know you’re not doing this for the betterment of society or to help the needy. You’re just trying to find evidence to pin on one of us.”
“You scared?” Reece shot back, rattled by her astute accusation and forgetting his resolve to take the “high road.”
A sneer marred her face. “Of you? Not in a million years.” She glanced at Denni. “I have to get ready for work.” Without another word, she stormed out of the room.
“Well, I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Fran offered.
Reece figured her opinion was more a desire to take the opposite position from Leigh. Still, he pounced on the fragile support. “You see? That’s one of your girls with a little common sense. What about the rest of you?”
“I think it’s a good idea, too,” Cate said timidly. “We really can’t afford it otherwise, even if everyone pitches in extra. And it’s not like any of us are really around much anyway, so he can’t bug us that much. So I vote yes.”
Reece smirked “All right. That’s two votes yes, one vote no.”
“I’m with Leigh.” Shelley walked to the couch and sat next to Denni. “Don’t let him fool you, Denni. He’s playing you just to get information. First he fixes lunch, now he wants to fix the house? Why this sudden interest? Huh? Leigh’s right. He’s just trying to get something on us.”
“So…that’s two and two,” Reece said, deliberately choosing not to respond to Shelley’s accusation, which was only partly true.
Holding his breath, he looked at Rissa, the tiebreaker. “Well,” the chubby faux-Southern belle said, a twinkle lighting her eyes, “I think it’s a marvelous idea.”
“Well, we’ve never voted on anything before.” Shelley’s biting tone shot down Reece’s optimism. “It’s Denni’s decision, anyway, not ours.”
Denni looked at the girls. “No. Shelley, you’re wrong. This is a decision we all have to make. This isa good thing. I’m adding my vote to Fran, Cate and Rissa. I can’t think of a solid reason to refuse Reece’s offer.”
“How about the fact that he thinks one of us ripped you off and flooded the basement?”
Denni took Shelley’s hand, but her eyes were fixed on Reece and he got the message loud and clear, even before she spoke.
“No one here has anything to hide, so if Detective Corrigan is just trying to weasel his way into our lives in order to find something to incriminate one of you, he’s going to be working hard to repair the deck and the plumbing for no reason.”
Rissa let out a giggle. “And it would serve you right.”
Reece couldn’t resist a grin. He had to admit, the drawl was growing on him more each time Rissa turned her friendly smile in his direction.
“So, it’s settled then?”
“Whatever.” Shelley pushed up from the couch and followed Leigh’s example, stomping from the room.
“We accept your offer,” Denni said. “Thank you. But we can pay for supplies. You and your friends providing the manpower is more than generous.”
Reece wasn’t going to argue with her about it. But he had no intention of ever letting her see a bill for materials.
Only one question remained. How was he going to break the news to the guys?
Chapter Six
“R emind me why I’m up at seven in the morning on my first day off in two weeks.” Joe’s gravelly voice spoke of a guy who had just not-so-willingly crawled out of bed. He slammed the door of Reece’s truck and belted himself in.
Reece tossed him a thermos of coffee, shifted into Drive and navigated the Avalanche away from the curb, heading toward Denni’s street. “Because I’ve saved your carcass at least a hundred times. Besides I introduced you to Kelsey. You owe me.”
Joe’s sigh wasn’t lost on Reece. “Kelsey’s still sleeping.”
Reece could pretty well figure why Joe didn’t want to leave the warmth of his bed. At least the guy had a cute little pregnant wife to come home to at the end of the day.
“Can you two keep it down?” Sean, a
“You scared?” Reece shot back, rattled by her astute accusation and forgetting his resolve to take the “high road.”
A sneer marred her face. “Of you? Not in a million years.” She glanced at Denni. “I have to get ready for work.” Without another word, she stormed out of the room.
“Well, I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Fran offered.
Reece figured her opinion was more a desire to take the opposite position from Leigh. Still, he pounced on the fragile support. “You see? That’s one of your girls with a little common sense. What about the rest of you?”
“I think it’s a good idea, too,” Cate said timidly. “We really can’t afford it otherwise, even if everyone pitches in extra. And it’s not like any of us are really around much anyway, so he can’t bug us that much. So I vote yes.”
Reece smirked “All right. That’s two votes yes, one vote no.”
“I’m with Leigh.” Shelley walked to the couch and sat next to Denni. “Don’t let him fool you, Denni. He’s playing you just to get information. First he fixes lunch, now he wants to fix the house? Why this sudden interest? Huh? Leigh’s right. He’s just trying to get something on us.”
“So…that’s two and two,” Reece said, deliberately choosing not to respond to Shelley’s accusation, which was only partly true.
Holding his breath, he looked at Rissa, the tiebreaker. “Well,” the chubby faux-Southern belle said, a twinkle lighting her eyes, “I think it’s a marvelous idea.”
“Well, we’ve never voted on anything before.” Shelley’s biting tone shot down Reece’s optimism. “It’s Denni’s decision, anyway, not ours.”
Denni looked at the girls. “No. Shelley, you’re wrong. This is a decision we all have to make. This isa good thing. I’m adding my vote to Fran, Cate and Rissa. I can’t think of a solid reason to refuse Reece’s offer.”
“How about the fact that he thinks one of us ripped you off and flooded the basement?”
Denni took Shelley’s hand, but her eyes were fixed on Reece and he got the message loud and clear, even before she spoke.
“No one here has anything to hide, so if Detective Corrigan is just trying to weasel his way into our lives in order to find something to incriminate one of you, he’s going to be working hard to repair the deck and the plumbing for no reason.”
Rissa let out a giggle. “And it would serve you right.”
Reece couldn’t resist a grin. He had to admit, the drawl was growing on him more each time Rissa turned her friendly smile in his direction.
“So, it’s settled then?”
“Whatever.” Shelley pushed up from the couch and followed Leigh’s example, stomping from the room.
“We accept your offer,” Denni said. “Thank you. But we can pay for supplies. You and your friends providing the manpower is more than generous.”
Reece wasn’t going to argue with her about it. But he had no intention of ever letting her see a bill for materials.
Only one question remained. How was he going to break the news to the guys?
Chapter Six
“R emind me why I’m up at seven in the morning on my first day off in two weeks.” Joe’s gravelly voice spoke of a guy who had just not-so-willingly crawled out of bed. He slammed the door of Reece’s truck and belted himself in.
Reece tossed him a thermos of coffee, shifted into Drive and navigated the Avalanche away from the curb, heading toward Denni’s street. “Because I’ve saved your carcass at least a hundred times. Besides I introduced you to Kelsey. You owe me.”
Joe’s sigh wasn’t lost on Reece. “Kelsey’s still sleeping.”
Reece could pretty well figure why Joe didn’t want to leave the warmth of his bed. At least the guy had a cute little pregnant wife to come home to at the end of the day.
“Can you two keep it down?” Sean, a
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