Up to the Challenge ai-2 Read online

  But was “item” the right word? Telling people they were a fling didn’t feel right. They weren’t really dating, unless they were casually dating. But they weren’t committed, which meant technically they could see other people. Not that he would be seeing anyone else, but if Sid wanted to …

  Manny the man-boy came to mind, and Lucas nearly squeezed his coffee mug into pieces. Imagining another man touching Sid made him see red. Which was stupid since he had no hold on her. No claim. Even if he wanted one, which he didn’t.

  “What are you thinking about there, slugger? You look pissed off about something.”

  Sid wrapped a rubber band around her ponytail as she plodded barefoot into the living room. She sat in the chair to his left, a pair of socks in her hand.

  “Nothing to be pissed off about here.” Time to change the subject. “Talked to mom. Let her know I’m okay.”

  “Really?” Sid asked, pulling on a sock. “What did she say about you staying here?”

  “I let her think I slept on the couch.”

  Sid hesitated for a split second, then pulled on her other sock. “If that’s how you want to handle it.” She didn’t meet his eyes, but he could tell something bothered her.

  “I was trying to protect you, actually. Wasn’t sure how much of your business you wanted getting around.”

  She leaned back in the chair. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

  Flattering, he supposed, but they’d have to face the reality after the storm. “You have to live here. We both know how the grapevine works on this island.”

  “Spreads like a fire on gasoline.” Sid bit her lip, clearly pondering the situation. Sounding unsure of herself, which was completely out of character, she asked, “Do you care if people know? I mean, I’m not taking out a billboard that we had sex, but if we’re going to spend the rest of the summer having a good time, there’s no sense in hiding it.”

  He held out his hand. “Come here.” She did as requested and he set her on his lap. “I don’t regret one minute of last night, and I don’t care who knows about it. But I don’t live here. You do. You call the shots on this one.”

  The least he could do was protect her as much as possible.

  She played with the top button on his shirt. “I’ve never given a shit what anyone thought before. Would be stupid to start caring now.”

  “That’s what you want? To hell with everyone else?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, looking more confident. “But I don’t like this fling word.”

  Arguing semantics was never good. Cautiously he asked, “What would you like to call it?”

  “Well.” She ran a finger along his ear. He managed not to flinch. “We’re kind of friends now, aren’t we?”

  He laughed. “I think we can say that.”

  “Then we’re kind of friends with benefits.” Chocolate eyes met his, a glimmer of challenge and triumph in their depths.

  “Really good benefits.” Best benefits package he’d ever been offered. “But you want to tell people that? That we’re friends with benefits?”

  Sid rolled her eyes. “That part’s just between us. Anyone asks for details, I’ll tell them it’s none of their fucking business.”

  Lucas cringed. She did have a way with words. “One request. If my mom asks, could you phrase it a little differently?”

  “I didn’t think about your mom.” She turned to face him, spinning on his lap until she was straddling his hips. If she squirmed any more they’d be breaking in the couch the way they’d broken in the shower.

  “Like I said, she thinks I slept on the couch. But she’s bound to catch on eventually.” He cupped her bottom and scooted to the end of the sofa. “And if we don’t get going right now, I’m going to have you on your back needing another shower in about five minutes.”

  Sid giggled and held onto his shoulders. “That might not be so …” She stopped and leaned back. “Shit. The garage.”

  “What garage?” The abrupt change of subject was hard to follow with no blood flowing to his brain.

  “It’s my … well, it’s not mine yet. I just need to go check it out.” She jumped off his lap, grabbed her boots, then sat down to put them on. “I’ll have to replace the windows anyway, but I hope there’s no water damage inside.”

  “Slow down.” Lucas grabbed his tennis shoes, which were still damp but dry enough to wear. “What garage are we going to see?”

  “We?” she said, sitting up, laces frozen in the air. “You’re going with me?”

