Reckless In Love (The Maverick Billionaires #2)(75)
“Sebastian?” Her hand on his arm, she’d moved closer, her expression clearly concerned. “Are you upset with me for saying I prefer this to the big parties?”
“No.” He stroked her cheek. “Of course not.” He was upset with himself for not paying attention to that fact. Every party they attended should have been balanced by a junkyard visit where she could discover magical pieces to perfect her sculptures. He would try to do that in the future, but it was so hard for Charlie to give up her workshop time during the day. Except for this day. He made himself smile as he added, “I like getting my hands dirty too.”
She stared at him a moment longer, as though she thought something lurked beneath the surface of what he’d actually said. Finally she smiled back. “I understand Daniel knowing his way around a tool belt. But you, with your fancy suits—” He was beyond relieved to see the teasing glint in her eyes again. “Do you actually know how to do all this stuff?”
“When we were growing up, everyone had to pitch in at the Spencer household when something needed fixing. Daniel’s not the only one who can build a cabin from scratch.”
“That,” she said as she pressed closer, lifting her mouth to his, “just might be the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me. Say it again.”
Her lips were only a breath away. “One day, I’ll build you a cabin from the ground up with my own two hands.”
“So hot.” Her tongue licked out against his lips before she gave him a sizzling kiss right there on the sidewalk.
Her taste thoroughly fried his brain. He almost couldn’t remember where he’d put his tool belt.
“It’s in the back,” she drawled, knowing exactly what she’d done to him.
He smacked one last kiss on her beautiful mouth, then grabbed his tool belt from the bed of the truck and called out to a couple of guys in the garage, who were checking off boxed materials on clipboards, “You know where Daniel is?”
An older man, his shirt sporting the Top-Notch DIY logo, hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Inside.”
With Charlie’s hand in his, they climbed the wooden crates that had been set up as temporary porch steps. Voices carried from the kitchen and they followed the noise into a room crowded with Mavericks, the contractors Daniel had brought in, and a group of teenage volunteers.
“Glad you could make it.” Daniel high-fived Sebastian, then leaned down to give Charlie a hug. When surprise flickered on her face, Sebastian realized she still hadn’t accepted the fact that she was now a Maverick.
Standing next to Daniel, Will had his arm around Harper, her brother Jeremy beside them.
“Hey, Sebastian, Will said I could have a day off to come help.” Jeremy’s voice was big, enthusiastic, bright, and that described him to a T. He’d been hit by a car when he was seven years old and had suffered extensive brain damage. While he would always have the mind of that seven-year-old, he was the sweetest kid. Okay, he wasn’t a kid at eighteen, but he was always so damn happy and optimistic. Just as Sebastian had told Francine’s story at his last workshop, he’d told Jeremy and Harper’s story too. Bad things happened sometimes, but people were capable of overcoming them.
Sebastian introduced Charlie, and Jeremy was immediately bouncing on his toes with excitement. “The Zantis are awesome, Charlie.”
“Thank you.” She patted his arm. “What do you think about having something of your very own? Maybe a sculpture to look like your favorite car?”
His eyes went wide. “Wow. A Birdcage Maserati sculpture would be way cool.”
Matt had brought his son Noah, and the boy was already down on the floor playing with a plastic toolset, aided by a pretty, twentysomething young woman.
“Who’s that?” Will asked. “Your new nanny?”
“Ariana works at my San Jose store,” Daniel answered for Matt. “She had to rearrange some hours at her second job so she could be here today. Everyone loves her.”
“She’s great with Noah,” Harper noted. “He’s laughing as hard as he does when Jeremy gives him an elephant ride on his back.”
Noah’s laughter was a balm, especially to Matt, whose only desire was to see his son happy. He’d had a rough go of things with Noah’s mother. Sebastian felt his pain. All the Mavericks did.
Speaking of pain, thankfully Evan hadn’t brought his wife—God forbid Whitney should break a nail. Evan’s sister-in-law Paige had come instead. Sebastian had always liked her. Though she was pretty, she wasn’t the bombshell her sister was—at least, not until you saw her smile—and mercifully she didn’t have her sister’s explosive tendencies either.
“Okay, people,” Daniel called. “I’ll organize everyone into teams and assign your tasks. You’re my leaders, and you’ll be responsible for your team members. I’m including a list of kids on each task so they can get some experience. We want them to learn, so be patient and explain what you’re doing, okay? Materials are in the garage and on the concrete pad out back. John does electrical and Roger is our plumber, so check in with them if you have questions. In addition to remodeling the kitchen, we’re painting inside and out, installing double-pane windows and new floors, and redoing all bathroom fixtures, toilets, and showers—three upstairs, two downstairs. With all of us working hard today, we should be ready for the inspectors tomorrow. Here are the assignments.” He grinned at everyone. “Let the fun begin.”