Page 26 of The Boyfriend Gamble

Darah tackled the electrical work in the master bathroom while Agatha and Niall took delivery of the bathroom fixtures for all three.

Felix hadn’t wanted to do all three at once, but I explained it made sense to do the entire remodel in one go. So they wouldn’t forever be fixing things. All three of the old toilets had issues, and I’d been happy to consign them to the rubbish heap.

As I eyed the steel, antique clawfoot tub Josie had acquired, I was kind of glad I’d hired a few extra laborers to help out. Jay and Kris were guys I’d hired before, while Gina was new to the crew. And, after about half an hour, I acknowledged she was as strong as she’d claimed. Of course, she did volunteer firefighting out of House Three up near where we were, so she’d be able to lug around about a hundred pounds worth of equipment. She also kept her cell phone close to hand in case she got a call. With the higher temperatures came dryer conditions, and structure fires became critical to put out in case sparks got into the dry underbrush or parched trees.

She eyed the tub. “Well, okay, then.”

“Flooring first,” Niall pointed out.

Gina turned at the sound of a truck pulling into the driveway. Her eyes lit when she realized more supplies were arriving. She did a little happy dance and headed down to meet the driver.

Niall slapped me on the back. “She’s a keeper.”

Eight hours later, I had to agree. Gina earned her pay and then some. So did all my crew. We worked like demons on the bathroom and, after a few problems, the entire thing was done.

I patted her on the back as we stood, as a group, on the front porch.

Kris eyed the drooping porch. “I should probably do that tomorrow.”

“Yeah, we should do a quick safety survey in the morning. I did it before, but I missed that, and now I’m worried what else I might’ve missed.” I wiped my damp forehead with my sleeve. “Okay, let’s call it a day.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Gina bounded down the stairs and headed along the long driveway to where she’d parked her car on the road.

Darah nudged me, then took off as well.

The rest of the crew followed. Mine was the only vehicle in the parking area of the house because we’d had deliveries arriving all day.

Even with eight of us, this would be a tight project to finish on time. I’d cleared the decks, though, and this was the only thing we had to work on.

As Agatha drove off in her van—the last straggler—Felix’s car appeared, and he drove up the driveway.

More sweat dripped down my face.

Ah, fuck it.

The workday was over, so I yanked my T-shirt over my head then stuck my face in the stinky thing so I could wipe the sweat off my face. Fuck, was it ever hot. Even up here in the mountains where we might’ve expected a bit of respite, we got none. Just brutal, unrelenting heat.

Felix stopped at the edge of the walkway and stared at me.

More specifically, he stared at my bare chest.

Like…huh?

He’d seen me virtually, or even completely, naked hundreds of times. My family had a swimming pool, for crying out loud. Yet he was looking at me…in a weird way.

I glanced down at my chest, trying to discern if something was amiss. Alas, just my abs that weren’t quite as washboard as I’d wish, a bit too much chest hair for my liking, and no tan because Mom drilled into us how bad the sun was. Even at twenty-eight, I listened to my mother, and if that meant sunscreen, then it was a small price to pay to keep her happy.

What’s he staring at?

I just wasn’t certain. “You want to come see the work we’ve done today?”

Slowly, he nodded. “Uh, sure.”

Holding his gaze for just another moment, I nodded then gestured to the cabin doorway.

He followed me in.

“Watch your step.” He was smart enough to know that, but I said that to everyone stepping into my construction zone. He didn’t need a hard hat, but he probably should be wearing boots instead of his shiny loafers.I’ll tell him that later.

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