The Haneys: What You Do To Me Part 10

Since when did remodeling and construction work have anything to do with intimacy, and when had Sam become her handyman? Shaking off the ridiculous notions, she headed for her new bathroom to take a shower. Unfortunately, every single tile and fixture reminded her of Sam. "Argh. I need professional help, some kind of therapy."

"Frank, I'm leaving," Trudy called down the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs. "Do you need anything before I go?" She slipped into her coat and slung her purse over her shoulder. He kept his workbench and tools on one side of the bas.e.m.e.nt, and nothing made her husband happier than creating gadgets or fixing things around the house.

"Nope. I'm fine," her husband called back from his man cave. "Have fun, and don't forget, we're meeting the Meyers for dinner at the club tonight."

"I won't forget." Trudy rolled her eyes. Did he think she was going senile? They'd been meeting their best friends for dinner once a month for as long as she and Frank had been married. "I'll be home by four." She left him to his puttering, walked outside to their driveway and climbed into her sister's Jeep. "Haley is joining us."

"Good." Nanci backed her SUV out of the driveway. "We'll get to see the progress on her remodeling. Has she given you any clue about whether or not the handyman has done the real job you hired him to do?"

"No," Trudy muttered. "I'm kind of thinking the whole idea is a bust, but at least I won't have to worry anymore that her house will fall down around her ears."

Nanci turned onto the parkway leading to Haley's bungalow. "The job isn't finished yet. Since Haley insisted on learning how to do things from him, she and Sam have been spending quite a bit of time together, and Haley is attractive. It could still happen."

"Haley spending time with him isn't what I had in mind." Trudy scowled. "According to what we heard on Loaded Question, Sam Haney is extremely promiscuous, an opportunist. I just wanted him to make a pa.s.s at her. A pa.s.s she'd turn down, of course. That's all."

Guilt turned her breakfast into an uncomfortable lump in her stomach. She shouldn't have set her daughter up the way she had. What if the handyman tried to take advantage of Haley somehow? After all, she was in a vulnerable place. Other than Michael, she hadn't dated much in high school. What did she know about men like Sam? Nothing. Trudy frowned. Maybe she should confess, tell her daughter what she'd done and why. Then she wouldn't have to worry about Haley being taken in by the s.e.xy handyman.

By the time she and Nanci parked in front of Haley's house, Trudy's hands were shaking and she couldn't seem to get enough air into her lungs. "Do you think I ought to tell her what I did?"

"No." Nanci narrowed her eyes at her. "If you're right, and the whole thing failed, then why does she ever need to know? And, if by chance Sam does make a pa.s.s once the job is finished, Haley still might come out of her funk." She opened her car door. "Take a wait-and-see approach for now."

Trudy nodded, though doubt still gnawed at her. Haley waved at them from her front door. Her daughter really was a lovely young woman, and she deserved every happiness. Perhaps she'd think of some other way to help her get past her heartbreak. There had to be someone who knew someone who had a great single son. She'd ask the Meyers at dinner tonight.

"Can't wait to see what's been done to your house," Nanci said as she walked into the cozy bungalow. Trudy followed.

"I can't wait to show you," Haley said. "Are you going to take off your coats, or do you just want a quick look before we head to the mall?"

"I think a quick look," Nanci suggested. "When everything is finished, you can have us all over for dinner."

"That's a great idea." Haley's eyes lit up. "We'll be done right after Christmas. I'll have a New Year's Day open house for family and a few friends."

We'll. Haley had said we'll be done, as if she and the handyman were partners on the job. Trudy pursed her lips. What did that mean?

"Come see my new bathroom." Haley led them through her house toward the room and stepped back so they could enter.

Curious, Trudy leaned in and scanned the remodeled bathroom. She gasped. "Wow. It's-"

"Perfect," her sister finished the sentence for her. "I love the colors in here. I can't believe your old bathroom has turned into this."

"I know." Haley grinned. "I love it. I might try remodeling the downstairs bathroom by myself now that I know how. Sam has taught me so much, and he's really good at what he does. He's a great teacher. Very patient and thorough."

Trudy's eyes widened, and she had to force herself not to gape at her daughter. The warmth and pride in Haley's voice when she talked about the handyman had her stymied. She snuck a peek at her sister to see if she'd noticed too. Nanci raised an eyebrow and canted her head ever so slightly. Yep. She'd noticed.

"Look at the new entryway between the kitchen and dining room." Haley gestured toward her kitchen, leading them away from her completely new and stylish bathroom.

"Oh," Nanci exclaimed. "It's arched." She looked from the curved entry between the living room and dining room, back to the identical arch separating the kitchen and dining room. "This really opens things up, and I like how it's the same style as the other entryway."

"I know." Haley walked into her bare kitchen. "Creating the matching arches was Sam's idea. We've insulated the outside walls in here, added some much-needed electrical outlets, and we're laying the floor Monday night. Not long now, and I'll have my dream kitchen."

Haley turned a slow circle on the sub-flooring. "Thank you so much for hiring Haney & Sons to do the job, Mom. I couldn't be happier with their work or with Sam."

