Maddie was being quiet. Too quiet. Owen cast a sidelong glance at his assistant, stifling a groan when he noticed the little frown marring her lips. Shit, he knew that frown. He’d spent so much time with this woman that he could decipher every look, every gesture. He knew when she was happy, when she was sad, frustrated, pissed off…annoyed. Yep, she was annoyed now, but this wasn’t the scowl-and-dark-eyes annoyance. This was the half frown, which meant she was annoyed with him.
Focusing on the road ahead, Owen steered his pickup toward the heart of town and decided to wait it out. The explosion would come soon. Ten seconds probably. Or maybe five. Maddie didn’t usually last too long when she—
“Can I ask you something?” she burst out.
Owen hid a smile. “Sure.”
“Who exactly are we building a deck for? Mrs. Hastings—or Mrs. Hastings’ boobs?”
“Mrs. Hastings’ boobs,” he said solemnly.
Her jaw dropped. “You have got to be—”
“Kidding,” he finished, holding up one hand in surrender. “Jeez, I was just kidding.”
“Well, I wasn’t.” She crossed her arms over the front of her loose royal-blue T-shirt. “That woman is super slimy. I feel dirty just being around her.”
Owen had to laugh. If there was one thing he could always depend on when it came to Maddie, it was her no-holds-barred honesty. She did have a point, though. Ann Hastings’ ogling had been kind of uncomfortable. The woman was hot, sure, but also married, and Owen didn’t do married broads. It was an ironclad rule he didn’t break. Ever. Besides, even if Ann Hastings had been single, he probably still wouldn’t touch her. As Maddie said, she really was super slimy.
“Good thing neither of us has to sleep with her then,” he said lightly, turning left on Rocky Road—actual street name, not the ice cream—and heading toward the turnoff for Main Street. “We’re just building her a deck.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure she wants more than that,” Maddie retorted. “Looks to me like she was trying to hire your penis.”
Owen choked on air, proceeding to cough wildly. When his windpipe opened, he was prepared to scold her for being so vulgar, but he ended up laughing instead. Tear-inducing laughter. Maddie Wilson could be infuriating as hell, but she never failed to make him laugh. That was probably why she was his best friend. Actually, make that only friend. Aside from his brothers, Owen didn’t have many friends. He sucked at small talk, and when it came to sharing his feelings and all that crap, he sucked even more. It was a Bishop trait—everyone in his family kept their emotions tightly reined.
But with Maddie, he felt he could say anything. She was like his little sister—annoying, sarcastic, but always there for him when he needed her.
“Good thing my penis is not for sale,” he answered, still laughing.
Maddie’s brown eyes narrowed. “You sure about that?”
He bristled. “She’s married to the DA, for fuck’s sake. I’d be crazy to start something up with her.” When Maddie didn’t answer, he found himself getting defensive. “Seriously. I have no desire to hook up with that woman.”
After a moment, Maddie’s eyes twinkled. “You’re smarter than you look, at least.”
Owen rolled his eyes. He slowed the pickup as they reached the three-story Victorian that housed Bishop Contracting. He parked out front, and they hopped out of the truck and headed inside. The company’s office space was on the bottom floor of the quaint house, while the top two floors made up his living quarters. He had a private office up there too, with a large drafting table he used to draw up plans for ongoing or upcoming projects. Sometimes he wished that he lived farther away from town, like his brother Nate, who had all the privacy in the world in the isolated A-frame home Owen and his crew had built for him. Living right on Main Street meant Owen didn’t get much peace and quiet, not until the evening anyway, when everyone in town closed up shop and went home for the night.
But it wasn’t so bad. Betty’s diner was right across the street, which meant he never had to cook for himself. And Bishop’s Corner, the pub Nate owned and ran, was a hundred yards from the house, so Owen could pop in and see his brother whenever he got bored.
Speaking of Nate, Owen realized he needed to secure a date for Nate’s wedding next weekend. Nate was marrying his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Hill, who also happened to be one of the hottest singers in the country. He supposed he could always go solo—he wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment—but weddings made him extremely uncomfortable. Forever seemed like a fucking long time, and it always bugged him how easily—and willingly—people said those vows. Still, he couldn’t not go to his own brother’s wedding. He was one of the best men.