11. Proposals

Chapter 11

Proposals

A case of the blues threatened to settle in after Charlie's departure, and Joy needed to head them off. Inspecting them, analyzing the reasons why they were brewing inside her, was not an option. Besides, she'd soon have them corralled and stuffed back into the dark hole where they belonged.

She pulled out her notebook and re-read her words from the night before, already buoyed. What better way to banish melancholy than to immerse herself in the world she—or rather, Lacey Dewinter—had created, where families loved and supported one another and where modern-day knights in shining armor came to the rescue of their lady loves. Of course, none of it was real. How could it be? But it was just real enough that she could suspend belief as she spun her tales, and her readers could get lost in her writing for a while.

Lacey had been stuck in act two of her latest novel for weeks, and watching the characters at the Miners Tavern had sparked so many ideas and snippets of scenes that she hadn't been able to jot them all down. In reviewing her notes, she hoped to capture a few escapees and put them to paper, like trapping fireflies in a bottle.

She'd scarcely read two paragraphs when another knock came at her door—the front entrance this time. She could make out Hailey's smile through the glass, and her spirits lifted as she unlocked the door. The pretty bartender-barista-bookshop owner raised her hand in a wave.

"Charlie said you were busy trying to get this place organized. Noah and I just got back into town, and I'm not scheduled for work until five, so I thought I'd stop in and see if I could lend a hand."

Joy's stun factor must have shown on her face because Hailey rushed to add, "I completely understand if you'd rather tackle this alone, and I won't be offended if you tell me to go away."

Joy opened the door wide and ushered Hailey in. "Of course I won't tell you go to away! I'd love the company. I'm just not used to … The people I know back home wouldn't go out of their way to help me, especially with something as big and tedious as cleaning out this junk store maze." The thought that Hailey's kindness was motivated by an ulterior motive struck, and Joy's suspicious side warned her to be wary.

Hailey chuckled. "That's small-town for you. You don't have to ask for help because everyone knows what's going on in your life, and they jump right in. It's great. The only downside is … everyone knows what's going on in your life."

"I have to admit it's way different than in Chicago."

"Right? You can disappear in a big city."

"And find any kind of food at any time of the day or night." Joy gave an internal shake of her head at her sudden food focus before quickly adding, "Or stop at Neiman Marcus and buy the very latest Jimmy Choos."

"True, but small town has its advantages too, and I wouldn't trade it. And if I need a pair of heels, I can travel to Denver or order them online." Hailey's gaze moved around the interior. "I've only ever seen this place from the outside."

"Would you like a tour?" Joy heard herself offer.

"Oh, I'd love one."

As Joy led her around, Hailey gushed over the building's potential.

Joy smirked. "You sound like your fiancé's brother."

Hailey's expression transformed into that of a delighted child as she ran her fingers over wooden scrollwork or a rotten window sash. "Yeah, Charlie loves these old places. They really bring out his creativity. And when he's done, you have gorgeous historic details with all the modern upgrades, and it doesn't matter if he's working on a commercial building like the Miners Tavern or an ancient miner's two-bedroom bungalow." She stared at Joy for a beat and broke out into laugher. "I do sound like I'm drinking the Charlie Hunnicutt Kool-Aid, don't I?"

"Or you're his one-woman PR team." Joy narrowed her eyes. Had she just uncovered the real reason for Hailey's visit? "Did he send you here to talk me into going all out on the renovation?"

Confusion etched itself in Hailey's soft features. "No. Charlie doesn't need PR people. He prides himself on his work speaking for itself, and from what I know, he's got more than he can manage anyway. He'd probably have a few choice words for me if he thought I was trying to sell him. Like I said, we just hit town, and I haven't seen or talked to Charlie since yesterday when he showed up to tend bar." Her sincerity had Joy flinching with sheepishness inside. "God, I'd love to own this place!"

Charlie's earlier comment about potential buyers bubbled up, and an idea formed. Whether it was born of genius or guilt, Joy had no idea, but she barreled ahead, unchecked. "Wanna buy it?"

Hailey's mouth swung open. "I hope you don't think I was fishing!"

"Not at all. I was kidding anyway." Kinda .

"Oh phew!" Hailey's shoulders seemed to relax with relief. "Are you planning to keep it? Maybe use it as a mountain getaway? I bet it brings back memories."

