Nerds on Fire (46 page)

Everything in her stopped. “A short?
It wasn’t caused by a person?”

“
Doesn’t look like it.
First evidence points to some faulty wiring.”

“
The wiring in that part of
the house is fairly new.” Trixi’s numbness from last night tried to
overtake her again.

Faulty wiring caused the
fire, not someone trying to harass or harm them...
At least that was easier to understand.

She thanked him and his team and
watched them drive off before she reentered the house and called
the recommended cleanup company. They made an appointment to come
out later that morning to assess what needed done and hoped to get
started right away on the damage.

For which she was most
grateful.

Trixi passed the time by leaving Mark
a message, packing more food and running her, Gran’s, and Mark’s
clothes through the laundry. It took a lot of time to run this much
laundry, but at least the three of them would have clean, fresh
smelling cloths.

The cleanup crew arrived and she
showed them through the ruined wing and then the parts of the house
that smelled the strongest. They performed a thorough assessment
and then explained their course of action. To her delight, they
started right in after securing her agreement, as another job had
fallen through. Literally, as the house collapsed in on itself and
fell into the basement.

Shivering, Trixi sincerely hoped that
wasn’t her case. The team leader assured her those instances were
rare and bespoke of a structural problem. He didn’t see that issue
with her place.

They set to work so she continued with
her own chores. She saw no reason why she couldn’t go into work
tomorrow. Other than if the cleanup crew needed another day to
finish. She hoped not.

She called a builder who did repairs
on fire-damaged structures, and he came out early that afternoon.
Trixi showed him the original plans her father and Reed had used
and after he perused the entire wing, offered her a quote. He
closed up the gaping holes so the house was once again secure. It
would also prevent the elements from wreaking additional
damage.

The next step was to call her
insurance company. Except her father had already done so and they
confirmed a time for an adjuster to assess the damage. If this all
went smoothly, she would be ecstatic. Trixi showed the adjuster
around and the woman asked the necessary questions before she
left.

The cleanup crew continued their work
and so did she. By early evening, she had aired out the house and
the cleanup crew said they needed a half day to finish, so she
called Gran to let them in the next morning. Her grandmother came
with Miriam to retrieve Gran’s car and they tried to take Trixi
home with them.

Thankful they didn’t know she and Mark
had broken up, she simply smiled and told them she had other plans.
They agreed a date with Mark was just what she needed. If they only
knew...

After they left, she shut the windows
and locked up her house before making her way to the guest cottage.
Her father arrived just as she did. She had to stop to tell him all
about the day and what was discovered. He wanted to have a look for
himself, so he waved her off to get ready for her date with
Mark.

She agreed and then hurried upstairs.
When Gran arrived to pick up her car, Trixi handed her a clothes
basket full of clean clothes and she intended to do the same for
Mark.

By the time he drove up, she was
ready. Opening the door to him, her breath caught in her throat.
His eyes were naked again, blazing at her as though his whole life
hinged on her. It formed a double helix of heady and scary within
her.

She reached up to cup his cheek, not
able to speak through the lump in her throat. He caught her close
and leaned down to take her lips in an unrestrained kiss that
finished stealing her breath.

“
Never again,” he muttered
under his breath.

She sucked in some much needed air
before she could ask. “Never again what?”

“
We’re never breaking up
again. That was awful and I’m not going through it
again.”

“
Let’s have supper and then
we can talk about all this.”

Instantly his face softened and he
caressed a finger over her cheek. He took the time for his usual
freckle count. “You’ve had a hard day.”

“
It’s been a hard two
days,” she admitted.

Mark offered his hand, which she took
and marveled again at how well their hands fit together. His was so
much bigger than hers, yet it was like they were a syringe barrel
and the plunger. Two parts that needed the other to
function.

Once he seated her in his car, he
climbed in and pointed the vehicle toward town. She gave him more
details about the fire and all she had learned today. He listened
attentively as he drove to one of her favorite restaurants. The
lighting here was subdued, the atmosphere quiet and serene. It was
exactly what she needed.

Finally managing to relax, Trixi
enjoyed the meal, and more importantly, her supper companion.
Despite everything not being right between them yet.

They were both feeling the same way
though, so in a way, they had settled this already.

It wasn’t until after they arrived
back at the house that Mark tugged her inside the not completely
smoke-free house. No one was here, so he led the way into the
family room where they seated themselves on the far side of the
room, away from the damaged wing.

She had barely sat before he asked,
“Do you want to be with me?”

Trixi swallowed but then she
straightened her spine and stared him in the eyes. “Oh
yes.”

He took her hands in his, his
expression intense. “We’re supposed to be together,
Trix.”

“
Yes, I feel the same
way.”

“
What is scaring you then?
You mentioned before you’re running scared? I was too.”

“
I still can’t believe
you’re interested in me.” She wet her lips and used her head to
indicate the spacious family room. “It’s been suggested your only
interest in me is my home.” She grimaced. “Such as it is
now.”

“
Do you believe that?” The
tension in his voice upped.

“
I’ve thought about
it.”

“
And?”

She looked away from his blue-green
eyes. They were drilling holes through her soul.

This must not have worked
for him because he released one of her hands to tip her chin up so
their eyes met. “What do
you
think?”

“
You showed interest in me
before you ever saw my house.”

