Hard Charger: Jake & Sophia: A Hot Contemporary Romance by Tracy Fobes

“Don’t you have to get to work, Jake?” she asked.  “It’s almost six.”
    “Answer me, mom.  Did your insurance company cover the cost of the repairs on the house?”
    “You’ve been gone for ten years.  I’ve learned how to get along without you, Jake.”
    He shut his mouth and stared at her.  Saw that stubborn tightness in her jaw.  He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere for the moment.  “I’ll leave it alone for now.”
    She shrugged, shook her head, did everything but say tisk tisk .  “Just get to work, sweetie.”
    “There’s nothing but secrets in this town anymore,” he grumbled.
    “Sure.  Have a nice day.”  She went back to reading her paper.
    Annoyed, he finished up his breakfast, put his work boots on, and grabbed the lunch she’d packed him from the refrigerator.  Then he was out the door.  He pulled his bike out of the garage, mounted it, and was on his way to the construction site moments later.
     
     
    Although a few leaves were starting to turn, the day still remained very warm for late September.  Jake deliberately took Ocean Drive and caught a glimpse of a sky painted with pinks, oranges and grays as the sun rose over the ocean.  He made a left onto Queen Street and took it to the end, giving a nod to the Mermaid Inn as he passed it by. Sophia waitressed there now.  
    Sophia , he thought.  The way she’d looked at him last night at Rowdy Ray’s—the hurt in her eyes—still tore at him.  She had no right to be hurt, though.  They weren’t a couple.  And yet, as he pulled up to the construction site, he frowned.  He didn’t want her thinking badly of him.  He decided to head to the Mermaid Inn for dinner, despite his promise to Alex to leave Sophia alone.  Regardless of his and Sophia’s relationship status, he had a fence to mend.
    He cruised past the church and parked his bike in front of the half-demolished rectory.  Father Al’s former home had nearly been ripped from its foundation as the Atlantic Ocean rose over the dunes and sliced a temporary inlet through the north side of town, dragging half of the rectory 300 feet west in a twelve foot storm surge. At the moment, it looked like a remnant from a war zone—something Jake was far too familiar with.  And since Father Al had frequently stepped in and helped Jake and his mom once his dad had passed away, Jake was now eager to return all of those favors and help repair the priest’s home.
    He headed over to check in with Tom McKenna, the site supervisor.  Tom, a red-headed guy who preferred Carhartts over jeans, was also the owner of the construction company that had won the contract to rebuild the rectory next to Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
    The church’s spire gleamed in the brand-new sunshine as he caught up with Tom.  Standing next to a half-built wall with an unrolled blueprint between his hands, Tom was glancing at the two by four’s that formed the foundation of the new wall.  A few construction workers behind him had already gotten started with a table saw.  The scent of freshly-sawed wood perfumed the air.
    “Morning,” Jake said.  “What’s on tap for today?”
    “Let’s get the walls up and the repairs on them done,” Tom replied.  “I want to get started on the roof before the end of the week.  Rain is coming in next week.  Looks like a nor’easter.”
    Jake nodded.  “You want me on the downstairs or upstairs?”
    “How about getting started on framing the second floor?  I have a crew of newbies coming in this morning, so I’ll need you to supervise them, too.”
    “Sure thing.”
    Tom nodded and gave Jake a friendly smile.  “Sure glad you came home from the war.  You’ve a good head on your shoulders.”
    “Thanks, Tom.”
    “Wanna grab dinner one of these nights?”
    “Sounds good to me.” Jake turned, grabbed his hand tools out of an on-site tool locker, and got to work.  He found carpentry relaxing, despite the fact that he often needed to use