Her arms fell to her sides and Lucy stood straight and tall. “Don’t you dare claim that my not trusting your intentions is a personality flaw.”
Ms. Clayton had been watching the exchange nervously. “Why do I feel like you two know one another?”
It was another blow to Dylan’s ego that Lucy hadn’t mentioned their history to Ms. Clayton. He really must not have meant that much to her back then. “She didn’t tell you we knew each other in law school?” Dylan decided he’d let Lucy be the one to acknowledge their romantic connection.
“She did not.” Ms. Clayton glared at Lucy, who was rolling her eyes.
“Let me guess, this isn’t the first time Lucy has left out some details. I bet that drives you nuts, but you let it slide because picking a fight with her is pointless. She never loses, which also drives you nuts but also makes you glad she’s on your side.”
“Whoa.” Ms. Clayton was impressed. “Get out of my head.”
“Dylan fancies himself one of those people who can read other people’s minds. What he really does is make you believe you want to buy what he’s selling. Of course, in our case, he’s going to try to convince you to sell what he’s buying.”
“I’ve never claimed to be a mind reader. I simply notice things others ignore.”
Lucy shook her head. “And ignore the things people are trying to get through your thick skull.” She slipped back into her office and shut the door.
Little did she know she was making herself crystal clear. She hated him. He didn’t need to be a mind reader to figure that out. What he didn’t understand was why.
Ms. Clayton stuck out her hand and Dylan shook it. “I accept your offer to help us out. I may not read minds, but my instincts about people are usually spot-on.”
“Thank you,” Dylan said sincerely. “I really do enjoy fixing things up.”
This might be a way to get Open Arms to sell to Prime Developments, but it was also a chance for Dylan to do something good, something worthwhile. Lucy could doubt his intentions all she liked. He truly did want to help out. Couldn’t he help both Prime Developments and Open Arms?
Paige smiled as if she believed him. “We have lots of things that need fixing.”
“I promise not to discuss real estate while I’m here.” He wouldn’t need to. Once she believed he was one of the good guys, everything else would work itself out. Open Arms wasn’t going to be able to afford their mortgage payments soon enough. They might not want to sell, but there would soon be no other reasonable option. They would eventually sell the house to someone. Why not to his client? Being a person Ms. Clayton trusted put Prime Developments in an excellent position and would give him the win he needed to confidently go to his mother with a new vision for his career at Stevens and Ellis.
“Good,” she said. “And I promise not to ask how close you and Lucy were when you were in law school together.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I’m picking up on some very strong you-were-more-than-just-classmates vibes. Am I right?” She opened her eyes, the corners of her mouth upturned in a self-satisfied grin.
“And she thinks I’m the mind reader.”
“She should know better than to underestimate me. So should you, Mr. Hunt,” she said with a wink.
LUCY HAD NEVER met a checkbook she couldn’t balance. She might not have gone to school for accounting, but she had good number sense. The files Nora had given her were filled with a lot of numbers—numbers that were not adding up. Of course, the incessant hammering going on in the main office was not helping her concentration.
Paige was too smart to fall for Dylan’s manipulation, so why was she being naive about his true intentions? He was so transparent, it was pathetic. He had to know no one was going to believe he was doing anything for Open Arms out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted their house. He also wanted to drive Lucy crazy.
She covered her ears and shut her tired eyes. It sounded as if an entire construction crew was out in the reception area. The banging and drilling and sawing were creating a sensory overload. If she had wanted to listen to this racket all day, she would have gone to work for her dad’s construction company.
Pushing back her new chair from her desk, she practically flew the three steps to the door and yanked it open. She wasn’t expecting to come face-to-chest with Dylan. His navy blue T-shirt was pulled tight across said chest, the muscles clearly defined under the cotton. His arms were raised up over his head and his focus was on something above her door.
The urge to wrap her arms around his waist and press her cheek against him nearly knocked her off her feet. Shocked by the impulse, Lucy stepped back and cleared her throat. There would be no comfort found in Dylan’s arms ever again.
He lowered his chin and leveled his gaze with hers. “Sorry, are we too loud out here? The noise is bugging you, isn’t it?”
She refused to let him know he was right. “No, you’re just in my way.”
Dylan took notice of the fact that he was blocking her path. He sighed and stepped aside. “Of course.”
Lucy slid past him and she made her way into Paige’s office, closing the door so their new handyman couldn’t overhear.
“How can you work with your door open?”
“Did you see how quickly they got that hole patched up?” Paige was grinning from ear to ear as she leaned forward. “Eugene offered to give the whole place a fresh coat of paint. I’m thinking we should add a little color to this place. Maybe do everything in yellows and grays. That’s in right now. What do you think?”
“What are you talking about?” Lucy felt as if she had stepped into another dimension. “Who’s Eugene?”
“Dylan’s friend. The guy helping him with the repairs.” Apparently, they were all on a first-name basis now.
Lucy hadn’t noticed anyone else once she got past Dylan and his too-tight T-shirt. “I came in because it’s supposed to be quiet here on Saturdays. I can’t get anything done with all this noise. Do you want to get some lunch with me before I head home?”
Paige sank back in her fancy leather chair. “Are you really going to make me get up?” She closed her eyes and swiveled the chair from side to side, something she could never do with her old one. “I love this office furniture. Have I mentioned that?”
“Only a hundred times. It’s not annoying or anything. Oh, wait. Yes, it is. It’s very annoying.”
Paige opened one eye and then the other. “I’m not falling for anyone’s tricks if that’s what you think. There is no reason not to enjoy the gifts we are being given.”
“He’s making you like him,” Lucy argued. “If the board is swayed to sell, you’re going to feel like you owe it to him to sell to his client because he’s been so nice to you.”
“If the board votes to sell, why shouldn’t we sell to his client? What’s your deal with this guy? Give me a reason not to like him.”
The real reason would only lead to more questions that Lucy didn’t want to answer. “Just trust me on this one. Please.”
Paige narrowed her eyes as if trying to read Lucy’s mind. Seemingly giving up, she sighed. “Fine, but one of these days I’m getting the whole story. I’ll bring the wine, you’ll bring the details.”
Not even Lucy’s sisters knew the details. Dylan was an off-limits topic even with those closest to her. Opening those wounds any further could only result in disaster.