He hadn’t seen her since the morning a couple of days ago when she’d tossed her cookies. She’d been a trouper then, no question. It wasn’t often her vulnerability showed, and she probably hadn’t been able to brazen it out. The pregnancy hormones were in charge after all. But, damn, seeing her toughness slip brought out a protectiveness he hadn’t experienced since—
The door opened and there she was, looking so pretty and... Dare he say it? Glowing. “Hi.”
“Good morning,” he managed to say.
She glanced at the store-bought cups of coffee he was holding, one in each hand. “I hope you didn’t bring me one. Not after last time.”
“No. It’s for Nate. So you don’t have to make coffee.” He’d expected her expression to soften or maybe get a hint of a smile, but her frown deepened. “What?”
“That was very thoughtful of you.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like you want to brain me with a coffeepot.”
“I didn’t think it showed,” she admitted.
“You lost me.”
“You’re being nice. Thoughtful. I don’t trust it.” She shrugged, defiance in her eyes.
At least she was being honest, he thought. “Well, I’m not sure how to defend myself against that. What if I promise not to be nice anymore?”
She nodded approval. “I’d appreciate that.”
“Can I come in now?”
“Oh. Sure. Sorry.” She stepped back and pulled the door wide. “It’s half yours now.”
And she wasn’t happy about it. The tone, the body language, the glare she tried to hide. All of it said she wasn’t yet reconciled to him being her partner. Only financial results would show her this was a good thing, and that wasn’t going to happen overnight. Still, he did miss the sexy woman who’d clung to him and kissed him back. He was fighting that feeling because it was dangerous. It would be months until he knew for sure she was telling the truth about the baby. Speaking of which...
“How are you feeling?”
“So far, so good. Today. The crackers are helping.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“I’m really curious how you know so much about pregnancy nausea.” She folded her arms over her chest and looked up at him as if he was breaking some rule.
The truth was his wife was pregnant when they’d married, and he’d gone through it with her. Reading the books. Researching on the internet. Catering to her cravings. It was hard to shake the bitterness about how that had all turned out. Tess’s grandfather had helped him deal and obviously hadn’t spilled the facts to her, treating Leo’s story like attorney/client privilege. That was then; this was now and he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I must have seen it in a movie.” If only. Then it wouldn’t still hurt like a son of a bitch.
“Anyway. Thanks for the tip.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Your friend is late.”
“He’s busy. I had to do some fast talking to get him to take us on.” Although now that he thought about it, Nate’s attitude had changed a little after meeting Tess and looking at the bar.
“No rush as far as I’m concerned.” Translation: she didn’t care if it never started.
“That’s emotion talking. Because in your business classes I’m sure you learned that the sooner you start increasing profits, the sooner your business is out of trouble.”
She nodded. “And the sooner you can turn everything over to me and we’ll see less of each other.”
Only if the baby wasn’t his.
“Since we’re going to turn this place into a sports freak show, I suggest lending my name,” he said. “It’s recognizable.”
“To who? Besides your female fans, of course.”
“I have two Stanley Cup rings.” The look on her face didn’t change, so he said, “You do know the significance of that, right?”
“Actually, no.”
“In hockey it’s the equivalent of winning the World Series in baseball. Or the Super Bowl in football.”
“Ah.” She still didn’t look impressed.
“And we came close to winning it at least five more times.”
“So, lending your name. Does that mean we’re going to call it Leo’s Lounge or The ‘Wall’ Flower?”
“Funny.” Until now he hadn’t been aware that she knew his hockey nickname. “We can talk about names later. I’m more interested in getting the inside ready.” He looked at his watch. “And if Nate doesn’t get here soon—”
“Knock, knock.” The door opened and in walked Nate Stratton, bachelor, builder, businessman. “Sorry I’m late. Had a crisis at another site.”
“Glad you made it,” Leo said.
“Hi.” Tess smiled in a way she’d never smiled at Leo. It was a friendly look, but a little flirty around the edges. She held out her hand. “Nice to see you again.”
“Same here.” Did the guy hold her hand a little too long when he shook it?
Leo was aware that women found his friend attractive. They’d been each other’s wingman more than once, and a time or two his date had made a move on the guy. It never bothered him before but it damn sure did now.
“So, what have you got to show us?” Leo wanted to move this along.
“I’ve got the plans on the computer.” He put it down on the table without chairs on top of it. “Here we go. I think you’re really going to like this.”
Tess and Leo moved chairs and sat on either side of the contractor. Was she close enough to Nate that their arms brushed? he wondered. The thought did not make him happy.
Nate went through more detailed, three-dimensional plans from the initial one Leo had originally shown Tess. They were good. He could easily picture the changes opening up the interior of the bar and infusing life into the place. He glanced at Tess but had no idea what was going through her mind.
“This is just a thought,” Leo said. “But since we’re doing some makeover anyway, I propose we upgrade the kitchen. We can hire a chef and shake up the menu. Another marketing strategy.”
Tess looked less than thrilled. “I feel everything my grandfather put into this place slipping away.”
“I promise when I’m finished there will be a mix of old and new,” Nate promised. “Not that I get a vote, but I agree with Leo about the kitchen. Atmosphere, fun and good food will bring in the customers.”
“Nothing is sacred,” Tess muttered.
“If you don’t want—” Nate started.
She held up her hand to stop him. “No. If we’re going to make changes, let’s go all in.”
“You won’t be disappointed,” Leo assured her.
“I agree.” Nate looked at each of them. “Let’s talk logistics.”
The contractor explained how many weeks total for the work, the mess involved and the estimated time frame The Pub would have to close for construction. He gave Leo a copy of the plans on a flash