waited until she walked away to talk
to Lauren. “So, you and Tucker Brooks? What the hell was that all
about?”

Lauren wanted
to squirm, but she wouldn’t give her father the satisfaction. She
should have known that was coming. J.T. didn’t approve of anyone
she dated. According to him, no man would ever be good enough for
his little girl. Her grandfather, Luc, told her he used to think
J.T. wasn’t good enough for Nikki, so whenever her father stepped
too far out of line, Luc reminded J.T. that sometimes
overprotective fathers got it wrong.

“My contractor
broke his arm and can’t finish the job. I’m on a tight deadline,
and we’re already over budget. I can’t afford any more delays on
this project.”

“So you’re
hopin’ Tucker will step up and save the day?” J.T. glared at
Tucker. “Don’t count on it. That guy’s a loose cannon. I can’t tell
you how many times he’s busted up this place, gettin’ into it with
some poor sucker who called him out.”

“That doesn’t
sound like Tucker’s fault,” Lauren said, surprised by her need to
defend him. “You just said the other guys called him out.”

“Yeah, but he’s
dangerous, baby. I want you to stay the hell away from him.”

“Dangerous…
how?” Lauren felt a trickle of uneasiness make its way down her
spine. Tucker had been coming to Jimmy’s a long time. Her father
probably knew him a lot better than she did.

“Don’t get me
wrong, I think he’s better than he was before he went to jail, but
he’s still unstable.”

Lauren reached
for her water glass to coat her dry throat before she could croak
out, “Unstable?”

“Yeah, he’s
just…” J.T. sighed. “Unbalanced. I’ve never seen anything like it.
He snaps when he gets into a fight. He can’t control himself. He’ll
take out anyone or anything in his path. Complete mayhem. It once
took four bouncers to pull him off some guy who’d apparently tried
to rip him off.”

“Wow.” Lauren
was starting to see Tucker in a whole new light. Maybe his ex-wife
had been right about him. “Why haven’t you ever charged him if he’s
done so much damage? Why do you even let him in the door?”

J.T. lifted a
shoulder. “He always mans up. Comes in the next day and apologizes,
writes me a check for the damage. That’s a hell of a lot more than
most of these guys do, and like I said, he has gotten a lot better
since he got out of jail. Still, I can’t help but think someday
some guy is gonna light his fuse, and he’ll go off again. I just
don’t want you anywhere near him when he does.”

“Yeah,” Lauren
said, glancing at Tucker. “I don’t want that either.”

***

Tucker pulled
into Tonya’s driveway, hoping she would make it as painless as
possible. “So listen, I’ve had fun with you the past few
months.”

“I have too,”
she said, reaching for his hand.

Apparently
painless was too much to hope for. “I think you’re a sweet
girl.”

She withdrew
her hand, settling it in her lap. “I don’t think I like where this
is going.”

“I’m a lot
older than you, Tonya. I’ve got a business that keeps me busy,
kids…”

“What are you
saying?” She folded her arms, a pout drawing her full lips down.
“You don’t want to see me anymore?”

Tucker sighed.
“We both knew this wasn’t gonna go anywhere, honey. I told you from
the start I have no intention of getting married again. Besides,
you’re too young for that. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.
So many great guys out there would consider themselves lucky to
have you as their girlfriend.” Tucker had given that speech so many
times over the years, he could have recited it in his sleep. But
hurting someone never got easier, and he could tell Tonya was
hurt.

“I love you,”
she whimpered.

Tucker closed
his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated it when they
hauled out the ‘I love you’ line as if that would change his mind.
If anything, it made him run farther and faster. “You may think you
do, but-”

“I do!” she
shouted. “Don’t you tell me how I feel! This is about
her,
isn’t it? You really think you stand a chance with Lauren McCall?”
She sniffled as she reached into her handbag for a tissue. “She
rejects half a dozen guys like you by noon every day. She wouldn’t
even consider you fit to hold her coat.”

Tucker felt his
temper rising, probably because she was right. When he got angry,
it was past time to leave. “Get out of the truck, Tonya.”