Oh, now that was going way too far. “You sure as hell weren’t the only amenable one back then, Vance.”
He stopped lacing up and glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I did whatever you wanted, and you know it. I never said no to you. Never.” Of course, she hadn’t really wanted to say no, but that was beside the point.
Vance laughed, but the sound was far from joyful. “Is that why you broke up with me in a letter? Because you knew if you faced me, you wouldn’t be able to go through with it?”
She slumped at the bitterness in Vance’s voice. “No, that’s not the reason.”
He shot to his feet. “Then why, damn it? Spit it out, Shayla!”
Shayla lost it. “I was trying to protect you!”
“Bullshit,” he ground out as he pointed a finger at her. “You were protecting yourself. You never gave a damn about me.”
“Forget it.” She threw up her hands and headed for the front door. “I should’ve known better than to come here.”
A pair of strong hands took hold of her shoulders from behind, halting her exit. “You aren’t getting off that easily, Shay,” Vance said as his warm breath caressed her neck. “Not this time. You came here to tell me something, and you’re damn well going to follow through this time.”
She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, then turned in his arms so she faced him once again. Vance’s hard body brushed against her, and Shayla’s knees threatened to buckle. Good Lord, he was so lean and powerful, as if fat didn’t dare come near him. Electricity raced through her bloodstream at his nearness. When his intoxicating woodsy scent hit her senses, Shayla had to force herself to stay cool. “You don’t want me here, and I get that. In fact, you have every right to be angry. It was a mistake to expect anything different from you. I’m sorry.”
“I—” His cell phone started to beep, forcing Vance to let go of her in order to grab it out of the clip on his belt. He frowned when he looked at the screen. “Damn, I need to go,” he said as he hit a button.
She nodded. “The diner, I know.”
“But this isn’t finished,” he said, calmer now. “Come back tonight. Seven o’clock.”
Was he really extending an invite to her? Shayla wanted to hope, but she, better than anyone, knew hope could lead to a big heaping pile of disappointment. She bit her lip and looked down, uncertain what to do. Would she be setting herself up for another fight? For more disappointment? “I don’t know,” she admitted, closing her eyes tight to hold back the tears.
“You coming here took a lot of guts, and you wouldn’t have bothered if you didn’t have something important to get off your chest. You caught me off guard showing up so suddenly, Shay, that’s all.”
She looked into his eyes and saw the anger was gone. Maybe he really would listen to her. Maybe he’d even believe her. “Seven?”
He nodded and smiled a little, although it seemed forced. “I should be finished up by then. I can give you my undivided attention.”
“I can’t ask for more than that.” Shayla picked up her coat and pulled it on. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Vance only nodded. As Shayla opened the front door, the blistering cold took her breath away. It was abundantly clear that January in Ohio was nothing like the weather she’d grown used to in Florida, and she wasn’t at all prepared for it. Her coat was too thin, and the frigid air went right through her. At least that was what she wanted to think was causing cold shivers to travel the length of her spine. When she got in her car, she dared to look back. Vance stood tall and proud in the doorway, watching her. Even from the distance, Shayla could make out the annoyed scowl.
Oh yeah, tonight was bound to be a big old bowl of cherries.
Chapter Three
“Goddamn it, Brodix, I told you that wall cannot be removed,” Vance gritted out. “It’s a load-bearing wall.”
Brodix held up both hands. “Fine, whatever. Christ, what’s your problem? Someone piss in your Wheaties?”
True to form, Brodix appeared as fresh as a freaking daisy even though he’d already put in a few hours of work. His long-sleeved, navy-blue shirt looked as crisp as when he’d walked in that morning, and there wasn’t a hair out of place. How the man could stay so damn clean even as sawdust coated the floor was a mystery.
Vance tossed his hammer aside and moved closer to his brother, angry when he saw him pecking at the small device in his hand. “I’d be in a fantastic mood if I didn’t have to constantly repeat myself.” He pointed to the black-and-silver piece of electronics in Brodix’s hand. “Hell, if you’d listen instead of playing with your damn calculator, maybe I wouldn’t have to.”
“I’m trying to figure out how to pay for this, remember?” He looked down and punched a few more keys, then shook his head. “The material for this remodel is going to cost us a friggin’ bundle.”
“Vance.”
When he turned around to find Sammy standing a few feet away, frowning, Vance knew he was in for it. He could practically feel his oldest brother’s disapproval. “What?” he shot right back.
“You and I need to talk.” Sammy pointed toward the kitchen, then turned and started walking, as if Vance would simply follow.