The Way the Story Goes Page 4

  That clearly got her.

  “I’m not being reasonable?” she cried. “I’m not being reasonable?! How dare you say that!” She jumped to her feet and cried out before plopping back down on the sofa.

  And just like that, he felt bad all over again.

  Hanging his head, he knew this was getting them nowhere.

  “How about this,” he began carefully. “I will try to be a little more considerate of the tools—I’ll only use them after ten in the morning and I’ll be done with them by four. Will that work?”

  It was going to be a struggle for him, but he had a right to work too.

  “How about you don’t start until after noon and be done by four?” she countered without looking at him.

  “Lady, you’ve got a hell of a nerve. It’s obvious there’s a lot of work to be done on the house! I can’t be locked in to only four hours a day just to suit you! How many hours a day do you work?”

  “Thanks to you? None!”

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Austin walked over to the kitchen and forced himself to calm down.

  “If this is your attitude, it’s no wonder Jake’s the one in charge of the family business,” she threw at him. And…yeah. That stung.

  “You don’t know anything about it,” he said wearily, refusing to take the bait.

  “I know I can call Jake and ask him what is reasonable for how loud a renovation should be and I can talk to your cousin and see if maybe she can talk some sense and manners into you!”

  Okay, that was enough.

  “You don’t even know…” he began, turning to face her, and was surprised when she was standing right there.

  “I met Jake and Mallory a few months ago when I was here for my best friend’s wedding! Her husband works for Jake and I happen to think your cousin is incredibly sweet. Unlike you,” she added under her breath.

  “Jake and Mallory have nothing to do with this!” he shouted and immediately felt like a bully when she cringed. “I am trying to find a happy medium here, but you’ve got to meet me halfway!”

  That seemed to do the trick because she visibly relaxed. After a minute, she nodded and said, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to make a snide comment about how that wasn’t so hard, but he kept it to himself. “Can we just try the ten till four thing?”

  She nodded. “And the loud music?”

  It was hard not to laugh because she was being so serious, but this all seemed a bit ridiculous. “Fine. I’ll lower the music.”

  “And where did we land on the singing?”

  Austin laughed because he had to. “You’re a bit of a ball-buster, I’ll give you that. Okay, I promise to only sing in the house.”

  “With the doors and windows closed?” This time, he noticed her lips twitch and thought maybe she wasn’t so bad.

  She was definitely attractive, but it was clear she thought very little of him, so flirting to get his way was pointless.

  “With the doors and windows closed.” He drew an X over his heart. “I promise.”

  And then the wildest thing happened.

  She smiled.

  Like a really joyful smile.

  His heart kicked hard in his chest again and the only thing he could do was leave because…yeah. Nothing was going to happen here.

  “Uh…you sure your foot is going to be okay? Maybe you should go to the emergency room and get it checked out.”

  She waved him off. “I’m sure it will be fine. I’ll just have to stay off of it for a day or two. No big deal.”

  Feeling like his job was done, Austin wished her a good night and all but sprinted from the house.

  He had a feeling his renovation job just got a whole lot more complicated.

  3

  Early the next morning, Mia stared at her computer screen and knew she had to make some adjustments to the story because…well, just because.

  He had a reputation around town.

  He could turn any home into your dream home, but it was going to cost you. Whether it was money, time, or your sanity, he would get the job done. Unfortunately, not all clients were satisfied.

  And neither were most people he came in contact with.

  Austin Maxwell was a sexy son of a bitch, and after working on homes for more than a decade, he didn’t give a damn what people thought of him. They didn’t like him, but he didn’t like them either.

  In her mind, she no longer saw an old, bitter contractor, but a younger, more muscular man who had the best hands she’d ever felt in her life.

  “I am so going to need therapy by the time this is done,” she murmured, reading through the manuscript and making adjustments to her victim’s name and appearance. “But that’s it. Everything else stays the same. He’s still annoying and going to turn up dead so…”

  For an hour, she made her edits and was surprised that she was doing it in relative silence.

  Okay, so he’s a man of his word…

  And sure enough, at 10:01, she heard the first hum of some sort of tool. The timing worked for her, however. She needed to get in the shower and get ready for her visit with Sydney.

  Just the thought of her best friend put a smile on her face and made it so she didn’t even care about the noise coming from Austin’s place.

  Austin.

  The sigh was out before she could stop it and when she stepped into the shower and the hot water hit her body, she knew she was going to be thinking about him.

  A lot.

  Not only because of the book she was writing and killing him off in, but because…wow. Most of the men Mia associated with were academic types; they wore suits and talked literature and politics and were…clean. Austin Coleman looked like the type of man who told off-color jokes, watched a lot of sports, and was dirty.

  Very, very…dirty.

  Yeah, she’d never seen the appeal until last night and now it was all she could think about.

  Well, that and his hands.

  It was going to be a long time before she forgot how good they felt on her.

