Love Jones For Him (2 page)

“You’ll always be welcome next door,” Abbey assured her as they both headed for the door. “Do feel free to pop in to borrow anything. And don’t forget dinner tomorrow. It’ll be lovely to have you.”

“I won’t forget, and thanks, Abbey.”

Once alone in the big house again, Victoria shoved her hands through her hair, letting out a “whoosh” as she thought, that wasn’t so bad. She’d had her first house guest.

Who else could she expect to turn up? Were there any relatives she’d have “popping in” during her stay? She couldn’t think of any she would need to call up. Her aunt, Diana Wakefield? The same second she had the thought, she shook it off.

Best to focus on what she needed to do, she decided, heading for her bedroom to finish unpacking. She’d be making calls alright, but to the estate agents. At that thought, she felt a sudden burst of enthusiasm, and made her way up the stairs.

Chapter Three

Dinner at Abbey Thomas’s home was a delightful affair. From one nicely prepared course to the other, Victoria got to experience a myriad of new, delicious flavors. Abbey was the best hostess, and both ladies enjoyed a fantastic evening dining and chatting. Abbey’s parents were away on holiday, so she stayed alone. She’d never had children, as she told Victoria. Then she asked Victoria about her own love life.

“I hope I’m not being too nosey,” Abbey said apologetically, wrinkling her pretty nose. “It’s just, well, I’m simply curious.”

Victoria shrugged, not in the least offended. “I’m single,” she said easily. “Never married, no kids. Totally a free agent.”

Abbey nodded. “So, no lonely boyfriend waiting impatiently for your return,” she replied with a teasing smile.

Victoria paused, thinking of her “best friend” Jeff, who called each night since she’d arrived, and they spoke a long time on the phone at different times of the day. She felt warmed by his thoughtfulness. He knew she’d be missing home, which she was. But she smiled at Abbey and shook her head firmly.

“Seriously, there’s no one. The only thing really waiting for me is my interior decorating business. But since I’m my own boss, I can take off as much time as I need.”

Victoria paused once again, and then said, “Which reminds me, I’ve spoken to an estate agent, and he gave me estimates, regarding prices I can get the house for with or without renovations.”

“And you’ve decided…?”

Victoria shrugged. “I’d rather sell it as it is, Abbey. I know I could get a better price if I do renovations, but I’m not sure if I can take the time.” And it wasn’t about getting more money for the house either, she didn’t add. She’d headed to London with the full intent to sell, and she wasn’t about to change her mind.

“Wow,” Abbey said, sitting back with a rueful expression. “It’s almost like you can’t wait to leave.”

Victoria felt bad that it would look like that. “I guess it does. But I’m just being practical. Just what do you suggest I do?”

Abbey shrugged, crossing her legs as she waved her glass of wine. “I’d say you stay - just for a bit. Get the renovations done. And if you still want to let the house go, then fine. Look, I’ll even link you up to a very good renovations firm. It’s owned by a good friend of mine. You’d get reasonable costing on the repairs and renovations needed. Who knows, in a month or less it will be all done. You just said you’re your own boss, so there’s no one to answer to. I know you could stay on if you really wanted to, Victoria.”

Once more, Victoria felt a pang of guilt. Just why was she rushing off anyway? Not like there was anyone chasing at her heels. Was it so bad if she stayed on for a little bit longer? The renovations were a good excuse as any, and she really could do with the change of environment. This had been her mother’s home; perhaps it was right to discover how much of her family ties here she’d like to hold on to. And like Abbey had suggested, if in the end she decided she’d sell, then she had that choice.

Smiling, she finally looked up at the expectant Abbey. “All right, I’ll stay.”

Chapter Four

Victoria hadn’t been sure what to expect. When Abbey had said she knew a contractor that could work on the house, Victoria hadn’t expected him to be this…hot.

Abbey had helped set up the appointment, and Victoria had been looking forward to the meeting and finding out what it would cost and how much time it would take to finish working on the house.