He nodded, while some of his daunting
fierceness dampened. “I can easily buy a house like this if I want
it.”

Surprise flashed through her.
“Really?”

“
Yes. I can buy Wintermyer
if need be.”

Her mouth opened, closed and then
opened again. “Wintermyer is an expensive estate.”

“
I can afford it.” Mark
glanced around her family room. “I prefer this house though,
because you live here.”

“
I see,” she
said.

“
I don’t think you do.” He
leaned forward and kissed her and she so needed it. She tugged her
other hand free to loop her arms around him and hold him close.
During the course of the kiss he settled her in his lap.

“
I want you and while I
like the house you come with, I can buy you any house you want. The
important factor here is
you
. So long as you’re part of the
deal, I’m happy.”

Euphoria and an outpouring of
something warm and fuzzy undulated through her at his words. They
were sincere, she felt it as surely as if their hearts
bumped.

“
No other man has felt
right, not like you do.”

His arms tightened. “No other woman
has felt right like you. I wondered if there was something wrong
with me and then we met and I understood.”

Her taut shoulders loosened. “You
did?” she fished.

Mark laughed. “Yes. I was just waiting
for the most amazing woman in the world. When I met her, I started
closing in, warning off other men so I could have her.”

“
You have not warned other
men off.” She scowled at him. “There aren’t other men who are
interested.”

“
That’s not in the least
bit true.”

“
What?” Startled, she
wriggled so she could better see his face.

“
There are plenty of men
who are interested, but you don’t send out signals to indicate
you’re interested back.”

She pondered his observation. It
resonated with her. “So it was my fault no other men have asked me
out?”

“
You’re
daunting.”

When she scoffed, he tipped her chin
up again. “In your own way, you are. Because you’re
self-sufficient. You can take care of yourself and we men like to
feel needed.” He paused. “At least I do.”

“
You are needed,” she
whispered, super happy that he was in her life again, she was
perched on his lap, and he wanted her there.

“
I didn’t care about your
mixed signals. I knew the moment I met you that you were the one
for me.”

“
You planned to pursue
me?”

Since she was ensconced on his lap,
she felt the rumble of laughter as well as heard it. “Yes. If you
showed you weren’t in the least interested, I’d have dealt with it.
But you were showing signs you were interested in return, so I
continued.” He shrugged.

“
This seems surreal,” she
murmured, and wanted another kiss. This man was hers, so she could
kiss him.

She leaned forward and pressed their
lips together. His curled up in a smug masculine grin before he
kissed her back. A long, leisurely affair she wanted so much more
of.

“
Are we good?” he asked
after a few more heady kisses.

“
Yes. You’re not scared of
this relationship either?” She had to clarify the point. Being in a
relationship obviously wasn’t all roses and chocolate
hearts.

“
No. I think my fears were
because I’ve never done this before.” He stroked her cheek. “But
you’re worth the effort.”

She mock scowled at him. “I know you
didn’t just call me high maintenance.”

“
Maybe I did,” he teased
but then he sobered. “Anything that works needs maintained. It
doesn’t just happen. You have to put a little effort into it to
keep it running.” He paused. “I’m willing to do this if you
are.”

Since it was the deal of the century,
this took no brainpower. “I’m in.”

Chapter 46

Her dad eyed her knowingly.
“You seem awfully happy for a woman who has construction crews at
her house daily.” He had come to check out the progress.

Trixi’s cheeks heated, but she didn’t
try to stop the ensuing grin. “Mark and I worked some important
things out. We’re doing really well right now.”

“
I’m glad. You had some
rough times?” He sounded like he wanted details, but she wasn’t
ready to share those.

“
Of course. It’s a
relationship.” She straightened. “Speaking of those, how is
yours?

It was his turn to flush. “Amazingly
well. I can’t believe how much further I fall in love with her each
day.”

Chuckling, she patted his arm. “I’m
happy for you, and for Nina. She’s a great lady.”

“
Would you be okay with
seeing her in my life permanently?” His voice was edged with an
intensity she recognized. This was vital to him, but he was
downplaying it.

She rolled her eyes. “Dad, you’re in
love with her, she’s in love with you, why wouldn’t you make it
permanent?”

He swallowed audibly before looking
away for a moment. “What if she says no?”

“
What if she says
yes?”

“
I would be the happiest
man alive,” he whispered.

“
I think Nina would be the
happiest woman alive.” Trixi smirked. “Except when Katy realizes
she’s in love with Leo. Then she’s going to be pretty happy
too.”

Her dad laughed. “That could take some
time. Neither of them recognize it.” He sobered. “Neither of them
needs to right now though. They’re friends first and that’s a great
way to enter a relationship.”

“
True.” She chewed on the
inside of her cheek. “Mark and I didn’t have their type of
relationship.”

“
Sure you did. You knew
each other before you started dating. You’ve shared a roof. You
know one another better now than most couples.”

“
Yes. I really enjoyed
having him and Gran in the house.”

She peered out the window of the guest
cottage. The construction on the damaged guest wing had commenced
and it was a noisy, messy job, but that wing was looking much
better.

The cleanup crew had finished right on
schedule and she had prepared to move back into the house, when the
construction started. It changed her mind. She and Gran had instead
covered everything they could with old sheets and then retreated to
the guest cottage. Her dad moved back to his house and Mark opted
to stay with Leo until his wing was replaced.