Joy barked a mirthless laugh. "That's the last thing I want to do. The memories it brings back are ones I'd rather demolish along with the building, but I need to look at all the options and decide what's best for the estate."

What? Where did my objective of dumping it as soon as possible go? Honestly, Joy's logical brain had gone on hiatus. Skipping her Adderall and anti-anxiety meds had to be the reason why.

Hailey's light brown brows scrunched together as if she was trying to determine if Joy had gone off her rocker. She threw another surprise Joy's way when she said, "Then let's get this place cleaned out so you can do just that and move on."

Tears wedged in Joy's throat, making it hard to choke down her emotions, and she reined in the urge to throw her arms around Hailey and hug the breath out of her. "Maybe you could help me with the display cases? They're too much."

Hailey rubbed her hands together. "Let's do it!"

They grabbed a handful of bags and empty boxes and devised a plan of attack—well, Hailey did. Joy's thoughts were too scattered to attack anything . And maybe the task would be less daunting now that she had an ally.

Charlie barged into Noah's office at the tavern. His brother looked up from his computer and gave one lazy blink. "What's up?"

"I didn't want to be a buzzkill right before you and Hailey left on your romantic getaway, but … Oh, did you guys have a good time?"

Noah practically leered, the son of a bitch. "Oh yeah. It was … epic. Didn't get much sleep, though."

Charlie cut him off before he could elaborate. "I want to talk to Leo Cantrell—in person, face-to-face. You're welcome to come with, but I'll go it alone if you want to stay out of it."

Noah lowered an eyebrow. "Can I ask why?"

"I was at the building department yesterday, and it turns out nobody's filed anything to get the depot project moving. We're stuck in some kind of fucking limbo, and I want to find out why so I can get it the fuck unstuck. I also need to balance my work schedule over the next few months. To do that, I have to know if the depot will be on my schedule. Plus, I have a shit ton of money tied up in it, and I'd like to get moving on it so I can get it back. I get that I'm only a minor stakeholder compared to those big wheels, but I wasn't expecting that they'd sit on it indefinitely. I don't like being hamstrung."

Noah's second brow joined the first. "Nothing's on file? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Not a single application for project review or zone variance has been filed. Must be nice to be balls-deep in money. What the fuck are those guys doing?"

"No idea. I thought it was all being handled. I'll call Leo—"

"No. I know you guys are buddy-buddy, but this is my project, and I want to go the guy directly. No middlemen. Too many opportunities for miscommunication."

Noah raised his hands, palms up, in surrender. "Okay, don't get your titties in a bunch."

"I think that's panties."

"Panties. Right." Noah's gaze slid to the side, focusing on something not in the room, and a goofy grin sprouted on his face.

"Dude!"

Noah snapped his attention back to Charlie, his expression on the sheepish side. "Let me see if I can arrange a meeting. And you don't mind if I tag along?"

"Not as long as I have the floor."

"Yeah, no problem." Noah leaned back in his chair. "What else you got going on?"

Charlie pushed out a breath and looked at the ceiling before bringing his gaze back to Noah. "I'm trying to get a client to make a damn decision. I've got Cully twisting in the wind, and we both know what a bad idea that is."

"I'm still not sure why you hired that flake. I get that you guys were in the same class and played baseball together in high school, and while your loyalty's commendable, that's not exactly a compelling reason to hire someone, little bro."

Charlie didn't need the big-brother lecture, and his defensive warning systems locked in. "It's got nothing to do with growing up together. The guy needed a break, and no one else was willing to give it to him."

"Maybe because he didn't deserve another break?"

"Would you let me finish? He needed a job, and I needed a project manager. He has construction experience, and the other candidates didn't."

"What about Luanne's son? He needed a job too. Carl Weatherly ended up hiring him, and that's a damn shame because he's going to teach him all the wrong ways to do construction."

"Did you hear me say no one else had construction experience? That includes Luanne's kid. And there's the operative word, ‘kid.' I needed someone man-strong and man-smart. Hiring him because of your loyalty to your waitress wasn't exactly a compelling reason either. 'Nuff said." Damn it, Noah was dealing the coup de gras to the upbeat mood Charlie had started out with this morning. Trying to manage Joy Holiday had started the downward spiral. And why the hell was he defending his business decisions to his brother anyway?

