Page 40 of Daddy By Design

The retro style street lamps slowly illuminated as I rolled down Main as if they were on a timer or activated by the setting sun. Flags on the storefronts fluttered in the light breeze off the water. A pizza place was doing a brisk business, and a wine store had a dozen people doing a tasting on their outside patio. As we got nearer to my sister’s restaurant, my gut twisted. The only other place open was a diner near the gazebo.

“I’m right there near Kinleigh’s Attic. Ugh, I mean Ladybug Treasures. I keep forgetting about the name change.”

A vague memory of a man helping me to my truck with Dahlia snaked through. “Did someone help you drag me to my truck?”

She glanced at me. “Remember that part?”

“Vaguely.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

I tightened my hold on the steering wheel. I didn’t want her to think I was a complete waste of humanity. Especially if I wanted to work on the house with her crew—if we came to an understanding. “Comes and goes. Weather tends to make them worse.”

“Oh. That should be interesting living here where the weather goes haywire at the drop of a hat.”

I grunted.

“Your conversation skills are superb.”

“If I hire you, will you want to talk all the damn time?”

She bit her lower lip. “Which answer will get you to hire me?”

“Which do you think?”

Her lips twitched. “You know, design requires talking and collaborating.”

“I tell you what I want, you do it.” My voice sharp with annoyance. I was used to getting people to do what I wanted.

“We can work it that way, but I find that collaborating brings forth a better design.”

I unlocked her door. “Bye, Hellcat.”

She huffed out a breath. “If you’re going for the beast alone in the scary house, you’re going to get your wish.”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Not if you want a relationship with Macy. Though you guys are equally surly. Well, until she started getting laid.” She opened the door and slid out of the seat.

“Offering, Hellcat?”

She slammed the door in reply, and I threw my head back with a laugh. Laughter was a rare commodity in my life.

Before I could think too much about that, I pulled away from her.

I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her staring after me with her hands on her hips. Much like the last time I drove away from her.

I kept driving, getting her out of my view as quickly as possible. She was distracting and annoying as hell. Too bad my not-so LITTLE DICK was interested. Probably because it had been a good long time since I’d gotten a woman under me.

After the accident, I’d shut myself away from everyone. I didn’t like being a sideshow for those interested in the artist that survived his own sculpture trying to murder him, nor did I like the pity. It was just easier to stay away from people, especially when I didn’t have anything to offer.

Everything of worth had spilled out of me as surely as the blood on my cement floor.

And I was pretty sure that was where it remained.

I got past the grocery store, which seemed to be the last business on Main Street before it became a winding road going somewhere named Turnbull. It was more of a rural area full of heavy trees that diffused the late evening sun. Signs for Brothers Three Orchard as well as smaller vegetable and fruit establishments were the only things out there from what I could tell. A few houses seemed to be buried in the deep wooded areas.

It was the off-season for the orchards and well past closing time for the smaller stands, but I liked to know my surroundings. I didn’t really have a great set-up for cooking, but I did prefer to give my money to small businesses.

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