  “If you’re checking out some old garage for storm damage, I’m not letting you go alone.”

  “Oh.” She finished tying her boot, slowly now, as if her brain were working too hard on something else to pay attention to what her hands were doing. Once both boots were secure, she stood and paced in front of the coffee table, talking with her hands except all the talking was happening in her head.

  “Sid!” he said, yelling to get her attention. “What am I missing here? What’s so special about this garage?”

  She bit a nail as she stared at him in silence. He decided to wait her out.

  “Okay, you can come,” she said. “But you have to swear you won’t tell anyone.”

  “Tell anyone what?”

  “Where we’re going.”

  “Are you keeping dead bodies in this garage?”

  She tapped a foot. “Promise.”

  “Fine,” he said, more curious than anything. “I promise. But what is this garage to you?”

  Snagging a set of keys from a hook on the wall, she said, “It’s my future. Now get your ass in gear and let’s go.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Anchor looked as if it had been through a war instead of a storm, though Sid had seen it looking much worse. Ingrid had made a hard right, tracking out into the ocean overnight, which spared the island the brunt of her power. A steady drizzle continued to fall though, the air heavy and gray in the storm’s wake.

  The distance from Sid’s house to the garage normally took ten minutes tops, but this trip took thirty thanks to downed tree limbs littering the narrow streets. Most had been a manageable size. She and Lucas would climb from the truck, move the debris off the asphalt, then continue on their way. The one branch large enough to require more than man power they were able to navigate around.

  Conversation on the way was minimal. Lucas didn’t press for details on their destination, which Sid appreciated, as she teetered between giddiness and nauseous anticipation. She’d spent her adult life wanting two things: Lucas Dempsey and her own business. Even if the situation with Lucas was only temporary, she had him for now. And that was something.

  The man who ten days before hadn’t even noticed her, now seemed not only satisfied with their first encounter, but content to return for regular engagements. At least for the summer. She briefly pondered what would happen when fall arrived. Would everything end, or would they pick up where they left off on his rare visits home?

  A glance his way got her a quick grin with long lashes hooded over hazel eyes. Her stomach dropped while her temperature spiked. A man like Lucas wouldn’t stay single up in the city. He’d move on. Find the perfect dinner-party wife who wouldn’t curse or wear inappropriate T-shirts. Sid would be relegated to a fling he had one summer.

  She gripped the wheel hard, her knuckles going white at the thought. Casual. That’s what she’d signed up for. That’s what they were. No promises. No pressure. No commitments.

  No regrets now.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have brought him with her to the garage. What if he didn’t see it? Didn’t get it? Sid had told no one about her plans. Will knew only because she worked at the real estate office now and then, so Sid went through her to enquire about the property.

  But even Randy didn’t know. This was hers and when she saw it through, on her own, she would show everyone that Sid Navarro could be more than some fishing hostess and part-time grease monkey.

  She would be a successful business
owner. In demand. Doing what she loved. Not just one guy’s kid sister and another guy’s sidekick. Sid would stand on her own.

  Pulling onto the gravel road leading to the garage, she kicked the truck down into four-wheel drive to gain traction through potholes the size of craters. Like the building it fronted, the driveway needed some work.

  Lucas braced himself in the passenger seat, looking perplexed about where exactly she was taking him. Sid gave him credit for not demanding answers.

  When she stopped the truck ten yards from the red brick building, they both leaned forward to see the edifice. Sid left the wipers going to clear the light drizzle falling on the windshield. Looking up, she breathed a sigh of relief that the windows had held. The ones that hadn’t been broken before the storm anyway.

  Arms wrapped around the steering wheel, she looked over to Lucas. “Well?”

  His head jerked her way as if he’d forgotten she was there. His mouth formed an “O” shape but remained silent. Then his eyes went back to the building. “It’s … I …” Looking her way again he asked, “I see an old run-down building. What am I missing?”

