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I smiled, keeping my eyes fixed on my own task. “I think she’ll be happy with it.”

“She’s a little more easygoing than I had her pegged for,” Deacon continued. “Especially after a drink or two. I didn’t think she would actually be the type to dance to Pearl Jam.”

“As opposed to you, who shouldn’t be allowed to dance at all,” I said.

Deacon flung a colorful insult at me, and I laughed. It felt good joking around with the guys again, and to have Ava be part of that. It didn’t feel like she was an intrusion. She just fit right in the middle of everyone, kind and quick and tough enough to get ahead of us. But Nate didn’t seem to share that sentiment.

He leaned over the lip of the trench, using a heavy channel-lock wrench to unbolt the old main valve assembly. “I need to speak to you guys about something.”

“Uh oh,” Deacon’s brows shot up as he gave me a warning look. “I think Dad’s about to give us a lecture.”

Nate glared at him. He put down his tools and stood upright, and we paused with our own work, giving him our attention. “Look, I’ve noticed the two of you getting rather familiar with Ava. Casual, as it were. I don’t think I need to remind you she’s a client and that it’s not just Cornerstone’s reputation on the line here, but my own personal stake as this project’s supervisor.”

Deacon grunted. “Get off it, Kavanaugh.”

“You know, Deacon, I’m getting real sick of your bullshit,” Nate said.

“I mean, damn, the feeling’s mutual. Isn’t she an old friend of yours, or at least of Jules?” he asked, putting down his cutter. He threw up a hand in frustration. “That makes her ‘not exactly just a client’, I think.”

Nate frowned. “That’s beside the point. It doesn’t matter if I knew her or not, she’s still a client paying us for a job.”

“And we’re getting it done, no?” Deacon pushed. “I mean, come on, dude. It was your idea to take everyone out to the bar for a break from the renovation, and now you seem like you’re hellbent on making sure we don’t speak to her.”

Nate opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t answer. Deacon smiled in victory, then scoffed. “Plus, it’s pretty rich, giving us this speech as though we haven’t seen you making heart-eyes at her yourself when you think no one’s looking.”

Nate flinched. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Deacon chuckled, picking up the cutter and pointing it in my direction. “Ask Moore over here if you think I’m the only one who noticed you’re interested in Ava, too. Go ahead, ask him.”

Nate’s mouth tightened even more, and his eyes flashed with anger. But he looked at me anyway, silently asking me to be honest. I gave him an apologetic shrug. He shook his head in denial.

“Bullshit,” Nate snarled, his eyes darting between me and Deacon. “You guys are talking bullshit. If either of you can name a single woman I’ve dated in the last ten years, then I swear on Blue’s life that I’ll give each of you a thousand-dollar bonus.”

If Nate were using his Maltese’s life as collateral, then we knew he was being serious.

“You gonna call your dog sitter and give her a heads-up just in case?” Deacon said flippantly.

Before Nate could say anything else, his face looking pissed now, I stepped in. Rising to my feet, I held my hands out in a show of peace. “Hey, hey, it’s not a big deal.” When I was sure neither of them was going to yell at each other, I crouched down and got back to unbolting the last of the old assembly. My returned focus de-escalated the other two, and they also started getting back to work as smoothly as though nothing had interrupted us at all.

“Both of you are right. Nate, you are kind of giving mixed signals here. And Deek, maybe you can ease up a bit? Besides, it’s not like anyone here can deny the effect Ava has on a person. I don’t blame you, Nate. She’s beautiful and smart and really funny and—”

“Oh my God, he’s monologuing over her,” Deacon said dramatically. He chuckled. “You have it bad, don’t you, Moore? Blushing like a schoolgirl and everything.”

“I’m not gonna deny it,” I said, even though I could feel my face heating up. “Any man would be crazy not to find her attractive. Or do you disagree?”

Deacon went quiet, looking like he was deep in thought. As we finished up, and I prepared to glue and crimping the first new brass fittings onto the new line to set them into place, no one said anything.

The silence felt heavy, loaded with something no one wanted to articulate. But then Deacon opened his mouth again.

“Jokes aside… it’s obvious that she’s hiding something,” he said quietly, sounding more serious than he usually did.

Nate’s hands froze. “What makes you say that?”

“You can’t tell?” Deacon asked. “I thought it was obvious. She’s—”

An ear-splitting scream tore through the quiet, and it could only have come from one person on this property. All three of us bolted up and ran for the cabin.

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