  “Ugh…maybe I need to turn on the cold water.” Refusing to be reduced to that, Mia took her time in the shower. She washed and conditioned her hair, shaved her legs, and then simply enjoyed the feel of the hot water on her skin. The bathroom had this massive shower and a soaker tub that could easily fit two people. She hadn’t used it yet, but it was something she thought she’d use to help her relax after a long day of writing.

  Something she had yet to experience since arriving in Magnolia Sound.

  Thanks to Austin.

  Having a face and a name to go with the man who was making her crazy was not helpful at all. If anything, it made things worse.

  With a groan, Mia turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. After drying off, she moisturized her body from head to toe before brushing her teeth. She wore a minimal amount of makeup—her mother told her wearing too much made her look garish—and dried her hair before getting dressed. She knew she didn’t need to make a fuss for Sydney, but to Mia, this was kind of a special occasion. This was a girls’ day to simply hang out and relax—something they hadn’t done together in a really long time.

  After meeting freshman year of college and becoming roommates, they had formed a bond that felt more like sisters than friends. Of course, Mia was an only child, so maybe that’s why she felt the way she did, but Sydney had often said she felt the same—especially recently, after her own sister died last year.

  They’d been there for each other through career highs and lows, and when Mia’s writing career took on a life of its own a year ago, she enlisted Sydney’s help with it. So now as a virtual personal assistant, Sydney handled things like Mia’s social media and marketing, her newsletter, and book orders for fans. There were easily a hundred other things she did as part of the job and it had been a lifesaver to have someone she knew and trusted working with her.

  When Sydney moved back to Magnolia Sound to take car
e of her niece, Mia realized it was the first time in almost ten years that they weren’t living only minutes away. So when Sydney suggested coming here to write, it was a no-brainer. And hopefully today, her friend would help her come to grips with how to work with so many disruptions. Sydney was the levelheaded and organized one, so if anyone was going to help her figure it all out, it was Sydney.

  Once she was done, she cleaned the bathroom and made the bed before walking out to the kitchen. Her foot was still a little tender, but overall, it felt okay. The limp was barely noticeable, she thought.

  Even though Sydney was bringing lunch, Mia felt the need to contribute a few things—some drinks, some fresh veggies and dip, and brownies.

  Because lunch with your BFF always called for brownies.

  When the doorbell rang at exactly noon, Mia almost skipped to the door—sore foot and all. And after some very girly squeals of joy and lots of hugs, she ushered her friend into the house.

  “Oh, my goodness,” Sydney said as she walked into the living room. “That view leaves me breathless every time. I would never get anything done because I’d be staring at it every day!”

  The sliding doors were open slightly, but considering Austin was working, it would be pointless to open them all the way.

  “It really is a great view,” Mia agreed, pushing her neighbor from her mind. “But I have a feeling it’s not so great when the beach is filled with people or there’s a hurricane hitting the coast.”

  “I don’t think the beaches here get as crowded as you think, but the hurricane thing is a definite deterrent. They are extremely scary and intense, and I’m not looking forward to experiencing them again.”

  “Ever think of moving?”

  Sydney grinned. “Kyle is a Magnolia Sound man through and through. He’d never leave here.”

  “And you’d never leave him,” Mia said with a wink.

  “Never again. Did that once…okay, twice…and it won’t happen again.” She rubbed a hand over her pregnant belly and smiled. “So how are you doing?”

  As if on cue—again—some other power tool whirred to life and Mia simply motioned to the door. “Am I wrong about the noise? Am I overreacting?”

  “Well…to me it’s not terrible, but I lived through Kyle renovating the house while I was living in it and it’s a small house. Noise-canceling headphones work wonders, trust me.”

  “I know. You’ve mentioned them before, but…if I have to do that here then I might as well go home and deal with the noise there. At least back in Boston I’d be in my own house and sleeping in my own bed.”

  “Oh, please. This house is magnificent and you cannot tell me it’s a hardship sleeping in that massive bed or hanging out on all this fantastic furniture and having this view. Seriously, whoever decorated this house is very talented.”

  All Mia could do was shrug.

  “We’ll talk about this more over lunch,” Sydney said as she walked into the kitchen and put the massive cooler bag down on the counter. “I got us some fantastic seafood salad, fresh rolls, your favorite potato chips, and a couple of different pasta salads.” Glancing around, she laughed softly. “I already knew you’d put out some stuff too so I think between the two of us we have enough food for about a dozen people.”

  “As it should be,” Mia teased.

  Together they worked to set the table and once they were seated, she caught Sydney studying her. “What did you do to your foot?”

  Damn. She knew Sydney would notice.

  “It’s not a big deal,” she began before telling her the story of Austin, the flying sink, and cutting her foot.

  “Oh, my goodness! Did you go to the ER? Do you need stitches?”

  Mia waved her off and began putting food on her plate. “It’s fine, just a little sore. Austin checked it out with a magnifying glass and there’s nothing else in there. It stung, but in a few days it will be fine.”

  “So then you’ve finally met your nemesis,” Sydney said, grinning. “Did you tell him off?”

