Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (13 page)

“Then of course, use the house; that’s why I keep it. Stay as long as you like.” Tony came around from behind his desk and held out his arms. “Come here and let me give you a hug.” Annabeth stood and let him hug her long and hard, and she rested her face on his broad chest.

“You’re the best dad in the world,” Annabeth sniffled.

“Aw, thanks, honey. You’re the best daughter!” He gave her a big kiss on her forehead. She brightened, and he could see her relaxing, the furrows in her forehead softening.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you this weekend some time.” Then a perky look came over her. “Oh, and there’s something else I’d like for you to do for me,” she added.

“Oh? What’s that?”

“There’s this lady I met at the florist shop, The Passionate Pansy. I really think you need to go by and meet her,” Annabeth said matter-of-factly.

“Now, Bethie, we’ve been over this before . . .”

“Dad, I think you’d really like her.” Annabeth put her hands on her hips. “She’s seems very sweet, and she’s a widow. They’d been married thirty years when he died. Her name is Nikki. Can’t you just go by there and check her out? She’d never have to know.”

Tony set his jaw. “Annabeth, you know I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.” How many times did he have to go over this with everyone in his family? Why did they keep harping at him?

“Dad, I’m just asking you to . . .”

“Can we drop this? Please? I really don’t want to meet any women, period.” Tony returned to his chair and dropped in weariness, then turned and put his elbows on the gleaming desktop. “I tried that once. It was a disaster. I’m not eager to try it again.” He’d gone out with Elaine Burrows a couple of times and she’d nearly worried him to death, trying to find out how much he made every year, then trying to cajole him into a proposal – all in two dates! He hadn’t even slept with her, and he hadn’t been out with anyone since. And if Annabeth had any idea how long it had been since he’d had sex, she might’ve decided there was something seriously wrong with him.

“Okay, Daddy. I love you. But please, think about it.” She turned and left, waving to him from over her shoulder.

Tony put his head down on the desk. He couldn’t tell Annabeth, his son, Clayton, or Raffaella, his mother, how lonely he was. They’d drive him insane trying to get him to ask out someone, anyone. After all the horrible years with Dottie, there was no way he’d get involved with any woman. His hand was a much better sex partner than Dottie had ever been, and gave him a lot less trouble. And he’d never had to have it committed to a mental ward.

But Annabeth and Clayton both had seen right through Elaine and neither had liked nor trusted her. They were both good judges of character and had good instincts. What made Annabeth sure this woman was different from all the rest?

There was a knock at the door and a ruddy face peered in. “Busy, boss?” Jason asked.

“Nah. Come on in,” Tony answered, trying to clear his mind.

“The concrete work looks good. I’m on my way to pick up a replacement fixture for the Brookwood site. Need anything while I’m out and about?” Jason offered.

“Can’t think of anything.”

Jason stood staring at Tony for a minute. “You okay? You look kind of, I don’t know, rattled maybe?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Tony sighed. “Annabeth was just here. We were talking about something and then, out of the blue, she announced she wants me to meet this lady she met.”

“I know that’s hard for you.” Jason gave Tony his best sympathetic look. “I have to side with her, though – you need to meet someone nice. Hey, if you don’t like this lady, I know someone . . .”

“Oh, for god’s sake, you too?” Tony put his head in his hands. “Are you kidding? No. Not gonna happen.”

“Well, if you change your mind, let me know,” Jason laughed. “She’s small, blond, cute, your age range. Very smart. Used to be the secretary of our neighborhood association. I think you’d like her.”

“Nope. But thanks.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay, boss, whatever you say. Just remember I offered to introduce you.” Jason waved as he walked out, just like Annabeth had, in that defeated kind of over-the-shoulder gesture.

Tony sat staring after Jason. What was it with everyone he knew? Sure, he was lonely, but did he look that miserable? He wasn’t, really. He had a very full life. There were the kids, his mother and brothers, his cousin who worked for him, three homes, and the company. Work took up almost all of his time. It was an effort to maybe have a little bit of lunch and make time for the gym. He had everything he could handle. Why did everyone think he had time for a relationship?