But all that fled from her mind for the moment as she came face to face with the hottest male she’d seen in a long while.

Victoria wasn’t into clichés. She met gorgeous men every day, even in her line of work. Men who would make a woman weak in the knees with just one look. Rich men, not so rich men. Men with power, class, style. Or just men who knew what they wanted from a woman and reached out and grabbed it with both hands. Within minutes of meeting Gordon Dorchester, she knew immediately which category she could fit him into.

Was he her type? Victoria wasn’t even sure she had a type. When she’d been into dating, she’d been adventurous, curious. She’d found herself attracted to a certain kind of man, but this was the first time an attraction had been so instant it hit her straight in the chest.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Dorchester,” she said formally, once she could gather her wits – and her breath.

“It’s Gordon,” he told her, and she nodded, her head tipped way up to look into his striking blue-green eyes. Abbey really should have warned her.

“I’m Victoria,” she said in return. They shook hands lightly, and she tried to hide her insane reaction to him. What the heck was wrong with her? Gordon Dorchester wasn’t the first hunky white guy with hot blond looks she’d ever met. Granted, he looked like candy on legs but that was no reason for her belly to feel like it had been flipped upside down the minute he’d walked in the door.

He seemed thirty-ish or just a bit older, and was dressed smart-casual, in clothes that seemed to fit his lithe, tall frame like they were made just for him. And when he opened his mouth to speak – well. Victoria was only just beginning to realize how sexy a British accent could be on a man.

“Would you like to go into the kitchen? I could make you some tea or something,” she offered, and saw his chiseled lips tilt in a smile.

“Sorry to break the cultural mold, but I’m more a coffee man myself,” he said, and she couldn’t help throwing a smile over her shoulder as she led the way to the kitchen.

Once there, she offered him a seat at the kitchen table while she set about preparing coffee. It suddenly became hard to concentrate on such a simple task, knowing that his piercing blue-green eyes followed her everywhere.

“I’m glad Abbey was kind enough to get you to work on this,” she said, her tone light as she kept on the conversation. “I can’t imagine how long it would have taken for me to find someone myself. I can imagine you must have a lot of projects on your plate; it’s good of you to make time to see me and take a look at the house. So how do you like your coffee?”

She glanced his way, and yep, he was looking straight at her. She tried not to spill the coffee she was pouring out on herself as she met his penetrating gaze.

“Oh, black,” he said in a smooth tone. “Definitely black.”

Oh-kay, Victoria thought as she looked away and reminded herself: no clichés. She was not going to read meaning into his every look, his every sentence. She wasn’t going to imagine that just because she felt ready to get thrown over his shoulder and carried off, that he would feel the same way.

Bringing over both their cups, she sat down across the kitchen table and asked him if he thought he could handle the job.

“I’ll need to look around properly to know exactly what needs doing, but yes, it would be great to take on the project. I hear you wish to renovate, then sell?” he asked as he took a sip from his coffee. Victoria’s eyes strayed to his hand which was wrapped around the cup.

For such a large guy, he had really nice, well-shaped hands, which was great because she didn’t like big hands. Now, hands that looked like they’d seen some hard work but still had neatly kept nails and tapering fingers. In short, she liked his hands.

“Yes, that’s the plan,” she said quickly, as she pushed back her wayward thoughts. She had to quit being conscious about every little thing about him. His square-cut jaw, his deliciously curved lips, his straight nose, his smooth, nice forehead, his –

Seriously, Victoria – stop.

“Good idea,” he said with an approving nod. “Some buyers normally like a house with a bit of crumble – but it’s great to put some effort into renovating to get a better price.”

“It’s not about that,” she said, shrugging. “But I do want to see the house fixed up. I can’t wait to hear your plans once you make them. I was reluctant to renovate because I thought about the cost and time involved, but if it can be done within my budget and a reasonable time frame, then I’m up for it.”