  Sid cut the engine and reached for her door handle. “Come on. I’ll show you.” As her feet hit the ground, she raised the hood on her jacket. Ingrid would bring rain for at least the next twenty-four hours, even as she drifted out into the ocean away from land.

  Though Fisher kept a padlock on the front entrance, Sid knew the side door could be easily opened. It stuck, but with a solid smack to the upper right corner, she pushed it open. Lucas followed behind.

  “Are we breaking and entering?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ve got lawyer friends who’ll take our case.”

  Lucas stopped just outside the threshold. “That’s not funny.”

  She rolled her eyes. Good thing the man was hot or the goody-two-shoes act would be a deal breaker. “I’m kidding. We’re fine. Come in out of the rain and close the door.”

  The smell of dirt filled the air as a breeze traveled down from the higher windows. The one in the back had been missing a roughly four-inch piece from the corner, and from what she could tell, that was still the only damage evident. If the storm had been any stronger, they’d be standing in several inches of water.

  By now Lucas had joined her in the large garage space. His head tilted back to take in the high ceiling, grungy walls, and dust-tinted windows. “This place is a wreck. How could it be anyone’s dream?”

  Sid bit the inside of her cheek. She thought he’d see it. Damn it.

  “You have to picture it cleaned up. New windows. Large fan up there at the highest point of the ceiling.” She pointed, then crossed to the left side of the space. “This will be the work counter, where I can spread out the plans. Consult with customers and decide on colors, interiors, that sort of thing.” Crossing to the other side she held her arms wide. “This will be the tool area, though some will be spread around or mounted to the ceiling, hanging within reach to work on the topside.”

  Lucas remained rooted to the spot where she’d left him. “You’re going to turn this into a business?”

  “Not just any business,” she said, closing the distance between them. “Navarro Boat Repair and Restoration. I’ll be able to take on the bigger jobs I can’t do now because I don’t have a place to do the work, but at the same time I can restore some old beauties. Something I’ve wanted to do for years.”

  Lucas did another spin in place, taking in their surroundings. “The space is good. What are the measurements?”

  A rush of heat shot through Sid’s chest. He was starting to see her vision. “Front to back it’s just under seventy-five feet. Ceiling goes up two and a half stories.” Turning to face the front she added, “The door is about fifteen feet, but I’ll need to change that to make the entrance bigger.”

  Again Lucas fell silent, eyes darting from corner to corner as if doing mental calculations. Several seconds later, he crossed his arms. “The structure is sturdy. How long has this been here? I don’t even remember it.”

  “Since the sixties,” she answered. “It’s a little out of the way, but close enough to the water to be perfect. Once the boat ramp is installed.”

  He shook his head. “Getting this place up and running would cost a fortune. If you found the right investors, could you really make enough to make it viable?”

  Investors? She didn’t want investors. “I know the price. I’ll handle it.”

  “You’ll handle it?” Lucas asked, kicking a rock with his toe to reveal a chunk missing from the concrete floor. “You have a money tree planted somewhere?”

  Sid had been saving for five years for this project. Scrimped and sacrificed. Taken every job she could get, returning home at night smelling like fish or diesel or both. “The money is my business. Forget I brought you here.” With a weight in her chest, she charged toward the side door. “Let’s go.”

  “Wait,” he said, catching her by the arm as she tried to pass him. “I admire your ambition, Sid. I really do. I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t make this happen. It just seems like a long shot is all.”

  “I never said it would be easy.” She pulled her arm from his grip and jammed her hands in her jacket pockets. “But I’m going to make this happen. You know as well as I do the only way to thrive on this island is to own a business. I’m not going to be a lackey for your brother forever. I have plans.”

  Plans she thought he’d understand. The breeze blew through again and she shivered. Why couldn’t he see the potential here?

  Lucas held eye contact another second, then dropped his gaze to the floor. “I get it.”

  Her body tensed. “You get what?”

