Only His (Fool's Gold #6)(64)

“I’m less concerned about the cost of the installation or insurance,” Marsha said, removing her glasses. “It’s the gift itself.”

“I don’t get it,” Tucker admitted.

The mayor turned to her. “Cat wishes to celebrate all things feminine. Those were her exact words.”

The mayor’s expression tightened. If Tucker had to guess what she was feeling, he would say horror.

“How?” he asked.

“She’s giving us a giant vagina. From the preliminary sketches, I would say it’s going to be at least fifteen feet tall, and she would like us to place it in the center of town. Where the Thanksgiving diorama is now.”

Nevada made a choking sound. Tucker found himself scrambling for words.

“A giant…”

“Yes.”

What the hell was Cat thinking? A vagina? In the center of Fool’s Gold. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what that would look like. Would there be ovaries, too, or was that part of the uterus? He wasn’t exactly an expert on female anatomy. He knew what he liked and what they liked and that had been the end of his exploration of the topic.

Nevada opened her mouth and then closed it. “Oh, my.”

“Exactly,” the mayor said. “We have tried to stop this by delaying the permitting process. However, Ms. Stoicasescu’s assistant went on and on about freedom of expression and threatened to expose us to the national press as a town that is an enemy of art. We have already had to deal with the national press and it’s not an experience I want to repeat.”

“What do you want us to do?” Nevada asked.

The mayor closed the folder, put away her reading glasses, then rose.

“I want you to make it go away. All of it. Ms. Stoicasescu, her assistant and the vagina.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TUCKER CROSSED THE CLEARED land toward the side of the mountain. The blasting would take out about forty feet, which didn’t sound like much. What he knew from having done this before was that the explosion would release tons of loose earth. Once that had been cleared, the side of the mountain would be stabilized and braced and the rest of the work could continue.

Digging for the water and sewer systems had already started. Massive pipes were being delivered in a few weeks and would be put in place. Having city water and sewer would make things easier, as far as doing the work and reliability, but it meant more permits and oversight. A trade-off.

He could see Nevada in the distance, talking to her team. The guys were nodding attentively, and one was taking notes. Tucker had to give her credit. She knew how to handle herself on the site.

“Hey, boss.”

Tucker nodded as Jerry approached. The fiftysomething supervisor had been with the company nearly thirty years and had worked with Tucker for the past ten.

“The blasting crew is on their way. They’ll arrive tomorrow. They’ll go over everything, set up and be ready by Friday. Should be a good show.”

“So I’ve heard.”

The sound of female laughter drifted toward them. Tucker glanced toward Nevada and saw her laughing with her men.

“She’s doing good,” Jerry said. “A few of the guys weren’t sure about reporting to a woman, and a local at that. But she knows her stuff. She’s fair and easy to work for. Pretty, but what with you two being involved, no one’s giving her that kind of trouble.”

Tucker swung his gaze to Jerry. “We’re not involved.”

Jerry grinned. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that, boss. You’ll start to believe it. Not that I blame you. Like I said, if you hadn’t gotten there first, a lot of the guys would have made a play for her.” The grin broadened. “Her sisters are getting married. You could make it a triple wedding.”

Jerry laughed at his own joke and slapped Tucker on the back. “Want me to start a pool? You could make a lot of money betting with the guys.”

“No, thanks,” Tucker said, doing his best not to grit his teeth.

Their fake relationship had worked too well. They hadn’t been dating but that didn’t matter. They were barely seeing each other. Sure, they’d slept together, but that had been more an accident than anything else. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed himself. He had. She was great. He liked spending time with her. Not just for the sex, although that was life-changing, but for the conversation. They got each other. She was funny and smart. He wanted to see more of her, but they weren’t dating. Or involved.

Jerry waved and walked toward the group around Nevada. Tucker watched him go, not sure what he was supposed to do now. He’d made it clear that he didn’t do relationships. He believed love made people into fools, and he wasn’t going there again. Nevada understood that. They were on the same page.

At least he hoped they were. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure she did know the rules. What if she expected more of him?

The question had barely formed in his mind before a thin sheen of cold sweat broke out on his back. The last thing he needed was for everyone around here to think he’d misled Nevada. Her team would turn on him, and who knew what that would mean in town. So, they had to talk about it—words designed to make any man run for the hills.

But he had to make things clear. There wasn’t going to be a triple wedding. In a year or so, he would move on to the next project. Sure, he would miss Nevada when he went, but that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her. Or anyone.