Cooper didn’t take his eyes off her. “Well, you definitely look the part.” She thought she heard him mumble “potential” under his breath, and when their gazes locked and she saw the twinkle of amusement on his face, she realized she’d heard right. Fortunately, he didn’t say anything else. Knowing that he knew that she’d done all this for Owen only heightened her humiliation. But it was too late to do anything about it now.
Besides, her transformation from ugly duckling to swan hadn’t achieved a damn thing. Owen didn’t even seem to care.
“Why hasn’t the porch been sanded yet?” Owen barked at Cooper, glaring at the cedar wraparound porch of the house they were renovating.
“You said to focus on the roof first,” Cooper answered.
Owen frowned again. “Right. I forgot. Show me the progress you’ve made. The Graysons can’t afford another leak. The last storm nearly flooded the entire house.”
As the two men strode off, Maddie hid her annoyance. Owen was acting like she wasn’t even there, when normally he would have had her climbing ladders and peering into every corner, asking for her opinion about everything. Trying to control her anger, she walked over to the porch and smiled at two of the crew members, Wyatt and Pete.
“Hey, guys,” she said easily. “Nice job on the porch.”
She studied their handiwork, genuinely impressed with what they’d done. The old porch had been completely gutted, thanks to rotting logs and a termite problem that had cost poor Mr. and Mrs. Grayson a ton of cash. The fresh cedar glistened, awaiting sanding and varnishing, which she would have probably helped with if she wasn’t dressed like a Barbie doll today. She’d known the outfit wasn’t exactly work wear, but she hadn’t been able to resist wearing it.
She probably shouldn’t have bothered. She could shave her head and get a nose ring, and Owen wouldn’t even bat an eyelash.
“What’s the occasion?” Wyatt teased, his light-blue eyes darkening as he admired her outfit.
She shrugged. “Just felt like dressing up today.”
His gaze smoldered some more, and she felt a prickle of discomfort. She wasn’t used to these men seeing her as a woman. She was their buddy, the sarcastic tomboy who made them laugh. But Wyatt looked incredibly taken with her, which wasn’t a surprise when she stopped to think about it. Wyatt Killington was Cooper’s BFF. The two men went carousing every weekend, holing up in bars and cozying up to any female that caught their eyes. They were notorious lotharios, so really, why wouldn’t Wyatt appreciate the new view?
His obvious interest had her taking a closer look at him, and she realized he really was a good-looking man. He was her age, tall, muscular, with a head of sandy blond hair and cute dimpled cheeks.
“Seriously, you look unbelievable today,” Wyatt said in a husky voice.
She blushed again. “Thanks.”
“Hey,” he said suddenly, “what are you do—”
“Come on, Maddie,” came Owen’s sharp voice. “Time to go.”
She glanced over in surprise, just as he strode toward them. “Already?”
“The guys are handling everything just fine. We don’t need to stick around and supervise. Or chat,” he added, an edge creeping into his tone.
Maddie offered Wyatt a sheepish shrug. “Sounds like I’ve been ordered to get out of your hair. See you later.”
As she fell into step with Owen, she cast him a sidelong look and saw the hard set of his profile. He looked pissed off, but she couldn’t figure out why. She always chatted with the men on their crew, but today he seemed irritated that she had. Well, fine, let him be irritated. He’d been short and grumpy with her all morning, and he hadn’t even complimented her appearance. The appearance that she’d painstakingly altered for him.
They’d almost reached the truck when someone called her name. She turned around in time to see Wyatt hurrying over.
“Do you have a second?” he asked.
She looked at Owen, whose jaw was even stiffer now. “I’ll be in the truck,” he muttered.
As he stalked off, she faced Wyatt, curious. “What’s up?” she asked with a smile.
“I was just wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow night.” He raised his arm to move a lock of hair off his forehead, and she noticed how firm and defined his biceps were. “And if you don’t, how about drinks and billiards at Bishop’s Corner?”
Maddie’s smiled wavered. Was he asking her out? “Just the two of us?” she found herself blurting, then cringed at the idiotic question.
“Just the two of us,” Wyatt confirmed, his blue eyes twinkling. “Is that a problem?”
“N-no.” She cleared her throat. “No, that sounds like fun.”
“Cool.” Looking pleased, he took a step back. “Pick you up at eight?”
She managed a nod, trying not to shake her head as she watched Wyatt walk off with a confident gait. Had that just happened? Wyatt Killington was one of the hottest single guys in Paradise, and he’d just asked her out on a date. Well. At least her makeover had managed to catch someone’s attention.