Reckless In Love(46)

Her lips were only a breath away. "One day, I'll build you a cabin from the ground up with my own two hands."

"So hot." Her tongue licked out against his lips before she gave him a sizzling kiss right there on the sidewalk.

Her taste thoroughly fried his brain. He almost couldn't remember where he'd put his tool belt.

"It's in the back," she drawled, knowing exactly what she'd done to him.

He smacked one last kiss on her beautiful mouth, then grabbed his tool  belt from the bed of the truck and called out to a couple of guys in the  garage, who were checking off boxed materials on clipboards, "You know  where Daniel is?"

An older man, his shirt sporting the Top-Notch DIY logo, hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Inside."

With Charlie's hand in his, they climbed the wooden crates that had been  set up as temporary porch steps. Voices carried from the kitchen and  they followed the noise into a room crowded with Mavericks, the  contractors Daniel had brought in, and a group of teenage volunteers.

"Glad you could make it." Daniel high-fived Sebastian, then leaned down  to give Charlie a hug. When surprise flickered on her face, Sebastian  realized she still hadn't accepted the fact that she was now a Maverick.

Standing next to Daniel, Will had his arm around Harper, her brother Jeremy beside them.

"Hey, Sebastian, Will said I could have a day off to come help."  Jeremy's voice was big, enthusiastic, bright, and that described him to a  T. He'd been hit by a car when he was seven years old and had suffered  extensive brain damage. While he would always have the mind of that  seven-year-old, he was the sweetest kid. Okay, he wasn't a kid at  eighteen, but he was always so damn happy and optimistic. Just as  Sebastian had told Francine's story at his last workshop, he'd told  Jeremy and Harper's story too. Bad things happened sometimes, but people  were capable of overcoming them.

Sebastian introduced Charlie, and Jeremy was immediately bouncing on his  toes with excitement. "The Zantis are awesome, Charlie."

"Thank you." She patted his arm. "What do you think about having  something of your very own? Maybe a sculpture to look like your favorite  car?"

His eyes went wide. "Wow. A Birdcage Maserati sculpture would be way cool."

Matt had brought his son Noah, and the boy was already down on the floor  playing with a plastic toolset, aided by a pretty, twentysomething  young woman.

"Who's that?" Will asked. "Your new nanny?"

"Ariana works at my San Jose store," Daniel answered for Matt. "She had  to rearrange some hours at her second job so she could be here today.  Everyone loves her."         

     



 

"She's great with Noah," Harper noted. "He's laughing as hard as he does when Jeremy gives him an elephant ride on his back."

Noah's laughter was a balm, especially to Matt, whose only desire was to  see his son happy. He'd had a rough go of things with Noah's mother.  Sebastian felt his pain. All the Mavericks did.

Speaking of pain, thankfully Evan hadn't brought his wife-God forbid  Whitney should break a nail. Evan's sister-in-law Paige had come  instead. Sebastian had always liked her. Though she was pretty, she  wasn't the bombshell her sister was-at least, not until you saw her  smile-and mercifully she didn't have her sister's explosive tendencies  either.

"Okay, people," Daniel called. "I'll organize everyone into teams and  assign your tasks. You're my leaders, and you'll be responsible for your  team members. I'm including a list of kids on each task so they can get  some experience. We want them to learn, so be patient and explain what  you're doing, okay? Materials are in the garage and on the concrete pad  out back. John does electrical and Roger is our plumber, so check in  with them if you have questions. In addition to remodeling the kitchen,  we're painting inside and out, installing double-pane windows and new  floors, and redoing all bathroom fixtures, toilets, and showers-three  upstairs, two downstairs. With all of us working hard today, we should  be ready for the inspectors tomorrow. Here are the assignments." He  grinned at everyone. "Let the fun begin."

* * *

Charlie and Sebastian were given kitchen duty and assigned two  fresh-faced seventeen-year-olds, a boy named Ezekial (who asked them to  call him EZ) and a girl, Stacey. As Sebastian laid out the base cabinet  instructions on the floor, Charlie was again glad she'd come. If it  turned out that she couldn't squeeze any college classes into her fall  schedule, at least she'd have logged in a little teaching time today.

