Why the River Runs Page 4

  “How many jobs do you have going?” Bo asked, knowing she would talk about work.

  “Right now we have the two story that you met Terry at yesterday, we have that house.” She pointed over her shoulder at the place they just left. “We have a renovation that’s in the rewiring stage, an older, pier-and-beam house downtown that is currently getting re-leveled before we start renovating, and we recently started pouring the foundations in a subdivision out by the high school. We have five houses in there.”

  “Cool. Where do you want me?”

  Tina froze for a split second and then cleared her throat. “I, um, think taking over for Rodman. Unless you happen to be a licensed electrician?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Painting it is. Usually I float around and fill in wherever I’m needed.”

  “You could’ve left me there with them.” He indicated the house with his thumb.

  “Dad has to fire Rodman first. But I bet tomorrow you’ll be sent there.” She passed a slow- moving sedan, careful not to linger too long in the other lane.

  “You say that like it’s no big deal.”

  “What?”

  “Firing someone.”

  “He’s an idiot.”

  “Does he deserve it?”

  Tina glanced over at him. “Do you have a problem with how I run my company?”

  Her hard tone took him by surprise. Jail, however, had perfected his poker face. “No, ma’am. Not my place.”

  “You’re right, it’s not.” She took a deep breath and turned left onto an old dirt road. “Rodman has earned his pink slip, just so you know. He lied on his resume, which pisses me off. The only reason he even got hired was because he’s Trey’s cousin or nephew or something like that.” She waved off the connection as unimportant.

  “The guy who just called?” Bo tried to hide his amusement for how easily she dismissed the guy. Poor fool.

  “Yeah, him, anyway, Rodman said he had done trim and molding work, and he hadn’t. Dad taught him, Terry showed him, and I know Gary has been on his ass for months. He’s lucky I leave the HR crap to Dad or I would’ve chewed him a new one for dropping paint on my concrete floors.”

  “I’m not questioning your decision.” Bo didn’t like where this was heading, he needed this job and pissing off a woman with power and power tools was a horrible idea.

  “Then what are you questioning?” She narrowed her eyes at him and his body stirred at her challenge. Tina’s temper was just about as sexy as it got.

  “Not a damn thing.”

  He refrained from asking too many questions for the rest of the morning. They went to various jobs and Tina showed him their current projects. She took phone call after phone call, put out fires, answered questions, calmed homeowners, and lit a fire under lenders to release funds. It was a pleasure to watch her work and listen as her brilliant mind negotiated and dealt her cards like a seasoned pro. Tina knew how to flirt, how to intimidate, and every tactic in between.

  Bo slowly learned the various tones of her voice. She was clipped and direct with some people, like her contractors. With others, like her father or crewmen, she was a little more talkative and more prone to joke around. When one of her real friends called, her voice held affection that was undeniable.

  “Yes, Keri, bring her over. I don’t mind babysitting, what the hell else do I have to do? Besides, Misty loves me. We go on walks and play in shaving cream. It gives me an excuse to binge watch cartoons and eat cereal in bed. I love it.” Warmth seeped from her words as she assured her friend that she was happy to babysit.

  This was the tone Bo wanted her to have with him…eventually.

  To his surprise, when she hung up, she offered personal information about the kid she was babysitting.

  “It’s Marshall and Keri Miller’s daughter, Misty. Oh, she’s so adorable. She and Noah are the same age, she’s about to be two. Keri always feels bad asking me to give up my time, but it’s fun. She’s really getting around good now and I like seeing how fast she’s growing. I’d love to get Misty and Noah together. They’d have a ball.”

  “That’s the boy you were talking to earlier?”

  Tina’s affections were written all over her face. “Yes, that’s my sweet boy.”

  “Kids are cute at that age. They go from being crying blobs to real little people.” When he lived in California, the couple next door had two children who loved to watch him practice his martial arts. It still warmed his heart to think of the toddler imitating his kicks and falling over.

  “Exactly,” Tina said, narrowing her eyes. She acted surprised that he understood what she meant, but he did.

