We approached another rundown house down the street. This one was similar to the Halliday’s and I immediately wondered who lived there. Stopping to ask, I was distracted by the door opening and a mother and her child walking out.
My heart jumped when I saw it was the mother and child from the photo that Norman had emailed to us. My hand went to my mouth in surprise as I felt Paul approach me from behind. He knew who it was too and he put his hand on my shoulder, smiling down at me. While I was still upset with him, I didn’t shrug him off. I liked the feeling too much.
“Norman, this is the little girl from the picture you sent us. May we meet them?” I asked him.
As Mr. Shay turned to look, the lady and child were already down their porch stairs and approaching us.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Diaz. Do you have a moment?” Norman asked her.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Shay,” she replied. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-two years of age, and she was beautiful with her long silky brown hair and light brown eyes. I was fascinated with her. “I was just leaving to take Kaylie to her friends to play, but I could spare a moment. Are these the people from Pierce Homes?”
Before Mr. Shay could respond to her, I stepped forward and offered my hand. “Yes, I am Aly Chase and this is Paul Pierce. It is so nice to meet you. Mr. Shay sent us a picture of you and your little girl in his email and I was instantly smitten with you both. I was hoping to be able to meet you today.”
I could tell my enthusiasm took her off guard and I instantly took a step back. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off. We were here to help them and I didn’t want her against us too.
Looking to Paul, I indicated for him to step up and continue. Giving a nod, he walked forward. Kaylie went behind her mother at his approach, her little eyes nervous.
“Ms. Diaz, my assistant, Aly, gets very passionate about what we do. I apologize if she got overly excited. We both were instantly enamored with you and your little girl in the picture and were excited to get the chance to meet you. Are you comfortable with our company helping build you and your neighborhood new homes?”
Ms. Diaz thought for a moment. “Yes, Mr. Pierce, I am. Please do not apologize for Ms. Chase. I am grateful for you both to be here and for your excitement at helping us. I live here with my mother and grandmother. My grandparents built this home in the forties and as you can see, it hasn’t had any work done to it since. My grandfather passed away many years ago and my grandmother is in poor health. A new home would be the answer to many prayers.”
I took a few steps and stood right beside Paul. He instantly put his arm around my waist. It seemed like this was coming naturally to him lately and I wasn’t sure what to think.
“I am so happy to hear you say this, Ms. Diaz. We at Pierce Homes only want to better the lives of our clients and give them a fresh start. Helping them with a new and updated home is a great way to do that. I am so glad we will be working together on this. Tell me, how do your mother and grandmother feel about it?”
“They are both very grateful. Grandmother is quite bedridden these days and worries so much about when the walls will come crashing down on her. It disturbs her greatly that they were never able to do any fix ups on their home. My grandparents love it so much and never wanted to leave, but it’s to the point now that we are worried for our safety here.” Looking down at her daughter as she said that, her eyes filled with warmth. Kaylie came from behind her mother and held her hand at her side.
Hearing her tell us about her grandmother brought tears to my eyes. Reaching into my purse for a tissue, I wiped them, feeling embarrassed. I caught Paul looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t figure out and it made me shiver.
“Are you cold?” he asked, whispering in my ear.
Another shiver went down my body. Damn him. “No, I’m fine,” I said, harsher than I intended.
He ran a finger down my arm, giving me goose bumps, and turned back to Ms. Diaz.
“Your story is the reason my father started this business. I am inspired by you and hope that you are satisfied when everything is completed. I am even more excited to start this project after talking with you, Ms. Diaz,” he said warmly.
This made her blush a little and I smiled. No female is immune to Paul’s charm. Even little Kaylie stepped toward him as he spoke. Paul knelt down and gave her a wink. She giggled and ran behind her mother again.
Paul stood back up and again wrapped his arm around my waist. “Is your mother or grandmother available to meet us?” he asked.
“No, unfortunately. Not at the moment. Mama went to the grocery store and grandmother is sleeping, but I know they would love to meet you another time. You will be back, won’t you?”
“Yes. We will be back quite a bit,” Paul answered.
Ms. Diaz smiled at that. “Oh good. I am glad to hear that. I would love to sit down with you and my mama so we can discuss this more, but right now I must get Kaylie to her play date. It has been very good to meet you.”
