CHAPTER5
The absolute lastthing Nick should do was spend the afternoon with Gillian. He had work. He had Bailey. He had to stay strong, but even as he thought the words, he tried not to notice the flicker of pain that flashed through her eyes. She looked like a shadow of her former self. Sadness hung on her like a heavy cloak. He wanted to take her hand, to hold her and tell her whatever it was, everything would be all right. He took a step back.Don’t let her get to you.Be strong.
Even wet with tears, no one should have eyes that beautiful. Her hair was a lighter shade of blond than he remembered but was still soft and sleek, and her brown eyes were just as sad and expressive. When she looked at him like she was right then, there was nothing he could deny her, but his heart couldn’t take another battering from Gillian Jones. He had to look forward, not behind him.
Her bottom lip protruded in a small pout. “Do you have something to do? Somewhere to go? Or is it me you’re trying to avoid?” A challenge lit her eyes, and a hard snap edged her tone. As if she knew exactly how hard it was for him to be around her, to remember what they’d shared. She always did have too tight a grasp on his heart, and she knew it. A glimmer of a smile hovered on her lips. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You have every reason to want to avoid me after what I did.”
That surprised him, and idiot that he was, he wanted to hear more. Not to mention it had been too long since he’d seen her smile. “All right,” he relented, and even as he said the words, he knew it was a mistake. “I have a potential client I need to give a quote to this afternoon. Maybe you can help persuade her to hire me. It’s your old friend, Mandy.”
Her mouth cringed. He remembered she never had much use or patience for Mandy.
“Still want to go?” He almost hoped she wouldn’t. Did he really want to know why she was back, or how long she would stay?
She lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“All right.” The rain had lightened to a sprinkle, so he wheeled her down the ramp and to the passenger door of his pickup truck, then hesitated. He was going to have to lift her in; he was going to have to hold her. He opened the door, and she grabbed the handhold and tried to pull herself up out of the chair.
“I can’t do it.”
“Okay.” He steeled himself against the onslaught of emotions to come and placed his arms under her legs and around her back, then he lifted her into his truck. She was so light and fragile. So soft and warm. She still smelled the same, and his heart swelled in his chest. Her gaze caught his. Her big, round eyes registered everything he was feeling. He quickly placed her in the seat, then folded the chair, opened the back door, and put it behind her seat.
“Just a quick stop at the hardware store,” he said as he got behind the wheel and turned over the ignition.
She nodded but didn’t say anything. They sat in awkward silence as he drove into town. This was a mistake, and they both knew it. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot.
“Do you mind if I stay here?” she asked.
He shrugged, relieved and thankful for the break. “Suit yourself.” She’d once been his future, everything he’d built his dreams around, and then she’d left him shattered. He shopped as quickly as he could, then placed the items in the back of the truck. As he got in, he handed her a few brochures for lights and faucets, hoping to distract both of them.
She frowned as she took the pamphlets. “What are these?”
“I’m updating your mom’s kitchen. She’s picked out her granite, tile for the backsplash and paint, but she still needs to select her lights and fixtures. She wants a contemporary farmhouse look.”
“She does?” Gillian glanced through them. “And she wants you to do it?”
“Are you surprised?” he asked, looking straight ahead, his grasp on the wheel a little too tight. Did she really not think he’d amount to anything in all these years?
“I guess not. I suppose I’m not really sure what you do. You still haven’t told me anything about yourself.”
“Didn’t think you were interested.”
She looked at him but didn’t respond. It was better that way. The less they knew about each other’s lives, the easier it would be to let go and forget this day ever happened, forget he ever saw her again.
Especially once she left again.
“Are you ready to go back to your parents’ house? Or do you want to come with me to the client’s?” He held his breath and hoped she’d want to go home.
She fidgeted, wrapping her hair around her ears in a nervous gesture he recognized. “The clients. Tell me a little about your business on the way.”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “After many years of working for contractors, I finally got my license and opened a company that specializes in remodeling projects. Mostly kitchens and bathrooms, but I’m open to all kinds of work.”
“Like wheelchair ramps?” She smiled, and he caught himself staring at her for a long moment.
He forced himself to look away and cleared his throat.
“Exactly. It’s been slow going, only a few clients here and there, but I’m hoping a job like this one will help get the word out about my business.”
“Mandy Parker from school? The one from the cheer team?” she asked.