And besides, love was highly overrated. Look what it had gotten him – years and years of pain and suffering. If Dottie hadn’t been so damned determined to get crazier than she’d already been, they would’ve probably still been married. Loveless, sure, but still together.

The life he had was good enough. He didn’t need a woman to take up his time. Tony picked up his coffee cup and took a swig, then spit it back into the cup – cold, just like his heart. But being open, letting someone in, would be too hard.

N
ikki hated Sundays. It was the only day of the week she had nothing to do outside the house. She remembered the days when she loved being at home. Now, it was just a place that reminded her of how alone she was. Except for Bill and Hillary, she really didn’t have a reason to be there. But she was still lonely, even with them around her ankles.

Sunday morning in the conservative upper South meant the gym would very nearly be empty while everyone was in church; everyone except her, anyway. She dressed in the first gym clothes she could pull out of the closet, and then pulled her hair back in a ponytail and added a headband to keep it out of her face. She looked in the mirror – not very attractive, but no one ever looked at her. After all, she was all but invisible in the world.

Hers was one of only four cars in the gym lot, and one of them had to belong to whoever was working the front desk. Once she’d stashed her things in her locker, she hit the cardio theater. Boobalicious was already on a treadmill and nodded to her as she walked up. Nikki set the treadmill’s program and dug in. She looked around. Other than Boobalicious, the only other person working out was a young guy she’d never seen before.

Fifteen minutes in, something caught Nikki’s eye, and she looked up to see The Italian walk in the front door. When he strolled out to the weight area, he nodded to Boobalicious. Nikki looked down at her feet, then back up, only to find him looking directly at her. He smiled and nodded, and she smiled back before looking down again. When she looked up again, he was gone, already standing in the weight area with his back to her, curling some incredibly heavy-looking dumbbells.

Nikki could feel her face burning. Why couldn’t she smile back with some confidence, make eye contact, and stop being so shy? She was afraid; afraid of being rejected, of looking desperate, or, worse yet, stupid. She got so mad at herself sometimes. Trying to concentrate on the walking program was useless. When she felt hot tears welling up in her eyes, she shut down the treadmill and jetted into the locker room.

Nikki sat on the bench in the locker room and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. No use in crying about it. It was just another wasted opportunity. She heard footsteps and looked up.

Boobalicious walked into the locker room, mopping the back of her neck with a towel. She glanced at Nikki and smiled. “Hi! We’ve never spoken, but my name’s Kelly.” She held out her hand.

Nikki shook it. “I’m Nikki. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Yeah.” Kelly unlocked her locker and started taking shower items out. “I see you here all the time. Nice décor, huh?” Kelly nodded her head toward the exercise area. Nikki looked at her, puzzled. “The guys. We’ve got some pretty good looking ones here, don’t you think?”

“Can’t say I’ve noticed,” Nikki bluffed, digging in her purse for her hairbrush.

“Are you kidding me? You had to notice. Especially Tony. You know – Tony Walters.” Kelly spoke the words as though Nikki should’ve known who she was talking about. “I’ve noticed how he looks at you,” Kelly added.

“Me?” Nikki shook her head. “You think someone was looking at me? You must be mistaken.”

“Hell no! The good-looking, dark-haired guy? He just nods to me. But he smiles at you every time he sees you. Introduce yourself!”

“Oh, no, I could never do that.” Nikki could feel her cheeks starting to burn again.

“Shame,” Kelly smiled. “I think he’s into you. He’d be quite the catch, you know. Oh, well, nice to finally meet you,” the buxom brunette told her as she walked away.

“Yeah, same here,” Nikki called after her as Kelly disappeared down the hallway to the showers.

