Breathe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #7)(12)

“On site today. Brynna has the office covered.” He shakes my hand and glances up to the house. “This is coming along nicely.”

“Thanks. I was just about to go inside. Want the grand tour?”

“Let’s do it,” he agrees and follows me through the front entrance. The door hasn’t been hung yet, and when I glance around the inside of the great room, my eyes narrow menacingly.

“Fuck,” Isaac whispers.

Someone snuck in during the night and spray painted one of the walls with gang graffiti. Thankfully, the drywall hasn’t been hung yet either, and we can easily cover this up.

“Fucking kids,” I growl and shake my head.

“I’ll call Matt and have him arrange to have this neighborhood patrolled more regularly,” he says grimly, referring to his younger brother, one of Seattle’s best detectives.

“I’ll make sure the doors and windows are installed today so it’ll be locked up from now on,” I reply.

Isaac nods and follows me as I walk through the eight thousand square foot home.

“This is going to be impressive,” Isaac says.

“I agree. It’s one of the biggest I’ve ever built, that’s for sure.” When we walk back out through the front entrance, we both sit on the temporary concrete steps and sip our coffee. “How are the other sites coming along?”

“No complaints today,” he replies and then shakes his head. “Except that remodel at Alki. The owner has changed her mind on the master shower four motherf*cking times.”

“Seriously?” I laugh and sip my coffee. “That sucks.”

“It’s her money.” Isaac shrugs as if he just can’t figure her out. “I’d like to wrap that one up so we can move on to the next.”

“How are Stacy and the kids?”

“Perfect,” he replies easily with a satisfied grin. For the first time in my life, I’m jealous of Isaac and our brothers and their families. “Stacy is beautiful and busy with Soph and Liam.”

I nod and watch as some of the crew begins to pull in, gathering their tool belts and other gear from the beds of their trucks.

“You coming to Will’s on Sunday?” Isaac asks.

“What’s happening on Sunday?”

“Last minute family cookout.” He shrugs and then chuckles. “The weather is heating up, so I think everyone wants to take advantage of being outside.”

“Sounds cool.” I pause and then decide f*ck it. “Think it’s cool if I bring someone?”

Isaac’s head whips around and his eyes are surprised when he asks, “Who?”

“An old friend,” I reply softly and then swear under my breath, uncomfortable as f*ck at the way he’s watching me. “Meredith.”

“Since when do you bring women to family functions?” he asks incredulously then laughs. “I so want to bust your balls about this, but I’ll be the mature one and simply say, yeah. It’s fine. Will and the others will not let you off the hook so easily, my friend.”

“I don’t care.”

And it’s true. I don’t. I just want her with me.

Jesus, I’m getting way ahead of myself here. We haven’t been out on a date yet.

Patience never was a virtue I possessed.

“I’ll invite her,” I say and crush my empty coffee cup in my fist.

“Is she the reason?” he asks softly and doesn’t turn his head to look at me. He doesn’t clarify, not that I need him to. He just sits quietly and waits for me to answer, watching the cup in his hands.

“Yeah.” My voice is quiet and I sigh deeply. “Once upon a time, she was everything.”

“Good luck, man.”

I nod and stand with him as the others join us on the steps.

“What’s on tap for today, boss?”

“Doors and windows,” I begin and push thoughts of Meredith aside for later as I get to work.

***

I knock on Mer’s apartment door and shift back and forth on my feet. I haven’t been this nervous since the very first time I picked her up for a date early in our Junior year.

I’ve come a long way since then.

Suddenly the door is wrenched open and Jax is standing there with a wide smile.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi. I’m here to pick up Meredith.”

“Mr. Delicious is here for your date, tootsie roll!” Jax yells.

“I’m right here, dork,” Meredith says as she slips under his arm out into the hallway. “Ignore him. He has horrible manners.”

“Have fun,” Jax continues, leaning on the doorjamb with his arms crossed and watching us walk to the elevator. I brace my hand on the small of her back and feel the electricity travel up my arm and down to my groin. After all this time, the chemistry is still here. “You have her home at a decent time, now. I’ll leave the light on.”

“Shut up, Jax,” Mer says with a laugh.

“Use condoms!” He calls just as the elevator arrives.

“Oh my God! Shut the hell up, Jax!”

He laughs as the doors close and I can only smile in delight down at her. Her cheeks are pink with embarrassment. Her hair is pulled up in one of her signature messy buns and she’s in jeans and a blue sweater the same color as her eyes.