“I’ll see what I can come up with,” he replied, and Victoria nodded, liking his business-like tone. This was how it should be: business. She had to stop thinking about what a total hunk he was, and remember why he was here. Whatever happened, she must never lose sight of her goal, which now entailed restoring the house, getting it sold and then leaving.

And nothing was going to disrupt that strategy, she decided firmly.

Chapter Five

It was almost hard for Victoria to believe how smoothly everything was going. By the time her neighbor Abbey paid her next visit, the renovations were already well under way.

“I take it you got a good deal from the contractor?” Abbey asked, looking around at the stripped walls as they walked through the house.

“He was great. It took just two days to give me an estimate, and I was amazed how little it would cost. He also assured me it would get done in a few weeks or less. I can’t believe my luck. Thanks, Abbey.”

“Don’t mention it. He’s done work on many of my friend’s houses. He’s one of the very best in the business. I’m glad you both worked something out,” she said, waving a hand in the air. Then she grinned. “The great thing about it is that he does most of the work himself, and subcontracts stuff like the plumbing and electricity - which is probably why he can afford to keep his fee minimal.”

“I thought as much,” Victoria said as she poured out iced tea into two glasses. “I absolutely loved what he intends to do with the place. He showed me his plans and I was impressed. There’s going to be some shimming work to level the floors, realignment of some rooms upstairs, and repainting. And then of course some insulation and dry-walling on both floors, as well as changing three rooms to two down the corridor from the master bedroom. In fact, I almost can’t wait to see the finished product.”

“Sounds like a whole load of renovating needs to be done. So, what did you think of him?” Abbey surprised her by asking, her smile cheeky. “I mean, about Gordon Dorchester, the man. He’s considered something of a catch in these parts.”

Victoria couldn’t help smiling. “I guess that means he’s single. I never really gave it much thought,” she said lightly, before quickly changing the subject.

“I got a call from my aunt, Diana Wakefield yesterday. She said she heard I was keen on working on the house,” Victoria said with a slight crease in her brow. “She didn’t sound too happy about the idea.”

Abbey shrugged. “What can one expect? She’s probably not too happy about a lot of things. Not getting this house, for example, must have put her out immensely.”

“I see,” Victoria said slowly. “That explains a lot. I can imagine how it must feel for her, especially since she lives here in London and I don’t. I guess it didn’t make sense to her that I should be the one to get the house.” And now I’m about to sell what had been her family home, Victoria couldn’t help thinking with a prick of guilt.

“Victoria, you are Mary’s daughter. You have as much right to this place as anyone else does. Maybe even more so. Almost everyone knows that your mother was Elizabeth’s, your grandmother’s, favorite. It’s a pity you wish to sell, but then that’s your decision. One I’m hoping you’ll change when the time comes…”

***

Victoria wasn’t sure about changing her decision any time soon, but she couldn’t help thinking how well the renovations were coming along. Gordon had said it was okay that she could stay in the house while the work was going on, which was great so she could see for herself how the house was being brought back to life.

Thankfully it hadn’t been too dilapidated, and Gordon was working long hours to ensure the project got finished in record time. Victoria was grateful for that, and couldn’t help admiring his dedication. It was obvious he loved what he did, and took pride in his work. The way he paid attention to every detail was impressive. Sometimes she’d stop to look into the room he was busy in, and watch him at work.

There was no way she could lie to herself that she was just there to monitor his renovation skills. What woman with red blood in her veins wouldn’t like to view Gordon without a shirt every chance she got?

He was usually always dressed in jeans and a tee, overalls, or a work shirt. But some days, like this one, he’d stripped down to just his jeans while he hammered away at the newly beveled window in the living room.

That day was particularly humid. It had rained earlier in the morning, but now the weather was all sticky and hot. She guessed that was British weather at its best: unpredictable. Filling up a tall glass with orange juice, she went into the living room where he was, and offered him the drink.