Sugar Pie by Victoria Pinder
24
Warren
The day flew by, and Kerry pitched in a few times to help me angle in some of my counters.
The guys who were painting the house and the team working on the fireplace were all there, so we talked as we ate lunch.
Kerry giggled the whole time, probably because she was the only woman there. As we left, I placed my hand on her back and asked, “What are your thoughts?”
She pointed behind her. “Some of the guys you work with are hilarious.”
I nodded. She was right. They were fun to spend a few hours with as we worked. “I want some of them to work on our project, too, if possible.”
She tried to rein in her smile as she saluted. “Get their info so I can schedule everything.”
I walked her to the truck. “About the houses?”
“Twelve-to-fifteen-foot ceilings are ideal. I loved how Frankie took his time in the house and made every ceiling slightly different. He has talent.”
“Agreed.” I opened the door. “You fit in today.”
She slid into the truck. “You didn’t share any silly stories about risks you took in your younger days.”
Shyness wasn’t my thing. I rubbed my neck as I walked around then joined her. “Did you want me to?”
She opened her window and let in some fresh air. “Yeah, I guess so.”
My mind quickly settled on one story. “Well, when I was skiing with my brother Gerard, we were racing so fast, he dropped his pole, as he was determined to beat me down the mountain. I tossed mine to ensure I won, and we were probably going sixty miles per hour or more. I’d never gone that fast in my life.”
She pressed her hand on my heart. “I don’t ski, but that doesn’t sound good.”
It wasn’t. I could have flown into something or someone and hurt myself or others, but I had been a stupid teenager. I nodded. “I was clueless and speeding like a bullet train. Faster and faster down the mountain until suddenly, I saw people. My heart was in my throat, as I wasn’t sure how to stop. I whizzed past my mother only because Arman shuffled her out of the way.”
She covered her lips. “What?”
I nodded. “A second later, Arman and Cyrus, the older and clearly wiser ones, barreled into us, knocking us both on our asses. Our skis went flying in the air while we cooled off in the freezing snow. Cyrus shouted how we were reckless and put people’s lives in jeopardy. It was the only time in my life I remember being happy to be knocked down for being an idiot.”
She squeezed my arm. “At least it ended well.”
I glanced into her eyes and knew I would do anything for her. “Maturity helped straighten me out.”
She shrugged and put her seat belt on. “We were all kids once. Let’s finish the small jobs now so we can head home.”
“Sounds good.” I blinked. Giving her my heart wasn’t too risky.