I gave her a big smile. “I’m so glad we got to meet you too. I look forward to sitting down with you and your mother soon to go over your thoughts and wishes for your new home. We will be in touch when we know the dates we are coming back out.”
“Thank you, that would be very kind. C’mon, Kaylie. Let’s get going, sweetie. Say good bye to the nice people.”
Kaylie grabbed her mother’s hand and gave Paul and me a wave. She was so cute, I just wanted to squeeze her. Resisting that urge, I waved back. Paul gave her another wink and she giggled again.
Poor Mr. Shay stood beside us, forgotten. I turned to apologize and stopped when I saw the big smile on his face.
“You two have no idea what you are doing for our neighborhood,” he said. “I have no idea how to ever repay you.”
Paul pulled me closer to him. “Norman, you never need to worry about that. This is what we do and what we enjoy. I am extremely blessed to be able to work in a business like this, where I can help people and make them feel safe again. The pleasure is all ours, believe me.”
Norman shook his head as he listened to Paul. “Who are you, Mr. Pierce? I have never met anyone like you before. Most people either pretend we don’t exist or mock us for our circumstances. No one has ever spoken to me the way you just did.”
I reached out to him, wrapping my arms around him. “Oh, Norman, you don’t have any idea what you are giving us. This opportunity to help you and the people of Hidden Creek is an honor. I mean it. Thank you, Mr. Shay,” I said as I looked into his eyes.
He let me go and wiped a tear away. I could tell he wasn’t used to displaying emotion and was embarrassed. I turned my head to give him a minute.
Walking back to Paul, I saw him gazing at me intently. Wondering what he was thinking, I remembered his questions about Ethan and anger coursed through me again. Looking away, I could see my change in attitude puzzled him. Serves him right, I thought.
Looking at my watch, I saw that it was already four o’clock. We needed to be heading back to the hotel to collect our things and get on the road. Sad that it was time to leave, but so motivated to begin this project, I could hardly wait to get back to the office to start.
“We should be heading back to the hotel and getting on our way, Paul,” I said. He nodded. He continued looking at me with an obvious question on his face.
Mr. Shay turned to us. “Let’s head back to my house. Before you go, I hope you could spare just one minute to come inside and see it? I think it would be good for you to see.”
Starting to walk, I nodded. “Of course. It would be silly not to.”
We reached his home and he ushered us inside. While it was completely dilapidated, you could tell he and his wife did their best to make it comfortable. An old patched brown sofa was in the living room with a faded family picture hanging above. An end table was placed near it with a worn out lamp sitting on top. The carpet was brown and shaggy with stains covering most of it. A few easy chairs were to the right of the sofa, springs and foam protruding out from many spots.
“I wanted you to see inside so you could get a better glimpse at what is needed. I don’t do this in demands for what I want. I do it so you see what we’re dealing with. These homes are falling apart, Paul and Aly. We can’t afford to fix them. I didn’t know what else to do.” He sat down on the sofa, putting his head in his hands.
I immediately went and sat next to him. “Norman, please. Don’t be embarrassed. We are here and we are going to help. Never feel bad you reached out to us and never feel ashamed of your circumstances. We know if you could do it yourself, you would. There is no shame in asking for help.” Putting my arm around him, I brought him closer to me in a hug.
“Thank you,” he whispered. My heart was swelling with love for this man. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“You’re welcome. We are here and we are going to help you.”
At this point, Paul walked over and sat on the arm of the sofa. “She’s right, Norman. Please do not be embarrassed, ever. This is what we do and we’re here to help.”
Norman looked over at us, his eyes glistening. “Again, I thank you both. Just you being here today shows your dedication. It means very much.”
Giving him a smile, we started touring the rest of the house. It wasn’t very big and was in the same condition as the living room. The kitchen was very small and had ancient appliances. The stovetop was stained with many years of use. The countertops were tiled and cracked everywhere. The whole house needed updating and I was determined to make sure it happened. Assuring Norman, we would be in touch soon, we walked to the front door.
Putting my hands on his arms, I spoke. “You have done the right thing here, Norman. These homes won’t last much longer without help. That’s what we’re here for. I hope you can sleep better at night knowing help is on the way and that you will soon have a better home to live in.”
“Thank you, Aly. I will.”
