Сьюзен Мэллери - One In A Million

He didn’t mention that Stephanie had been trying a combination of guilt and physical abuse on the old machine. Thinking about how she’s stopped to kick it as she’d walked out of the room that morning made him smile.

“My bike chain came off once,” Brett said. “I got it back on and tightened up some stuff, but I guess that’s not the same.”

“You’re pretty mechanical,” Nash told the kid. “You handle these tools well.”

Brett pretended nonchalance. “I know.”

Just then someone cleared her throat. Nash glanced over his shoulder and saw Stephanie standing in the doorway to the utility room. The twins were right behind her, peering at him from either side of her hips. She didn’t look happy.

“I know you’re trying to help, Mr. Harmon, but this isn’t your responsibility.”

Before Nash could speak, Brett scrambled to his feet.

“It’s okay, Mom. I think Nash really fixed it. He knows about machines and stuff. We’re just putting it back together. Let’s test it.”

Stephanie’s doubt was as clear as her frown. “Brett, the washer isn’t a toy.”

“Good thing,” Nash said as he stood and looked down at her. “Because I wasn’t playing.”

Had she already mentioned that the man was tall? Stephanie had to tilt her head back to meet Nash’s dark gaze. Once her eyes locked onto his, she didn’t think an earthquake would be enough to break the connection between them.

What exactly was the appeal? His chiseled good looks? The hint of sadness even when he smiled? A body big enough and muscled enough to make him the most popular guy in a “drawing the human form” class? Her sex-free existence? That voice?

I wasn’t playing.

She knew what he’d meant when he spoke the words. He wasn’t playing at being Mr. Repair. He was just trying to help. But she wanted him to mean something else. She wanted him to mean that he thought she was sexy, mysterious and, seeing as this was her personal fantasy, irresistible. She wanted him to mean he wasn’t playing with her. He wanted it to be real, too.

Yeah, that and a nod from a genie would miraculously get the piles of laundry clean, too.

“Stephanie? Are you all right?”

Good question.

“Fine.”

She forced herself to look away from his face and focus her attention on the nearly assembled washer. The scattered tools on the floor were enough to remind her of Marty, who had loved to play at fixing things. He knew just enough to be dangerous to both himself and her monthly budget. Like she needed that kind of trouble again.

“Tell me exactly what you did,” she said. She would need the information to tell the repair guy.

Before Nash could speak, Brett launched into an explanation that involved calling tools by their actual names and pointing out various washer parts on a diagram so detailed, she got vertigo just looking at it. She did her best to pay attention. Really. It was just that the utility room was sort of on the small side and Nash was standing close enough for her to inhale the scent of his shampoo and the faint hint of male sweat. It had been a really long time since she’d seen a man perspire.

And it wasn’t going to happen again anytime soon, she told herself firmly. Men, good-looking or not, weren’t a part of her to-do list. She was going to put any illicit or illegal thoughts of Nash Harmon right out of her mind.

The bad news was she’d assumed that her reaction to him that morning had come from a lack of caffeine and low blood sugar. As she’d had enough coffee to float a good-size boat and she was still full from lunch, she couldn’t blame her current attraction on either of those states. There had to be another explanation.

“Mom, you’re not listening,” Brett complained.

“I am. You got a little technical on me. I guess it’s a guy thing.”

She watched as her son tried to decide between being huffy at her inattention and pleasure at her calling him a guy.

“There’s a simple way to ease your mind,” Nash said.

Reluctantly she looked in his direction, careful not to get caught up in his lethal gaze.

“Let me guess,” she said. “You’re going to turn it on and prove to me that it works.”

“Exactly.”

He smiled and staring at that was nearly as dangerous. When his mouth curved, her stomach swooned. The sensation was more than a little disconcerting.

“Okay, let her rip.” She bent down to the twins and rested her hands on their shoulders. “You two brace yourselves. If the washer starts to hiss and shake I want you to run for cover. Okay?”

They nodded solemnly.

The three of them watched as Nash closed the lid, then pushed in the dial. There was a second of silence followed by a click. Then, amazingly, the old washer chugged to life. She heard the sound of the tub turning, followed by water gurgling down the drain.

“I don’t believe it,” she said. “It might actually be working.”

Brett grinned. “Mo-om. It is working. Nash and I fixed it.”

“Wow!” She brushed his cheek with her fingers. “I’m impressed.”

Adam tugged on her shirt. “I’m hungry, Mom. I want my afternoon snack.”

“Me, too,” Jason said.

“Meet me in the kitchen.” She turned her attention back to Nash. “I don’t know how to thank you. Of course I’ll discount your room for the work. The last time the repairman was here, he charged me a hundred dollars.”

“Forget it,” he said as he crouched down and began collecting tools. “You helped me out this morning. I’m returning the favor.”

“Jump-starting your car hardly compares with fixing my washer. I have to pay you something.”