  “I get this,” he said, gesturing to their surroundings. “You want to create something that’s yours. To be in charge of your own life and do what you love.” He met her eyes again. “I get that.”

  Sid hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until it whooshed out. “Then you can see what this place can be. What I can make of it.”

  He nodded. “I do. But taking on investors wouldn’t mean the place isn’t yours. What about your brother? Or Joe? I bet they’d both help you out.”

  So much for him understanding. “You want to make partner in that fancy firm of yours, don’t you?” she asked. “Are you working for that, or waiting for someone to hand it to you?”

  “That’s not the sa—”

  “Not the same thing? It’s exactly the same thing. You want to make yourself into something important.” Sid crossed her arms to keep from shaking him. “Well so do I. On my terms.”

  “This is going to take real money, Sid.”

  “Law school come free these days?”

  He pursed his lips. “Touché.” Rocking back on his heels, he grinned. “You’re a stubborn woman, Sid Navarro.”

  She couldn’t stay angry when he looked at her that way. With frustration, amusement, and desire all mixed together. “My stubbornness paid off last night, didn’t it?”

  With a hard tug, Lucas pulled her into his arms. “Yes, it did.” He nipped her earlobe and Sid squeaked. Heat shot through her body as she rose to her tiptoes, pressing soft curves against his hard angles. Though he stood nearly a foot taller, she couldn’t help but notice how they fit together perfectly.

  As if Lucas had been built for her alone. The thought set off warning bells in her brain, but then Lucas took her mouth in a hot, wet, mind-numbing kiss and the alarms faded away.

  Lucas tried not to dwell on the fact he couldn’t get enough of the woman with whom he was now officially having a summer fling. Even while trying his patience, she held the sex kitten look that made him long to sink his hands into that thick main of dark hair. Slide his tongue along her skin, and run his hands over every delicious, mouthwatering curve.

  Just as he’d suspected, this had the potential to get complicated. He’d been worried Sid couldn’t handle casual, but by all accounts, she seemed to be doing just fine. Lucas was the one
wanting to follow her around like a dog hot on the trail of bacon. When they’d arrived at his parents’ house, after several long minutes of tasting her pretty little mouth among the dirt and cobwebs of the run-down garage, she’d nonchalantly headed off to help her brother remove the plywood from his business windows.

  For a brief moment he thought to convince her to help out at the restaurant instead. To stay by his side where he could see her. Smell her. Touch her.

  Now who couldn’t do casual?

  “Hey, Lucas,” Beth said, stepping onto the porch. Her chestnut hair was held back in a clip, errant curls trailing around her face. She smiled in a way that told him this wasn’t a coincidental run in.

  “What is that look for?” he asked, dropping into an Adirondack chair to tie his shoes. The sneakers from the day before were still damp, so he’d grabbed a different pair.

  “Noticed your car wasn’t here last night. Where’d you ride out the storm?”

  So the questions started already. Though Sid had said she didn’t care what people thought, and it wasn’t in Lucas’s nature to lie, how they’d spent the night wasn’t anyone else’s business. And discussing sex with his former fiancée felt doubly strange.

  “You keeping tabs on my whereabouts now?” He yanked the laces tighter than intended, requiring him to loosen the shoe again.

  “I know I have no right to stick my nose in your business,” she said, tapping a low-hanging wind chime to her left. “But Sid is my friend. I don’t want her getting hurt.”

  Lucas kept his eyes on his shoe, took his time finishing the last knot, then leaned back in the chair. She had some nerve. “I no longer have to explain myself to you, nor do I need the ‘hurt my friend and I’ll kick your ass’ speech. Sid is a big girl. We’re both consenting adults. What we do or do not do while I’m on this island is between us.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “Didn’t you? I’m sure Sid appreciates your concern.” He glanced out to the gray clouds floating along the horizon, and thought better of that statement. “Actually, I think she’d be really pissed to know you thought she couldn’t handle herself.”