  That afternoon, they went back to the ranch house and helped Terry’s crew with drywall again. They were behind on installation and the tape and texture guys were riding their heels. As much as Tina Foster mastered her phone calls, she mastered her work more. Bo respected the fact that she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty.

  At five o’clock, Bo washed the sheetrock dust off his hands and gathered up the tools to place them back in the tool boxes. Terry and Tina were in the upstairs hallway talking.

  “So is Bo going to stay on with our crew,” Terry asked. “He’s quick. I like him.”

  “No. He’s going to take Rodman’s place.”

  “Your boyfriend isn’t going to like that.”

  “My boyfriend doesn’t run this company.”

  “We sure need an extra set of hands, Tina.”

  “I’ll work with y’all. I can’t do trim work worth shit.”

  “Humph. Fine, but I hope you change your mind. Since Brad left, we’ve been behind and I know you’ve got better things to do on this project than hang rock.”

  “The painters will be done with that house next week and then we’ll see. Until then, he goes with them.” Footsteps pounded the stairs as Tina and Terry came down. Bo slipped back into the other room until they were outside.

  It was nice to know at least Terry liked him so far. Usually, one guy’s opinion wouldn’t matter, but this was Tina’s uncle. Terry worked harder than guys half his age and knew what he was doing. Bo held the compliment in high regards. If only Tina wasn’t so determined to put him in a corner.

  Dixie came out of the hall and he knelt to pay her attention. “Your mama is a pistol, girl. It’s a good thing I know how to handle a pistol, huh? You going to help me?” He scratched behind her ears and under her chin. Dixie licked his arm then held up her paw to shake. “Deal.”

  “You making deals with my dog, Bo?” Tina stood behind him, arms crossed over her chest. “She doesn’t sign your paychecks.”

  “Nope, but she does kiss me.”

  She rolled her eyes and pressed her lips into thin lines to suppress a smile. “Go home, Bo.”

  “I can’t.” When she looked at him with a puzzled tilt of her head, he said, “My truck is at your office.”

  She slapped a hand over her forehead. “Duh. Come on. Come, Dixie.”

  He stood up and mirrored her stance, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just give me and the dog the same command.”

  Tina’s brow quirked up. “And look at who is actually obeying.” Dixie took off out of the house. She looked him down and up again. “Hmm.” Then turned her fine ass around and went to the truck.

  Oh yes, she was a pistol all right. And he knew all too well how to handle a loaded gun.

  Tina waved as Bo drove off in the old red and white pickup. As soon as she entered the office, she leaned against the door and let her head fall backwards. What the hell was she thinking, flirting with him, goading him on, and pushing him like that? She’d intentionally put more swing in her hips as she walked away from him. Then she’d put the dog in the backseat just to see if he would stretch his arm over the front bench seat like he’d done earlier. Why? Why would she even go there? It wasn’t worth the risk and, for all intents and purposes, she had a boyfriend…of sorts.

  “I need a drin
k,” she mumbled as she took her ringing phone from her back pocket. “Hey.”

  “Hey, girl,” Jay said. “I rented a movie; you want to come hang? I want to talk to you and Keri about some stuff, too.”

  Jayden didn’t invite people over often. With the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death closing in, Tina wasn’t going to deny one of her best friends the support she needed.

  “Yeah, I just got home, so let me get clean and comfy and I’ll be over.”

  “No rush.” Jayden usually said that when she was cooking something. Mmmm. Tina’s stomach growled with anticipation.

  Daddy was already in his apartment, kicked back with a beer. “Hey, kiddo.”

  “Hey, Daddy. I’m going to head to Jay’s for a while.”

  “Okay. Did you pass Rodman on your way in?”

  “No, why?”

  “Good. Jerk kid. I figured he would have something to say to you. God knows he had plenty to say to me when I fired him. I’m afraid you’re going to hear all about it from Trey.”

  “I don’t care.” Tina waved it off. Trey didn’t dictate her business decisions. The one time she let him, she ended up with Rodman, for Christ sake.

