Page 2 of Tangled in Temptation

I hesitated, reluctant to share the painful truth. “His ex-wife, or whatever she is to him, she’s back. I want nothing to do with her or him. She’s, well, she’s not someone I would ever work for.”

He let out a deep breath and squeezed my shoulder. “I knew Timothy was trouble. I’ll handle the Gloriana jobs from now on. You don’t need to worry about that place anymore. I should have known this would happen.”

His words brought a sense of relief. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. I don’t mean to be unprofessional, but that woman is a bitch.”

“Catherine,” he warned.

“I’m serious, Dad. I don’t think you’re going to want to deal with her either. She’s not nice. Amber quit, and she’s not going back to finish the job either. That woman is horrible. Timothy can have her.”

He sighed again. “I didn’t like the guy when I first met him. I had a feeling something like this would happen. I should kick his ass for breaking your heart.”

“It’s okay, Dad. He didn’t really do anything. I got caught up in the fantasy. It was never going to happen. I loved getting to do the project. That’s what I’m going to focus on. Timothy, his house, and his wife can all have each other. I’m very proud of the work we did. We saved the house from being completely gutted. A little piece of history has been saved. I don’t regret the experience.”

“It was a beautiful renovation.” He smiled. “You did your old dad proud. I will admit I wasn’t crazy about the idea of such a big project, but you knew what you were capable of. The student has surpassed the teacher.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure about that, but I had a good teacher. I have something to add to my portfolio. I’m thinking about putting together a website for the business. It will showcase some of our work. I think it will be a good way to bring in business. Pictures say a thousand words. Let customers see what we can do instead of us telling them.”

He cringed, still not thrilled with the idea of moving into the twenty-first century. “I suppose it will all be yours one day. You have to do what you think is right.”

“I’m not trying to take over,” I assured him. “Not yet. While I want you to enjoy retirement, I don’t want you to just yet.”

He chuckled. “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

I forced a smile, doing my best to hide some of the pain that lingered. As usual, he saw right through my façade.

He patted my back before heading toward the door. “You focus on making this house yours. I’ll take care of the rest.”

As my dad left, I returned to the task of unpacking. I was carrying a box downstairs when a sudden knock on the door disrupted the quiet solitude of the house. My dad would be home by now, which meant it would be Amber. No one else knew where I lived. Not even Scott.

I peeked out the window and saw a small figure with a hoodie pulled up and their head hanging low. That was odd. I opened the door, revealing a familiar face.

“Paisley!”

Chapter Two

Catherine

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“CAN I COME IN?” SHE asked.

I didn’t know what the hell was going on, and the last thing I wanted to do was get involved with whatever was happening between her and her parents. This was not helping me to forget all about them.

I reluctantly let Paisley into the house. She was drenched, water dripping from her clothes and forming small puddles on the floor. A mixture of frustration and concern washed over me.

“Stay here, I’ll get you a towel. Do you have a shirt under your hoodie?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Take off your hoodie.”

I jogged upstairs to the bathroom, where I had just finished putting away towels. I grabbed a couple and went back downstairs, silently handing them to her.

“Thanks,” she muttered and started to dry her hair.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Thanks for letting me in, Catherine. It’s like a monsoon out there.”