"Calm down, okay? I didn't mean to sound like I was second-guessing you. It's just that the kid seems so eager to learn, like you were back when Grandpa took you under his wing."

"Then why the hell didn't you hire him?"

Noah shrugged. "I don't have any openings right now. I can tell you one thing. Even if I had a position to fill, I wouldn't have hired Cully. I don't trust the guy, and I still don't get why you do."

"Because," Charlie griped, "he's less flaky than the other flakes, and he said yes. You, of all people, should understand what it's like when you try to add staff who aren't fucking losers on the verge of getting their asses thrown in jail. And even then, you might hire them anyway because you have no other options."

Noah nodded. "Does Cully understand what a break you're giving him?"

Charlie raked his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, man. I mean, if he works out, it's a break for me too."

"I thought he was working out."

Charlie had been desperate when he'd hired Cully. He'd been wary too, but he'd needed a new foreman after his had left for a bigger, better gig in Aspen, and Cully had been the most qualified—and the most willing to take the job for the money. When Cully had first started, he'd done a decent job, showing up where and when he was supposed to, taking charge of whichever crew was in play, putting in the hours it took to get things done. Charlie's optimism had soared. Taking a chance on his old classmate had seemed like a gamble that paid off. But then things started to slip, along with Cully's attitude.

"I did too. He was great in the beginning, but I'm seeing some signs that make me a little nervous. I'm praying to God it's a blip and not the beginning of the end." Cully ghosting Charlie yesterday stuck in Charlie's craw like a fish spine. He still didn't know where the hell the guy had gotten to, though he had his suspicions, which didn't bode well for a long-term working relationship.

"And what about Helene's daughter? How's that going? "

"It's going … maybe. She's the client who won't make up her damn mind."

Charlie's feelings were mixed when it came to Joy. Watching her devour the pastries this morning had made him want to laugh out loud, and it had made her seem human. But then her steely side had taken over, and she'd come at him in full uptight business persona. He needed the job, but did he want the job? Well, yeah, he did—he loved that building—but at the cost of dealing with her ? He wasn't so sure.

If she stuck around Fall River, remodeling Crystal Harmony Haven might not be such a good idea for either of them. She'd be underfoot constantly, which was bad enough if she was pleasant. But she was about as pleasant as a tick burrowing into his ass. He couldn't remember feeling quite so tangled before, but he did know he didn't have time for her shit.

Noah leaned way back and gave him an appraising look.

"What?" Charlie barked.

"Maybe you're attracted to her."

"You're out of your mind!"

"Your reaction says otherwise, bro. It's not like you to get so worked up." Noah seemed to fight a smile Charlie wanted to knock off his face before it formed. "I mean, I get it. She's a hottie, and she's got this vibe going on with her fast cars—you know, fast cars, fast women? I don't think Micky's stopped drooling yet. And let's not forget, she's Zoe Saldana's doppelg?nger."

This comment further fueled Charlie's irritation. "She doesn't look anything like Zoe Saldana! And Micky drools over any breathing being with female plumbing."

"Are you implying the same doesn't hold true for you?" Noah let out a chuckle, the asshole.

"This chick is definitely not my type. She struts around in her high heels with an attitude nastier than a wolverine's while she's cutting you to ribbons with that sharp tongue of hers." He paused a beat. "And she's too damn skinny. What the hell would you hold on to?"

"Not my problem."

"Not mine either."

"Hailey likes her. A lot. She calls her multi-layered, like an onion, and you have to peel off one piece at a time. According to Hailey, someone did a number on her once, and she doesn't trust people, but once she warms up, a different side comes out."

"Hailey's right, as usual." Dixie's voice at Charlie's back was so unexpected he whirled in place, twisting his legs, and nearly fell over. "And them's some mighty intriguing layers for the right sort to peel off and get down to her vulnerable center. I reckon there might be a man for the job right in this room."

Charlie and Noah both gaped at her, but Dixie didn't seem to notice. "She's a likable little thing, much more so than that sister of hers." Dixie tsked. "Joy probably got bullied by that one growing up and had to scrap for everything she got. I'd say the scrapper got the final laugh, though. She's done all right for herself." Dixie flashed them both a red-lipsticked smile as she deposited a stack of receipts on Noah's desk, exiting as soundlessly as she'd entered.

