“Can you hand me a nail?” I ask Reagan. We’re in the storage room of her salon hanging her shelves. “Thanks,” I say, taking it from her. I make quick work of hanging the last shelf, double checking all three of them making sure they’re level. “Anything else you need done while I’m here?” I took double the time I really needed to hang these shelves just to extend my time with her.
“Actually, the hinge on Carol’s station is loose and the door is leaning. Can you fix that? I’ve been meaning to get the tools from Dad or Ridge to fix it myself.”
“Lead the way.” The more projects she finds for me, the longer I get to be here with her. Fuck, if the guys could read my thoughts, they’d give me shit. I’m not sure I’d ever hear the end of it. Then again, once Ridge proposed to Kendall, we all laid off. Not that I’m proposing marriage. At least not anytime soon.
“Thank you, Ty, for doing this. I could have done it on my own, but you make it look easy.”
“You do know what I do for a living?” I tease.
“I know. I just hate asking for help for things I can do on my own.”
“I don’t mind, Reagan.” I shut the door, testing to make sure it’s closing properly. “All set. What else?”
“Um… how are you at assembling furniture?” she questions, biting down on her bottom lip.
“Again, I build things for a living.” I laugh, trying not to think about how I want to be the one biting down on that lip. “You have something for me? We might as well do it while I’m here and have my tools.”
“I do. I have a bookshelf that needs to be assembled. It was delivered last week, but I haven’t had the time to put it together yet.”
“Lead the way.” I pick up my bag of tools. She shuts down the lights and leads us to a locked door. Behind the door is a set of stairs that leads to her apartment. I’ve been there many times over the years. “You still like living over the shop?” I ask, watching her ass sway as she climbs the steps in front of me.
“It’s okay. The more time I spend with Ridge and Kendall, the more I think I might like a place of my own. Something that isn’t attached to my business.” She clears the top step and turns to face me. It’s a tight space, so her tits rub against my chest. “What about you?” she asks, looking up at me. “You still like condo living?”
“Not really.” She turns to unlock her apartment and I follow her in. “I’ve been looking for a place. I’m tired of hearing my neighbors beside me. They argue all the damn time.”
“That’s awful for them and for you.”
“Where’s this bookshelf?” I ask her.
“Follow me.” She grins. Her apartment is small, but cozy considering it’s above her salon. “One day, I’d like to turn this into office space. I have a small corner where I do payroll and order supplies. It would be nice to make this a breakroom, and have an office.”
“I’m sure your employees would like that as well.”
“Definitely. Here it is.” She points to a little alcove off the living room. There are already two bookshelves full of books, and it looks as if this one will barely fit in the remaining space.
“Did you measure?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she sasses, sticking her tongue out at me. “I measured twice.”
“Just checking.” I raise my hands in defense.
“And don’t you dare ask me if I knew what I was doing. Dad and Ridge both made sure I knew how to use a measuring tape.”
“I wasn’t going to say a word.” Setting my tool bag on the floor, I take a seat next to the box and start cutting it open. “What are all of these books anyway?”
“Signed copies from the authors I love.”
“I thought you used one of those e-reader things?”
“Oh, I don’t read these.” She must see the confused look on my face. “That would risk messing up the spine or bending the pages.”
“But isn’t that the point of the book?”
“Nope. The point is that I loved every one of these, and I have the authors’ signatures in them. That’s a big deal, Tyler,” she says, placing her hands on her hips.
“Got it. Signed books are a big deal.”
“You need some help?” she asks me.
“Didn’t you promise me dinner?”
“I did. I’ll go get started while you do that. Just yell if you need a hand.”
“I’ve got this,” I assure her, and get to work. It’s a simple five-shelf bookcase, and in theory, I should have it put together in twenty minutes tops. However, Reagan’s apartment is somewhat of an open floorplan. I can see her from where I’m sitting in the corner of the living room. She’s pulled her dark hair up into a knot that’s now resting on the top of her head. She’s not doing anything unusual, just cooking, but she still captures my attention.
“How’s it coming over there?” she calls, not bothering to look up.
“Good. You?” I call back and return to work before she catches me staring.
“About ten more minutes.”
I survey the shelf, and if I can keep my eyes off her, I should be done at the same time. Refusing to look at her, I keep my head in the game. I’m just placing the final shelf when she calls out telling me it’s time to eat.
“Just in time,” I say, joining her in the kitchen.
“You finished?” she asks, those hazel eyes bright with excitement.
“Yep. You have books you need to put on it?”
“Not yet, but there’s a signing in a few weeks. I plan to add to my collection.”
“How did I not know this about you?”
She shrugs. “You know I love to read. I don’t brag about my signed book obsession. At least not to anyone who doesn’t get it.”
“Hey, I’m an equal opportunity listener. You can talk to me about anything.”
She laughs, the sound echoing throughout the small apartment. “Noted.” She smiles. “Thank you for all your help today, Ty. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime. I’m just a phone call away.”
“Eat up,” she says, handing me a steaming bowl of chicken and dumplings.
I waste no time diving in. “Oh, man, this is so good.”
“Maybe you should learn to cook something that doesn’t require a grill,” she teases.
“Are you volunteering to teach me?”
“Sure.” She shrugs. “Cooking isn’t all that hard.”
“I’m a single guy living in a condo. Alone. Throwing some meat on
the grill with a baked potato or a salad is easy for one.”
“What do you do in the winter?”
“The grill.”
“What?” She shakes her head. “I can see it now. You standing out your back door wearing your coat, gloves, and scarf, the snow flying, and you’re trying to grill a freaking steak.”
“Not exactly. But you’re close. I have one of those indoor grills.” I wink at her.
“Of course you do.”
“Thank you for this,” I say, wiping my mouth. “It was delicious.” I stand and take my plate to the sink, wash it, and place it in the rack. “You clean as you cook,” I comment, noticing there are no other dirty dishes in the sink.
“Habit I picked up from my mom. She says it’s easier, and I agree with her. Who wants all those dishes after you’re full from a good meal?” She takes her last bite and I snag her plate, washing it as well.
“So, what’s on the agenda for the rest of the night?” I ask.
“Nothing much. There’s a new Netflix movie out. I think I might watch it. You?”
“Triple Frontier?”
“Yeah, it looks good. And the actor line up….” She fans her face as if she’s hot.
“Really? Those guys?”
“I wouldn’t kick any of them out of my bed.”
Mentally, I’m comparing myself to the actors in the movie. I guess I’m closest to that Hunnam guy. “Who’s your favorite?” I ask, following her into the living room. She takes a seat on the couch, and I sit right next to her.
“Hmmm.” She pretends to mull it over. “Like I said, I wouldn’t kick any of them out of my bed, but if I have to choose just one, I’m going with Charlie.”
Fuck yes! “We watching this movie or what?”
She turns to look at me, surprise written all over her face. “You want to stay?”
“I’ve been wanting to watch it. Why should we both watch it alone?”