"You're welcome." Trudy scanned the room. "Looks like they do good work, all right."

"Why are you frowning?" Haley asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"I'm not." Trudy's frown deepened.

"Yeah, Trudy. Why are you frowning?" Nanci snorted. "I can't wait to see your kitchen when it's finished, Haley, but let's. .h.i.t the road, you two. The outlet mall awaits, and I have gifts to buy."

"I wasn't frowning," Trudy insisted, following Nanci and Haley to the front door. "I was concentrating. There's a difference." Of course she'd been frowning. Her daughter seemed happier than she'd seen her in months, and obviously Sam Haney was to blame. Haley actually liked and respected him, which meant her daughter had no clue about what kind of man she was dealing with. Oh, this is not good-not good at all.

Haley dropped all of her shopping bags on the living room floor, shrugged out of her coat and hung it up. It had begun to snow heavily on the drive home from the outlet mall, and her nerves were on edge. Her aunt always drove as if everyone else on the road should get out of her way-and snow didn't slow her down one bit. Haley should've offered to do the driving today.

At least she'd finished most of her Christmas shopping. Only a gift for her mom remained on her list, and she'd already ordered her present online. Her mom made shopping for her a no-brainer. She always told both her children exactly what she wanted and exactly where to get it.

Haley transferred the gifts she'd purchased to the closet in her office. She'd wrap and tag them tomorrow. Right now, she needed a few minutes to recover from her day of shopping-especially the harrowing drive home part. She glanced at her computer, and her stomach lurched. Had Michael answered her e-mail? She'd fix herself a mug of tea and a frozen dinner in the microwave, and then she'd check.

Haley dropped a tea bag into a cup and added bottled water. She placed it in the microwave, and then she watched the snow outside her dining room window. Fat white flakes were falling thick and fast, and the wind had picked up, sending the snow careening against her house. Her backyard motion light had switched on, turning the precipitation into a bombardment of tiny diamonds against the windowpane.

Her mind drifted to Michael. Did it snow in Indonesia? She didn't think so. How would he react to her e-mail? Would he respond at all? Her phone rang, jolting her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it from her dining room table just as the microwave dinged. "h.e.l.lo?"

"Hey . . . It's Sam."

Her nerves pinged, and her pulse raced. "What's up? Did you leave another hand tool here I don't know about?"

"Nope. No missing tools. Some weather we're having, huh?"

"When are we not having some weather in Minnesota?" She grinned. "Did you call me to discuss the weather?"

"No, just thought I'd mention it's snowing."

"I can see it's snowing." Haley took her tea from the microwave. Still grinning like a fool, she slid onto a chair before her knees gave out. "I was just watching out my window. It's hypnotic."

"It is," Sam agreed. "Like a wood fire burning in a fireplace."

"Is there a reason you called, Sam, or did you just want to chat?" She heard him draw in a breath, and her stomach did that fluttery thing it always did with him.

"That guy . . . Brent. Are you two involved, or . . ."

"No. We're just friends and coworkers. He and I went to our company holiday party together, that's all."

"Ah." A few quiet seconds ticked by. "If you'll recall, I issued a challenge."

"I haven't forgotten." Self-doubt, curiosity and attraction churned through her. Dammit, she wanted to spend time with him. "And I accept."

"Good. I coach a Pee Wee Hockey team with my cousin, and we have a practice scrimmage scheduled for Wednesday evening at Highland South Arena. It starts at six. Would you be interested in watching a bunch of eight- and nine-year-olds play hockey?"

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Sure. Sounds like fun," she said. Given the way he taught carpentry, he was probably an excellent coach. The fact that he gave up his time to coach sent tendrils of warmth wrapping around her heart.

"What time do you get home from work?" he asked, his voice slightly gruff.

"I can be flexible. What time do you need me to be home?"

"Five would be good. I'll pick you up then. Jerry and I need to be at the rink before the practice is scheduled to begin, because a few kids always show up early." He paused for a few seconds again. "After the practice, I thought we could maybe go get something to eat."

"All right." Her mind swirled like the snow outside her window. Exhilaration and nervousness cascaded through her all at once at the thought of spending time with Sam in a place that didn't involve remodeling her house.

"Wear warm clothes," he cautioned. "It's an indoor rink, but it's still cold."

"I will." She did a mental inventory of her closet. Had she kept the pair of flannel-lined jeans her mom had given her for Christmas a couple of years ago? "We're still installing the floor on Monday, aren't we?"

"Of course. Well, OK. I guess we're set. I'll see you on Monday, and you'll join me and my cousins on Wednesday."

"Cousins? I thought you said you coached with your cousin, as in only one."

"I do. My cousin Jerry helps with the coaching, but two kids on my team are my first cousin's twins. Not sure what that makes them. Second cousins? First cousins once removed, thirds or something?"

"Oh." She frowned. "I couldn't say without looking it up."

"Me either, which is why I just call the whole bunch cousins."

He chuckled, and more tendrils of warmth wove around her heart.

"I'll let you get back to what you were doing, Haley."

"All right. See you Monday."

"Monday."