  Later, Tina hopped out of her truck with Dixie in tow and she could smell the sweet scent of baked goods. Jayden’s house was one of her favorites. It was the old Harris homestead, a three-story farmhouse. Built in the early 1900s, it had seen better days, but Jayden was a talented interior decorator and had it accessorized beautifully. The home was a gift from Christopher’s parents on their wedding day. As the first son to get married, it was a big deal. Upon his death, Jayden had insisted the home go back to the family. She was willing to move back in with her parents or find an apartment in town, but the Harris family had hearts the size of Texas. They said that the home belonged to her and that Chris would be royally pissed if it was taken away.

  Keri’s Mercedes was parked in the driveway. Selling real estate and taking the Miller name, by marrying Jayden’s brother, had been good to the Hispanic girl from the wrong side of town. Everything a Miller touched turned to gold. That name paired with her vivacious personality, Keri had become one of the top sellers in the county and had opened her own brokerage agency after working for a local chain. She boasted of being a hometown girl and people seemed to like the fact that a girl from the poorest neighborhood in Riverview had risen to the top.

  Jayden and Tina didn’t care about where she came from or where she was going. They loved her because she was a loyal and loving friend who would go to the ends of the earth for them.

  Tina didn’t knock, knowing the door was always open to her. She waltzed into Jayden’s kitchen and found the sisters-in-law with their heads over a pot on the stove.

  “It needs more pepper,” Keri insisted, grabbing for the spice.

  “No, I’m not trying to make it burn your internal organs.” Jayden closed the lid before Keri could add more pepper. “Get, get.” She shooed Keri away.

  “You two are always fighting about something.” Tina hugged them both and hopped up on a bar stool. They exchanged the usual small talk, who said what, who did what, the latest family drama, etc., while Jayden prepared what looked and smelled like gumbo.

  Tina set out bowls on the table and filled glasses with sweet tea. Once the three of them were seated and gumbo dispensed, Tina couldn’t hold her tongue. “So, are you going to keep talking about your college classes all night or are you going to tell us what’s going on? You don’t make gumbo on a whim.”

  Keri twirled her spoon in the air in Tina’s direction without lifting her gaze from her bowl. “What she said.”

  Jayden held up her hands. “First, I want to know who that hunky guy was in your truck today, Tina Marie.”

  Keri leaned back in her seat, giving Tina a mother’s glare. “Hunky guy? Yes, let’s hear about the hunk.”

  Tina waved them off, praying they didn’t chase that bone. Jayden and Keri were two people impossible to keep secrets from. They had the ability to gang up on her and get all the information they wanted. “He’s just a crewman. Daddy made me show him the current projects. No big deal.”

  “If you say it’s not a big deal, it totally is.” Jayden grinned and wiggled her brows. “He’s hot.”

  “How do you even know?” Tina glared at her.

  “I was on my way to Mama’s when I passed you. You were smiling at him.” She was a hound with a scent now. Crap.

  Tina shrugged and pushed the gumbo around her bowl. “I was being friendly.”

  “Lie to someone else, chica,” Keri said. “You’re blushing. Spill.”

  Tina leaned back and put her spoon down. “Okay.” She scrubbed a hand down her face. “His name is Bo, he used to go to Riverview a long time ago, but I don’t remember him. Daddy hired him as a favor for Nancy, the produce lady. Yes, he’s so damn hot I can’t stand it…and he smells good, God, he smells good.” She waved off the thought before she dove head-first down that rabbit hole. “That’s neither here nor there. He’s a distraction I can’t afford right now. I’ve put him to work on a crew I don’t have to oversee for a while and, no, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  “You want to talk about it,” Jayden deadpanned. “You want to talk about how hot he is.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “I remember him.” Keri nodded. “Bo Galloway. He was kicker on the football team, his mom was a druggie, they moved in with Nancy, and his mom spent all Nancy’s money. But he was a stringy kid, lanky and awkward.” She turned up her nose.

  “He’s not now,” Tina mumbled, her thoughts slipped right out of her mouth.

  “Ah-ha!” Jayden slapped the table, excited to be hot on the trail, getting Dixie’s attention. “You like him.”

