it for me? Don’t show it to anyone and help Liv keep everyone away from the warehouse. Please, Alice.’
He shouldered through the door to the warehouse, not waiting for a response. There wasn’t time to explain, or to wait to see if she’d support him; there was only the truck, and the six-foot-high letters on the side that he hadn’t anticipated.
If he didn’t get that truck into the warehouse and out of sight, everything he’d worked towards would be for nothing. Months of secrecy would be wasted.
Alice gave in to her curiosity and opened the white box. She couldn’t say what she’d been expecting, but hundreds of business cards hadn’t been on her shortlist. They were bound together with a clear strip of plastic, so she carefully nudged a finger’s width of them out from the bundle, then plucked one free.
She read it three times before she understood. Then she smiled.
Dean was in the warehouse for over twenty minutes, and his fears that anyone would leave the garage were baseless – everyone was so single-minded about lifting the window assembly up into the framework that Alice doubted they even noticed Dean’s absence. Regardless, she waited in the reception area, ready to intercept anyone should they find a reason to come this way.
When the warehouse roller door rumbled open and the truck reversed onto the street, Alice hoped that no one looked out and saw it, because she wanted this surprise for Dean as much as she’d wanted new shoes for Ben. He’d been so vague about the purpose of the new space, but now, after seeing the words on the side of the truck and reading the business cards, Alice finally understood.
The sound of hammering stopped. There were a few shouts and laughs, then a panicked voice that Alice guessed to be Liv’s. Ethan had finished and was clearly heading this way. Short of throwing herself under his feet, Alice had no idea how she was going to head him off.
She was thinking of feigning chest pains when Dean burst through the warehouse door, his grin wider than Alice’s palm. Before she could speak he strode towards her, wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. He laughed against her throat, her hair curtaining their faces, then turned in a dizzying circle and set her down.
‘It’s finally done,’ he whispered, and she was undone.
Her careful, unassuming heart shed its reservations, overrode its fear and fell at his feet. It turned out she liked Dean Foster a great deal more than she’d planned to.
She didn’t understand the story behind this big gesture, but she could guess what it would mean to Ethan, and she thought she might be seeing a fraction of what it meant to Dean.
When he let go and stepped back she held the box of cards up to him. He took it with one hand, put the other against her cheek, and moved close again. His lips pressed against the skin near her mouth, long enough for his warm breath to roll along her jaw and down her throat, then he drew away.
They smiled at each other.
‘Ethan’s finished,’ she said, wishing she had more words and fewer feelings. She was overcome with thoughts and needs that hadn’t visited her body in years, but now wasn’t the time to explore them.
‘You want to stay for a few more minutes?’ he asked. ‘I’m going to do the big reveal.’
She grinned and nodded.
The door to the garage opened and Dean took a step back, putting more distance between them than she wanted. Ethan strode in, pushing sweat-damp hair away from his face, looking exhausted but pleased. ‘It’s not beautiful yet, but it’s airtight.’
Alice crossed the reception area and lifted her jacket from the hook by the door. As the brothers talked about the materials they needed to finish the job, she rounded the desk, shut down her computer and lifted her handbag onto her shoulder.
Dean looked at her then back at Ethan. ‘I reckon we’re done for the day.’
‘I don’t know about this “we”
He shouldered through the door to the warehouse, not waiting for a response. There wasn’t time to explain, or to wait to see if she’d support him; there was only the truck, and the six-foot-high letters on the side that he hadn’t anticipated.
If he didn’t get that truck into the warehouse and out of sight, everything he’d worked towards would be for nothing. Months of secrecy would be wasted.
Alice gave in to her curiosity and opened the white box. She couldn’t say what she’d been expecting, but hundreds of business cards hadn’t been on her shortlist. They were bound together with a clear strip of plastic, so she carefully nudged a finger’s width of them out from the bundle, then plucked one free.
She read it three times before she understood. Then she smiled.
Dean was in the warehouse for over twenty minutes, and his fears that anyone would leave the garage were baseless – everyone was so single-minded about lifting the window assembly up into the framework that Alice doubted they even noticed Dean’s absence. Regardless, she waited in the reception area, ready to intercept anyone should they find a reason to come this way.
When the warehouse roller door rumbled open and the truck reversed onto the street, Alice hoped that no one looked out and saw it, because she wanted this surprise for Dean as much as she’d wanted new shoes for Ben. He’d been so vague about the purpose of the new space, but now, after seeing the words on the side of the truck and reading the business cards, Alice finally understood.
The sound of hammering stopped. There were a few shouts and laughs, then a panicked voice that Alice guessed to be Liv’s. Ethan had finished and was clearly heading this way. Short of throwing herself under his feet, Alice had no idea how she was going to head him off.
She was thinking of feigning chest pains when Dean burst through the warehouse door, his grin wider than Alice’s palm. Before she could speak he strode towards her, wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. He laughed against her throat, her hair curtaining their faces, then turned in a dizzying circle and set her down.
‘It’s finally done,’ he whispered, and she was undone.
Her careful, unassuming heart shed its reservations, overrode its fear and fell at his feet. It turned out she liked Dean Foster a great deal more than she’d planned to.
She didn’t understand the story behind this big gesture, but she could guess what it would mean to Ethan, and she thought she might be seeing a fraction of what it meant to Dean.
When he let go and stepped back she held the box of cards up to him. He took it with one hand, put the other against her cheek, and moved close again. His lips pressed against the skin near her mouth, long enough for his warm breath to roll along her jaw and down her throat, then he drew away.
They smiled at each other.
‘Ethan’s finished,’ she said, wishing she had more words and fewer feelings. She was overcome with thoughts and needs that hadn’t visited her body in years, but now wasn’t the time to explore them.
‘You want to stay for a few more minutes?’ he asked. ‘I’m going to do the big reveal.’
She grinned and nodded.
The door to the garage opened and Dean took a step back, putting more distance between them than she wanted. Ethan strode in, pushing sweat-damp hair away from his face, looking exhausted but pleased. ‘It’s not beautiful yet, but it’s airtight.’
Alice crossed the reception area and lifted her jacket from the hook by the door. As the brothers talked about the materials they needed to finish the job, she rounded the desk, shut down her computer and lifted her handbag onto her shoulder.
Dean looked at her then back at Ethan. ‘I reckon we’re done for the day.’
‘I don’t know about this “we”
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