Page 6 of Love Over Time

“What the hell was that?” she asked.

“Structural damage to—” A loud crack, followed by another rumble boomed around us, and within seconds the pavement in front of the hotel collapsed, taking her car with it. “Are you sure you want to keep that promise?”

Chapter Three

Her Plan Was the Only Plan

Nikki

The world was literally falling apart around me. Henry braced his straining biceps on either side of me. I leaned my head against the brick wall and met his gaze. His strength was familiar and comforting. I’d been on my own for so long I’d forgotten what it was like to be part of something. A warm flutter rushed across my belly. I’d bet my cheeks were hot red too.

He forced out a long breath and winced. This close, the familiar serenity of his brown eyes brought back more memories of the summer we’d spent together when I was ten. Right before it had all gone to hell.Henry Cavalier. I’d been so focused on getting to the hotel I hadn’t stopped to really see him. But now we were here. Had I meant so little to him that he didn’t remember me? Fine. I wasn’t here for some cheesy reunion. I was here for Lisa. I stared at him, still not fully believing he was the boy who’d broken my heart so long ago.

I glanced at my car. It’d nose-dived into a sinkhole in the middle of the street that was easily six feet deep, half-filled with crumbled asphalt. I pushed Henry away from me and lifted his car key off the inside of his jean pocket. No, this wasn’t the best way to thank him for saving my life, but I’d survived all these years by trusting my instincts and reacting quickly as situations presented themselves.

Henry had let his guard down for a second, and I needed a car. “I always keep my promises,” I answered.

In all fairness, it’d taken me years to make good on my promise to Lisa. And I wasn’t sure the Cavalier Hotel was the way to deliver on that vow. The place was a wreck, a real, live wreck. “Okay, Construction Guy, is there anything else that’s going to crap out on us today?”

His eyebrows went up before he faced the massive pothole, which was about the length of the hotel entrance. He rubbed the sexy stubble on his jaw and prowled around the wreckage. The narrow sidewalk where he’d dragged me for cover was intact, but beyond that, the street had caved in.

“Can’t really say for sure until we get in there, but it looks like this should be it.” He strolled to the curb of the footpath and craned his neck to get a better view. “And not that it matters, but I’m not a construction worker.”

“Earlier you were in a construction site, holding a stop sign. What does that make you?”

“That makes me the architect the town hired to renovate the old downtown.”

He wrinkled his nose before he dropped into the hole. Or did he fall? Shit. I rushed to the edge, where the asphalt had split in half, creating a sort of ramp. I stepped on it, and it wobbled. A shock of adrenaline made me stumble back.

“Stay where you are.” His voice came from somewhere below.

“How come you’re down there?” I didn’t like being told what to do.

“Because I know what I’m doing,” he said, deadpan, and I rolled my eyes. “I saw that.” His voice rumbled closer to where I was. “You want your stuff or not?”

I had completely forgotten about my luggage. “Could you also get my purse?” A second later, my bag landed a couple of feet away, followed by my luggage. My second suitcase weighed more than fifty pounds, but he threw it over his head like a bag of marshmallows.Show off. “So you’re here to restore the town. How are you going to find the time to work on your revenge mission?”

He probably said it for shock value, but something in his eyes made me wonder if maybe there was more to it. Were we here for the same thing?

He climbed out of the hole with dark smudges on his face and his tanned skin glistening. I swallowed hard, crossing my arms. God, he made it hard for me to focus. The bit of chest hair and the curve of a tattoo peeking over the vee of his T-shirt weren’t helping either. I had to call Lisa. This plan of hers had no shot, not with this version of Henry in the way.

“That was meant as a joke.” He dusted his jeans.

I gave him my best smile and closed the space between us. He sucked in air when I touched his arm. “You’re hard to read. This coming from someone like me, it’s saying something.”

He chuckled, raking a hand through his hair. A wayward strand fell back across his forehead down to his eyebrow. “I know what you are.”

Something hot rushed through me. He didn’t saywho. “You first.” I braced my hands on my hips. “What did this town do to you? Maybe there’s a way we can help each other.”

He swallowed. The effort made him look dangerous. Not at all like the Henry I remembered. His dark gaze darted from the condemned hotel, to the broken street, and me. “I don’t know what brought you here. What I do know is that everything that comes out of that pretty mouth of yours is either a lie or a half truth. I see you. You’re full of tells, and you’re a horrible liar, but somehow people buy your act. My guys certainly did.”

My heartbeat picked up the pace at his words. I stepped closer. “What am I?”

“A thief.”

There it was again, a rush, a bubble in my chest. “I prefer con artist.” I rested my hand on his neck, and he let me. His pulse throbbed fast and hard against my fingers. He was affected by my touch, even if his face remained blank.

“Same difference.” He met my gaze. “The question is what are you here to steal.”

---