Page 37 of The Handyman

“That’s not a lot, really. You took it anyway because you thought it was Brandon?”

Again, Reece nodded.

I licked my lips heavily as I circled my fingertips on the edge of the tub. “When did you start suspecting my mom?”

“I didn’t consider it until after your interview. After you went out, Vanessa told me your documents weren’t right, but that alone wasn’t enough to make me think she’d done this. Last night, Vanessa told me we’d gotten a reply from an unprotected computer, and it pinged in Redding, Connecticut. So, I knew better than tonotsuspect her, but I was still a little caught off guard by the fact that itisher. Knowing what I know now, it makes sense, though.”

Tilting my head to arch a brow quizzically, I watched Reece from under heavy lids.

He clasped and released his hands between his knees, his troubled expression deepening before he opened his mouth, “She treats you like shit because she feels like she has a reason. You’re the product of an affair and if she blamed her husband and left him, she’d have nothing and no one. It’d also allude that she’s doing or had done something wrong at some point, and people like her never blame themselves for their mistakes.”

“You don’t think it could be my dad?” The crease between his brows deepened at my question, and I was running out of ways to express howfuckedthis whole thing was. “I guess there’s not much to suspect him, but isn’t that why you should?”

“Riley…what’s the point in asking any of these questions? If you want answers,realanswers…you should ask your mother. Despite what Delilah said, if we grabbed your family, your mom would go into trapped animal mode. She’d spill her guts, saying any and all horrible, nasty things, all the worst truths, that she could to try to fuck you up because she’d know it’d be over. It won’t be easy, but you’ll have the answers you want. I’m sorry that I can’t give you anything and I hate that you’re in this position, but. . .” Trialing off, he blew out a hot sigh into the dense, heavy air and caught my gaze. His eyes roiled with emotions so clearly. “Just because you hire someone to kill someone else, the alternative is still the same as any other argument. You have to talk to her. Asking me is just going to be frustrating and disappointing.”

“I know…If I hired you to not kill me, what would you do?” Now, I was just asking simply to ask, to keep the line of communication open. I didn’t want to know specifics about his job, but Reece obviously felt compelled to give me straight responses right now.

Well, I couldn’t pin that entirely on the fact that he knows for sure that my mom was the one that hired him to kill me. He’d told me the truth last night, a number, and that was good enough for me. I was pretty sure that the phone call from Vanessa happenedafterI drunkenly confessed my love for him, too.

Which seemed like an okay thing to do at the time becausefuck me— it just hit me! How lucky am I that I can spend time with ReecewheneverI want? I mean, yeah, starting Monday, I had a 9-5 office job, but it wasn’t like he lived outside the city or across the world.

“My services are for hire, Riley.” Breaking my thoughts, Reece smiled faintly, but it was strained and thin. “Whoever pays more, usually has the upper hand. That’s why it’s always prudent to put a time limit on this kind of thing. If the person on the other end finds out, and has more money to throw around, it’s not difficult to take it and walk away. It’s the same with any business transaction. You take the more profitable route. Most of the time, I take both payments because it’s not my problem that Mr. Rich let slip his evil scheme.”

“It’s happened before? What happened after?” The drone of water hitting tile, the feel of the drops pelting my skin, made me numb.

Reece shrugged. “Dude knew about it, had cash prepped and said I could take it if I left him alive. I mean— there’s people out there that’ll kill him and take the money anyway, but I am not one of those people. So, I took it. I told my client, that if he wanted the job done, he’d have to match plus half. Which he did. He wasn’t happy about it, of course, but whatever. So I went back a week later and finished cleaning up.”

He’s so casual about it. I guess when you’re growing up in an environment like that—

“I’ve never done a job for nothing, but…I’ve never been a position where I was more concerned about a person than the money involved.”

“It wouldn’t be for nothing.” I braced my feet on the tub floor to hoist myself up, and Reece straightened to watch my warily. Stepping out of the tub, I crossed the short distance to straddle his lap, and he tensed with a sharp inhale. “Do I make you happy, Reece?”

“Of course, you do,” he answered instantly, seriousness drawling his tone as he reached to cup my face in both his hands. “I am happy, but more than that, I’m excited for where this can go. You and me…I think we’re a great fit.”

“I’m not keen on being number eighty-one.”

His eyes widened, lips parting slightly in surprise.

I rested my cheek on his shoulder. “I love you.”

Wrapping his arms around me, Reece pressed his lips to my forehead to sigh heavily through his nose.

I could always count on him to treat me right, and that was what mattered. He was a handyman, sure…but to me, he was Reece, and I loved him.

“I love you, too, Riley.”

Isn’t that all it is, anyway? The person I knew was not the same person Vanessa knew, or Delilah knew, or anyone else knew. Basing my feelings on my experiences was all I could do and other people’s perceptions didn’t matter. No one saw the same person the same way.

Reece kissed my forehead gently. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

27

Reece

“What do I do?”

Pausing pulling my bed apart, I glanced over at Riley.