Page 8 of The Fake Fiance's Billionaire Adversary
“I really don’t want to disappoint my mom.” He mumbled something, and she couldn’t be sure she heard him right, but she could’ve sworn he’d tacked on “as always” at the end. This man didn’t strike her as someone who let people down often.
Before he’d offered to buy her bed and breakfast, she’d been really attracted to him, going even so far as to be a bumbling mess around him. It wouldn’t be a real chore to call him fiancée. Still, lying to an entire group of people and keeping up the pretense that they were together? That could be a spider’s web of lies to get tangled up in. Was it worth it?
“I really need to think about it,” Reagan said.
He lifted his head, and the blue eyes that had captivated her the first time she met him were filled with sorrow. “I know. I’m not going to rush you. Thanksgiving is in two weeks, and you have until then.” He slowly stood and rubbed his hands down his jeans. “I’ll get going. I have an early morning, and I bet you do too.”
She rose from her chair and walked with him to the door. “Well, breakfast isn’t going to cook itself.”
“I sometimes wish these houses would remodel themselves,” he said with a chuckle. “You’ve got my number, right?”
“Yeah, I still have your card from the last time you were here.”
Once he was out the door, she shut and locked it. Leaning against it, she went back over their conversation. It sure was a lot to consider. A relationship itself was hard enough without pretending to be in one. Still, the prospects of getting current on her note along with the roof and porch fixed sure was tempting. What other options did she have?
She covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned. It was also something she needed to ponder when she wasn’t feeling like the walking dead. This was a decision for after her morning coffee tomorrow.
Chapter 5
If there was a record for checking a person’s phone, Hunter would be a gold champion. Since his conversation with Reagan a week ago, he’d been glued to his phone, waiting for her to call with her answer. If this was payback for offering to purchase The Sandy Pelican, it was working.
“You’ve been looking at your phone every ten minutes for days now. Do you have a girlfriend I don’t know about?” Stone asked, holding a cabinet ready for installation.
Not hardly, but Hunter didn’t want to share the real reason either. The amount of ribbing he’d get wasn’t worth it. Instead of answering his partner, he tucked his phone back in his jean pocket and changed the subject. “Did the new dumpster get delivered to the other job site?”
The one that had originally been delivered had filled up quickly from the demolition. They’d underestimated what they’d needed, and demo had stopped for a few days until the dumpster company could get them a bigger one.
His partner shook his head. “Nice sidestep there, buddy. Yeah, it’s been delivered.”
This was one of the reasons Hunter hated delegating jobs. It was too easy to get stalled on a project and delay getting it on the market. More often than not, things like that had a domino effect, and it cost them money. Another item on Hunter’s list of cons for the business. It made him that much more motivated to sell his half. Even if he didn’t end up purchasing the bed and breakfast, he was done flipping.
Hunter took the cabinet from Stone and rested it on the piece of wood he’d nailed to the wall as a guide. Stone wouldn’t have needed it. This was where their individual talents came into play. Hunter couldn’t eyeball things like Stone. The guy had a knack for just knowing if something was straight or not. If only that gift carried over to demo. Stone never accounted for unknown issues, even after all these years.
With the cabinet held in place, Hunter used the drill to sink the screw. They’d be hidden once the tile backsplash was installed.
“I guess demo has started again, then?” Hunter asked.
Stone nodded. “Yeah, but it got there late, so we’ll only get about an hour before it’s quitting time.”
Hunter held his frustration in. “Better than none at all.”
“You’re going to that job site to do some demo after this, aren’t you?”
Hunter stepped off the ladder he’d used to reach the top screws and surveyed his work. “I might.”
“Let’s go out for a beer. I’m going to save you from yourself tonight,” Stone said.
Hunter’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out. Reagan. He answered and motioned to Stone that he’d be back in a minute. “Hi.” He walked out of the kitchen and away from listening ears.
“Hi, Hunter,” Reagan said.
It had been years since he’d been this nervous to talk to someone. Then again, it wasn’t every day he offered to pay someone to be engaged to him. And when he put it like that, it put a bad taste in his mouth.
“Uh…” She cleared her throat. “Do you happen to be free for dinner at my place tonight?”
Dinner? He blinked. “Uh, sure,” he said. Like he’d have plans. Hardly. If he wasn’t having dinner with her, he’d be eating pretzels at a sports bar with Stone, watching a game he didn’t care about played by people he didn’t know. Eating a meal with Reagan would be a step up, even if they just ate pretzels.
“Good. Think you could make it to the bed and breakfast by, say, six or so?”