With that, the call ended. Haley stared into s.p.a.ce, sipped her tea, and attempted to corral her racing thoughts. Sam had called her for a purely social reason. He could've waited until he was at her house on Monday night to ask her to join him for the hockey scrimmage. Why hadn't he? Obviously she'd been on his mind-like he was so frequently on hers.

She rose, picked up her mug of tea and walked into her office. Still standing, she hit a key on her computer to wake it up and checked her e-mail. No reply from Michael. She calculated the time difference. Maybe he hadn't read her letter yet.

On the other hand, he might have read it and opted not to respond. What else could she expect from a man who'd chosen to run away rather than face her? "Coward," she huffed, returning to her kitchen for a frozen dinner.

Scanning the empty s.p.a.ce, she grinned. Two weeks from now her dream kitchen would be complete and fully functional. She and Sam would install the floor Monday evening, and she'd also see him on Wednesday and Thursday. Why waste time thinking about her really lame ex, when she had so much more to look forward to? Wow, who knew all it took to change her outlook was getting her house put back together?

Yeah, right. It's the house, and not the handsome handyman.

Chapter Nine.

Sam poured himself a mug of the coffee he'd made and settled into a seat at Haney & Sons' kitchen table, waiting for Josey's arrival. He and his sister had been van-pooling to the job since he'd moved to the construction crew.

Wyatt walked in, bringing a blast of cold air with him. "Morning," Sam said.

Wyatt, never a morning or a Monday person, grunted and headed for the coffee.

"Say, seeing you reminds me," Sam said. "I don't need you at Haley's tonight. We're laying the kitchen floor, and she wants to help. Not exactly what you'd call a three-man job."

Wyatt folded his lanky frame into a chair and slouched forward. Nodding in response, he rested his forearms on the table and gripped his coffee cup like it was all that was keeping him upright.

Sam played with the handle on his mug, bracing himself for Wyatt's reaction, but hanging with his siblings was a big part of his life. If he wanted Haley to see him in his world, that meant including Wyatt and Josey. "Do you want to meet at The Bulldog Wednesday night after my hockey scrimmage? Haley will be with me."

Wyatt's brow lowered, and a look of confusion suffused his sleepy features. "What did you just say?"

"Haley is coming with me to my team's hockey scrimmage Wednesday evening. Afterward, I'm going to bring her to The Bulldog for something to eat. Would you care to meet us there?" He pointed to Wyatt's coffee. "Drink up. You need the caffeine."

Josey walked in then, and Wyatt turned to face her. "Jo, are you free Wednesday night?"

"Yeah, why?" She too made a beeline for the coffee and filled her thermal cup.

"History is about to be made," Wyatt quipped, significantly more alert now. "Sam is bringing Haley Cooper to our favorite bar and grill Wednesday night. Our brother has a date."

Heat surged up Sam's neck to fill his face. "It's not a date."

"OK." Wyatt shrugged. "What are we calling it then, and how do you plan to explain fraternizing with a client to Grandpa Joe?"

"Wait." Josey leaned against the kitchen counter. "Isn't that the woman whose mother-"

"Yes." Sam shot up. "Forget I said anything. I just thought it might be fun to include her at our favorite hangout place this once."

"But . . ." Josey frowned. "You never include anyone in anything-not anyone outside of family or people you've known for years, anyway." She gaped. "After the way her mother set you up, don't tell me you want to date her."

"Let's go, Josey." Sam s.n.a.t.c.hed his jacket from the back of his chair and thrust his arms into the sleeves.

"Hold on. Hold on." Wyatt straightened. "Of course we'll meet you and Haley at The Bulldog, but first you need to tell us what is going on."

Sam raked his fingers through his hair. "It's hard to explain. Haley accused me of having to offer s.e.x on the side to get work. Remember? She thinks I'm this big lothario, and she looked down her nose at me. I-"

"She's all of five feet five, Sam. She's not tall enough to look down her nose at you, or anybody else for that matter." Wyatt smirked.

"You know what I mean. She pa.s.sed judgment. I've proven I'm a skilled craftsman, and now I'm going to show her that I'm a decent guy." He scowled. "She made a.s.sumptions about me that are patently false and entirely unfair. She and I were going back and forth about the whole thing the other day, and I challenged her to spend time in my world. It just kind of came out."

He blamed it on the dress. Yep, the dress, her curves and those legs of hers. And her kissable mouth. "It's not like I planned to ask her to spend time with me, but I did. Anyway, like I said before, it's wrong to make a.s.sumptions." Who was he trying so hard to convince? He grabbed his gloves from the table and stuffed them into his jacket pockets. "I was completely up front with her about my reasons. That's all there is to this Wednesday night thing."

Not exactly. There was way more to this Wednesday night thing than he cared to admit. Haley Cooper invaded his thoughts and his dreams far too often. He made up excuses to talk to her, to see her. Not good, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Wyatt and Josey gawked at him like he'd taken a one-way trip in the wrong direction-around the bend.

"Oh, Sam," Josey said, her eyes full of pity. "You really believe what you're saying, don't you?"

"Yes." He set his empty mug in the dishwasher. "Are you going to meet us at The Bulldog, or not?"

"Of course," Jo said.