  Tina nearly spit out her drink of tea. “No, no, no. Don’t go starting crap. Thinking someone is hot is a lot different than liking him. I don’t know him. My eyes like him, that is all. The end.”

  Her dog had come to the table, which was a no-no. Tina snapped her fingers and told her to go lay down. If only people minded as well as Dixie. She’d like to tell Jayden to sit and stay…far away from this subject.

  “But you’re attracted to him, I can tell.” Jayden was too excited about this and there was no denying the heat that crept up Tina’s face.

  She sighed and turned her eyes to the ceiling. “Fine, Jay, if it makes you feel better, yes, I’m attracted to him. He’s hot and he makes me tingle.” She said it all sarcastically, trying to downplay the truth. “Here’s the problem, I don’t need a man putting those thoughts in my head. I have a boyfriend and I have to concentrate on work.”

  “What thoughts?” Keri asked, Tina shook her head and Keri put her hands together to beg. “Please, humor me. I have a toddler and an eighty-hour work-week, my sex-life is almost non-existent.”

  The girls laughed and Jayden cringed.

  “Don’t make fun of me.” Tina swallowed hard and resigned herself to confess. “I think I’ve been hanging around construction workers too long. We were talking about the various crews and he asked where I needed him.”

  “Oh, open that door, son.” Jayden smirked and arched a brow.

  “And all I could think was, right between my legs, baby.” Tina laughed right along with her friends.

  “Yeah, that was a very testosterone induced response.” Jayden couldn’t stop giggling. “You’re such a dude.”

  Tina hung her head. “Right? Gosh, I need to work with women again. These guys are getting to me.”

  “What about Trey?” Keri asked.

  “What about him?” Tina filled her mouth with sausage and shrimp. Hopefully giving her a moment to get over the embarrassment.

  “Is that the kind of response you give to him?”

  “Hell, no. Trey is…Trey…” What was she trying to say? “Trey is a sweet guy. He’s not…”

  “Erotic.”

  “Sexy.”

  “Adventurous.”

  “Exciting
.”

  The two of them volleyed back and forth until Tina spoke up. “He’s nice, okay. Trey is a nice guy.”

  “And let me guess,” Keri raised a brow, “the sex is nice.” Her tone and downturned lips made that sentence more of an insult than a compliment.

  Tina sighed. “Yeah. Not that it happens often.”

  “Welcome to the club.” Keri took a drink.

  Jayden tapped her spoon on her lips. “But you and Trey have only been together for a few months. You should still be in the new, exciting, all-consuming stage, not the old married couple stage. That just makes me sad for you, T.”

  “I don’t have time for all-consuming anything.” She pushed her chair back and rose to take her dishes to the sink. “Trey is easy. Bo is—”

  “Hard?” Keri said, lifting a brow. She and Jayden cackled like hens. Tina rolled her eyes, but had to laugh at their antics. Her friends were insane and she loved every bit of it.

  “Okay, you’ve had your jokes.” She speared Jayden with a glare. “Your turn.”

  Jayden straightened in her chair and pushed her empty bowl back. “I know what I’m going to do for the anniversary.”

  Tina sat back down at the table and glanced at Keri.

  “I talked to Peggy and Bruce, I’ve talked to Bear and he talked to the other boys and we all agree.” Jayden took a deep breath.

  “Balloons or Vegas?” Tina asked.

  “Neither.” Jayden intertwined her hands on the table. “Christopher was an advocate of being financially responsible and he was very smart with his investments. I want to do the same.”

  “Then why are you as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs?”

  “Because I’m afraid you’re going to lose your mind when I tell you…I want to fix up the house.”

  Tina froze. “This house?” She was still as death, hoping and praying that Jayden would turn her loose on these four walls. She’d dreamt of restoring this house for years. When she was a child, the older generation of the Harris family lived here and were beloved in the community. These four walls were a piece of history, a foundation of Riverview. To put her own fingerprint on such a treasure made her giddy. Christopher had hinted around about it for months, but they had needed to get their finances together. Then he passed and the option was taken off the table because Jayden sure enough didn’t have that kind of money to sink into it.