Page 1 of Always Be True: Tino
Chapter 1
“Wait for it…”
Tino Gianelli mumbled the words under his breath as he stood poised and ready to leap into action should it become necessary. Even money said that would be any second now. The petite blonde had caught his attention right after he’d arrived two hours ago. He didn’t know who she was, but he did know the woman possessed way more energy than any one person ought to have. She was here, there, and everywhere. And right now, she was too busy talking to one of the other volunteers to realize she was about to back into an open five-gallon bucket of paint.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished answering one question, someone else called out to her from the other side of the gym. When she turned to reply, only Tino’s quick reflexes and superior strength saved the day. He picked her up by the waist and hauled her to safety a few feet away before setting her back down. As soon as he was sure she wouldn’t fall, he reluctantly released his hold on her.
Wow, she was even shorter than he’d thought. At a shade under six one himself, he had at least eleven inches over her in height, maybe closer to twelve. He pointed toward the bucket. “Sorry if I startled you, but you were inches from disaster.”
At least she didn’t immediately rip into him for manhandling her with no warning. Instead, she stared down at the bright orange plastic bucket he was pointing to and then back up at him. Her eyebrows shot up, and her mouth instantly lit with a bright smile framed by a killer set of dimples. “Well, that would’ve been embarrassing, not to mention a waste of good paint. Thanks for swooping in to save the day—and me.”
He grinned down at her. “You’re welcome.”
She held out her hand. “I’m Natalie Kennigan, project coordinator.”
He liked her firm grip on his hand, but he liked her happy laugh even more. Evidently Tino wasn’t the only one who felt that way, because several others in the area paused what they were doing long enough to glance in their direction. Ignoring them, he kept his entire focus on Natalie. It had been a long time since he’d been around an attractive woman who radiated such warmth, and he couldn’t help but soak up as much as he could.
“Tino Gianelli, volunteer and part-time hero.”
She acknowledged his introduction with another quick smile. “This must be your first time volunteering here, Mr. Gianelli. I would’ve remembered if we’d met before.”
Yeah, well, she was pretty damn unforgettable herself, but he kept that fact to himself. “Yes, it’s my first time here, and please call me Tino.”
“How did you hear about our project?”
Tino looked around the gym. “My mother saw an article in the paper and mentioned it. I had some time on my hands and thought I might be able to help.”
That was mostly true. He’d left the military a few weeks back and had yet to decide what to do next. Evidently he’d been underfoot a bit too much at home, because as soon as his mother read about the project needing volunteers with experience in the building trades, she’d shoved the paper under his nose. After tapping on the article with her forefinger, she’d informed him that if he wasn’t going to get a steady job or go to school, he could at least make himself useful to somebody. He resented the implication that he was no longer pulling his weight. While he didn’t actually mind doing a little physical labor, he’d spent the past ten years serving their country. Wasn’t that enough? Obviously not.
Natalie was too busy studying the newly patched holes in the wall to notice the downturn in his mood. She ran her fingers along the tape he’d just applied to cover up the seams in the drywall. “Well, we appreciate all the help we can get. Especially when said help knows what he’s doing. I’m guessing that’s not the first repair like this you’ve done.”
That was true enough, even if he’d spent most of the last decade with a rifle in his hand instead of a trowel. She didn’t need to hear about that, though.
“Patching drywall is just one of my many talents. I’m also a fair hand at carpentry, simple plumbing, and electrical repairs, not to mention painting.” He reached out to touch the damp smear of soft green color on her cheek with his fingertip and held it up for her to see. “You look good in this color, but I suspect you meant for this to end up on the wall.”
Her fair complexion flushed rosy pink, but her smile didn’t fade in the least as she accepted the rag he pulled out of his hip pocket. As she scrubbed at her cheek, she told him, “It has been mentioned that what I lack in skill I make up for with enthusiasm, which is why they keep me away from the power tools. The details about why that is are truly tragic, so please don’t ask.”
He held up his hands as a promise not to pry. “I’ll just have to let my imagination run wild then. For what it’s worth, right now I’m picturing a battle between you and a wall. It involves jackhammers and chain saws.”
Her laughter rang out again. “Close enough. All I can say is that it was epic.”
Then she gave his toolbox a glance that could only be described as envious. “Are all those toys yours? Looks like you came prepared for anything.”
For anything except meeting someone like her. “I wasn’t sure what kind of work I’d be doing, and I’d rather use my own tools.”
“I’m glad you came prepared. God knows, there are all kinds of jobs around here that need doing. Enough to keep an army of volunteers busy for months.” She glanced around the gym, maybe checking on the progress being made. “Speaking of which, I’d better get back to work myself.”
Tino should’ve let her walk away. He had his own assigned task to finish, but he couldn’t resist spending a few more minutes in her company. “I was about to cut out some more damaged drywall. Want to try out my reciprocating saw?”
Her blue eyes lit up with interest. “Are you sure?”
“Why not? I’ve already marked off the section that needs to come out. All you need to do is cut along the lines. And if things go off the rails a bit, I can always make the patch a little bigger to hide the evidence.”
For a second, he thought she might hug him before she finally said, “I promise to be careful.”
He put on his safety glasses and dug a second pair out of the toolbox. “Here, put these on.”
After giving her a quick tutorial on how the saw worked, he positioned Natalie in front of the damaged area. When she had the tip of the saw aimed at the right spot, he stood directly behind her, ready to coach as necessary. For both their sakes, he needed to concentrate on the job at hand, but he remained all too aware of the sexy woman standing right in front of him. It wouldn’t pay to get distracted by the faint scent of her perfume or the halo of wild curls that had escaped from one of those scrunchie things meant to hold her hair back.
