Close to You

Byrnes.” He held out
his hand and looked her father in the eye. “A friend of
Eve’s.”
    Her dad shook his hand, which to Eve
looked like a battle for a moment. But then they let go, and she
could see grudging respect in her father’s eyes.
    Treat turned to her. She expected that
he’d be cool after her father’s power play, but he looked mildly
amused yet concerned for her. “Allison said there was water
damage.”
    She nodded, suddenly wanting to cry.
Blinking her eyes, she shored up. She couldn’t show weakness in
front of Charles. “Someone left the hose on in the
back.”
    Her father snorted
at someone .
    She ignored him. “It wasn’t on
Saturday as far as I know, so it must have happened Sunday. I
didn’t catch it because I’m closed on Sundays, and this morning
there was water everywhere.”
    “ Can I take a look?” he
asked gently.
    She nodded.
    He smiled at her reassuringly and
headed to the back.
    “ Who is he?” her father
asked, gaze following Treat.
    “ A friend.” He didn’t need
to know Treat was going to be her lover soon. “He’s a
contractor.”
    Charles grunted, watching Treat like
he was going to steal the family silver.
    Treat came back quickly, wiping his
hands on his jeans. “It’s not as bad as it looks. You’ll need new
drywall and paint in a few spots, but the floors are okay as long
as you dry them out completely.”
    Her father glared at her like it was
her fault. “That’s going to cost money, Evangeline.”
    She tried not to wince. “The
insurance—”
    “ If the insurance doesn’t
cover it?”
    She was royally screwed. She gripped
her coffee cup like a lifeline.
    “ If I may,” Treat said,
facing her, “I have a surplus of drywall, and I can get paint at
cost. If your insurance won’t cover it, I can do it for virtually
nothing.”
    Her father turned his glare on Treat.
“Why?”
    Treat regarded him steadily. “Because
I like Eve.”
    It was a simple statement, a
declaration, and a challenge all at once. She felt both thrilled
and apprehensive. Giving Treat a look, she took her father by the
arm and herded him toward the front door. “You said you had a
meeting. I’ll talk to the insurance and get an estimate and send
you a report, okay?”
    “ Fine.” He glanced at his
watch and grimaced. “And call your mother. She’s been nagging me
about you.”
    “ I love you, Dad.” She
reached on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
    He grumbled incoherently, shooting
Treat one last warning look before rushing out of the
store.
    She heaved a sigh of relief the moment
the door closed behind him. “Thank God.”
    Treat walked up to her and speared his
fingers into her hair, massaging the base of her neck. “That
bad?”
    “ He means well.” She moaned
and dropped her head against his chest. “That feels
good.”
    They stood there in silence while he
eased her tension. He finally broke the silence by saying, “I feel
like this is my fault.”
    She looked up at him. “Did you leave
the hose on?”
    “ No.”
    “ Then it’s not your fault.”
She frowned. “It’s not my fault either. I’ve never touched that
hose. Ever.”
    Treat’s brow furrowed. “You think
someone did this purposefully?” he asked carefully.
    She thought of Margaret and her frown
deepened. “It didn’t turn on by itself. I just can’t believe that
anyone would hate me enough to go this far.”
    He lifted her chin and placed a soft
kiss on her lips. “Let me fix this.”
    She blinked. “You’d do this for
me?”
    “ Of course. If it affects
you, it affects me.”
    “ But the cost—”
    “ I think I can get the
materials in salvage, and I’ll do the labor so there’s no cost
there.”
    “ Are you sure?”
    “ Without a doubt.” He
kissed her again.
    “ Thank you.” She hugged him
tight, inhaling his scent, which was both comforting and a turn on.
“Mocha for the road?”
    “ Yes please.” He held her
hand as they walked to the counter.
    She smiled. She hadn’t thought she
could have found anything redeeming about the day, but she’d been
wrong. At this moment, against all odds, even the future looked
bright.

     

Chapter Eighteen
     
    The smell of old bar assailed Treat as
he walked into Durty Nelly’s: stale beer and French fries. He went
straight to the end of the counter where his friend Rick was
already nursing a Guinness.
    Rick didn’t take his eyes off the TV.
“I thought you were going to stand me up.”
    “ Long day.” He raised his
hand and