Page 7 of Tempting Me (The Asher Family #3)

CHAPTER SIX

LUCA

I didn’t sleep very well last night for obvious reasons. Then I started drinking coffee way too soon in my day, pouring a new cup at almost every work location I popped into, because no matter who the job is for, the client always offers me and my guys coffee or food.

We always take it, too.

Maybe the extra caffeine and carbs will be good for me.

I don’t even want to start wrapping my mind around the things Shay wants me to do at The Marina. The day is only partially over and I can tell it’s going to be a long night.

I wish she would have given me a hint last night. Maybe even an update of where the last guy left off. Is it just the main room, the cabins, what? How quickly does she want this done? What’s her plan?

I should have asked so many more questions, but I was honestly still a little shocked that she was finally seeking me out.

It might have short-circuited my brain a touch .

Part of me is excited to see how she plans to update the place. To see what she didn’t want me to see for the last year. I’m even more excited that I finally get to be a part of it.

That place holds as much history for me as it does for her.

I park my truck in front of Hudson’s Bar and lock it before I go inside to get a late lunch. Half the week, I go home for lunch and the other half, I come here. Work and life schedules don't really give my brothers and me much time to spend together, so this is how I like to make it work.

Sure, we meet on Sundays for breakfast with our dad, but this is different.

Today should have been one of the days I went home. I should have made food real quick and then attempted a nap.

Ha.

A nap.

Like most grown adults, I can’t remember the last time I took one of those that wasn’t because I was hungover.

I have no idea how late I'm going to be working at The Marina, but if I can't show up until the sun starts to set, then I would imagine it’ll be midnight before I get home.

I grab my beer and step outside onto Main Street.

Should I be drinking a beer right now? Probably not, but I’m off work until I meet Shay, so why not relax a little with uno beer?

It’s the town's summer festival this afternoon and evening, and even though I have question after question for Miles right now after he showed up with Quinn, I can’t think straight.

Sure, I want to know more than what he told me the other day at the gym, but right now, I need to have some type of plan for my own life.

How the hell am I going to do a remodel during the night? My tools will be loud. I’ll need to haul some supplies out there to use at some point.

I sip my beer as my gaze sweeps over the people of Lovers.

My dad is walking down the street, talking to Mrs. Whittaker. Hudson, Sadie, her brother Linc, and Brooke are sitting at a table with Miles and Quinn.

Maybe I should focus on my brother. Hell, it’s a great distraction from my own life.

My brain is messed up right now. I’m so desperate for work at The Marina that I agreed to do the job in secret all so Shay would put in a good word with her best friend.

So I could get a little redemption in the eyes of the woman who turned me down.

Fuck.

That sounds pathetic.

Am I sad that she turned me down, or am I pissed because of her reason why?

“Hey, Luca.”

I spin to my right where, as luck has it, Grace is walking toward me.

“Grace,” I say, but that’s it. Instead, I hold up my drink like I’m cheering her on, and she laughs. She doesn't have a drink in her hand, so I’m sure I look like a fool.

Maybe that’s the real reason she said no.

The door to the bar opens and Shay appears, a mixed drink in a can in each hand. Her steps slow as she makes eye contact with me and hands one of the beverages to Grace.

She looks from me to her friend and back, and I immediately want to scream stop being so fucking obvious . She’s making this weird face with her eyeballs bouncing around like that .

I’m trusting her to help me, and until now, I never thought that maybe she might sabotage me instead as soon as she gets what she wants.

Shit.

Maybe I need to lay some ground rules when we get to work tonight.

“Luca,” Shay says, and there is so much disgust in her tone, I’m surprised she didn’t actually vomit as she spoke.

I don’t even greet her. I just glare and then turn my focus back to Grace.

My lips part to say something, but she beats me to it.

“Wow. Will you two ever grow up?” Grace says. “See you around, Luca.”

And then she walks off, leaving me and Shay alone.

Well … that … was …

“What the fuck, Shay?”

“Me?”

Oh, she’s going to pretend that it wasn’t her arrival to the conversation that lowered Grace’s opinion of me more than it was before. This is not my fault.

“Yes, you.”

“Do not blame me for your lack of manners, Luca.”

