Page 35 of Challenging Jayce

CHAPTER21

When she pictured remodelingJayce's house, she thought he would be doing it with her. Instead, she got Austin, the former marshal who was absolutely pulling double duty at the moment.

"So you were a marshalanda plumber before coming here?"

Austin chuckled. "Don't forget the Army. I'm a man of many talents."

That was obvious. "So where did you learn to do this stuff?"

The wall between the fourth bedroom and the old master bathroom was torn down. Austin was currently reworking the plumbing so the shower could be moved and made bigger.

"Videos mostly. Self-taught for a vast majority of it and the rest I learned from my father and uncle. They believed a man needs to dabble in a little bit of everything if he wants to survive."

That was a good piece of advice. She wondered what Jayce knew how to do since he mentioned a remodel wouldn't be a problem.

"You've known Jayce awhile, right?"

If Austin was surprised by the abrupt change of subject, he didn't let on. "Since our days in the Army. Seventeen years, I believe. We all stayed in touch when we got out and would get together at least once a year before we decided to start the security company together."

"Did he always force himself to live in crappy apartments?"

It was probably against some man code to be asking these questions and expecting Austin to answer but she was curious. No, it was more than that. She needed insight into who Jayce was.

"It was different when he worked for the Secret Service. He traveled so much that having a place was pointless, so he lived mostly out of hotel rooms. We tried to convince him to get a cheap studio and eventually he caved, but yeah, it was pretty much the same. Run-down in a crappy neighborhood."

Devastating. She hated to think he spent all his time telling himself he had to live that way.

"I'm glad he's finally getting away from that kind of thing."

"It's because of you and Michael."

She shook her head. "It's all Michael. I'm just helping design the house."

Austin scoffed. "Don't sell yourself short. Jayce could've easily purchased a house, had a designer come in and furnish it in a week and not even thought twice about it. He has the means. The fact that he took your advice and purchased this houseandis now letting you help design it is telling enough. This isn't just about Michael."

She bit her lip and thought about what he said.

"I'm worried Jasmine messed him up too much," she admitted.

"Oh, she messed him up alright, but he let her have that control for far too long. He should've gotten over that hurt fifteen years ago. Instead he tortured himself for not being good enough. We were starting to lose hope that he would ever change. Then you came along, and for the first time, we’re seeing our old friend again."

Suddenly that felt like a lot of pressure and she wasn't sure she could handle it. "You give me too much credit."

Austin looked her in the eye when he said, "No, you aren't giving yourself enough. I know my friend. He's going to guard his heart after what Jasmine did to him and then after finding out about Michael. But what you don't see is the way he's different around you. Trust me when I tell you, him asking for your help on this is his way of extending an olive branch. It's going to take him time to give more but he will. I can see it."

She smiled at the thought but also felt the need to reassure Austin. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

Austin didn’t break eye contact when he answered. “I know that.”

Well, now she was curious. “How do you know that?”

He chuckled. “I happen to be good at reading people and I like to observe those around me. I could tell within five minutes of spending time with you that you were good for Jayce. Besides, I’ve heard how fiercely overprotective you are of your nephew. No way in hell do you screw that up by breaking Jayce’s heart.”

He had her there.

“Jayce is lucky to have you,” she told him after a few moments of silence.

“No, I’m the lucky one. Jayce can be prickly, but because of the things that happened to him, there’s no one you will find who’s more loyal.”

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