“Don’t say that.” Carrie’s voice was firm. “I’d rather you be honest with me. Because after everything we’ve been through, we’re still friends. Aren’t we?”
Joel gave her a warm smile. “We are.” She was his best friend, if it came to that.
“And I’d rather have the whole picture. The day will come when you’ll come out to the kids, and I’ll be there to answer any questions they have.” She chuckled. “Any questions Laura will have, I should say. Because you know she’ll be the one who wants to know everything.”
“Of course she will. She’s fifteen. Nate will already know it all, like any eighteen-year-old.”
Carrie glanced toward the window. “Do you think we can take Bramble for a… you-know-what? I’d like to see more of the village. You get to choose the route.”
Joel laughed as Bramble thumped his tail on the floor. “You said his name. Smart dog. He knows what’s coming. And how about we do a circuit? One way there, the other back.” He peered at her boots standing by the front door. “Thank God you left your heels at home.”
Carrie laughed. “I can’t drive in heels.” She stood. “Well, come on then. A good walk and a chat sound like a great way to spend the afternoon.” That twinkle in her eye was good to see. “As long as being seen with a woman won’t cramp your style.”
Joel rose to his feet. “That’s okay. I’ll tell anyone we meet that you’re a friend.”
Carrie’s face glowed. “I can live with that.” She darted a glance at the fire. “Hey. We can’t go out and just leave it. We might get back to find the place has burned to the ground.”
“There’s a screen,” Joel told her, pointing to it. “Put that in front of it.”
He waited till the screen was in place, then they grabbed their coats and pulled on their boots, while Bramble dashed around them, jumping up and barking, his tail almost a blur.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe the kids will take it better than I think they will.
He still wasn’t prepared to put that theory to the test.
Chapter Three
Finn put down his load of boards and stretched. He was glad he had his heavy coat: now and again the wind off the ocean had a biting edge to it that made even the most hardened guys shiver. The joists supporting the second story had already gone in, and Finn, Ted, and Lewis were laying the floorboards, while four others worked on the joists above their heads. It was going to be a beautiful building when it was done: four stories, twenty-one guest rooms, two of them oceanfront suites, in the only waterfront hotel in town. They had a long way to go, of course—at that point the hotel wasn’t much more than a mass of posts and beams—and it wouldn’t be opening its doors for another year, probably. Finn knew once the structural part was completed, he’d be working on the interior.
He’d be happier when the walls went in. He’d be a hell of a lot warmer too.
Lewis put down his hammer. “Break time.” He adjusted his package. “I need to take a piss too.” He headed for the ladder that rested against one of the joists.
“If you’re going out back, be careful not to trip over the yellow sticks,” Ted called out to him.
Lewis paused as he carefully stepped onto the rungs. “What yellow sticks?”
Ted grinned. “That wind is so fucking freezing that when I took a leak, I had to keep stopping to break it off into two-foot lengths.”
Lewis rolled his eyes and continued his path down the ladder.
Max whistled from above. “Well, he-llo nurse.” Finn immediately scanned the road below, searching for whoever had attracted Max’s attention. Sure enough, a woman was walking her Great Dane along the beach. She continued on her way, oblivious to his interest.
“One day, you’re gonna forget to keep your voice down, and they’re gonna march right over here, climb up that ladder, and knock you out,” Finn said with a grin. “Or worse, slap you with a complaint for harassment. Just because you work on a site doesn’t mean you have to stick to the usual stereotypes.”
“Stereotypes? A dumb ole boy like me doesn’t cope well with long words.” His eyes twinkled. “Did you miss how stacked she was?” Max mimed an ample bosom. “Gotta love a girl with big hooters.”
Ted cackled. “You sure do. Size is important.”
Finn couldn’t resist. “That’s what your dad says every time I drop my pants.” That drew the usual hoots and snorts. He’d worked with these guys before, and he knew what was expected of him. That was part of the reason he’d been happy about this job. When he’d seen the list of people working the site, he realized he’d be okay. They were all aware that he was gay, and about ninety-nine percent of them didn’t give a shit. The only guy who wasn’t happy about it had long since learned to keep his mouth shut: the others loathed haters with a passion, and the one time he’d made a negative comment, they’d stomped on him—verbally, at least. Which was not a bad thing. Lewis was a big guy with big fists, and Finn pitied the guy who ended up on his wrong side.
“Hey, Finn.” Max tucked his thumbs into his work belt. “Is that what you’re into? Older guys?”
Ted arched his eyebrows. “Hey, Max. Look up in the sky, way, way up high. You see that contrail?” He grinned. “That’s Finn’s joke, going over your head.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Duh. But I’m being serious.” He leveled an intense gaze at Finn. “Would you fuck an older guy?”
“Do you really wanna know?” When Max nodded, Finn beckoned him with a finger. “Closer.” When Max’s ear was within distance, Finn whispered, “None of your fucking business.”
Max sprang away as though burned. “Aw, you don’t have to be like that.”
“Yes he does,” Ted commented. “Why should he tell you? That’s private.”
“Oh, come on. You all know my type.” Max remonstrated.
Ted cackled again. “Sure. If she’s got a pulse, she’s your type. And I’m not even certain about the pulse part.” That earned him hoots of laughter, and Max gave a good-natured grin.
“Doesn’t hurt to ask if Finn has a type,” Max persisted.
“No need to ask,” Lewis said as he climbed the ladder. “We already know.” When Max gave him a puzzled look glance, Lewis caught Finn’s eye. “You got a thing for dog lovers, don’t ya?”
There wasn’t much that got past Lewis.
Finn walked over to where he’d stored his bag and his Thermos. “Well if it’s break time, let’s take a fucking break.” He unscrewed the cap, poured coffee into it, and took a drink, staring at the ocean. Thank God the guy with the dog was nowhere in sight. That would have been all the ammunition Lewis needed.
“Anyone want a cookie? The wife baked.”
Finn eyed the box in Lewis’s hands. “Only if you haven’t touched ’em. We know what you were just doing, remember?”
Lewis guffawed. “A little piss won’t kill ya.”
Finn grimaced. “I’ll pass, thanks.” He sat on his toolbox and took another drink from his flask.