  Groaning, she shrugged.

  “Mia…”

  “Fine. I did tell him off after he carried me home.”

  “He carried you home?!”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t walk and he carried me through his house because of all the construction debris and then he insisted on carrying me here. And then I just sort of…verbally exploded all over him.” She shook her head. “Not one of my finer moments.”

  “I’m not going to lie to you; I am really sorry I missed that,” Sydney said as she finished putting food on her plate. “I have been waiting more than ten years to see you tell someone off and I can’t believe I missed it!” She shook her head. “Obviously I can hear the tools, but are you two good?”

  “I wouldn’t say good, but…he’s trying to be more considerate. Today’s only the first day, so…”

  “So what’s he like? Young? Old? Was he a total jerk?”

  There was really only one person in the entire world Mia confided in, and it was Sydney so…

  “He was sexy as hell with these crazy big hands and he’s strong and muscular and even though he was filthy and sweaty, he smelled really good! I mean…how could he smell so good when he was so…dirty?” She groaned at the word. “And he carried me into his house and then over here and no one’s ever handled me like that and I hate how much I liked it! It was like that scene from An Officer and a Gentleman!” she blurted out and then hung her head, waiting for Sydney to mock her.

  Instead, her friend reached over and took one of Mia’s hands in hers. “Wow. That was a…lot of information. You okay?”

  “No.”

  They sat like that for several minutes before Mia felt like she could at least try to look her friend in the face.

  “That’s better,” Sydney said, smiling. “Honestly, there is something about a guy who works with his hands that is just incredibly sexy. When I first saw Kyle again, I swear it was the toolbelt that sealed the deal.”

  “God, it’s so clichéd, Syd,” she groaned. “I’ve never been attracted to that kind of man. But this guy was just so…ugh…everything.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “Oh, and get this, he’s a Coleman! Like related to the Colemans of Coleman Construction! What are the odds?”

  “Wait…really? How is that possible?”

  “He said Mallory is his cousin.”

  “And what’s his name?”

  “Austin. Austin Coleman.”

  Sydney pulled out her phone and began tapping something out and Mia was afraid to ask what she was doing. After a minute, she hummed quietly. “Um…is this him?” And when she turned her phone toward Mia, she was staring at a picture of a slightly younger and cleaner Austin.

  Was it wrong that she liked him better dirty?

  “Yup. That’s him.”

  “Wow. Talk about a small world, huh? That’s crazy!”

  “You grew up here. Do you know him?”

  “No. He’s a little younger than me—like you—and I don’t really remember ever hearing much about him.”

  “What about Kyle? Would he know him?”

  “I doubt it, but I can ask. Hang on.”

  “Wait…don’t get Kyle involved. I already may have used that threat and now I feel stupid about it.”

  “How did you use Kyle as a threat?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Either way, Sydney was clearly typing out a text to her husband and now all Mia could do was wait.

  “Kyle just texted that he doesn’t really know him, but he’s aware of him. What the hell does that even mean?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Really. Enough talk about Austin. Tell me about you and how you’re feeling! Are you working on the nursery yet?”

  After that, the topic of Austin Coleman was over. They ate, they talked about baby plans, and then moved on to talk about books and the inventory of hardcovers that were being shipped to Sydney’s for Mia to sign. When they moved on to dessert
, Mia laid out her plans for the book she was supposed to be writing and Sydney immediately went onto Amazon and made her order the best noise-canceling headphones they had.

  “That is the book you need to be writing,” she admonished. “I think this other little writing jaunt was fine to get you through the last week, but you need to get back on track. And if the headphones don’t work, then you can come to my house during the day to write. Okay?”

  It wasn’t ideal, but at least she had options.

  “Thanks, Syd.”

  “Okay, pass me another brownie and then we’ll head down to the beach to walk all this off and maybe I’ll get a peek at sexy Mr. Austin Coleman,” she said with a wink and all Mia could do was groan.

  It was a little after four and Austin had a few more lengths of crown molding he wanted to cut but now he couldn’t, thanks to yesterday’s encounter with Mia. But she wouldn’t really be a stickler about a few extra cuts, would she?

  Figuring it was worth the risk, he spent the next twenty minutes making cuts.

  But it didn’t end there.

  In order for him to install the crown, it meant using the air gun, but…it wasn’t overly loud so…

  An hour later he stood back and admired his work and smiled. “Damn, I’m good.” With nothing else pressing to do, he figured he could light up the grill and make himself something to eat. Turning on some music—softly—he opened the fridge and frowned. “Guess I forgot to go food shopping,” and with a muttered curse he slammed it shut. “Takeout it is.”

  There was always the option of just pulling up an app and having something delivered, but he felt the need to get out of the house for a bit and maybe breathe some fresh air. In order for that to happen, he desperately needed a shower. Wearily, he walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. He couldn’t wait for the master bathroom downstairs to be finished because the shower up here was way too small for his liking. Right now he could go for some jets and steam, not to mention a little elbow room.