Page 13 of Shift of Destiny
The implication of his words sunk in. “Oh no, I got you fired, didn’t I?” She shouldn’t have given into the overwhelming temptation to kiss him last night and make him late. “I’m so sorry.”
Chance put his hand over hers. “It wasn’t your fault. I resigned.”
“You did?” It was hard to ignore his touch, but she had to know she wasn’t messing up his life. “Why?”
Chance sighed. “Because I was tired of not using my skills. Working the night shift meant I never saw anyone. It was sheer luck I met you.” His soft smile melted her heart, and made her want to kiss him senseless, right then and there.
Mr. Maxen cleared his throat loudly. “And it’s my good fortune to be able to make use of Mr. McKennie’s expertise.”
Moira groped to find her rational thoughts again. She took out her sandwich and showed it to Chance. “Tuna salad. Want half?”
His crooked smile made him even sexier than his jeans did. “No, I just ate breakfast.” He was obviously still on a night-shift schedule. Left to her own devices, she was a night owl, herself.
An idea struck. “Mr. Maxen, I’d like to earn some of that outrageous salary you’re paying me by helping with the renovation. I’m pretty handy with power tools, and I have experience.”
“You do?” He looked shocked.
She tried not to take his skeptical tone personally. Old-fashioned Mr. Maxen probably wasn’t used to women who knew basic carpentry. “Sure. I can frame and drywall, and tape seams like a pro. I’m pretty good with a paint roller, too, at least for prime coats.”
Unexpectedly, Chance came to her aid. “The project will go a lot faster with her help.” His confidence in her made her want to kiss him again. She was beginning to think pretty much anything he did would make her want to kiss him.Later,she promised herself.
“I can work evenings, after we close the store. Besides, it’ll be cooler.” She waved toward the ceiling. “Are you wanting to keep the original bedrooms as they are?”
“I hadn’t decided.” He gave both her and Chance a considering glance. “Why don’t I close the shop for a few minutes and we go up and look?”
* * *
The afternoon alternately flew and dragged by, depending on whether she was helping customers or counting the minutes until they could get started working on remodeling the second floor. She loved projects like this, and learning new skills.
The upstairs originally had four bedrooms plus a bathroom, but some previous owner had combined a couple of the bedrooms by the simple expedient of knocking down a wall. Mr. Maxen had lived up there when he’d first bought the store about twenty-five years ago, but found it too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. He bought a separate small home and used the store’s second floor for seasonal retail stock and old furniture.
His goal was to renovate the rooms so he could host occasional out-of-town guests, rather than send them to the expensive casino or tiny motel. The new space would have two airy bedrooms with big closets, and a central sitting room with a small bar area to take advantage of the original woodwork near the stairs. Chance would work with a plumber to enlarge and modernize the bathroom, and add a small, private powder room to the larger of the two bedrooms. He’d sketched the plans as they talked, and Mr. Maxen approved.
While she helped customers, Chance was making detailed measurements and evaluating the house’s plumbing, electrical, and heating systems to see what needed upgrading. It was just as well she had to work to keep her busy, because every overhead thump she heard reminded her he was there, and fueled her erotic fantasies of what she could be doing with a hot handyman. He’d have never gotten anything done.
Right at seven, Mr. Maxen invited her and Chance to the small office area, handed her a cream-colored envelope with her day’s pay, then announced he was leaving immediately. “I want to get an early start on my day off.”
She’d forgotten the store was closed on Mondays. “Could Chance and I still work upstairs tonight and tomorrow? It’d be a good time for the noisy demolition work.” She glanced at Chance to see if he concurred.
He nodded. “Shepherd Knight said he’d lend me some demolition tools, and has a roll-off debris bin we can use. He’s dropping them and the I-beam off later tonight.”
Mr. Maxen frowned. “Pandora and I are leaving for a dem… er, Laramie this evening.”
Moira started to say the project could wait, but it couldn’t. As soon as her car was ready, she had to make another random jump, and fast. She owed it to both Mr. Maxen and Chance to do as much as she could before she left. “Would you trust Chance or me with the keys and the alarm codes?”
A lucky car headlight flashed high across the mirror next to the stairs.
Mr. Maxen held up his hands in surrender. “No need to use your magic, Ms. Graham. I accept your generous offer. I’ll even throw in dinner wherever you like. Have them put it on my tab.”
“My magic?” Everyone in Kotoyeesinay seemed to have magic on the brain.
Mr. Maxen glanced at Chance, then gave her a wry smile. “Your power of persuasion.”
She was certain that wasn’t what he’d meant, but she didn’t want to argue with her boss.
He showed them how to work the alarm and had them memorize the eight-digit code and write down his phone number in case of trouble. He showed Chance the silent alarm switch under the sales counter that would alert the sheriff’s office. “Oh, and one more thing. You should both stay out of the workroom area as much as possible while I’m not there.”
Chance nodded, but he was busy reviewing a list he’d pulled out of his work vest pocket.
“Don’t worry about that,” she said firmly. “The lights in there give me a nasty headache.”
He tilted his head inquisitively. “They’re the same out here.” He pointed up toward the fluorescent ceiling fixtures. “These don’t bother you?”
She shrugged one shoulder and looked down. “Sometimes the reflections off the mirrors do, especially the big ones.”
“Don’t forget to lock up when you leave.” He shouldered the soft carrier that contained a wiggly white kitten, then handed her the spare key. “Perhaps you should quit trying so hard not to see what’s in front of you.”
That clinched it. Everyone in the town of Kotoyeesinay was crazy. But she didn’t care, because after Mr. Maxen left, she had a whole evening with the man she’d been dreaming about day and night. It would hurt like fire to let him go, but if life on the run had taught her nothing else, it was to seize the moment, because it would never come again.