Did he really look at her? Nodding and smiling didn’t equal being interested, just being polite. It would be nice, though, if he noticed her. She tried to quickly put him out of her mind. But now she knew his name – Tony, a typical Italian name. She’d never know if he was Italian, but it was kind of a funny coincidence.

As she walked out of the gym, she glanced across at him as he used one of the machines. He stared into the mirror as he monitored his workout but, for one split second, she could’ve sworn he made eye contact with her in the mirror from across the large room. No, she had to be mistaken; he might’ve with Kelly maybe, but not with her. She walked to her car, mentally beating herself up for being too damn shy. She’d just go home where she belonged. She’d had love once, but that was over.

Bill and Hillary would have to do.

Nikki pulled the little microwave dinner out and stirred it. In front of the TV, she looked for anything to lose herself in. She ate in silence, Bill and Hillary staring at her, hoping she’d drop something. They each got a dog cookie after she’d finished, then she climbed into the shower.

The warm water washed over her like a steamy embrace, and she let it soothe her. In her mind she saw Tony walking across the gym. He looked so sexy, so dark and dangerous, and yet his eyes were so kind. She felt a tingling between her legs, and her belly tightened. Looking down, she confirmed what she already knew – her nipples were rigid and standing straight out. She reached up, pinching and rolling one between her fingers, and she felt her abs clench. Ah, if only he were there to do that, to wrap those lips around . . .

No, she still loved Randy. But he was gone – forever. What should she do if the moment ever presented itself? Would he forgive her if he knew?

Nikki finished her shower and toweled off. When she chose a pair of panties to put on, she saw her jelly vibrator, forgotten in the drawer. It hadn’t been touched in quite some time – after all, she wasn’t a sexual being, just a shell of a woman. But something about it called to her, and she touched it, picked it up, hit the switch. It sprang to life. At the feel of the vibration, her nipples stiffened again to the point of hurting.

She lay back on the bed, her towel underneath her, and looked at the vibrator. It had little hearts all over it – how ironic. She looked down the length of her body. A little saggy, but at fifty-one, who wasn’t? Maybe she didn’t look too bad. When Randy was alive, her mound was always bare, but she’d let the hair grow back. Maybe it was time for a little landscaping. She let the tip of the vibrator trail down her body, between her breasts, and travel down to her mons. The sensation caused her back to arch, and she pressed the tip of the vibrator into the depression right above the hood of her clit. Fire shot through her body as the once-familiar feelings flooded through her, foreign and a little frightening now.

Then she thought about Tony, his smile, his dark hair, those lips. Oh, god, how she’d love to have those lips on her! The tip of the vibrator slid down to her clit, and she dipped it into her juices before bringing it back up and moving it in a circular motion. Tension started to build in her belly, coiling and releasing ever so slowly, and then picking up the pace. Her hips began to rock of their own accord, and she thought of his eyes and moaned quietly. In a few minutes she felt the peak, the heat, and before she even realized what was happening, she cried out through her orgasm, her hips thrusting and stomach clenching, his face in her memory. As the current running through her sex subsided, she plunged the vibrator into her pussy and felt it tighten around the little machine. It had been so long . . .

Shame washed over her. She’d been thinking about Tony when she should’ve been thinking about Randy. But Randy had left her there all alone, not of his choice, but still alone. Tony was a living, breathing, hot-blooded man. And she wanted him, really wanted him. Tears blurred her eyes, and she cleaned herself up and put on her plain cotton panties. After washing the vibrator with antibacterial soap, she threw it back into the drawer, hoping she’d forget it, and dressed.

She sat back down in front of the TV, but stared into space. Could she really have that again, someone to share her life with? Would a living person be enough to quiet the ghosts that would rise up? Why hadn’t she gone in that car with them? Why was she still alive? Hot tears coursed down her cheeks and she felt her heart split open again. They were dead. She’d been dead for quite some time, too, but she wanted to feel alive again. Wouldn’t it be nice if the person who revived her was Tony Walters? She knew that was a long shot, but a girl could dream, right?