He glanced up. “Then I’ll take an afternoon snack, too.”

That wasn’t enough, but it would have to do for now. Brett planted his hands on his hips.

“What do I get?”

“My undying gratitude.”

“How about a new skateboard?”

She winced. The one he wanted had special wheels or a secret finish or something that cranked up the price tag to the stratosphere.

“We’ll talk,” she told her oldest.

“You always say that, but we never have the conversation,” he complained as he stalked out of the room.

She watched him go and was pleased when he turned into the kitchen rather than heading toward the stairs and up to his room. Brett was twelve—nearly a teenager. She didn’t want to think about handling a teenage boy all on her own. She didn’t like to think about dealing with any of it all on her own. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a choice. The past few years had taught her that alone was a whole lot better than marriage to the wrong guy.

She turned back to Nash. “How about coffee and shortbread cookies?”

He finished putting the tools in the box and stood. “Sounds terrific.”

“I’ll bring them into the dining room in about five minutes.”

She started to leave, then stopped. The washer clicked over from spin to rinse. “I still can’t believe you fixed that. I have laundry piled up to the ceiling. We’ve been running out of clothes. I really do appreciate your help.”

“I was glad to do it.” He leaned against the washer. “My work keeps me pretty busy. I’m not used to having a lot of free time and this gave me something to do.”

She laughed. “Uh-huh. Next you’ll be telling me I was doing you the favor by letting you work on the washer.”

“Exactly.”

“Nice try, Nash, but I don’t buy it.”

She headed for the kitchen. Every single cell in her body tingled from their close encounter. Did sexual attraction burn calories? Wouldn’t it be nice if it did?

She started a fresh pot of coffee, then got out glasses for the boys. Brett poured the milk while she set out grapes, string cheese and a plate of cookies. By the time that was done, the coffee had finished. She poured it into a carafe, then set it on the tray, along with shortbread cookies, grapes and some crab puffs she’d been defrosting.

“Be right back,” she told her children as she picked up the tray and walked toward the dining room.

Nash stood by the front window, staring out onto the street. When she entered, he turned and smiled.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She put down the tray. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

“I will.”

She would like to tell herself that he was talking about more than just the food. While she was busy imagining that, she could pretend that his gaze lingered on her face and that his relaxed stance belied pulsing erotic tension building just below the surface of his calm facade. Or she could be realistic and get her fanny back to the kitchen.

Being reasonably intelligent, she chose the latter and left Nash in peace. The poor man hadn’t asked for her sudden rush of hormones. If she didn’t want to embarrass them both, she was going to have to find a way to get her wayward imagination under control. If logic wasn’t going to work, she was going to have to think of more drastic measures.

“Tell me about school,” she said as she slid onto the chair between Adam and Jason.

Her twins were in third grade, while Brett had just finished his first year in middle school.

“Mrs. Roscoe said we’re her best class ever,” Adam told her. “We beat all the other classes.” He gave his twin a triumphant grin.

Jason ignored him. “We got our summer reading lists today, Mom,” he said. “I’ve picked out five books already. Can we go to the library this week?”

“Sure. You’ll all want to think about summer reading. We’re going to have to talk about how many books you’ll be getting through. Are there book reports?”

Adam reached for the backpack he’d left on the floor and pulled out a folder. He passed a single sheet of paper to her.

Stephanie scanned the directions, then glanced at Brett. “What about you?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s up in my room. We have to do about two pages. I want to do mine on the computer. Are we getting a new one? You said we’d talk about it when school was out.”

“You’re right. And unless I’m reading the calendar wrong, school isn’t out yet.”

“We’ve got four days left.”

“Which gives me ninety-six hours until you can start bugging me.”

Brett tried to hide his smile, but she saw it. He’d been after her for a new computer for the better part of a year. While there was nothing wrong with the one they had, it didn’t play the really cool games. She figured she could probably put him off until Christmas when her “twenty dollars a week” fund would have reached computer size. Then the new computer would be a family gift.

Adam bounced in his chair. “I have a new joke,” he announced. “Knock knock.”

“Those are baby jokes,” Brett said as he took a cookie.

“They are age-appropriate,” Stephanie told him. “I listened to yours when you were his age.”

Brett sighed, then dutifully went through the joke with his brother who squealed with delight when he repeated the word who enough for Adam to ask him why he was being an owl. Jason giggled at his older brother.

As the three of them took turns talking about their day, Stephanie found her attention sliding to the man in the next room. He was sitting out there alone while she was in here with her family. She kept having to fight the impulse to invite him to join them. Which was crazy. She’d never once encouraged guests to befriend her children. Besides, if Nash was alone, it was by choice.

He was probably married, she told herself. Or he had a serious girlfriend back in Chicago. She knew he had family here—he’d mentioned the Hayneses, although not how he was related to them.