"I'll never get used to her doing that," Charlie puffed.

"That makes two of us. Hailey says she has a portkey, like in Harry Potter , which is how she can disappear and reappear anywhere, anytime."

Now there was a scary thought.

Dixie's brass-colored head poked around the doorframe, eliciting a "Fuck!" from Charlie and Noah. She went on as if she hadn't heard the shared expletive. "You spend time with her like you did yesterday, and you'll see. She's smart as a whip, but she doesn't place much faith in folks. She's no doormat, but she has a gushy middle, like one of them ee-clairs Amy sells. I'll bet you donuts to dollars that when that woman falls in love, she loves something fierce. The man that gets her will have to earn every bit of her trust, but it'll be worth it. You may have met your match, Charlie Hunnicutt." She wiggled her painted-on eyebrows.

Charlie's mouth swung open. "How do you know about yesterday?"

"When will you get it through that thick blond head of yours that I know everything that goes on in this town?" She quickly disappeared again.

Charlie laughed at the empty space where Dixie had just been. "Is she gone now?"

"Only one way to tell." Noah sprang to his feet and ducked around the corner. "She's gone." He smirked at Charlie. "Yesterday? What's that all about?"

"There was no water at the Majestic, so I let her use my place. That's it. That's all there is to it. End of story. "

Noah's grin widened. "Sounds like our Dix is up to some matchmaking. Lucky you."

Dixie's quirky matchmaking methods had turned out well for Noah and Hailey, but those two were a one-off. And they were supposed to be together. But Charlie and Joy? The thought was ludicrous. They were about as mismatched as a white crew sock and a navy dress sock.

Noah swiped a stress ball off his desk and tossed it in the air. "Who knows? Maybe you and Joy—"

"No effing way." Charlie shook his head vigorously and snatched the ball out of midair. "She's my client—maybe—and I don't do clients. Besides, Dixie's smoking something again. Likeable? Gushy? Vulnerable? Those are three words I would never associate with Joy Holiday. That woman is as vulnerable as a viper."

"Well, if Hailey and Dixie are right—and I wouldn't count them out, bro—there's more to Joy Holiday than whatever it is you're seeing."

Joy's bitter words about wanting to bury memories percolated and bobbed about in Charlie's consciousness, and he put them aside to examine later.

Noah stole the ball back. "I think I'll take the girls some lunch. You should come with me." His smile turned downright evil.

"Don't think so. I've got more important things to do than deliver a catered lunch to your girlfriend and a big-city snob." Charlie tapped the doorframe on his way out. "You let me know about that meeting with Cantrell."

"Sure, bro. Whatever you say." Noah's laughter followed him all the way out of the bar.

Charlie flew double birds over his shoulders.

"Joy Holiday?" he muttered to himself. "And me ? What a fucking joke."

It wasn't that Charlie didn't want to be in a relationship. He'd tried in the past with disappointing outcomes, finally concluding his frontal lobes needed to mature completely before he seriously considered long-term—or at least that's the diagnosis his non-doctor of a mother had once offered. It was as good a reason as any he could come up with.

Around that same time, his business volume doubled, and he'd been so busy scrambling and riding the wave that nothing more serious than a hookup appeared on his horizon. Being with the same woman three nights instead of one was a record. And that had been fine by him. But since watching Noah fall hard for Hailey, he'd found himself pondering whether a relationship that perfect was in his future. Something like his parents had, a union that was still close and loving, that had grown and adapted just as they had.

But with Joy Holiday? Ha! He couldn't fathom a "someone" out there for her.

He hopped into his truck and headed down Bowen Street, passing Crystal Harmony Haven on his way out of town. As he rolled by, he caught a glimpse of Hailey and Joy laughing through the front window. Joy looked relaxed, almost happy, and the conversation in Noah's office came circling back.

If Charlie was brutally honest, those "layers" of Joy's piqued his interest, enticing him to do a little peeling back, and that was dangerous. This morning, when they'd shaken hands, something had passed between them in a bewildering eye exchange thing they had done at the end, and while he had yet to decipher what it had been about, he couldn't deny her hand had felt good in his—too good—and staring into those eyes made him feel as though he were looking into a tumbler of the finest whiskey. It was … Wow!

Suddenly, Saturday in Doro was looking much more intriguing … and appealing.

Oh. Shit.