“I have manners, Shay.”

“Yeah, right, they are just beaming with light right now, Luca.”

“They were before you showed up, Shay.”

“Stop saying my name after every sentence, Luca.”

“You stop.”

“No, you stop.”

“Oh fuck, we’re proving her point,” I snap and then toss back my beer .

When I’m finished, I glance at Shay because, to be honest, I’m stunned that she’s still here.

Her eyes are on my throat, but as soon as she senses that I’m watching her, those golden irises flicker to mine.

“You’re still coming tonight, right?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“Well, yeah, but we can't even be around each other for sixty seconds without fighting.”

“Looks like we need to figure it out.”

I move to walk away, but she reaches out, her slight hand wrapping around my wrist to stop me.

A rush of heat flashes through my body.

I jerk my hand back, my heart racing.

“Don’t come too early,” she says. Her tone is the one she uses with everyone but me. Between that and the way my body just reacted to her touch, I’m off balance.

Because I’m not sure how to respond maturely, as Grace put it, I lean forward to whisper in her ear.

“Now, now, Shay, that’s my line.”

She sucks in a breath, her attention now focused on my lips.

Fuck. She’s doing it again.

And when she looks at me like she is right now, my brain thinks we need to respond. Grab her, kiss her, push her against the brick building and press my body against hers just to feel the touch of her slender fingers holding on to me.

I don’t know how to respond to Shay when she’s anything but snappy or witty.

But then someone walks by and bumps her shoulder, pulling her from the trance she’d fallen into, and she huffs.

“You wish. ”

She walks off before I can say another word.

Which is fine. Honestly, I’m not sure where that conversation could have gone outside of becoming awkward anyway.

I pop back into Hudson’s Bar and set my empty glass down then head back outside. This time, I’m greeted with kids running around and tourists from the lodge chatting about how they can’t wait to get back out on the water before the sun goes down.

It’s a fresh reminder that no matter what issues Shay and I have, returning The Marina to its full potential is a common goal.

Sure, I don’t own it and won't profit from its success, but my work will be everywhere people look in that place, and someday when I have my own family, I’ll be proud to take them there.

It will hold different memories than it does now.

That’s the goal here.

I need to find a way to push past this thing with Shay.

And I need to find a way in just about five hours.

There isn’t a single vehicle in The Marina’s parking lot when I pull up. They’ve been closed for about an hour now, so it makes sense, but still, sometimes a car or a truck might linger for the night because someone made the right choice not to drink and drive.

I’m guessing everyone is at the festival, so business wasn’t booming tonight.

Still, the point is, Shay can’t scold me for this one.

I slide out of my truck, grabbing some tools from the back before I head inside.

I glance around to be sure no one sees me.

Which is stupid because we are adults and this is business, but I know how badly Shay’s family can hold a grudge, and despite everything, I don’t want her to ever be on the receiving end of that.

I set my things down by the door and return to my truck.

It feels weird driving my personal truck, but all the others have Luca’s Construction printed on them.

“Hurry up,” a high whisper comes from behind me as I reach my driver's door.

I glance over my shoulder. Shay has changed from her festival outfit to a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a tank top. She’s barefoot as she stands in the doorway, waving for me to hurry up.

I grab what I left in the truck and meet her at the door.

“I brought you coffee,” I tell her as I step inside to check out the space. “I wasn’t sure how you took it, so there’s a variety of sugars and cream in my lunch box.”

“I drink my coffee black, thanks.”

Of course she does. Just like her soul.

“I see you didn’t bring a trailer or anything. Are we not working right away?”

What the—? Is she being serious right now?

“You told me not to bring one.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually listen.”

“Well, I did. But it’s fine. I need to take measurements and notes, and we need to get a plan in place. I need to know your vision, timeframes, and whatnot. Plus, all my trailers have the company name on them, sooooo ...”

“Ah. I didn’t think of that.”

“Of course you didn’t.”

“Ugh, is this really how it’s going to be for us?”

“Unfortunately, I think so. ”

She rolls her eyes and points to the room just past the bar.

It’s clear this part of The Marina has been well cared for and odd things have been replaced over the years, so the bar area doesn't need to be remodeled the way the dining room and outside deck do.