"We'll need screwdrivers." Sebastian pulled one from his belt. "Here's  how we put the pieces together." He was fast and efficient, as if he  used to install kitchens for a living, and the kids watched with  interest, taking in everything he said and did. "And we're done." The  cabinet, which would contain drawers, fit perfectly next to the stove,  according to Daniel's floor plan. "Now let's do the corner cabinet  that'll go beside it."

Instead of letting them try themselves, Sebastian put that one together  too. Charlie didn't want to take over, but since teaching was a big part  of the exercise, when Sebastian started to take on a third cabinet  solo, she had to butt in.

"We probably need to split up and each take a cabinet, or we'll never  get them all done." She tried to make it sound like an idea rather than a  comment on his training skills.

For just a moment, frustration flashed in his eyes, then it was gone. He nodded and everyone took a carton to start work.

Charlie was usually a pro at this sort of thing, but honestly, today she  was having trouble focusing on the job at hand. Sebastian was so damned  sexy in his tool belt. And when she started to have visions of him  wearing only the tool belt and nothing else? Her hands actually  trembled, she wanted to reach for him so badly.

As if she'd transmitted her thoughts straight to him, their gazes met  over the kids' bent heads. The look of love brimming in his eyes wrapped  around her, as though he held her heart carefully in his hand. God, she  loved him, falling deeper with every day, every moment.

She'd seen him on stage and at what seemed like a million galas, but it  was a whole different level of sweetness to see how kind and patient he  was with the kids. When Stacey started screwing in the corner cupboard  carousels before they'd mounted the cabinets, he didn't get mad or  banish her to the garage to fold cardboard for the trash. He simply  said, "We'll hang the cabinets first, and then put in the carousels and  drawers, okay?"

"Why?"

Sebastian was already moving ahead and said only, "You'll see."

Charlie touched Stacey's arm. "Since the cabinets are actually mounted  on the wall, it's easier to hang them and get them straight when they're  empty."

Stacey smiled at her. "Thanks, it helps to know that."

Meanwhile, EZ had forgotten to use the level on the cabinet mounting  bars, ending up with one side lower than the other-and Sebastian had  already stepped in to fix it while EZ stood back and let him.

Just as Charlie decided to butt in again, suggesting that EZ fix his own  mistakes, she was interrupted by a gravelly male voice. "What have we  got going on in here?"         

     



 

A smile a mile wide creased Sebastian's face. In the open garage door,  the big, bald, ruddy-faced man enfolded the much taller Sebastian in a  bear hug. Then Bob stood aside so that Sebastian could gather Susan into  a hug as bearlike as the one Bob had given him.

It was obvious who the couple was given the affection and adoration in  Sebastian's eyes and voice. Charlie felt her chest squeeze tight. These  people might not be his birth parents, but they meant the world to him.

"I've got someone I want you to meet." Sebastian held out his hand to her. "This is Charlie."

The fact that he didn't say her last name-that she was just Charlie-meant he'd told these special people about her.

Susan took both her hands, giving Charlie's heartstrings another strong  tug. "Charlie, I couldn't be happier to meet you. I read that article  about your sculpture at the Regent Hotel. I'm so delighted for you."

"Thank you. And it's so nice to meet you too. I've heard such amazing  things about you and Bob." She smiled at the lovely, fiftysomething  woman. "And Sebastian hasn't exaggerated a bit."

A few inches taller than Charlie, Susan had a trim build, an engaging  smile and knowing eyes. When she glanced at Sebastian, then back to  Charlie, it was as if she knew everything, approved, and accepted.  Charlie warmed all over. The only woman she'd ever felt total acceptance  from was her mother. But with one little sideways look, Susan Spencer  made her feel as though she could be a Maverick.

"Now, where are the rest of my boys?" Susan called, and Jeremy immediately came running.

"Grandma!"

After fifteen minutes for all the hugs and hellos, Daniel put his  parents to work in one of the second-floor bathrooms. They all settled  back into their jobs, until twelve-thirty, when Daniel blew a whistle  like a drill sergeant and yelled from the front room, "Lunch break,  everyone! Pizza in the backyard."