Paul reached out his hand for Norman to shake. “We will return as soon as we can and I will be in touch when I have more information. I will need to know exactly how many residents are giving their consent for us to build them a new home as soon as possible. We will not bully anyone into complying, so this is only for those who are interested.”
Norman nodded in understanding. “I will get those to you very soon. I will talk to those against it one more time and let them know this. I hope they will soften their hearts and see the good it will do, but if not, that can’t be my problem. I will have done what I could.”
“Yes, and that is all you can do,” Paul said.
We headed out the door, waving good-bye. When we got to the car, Paul opened my door for me and helped me in. As I was fastening my seat belt, I looked back to the front door and saw that Norman was still there, watching us leave. I gave him another small wave as Paul started the car. He waved back and then was out of sight.
“Wow, Aly. That was eye opening, wasn’t it?” Paul asked quietly.
“Yes, it was. There’s no doubt in my mind that we are doing the right thing starting this project so soon. When I get back to the office on Monday, I am going to start planning the next fundraiser.”
Paul looked worried. “I hope people won’t think it’s too soon since the last one. We can only ask for so much, you know?”
I hadn’t thought of that. “Oh, yeah. That might be a problem. Well, let’s see what happens with the Glendale funds. Maybe we can dip into that to help us start Hidden Creek.”
“While that sounds good, I’m not sure it’s ethical. We may have to alert the donors to this, just to be on the up and up.”
“I agree. We probably won’t need to do that anyway. Let’s see what happens.”
Paul nodded as he got onto the freeway. I could tell there was more on his mind, but I really wasn’t in the mood. He’d upset me with his behavior and I didn’t want to talk about it.
“Listen, I know I upset you by my behavior when Baker called,” he said. So much for not wanting to talk about it.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“No, I want to explain. I know I overreacted, but I can’t help getting annoyed when he knows we’re touring the area. I don’t want you being distracted.”
“Seriously, Paul? Do you not think I’m capable of focusing on something and getting a phone call at the same time? That is ridiculous.”
Checking his mirror to make a safe lane change, he looked over at me. “It’s not that. I just want you to keep your focus. It’s only fair to Norman and those we met today.”
I sat there, not believing what I was hearing. “Okay, whatever.”
“You’re mad.”
“Hell yes, I’m mad. You’ve never behaved this way with me before and honestly? I don’t like it.”
“You’ve never taken personal calls while on the job before,” he said with clenched teeth.
“Are you blind? Of course I have. It happens quite frequently, but like today, I always keep them to a minimum and call them back later. What’s gotten into you?”
Reaching the exit for our hotel, he switched lanes again and got off. “Nothing has gotten into me. I just expect a lot from my employees, you especially.”
“And I’ve never given you any reason to question that.”
Pulling into the hotel parking lot, he found a parking spot and parked the car. Turning off the ignition, he turned to me.
“No, you haven’t. I just don’t want you to start.”
That upset me even more. Letting out a deep breath, I undid my seat belt and opened the door.
“What are you doing?” he asked as I got out.
Not answering, I slammed the door and started for the hotel entrance. Even when I heard his car door slam, I kept going. Before I made two more steps, he swung me around.
“We weren’t finished,” he said forcefully.
“Oh yes we were. I’m not continuing this discussion with you. I don’t have to prove what a good employee I am because I already have. I can’t help whatever issues you have with Ethan, but they’re not my problem. I’m a damn good assistant, and you know it.”
Attempting to turn around, he swung me back into his arms, slamming me against his chest. Startled, I put my hands on him, trying to push away. “Aly,” he whispered, holding me tight to him. “You are driving me crazy.”
Before I knew what was happening, he slammed his lips down on mine in a mind-blowing kiss. Stunned, I just stood there, not registering completely what was going on. Finally, feeling his tongue sliding across my lips, I melted into the kiss and opened my mouth.
His tongue dove inside and my knees buckled. Lifting me up, Paul held me around my waist as he deepened the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and I heard him groan. Turned on more than I ever have been in my life, I thrust my tongue into his mouth then threaded my hands through his wavy hair. It felt better than I’d ever imagined and I was lost. His lips were soft and the power of his kiss stunned me into a passion I never knew existed. His tongue swirled in my mouth shooting an electrifying current through me that made me moan deeply in his mouth.
I just wanted to drink him in and never forget how good he tasted. The taste of cloves was dominating and I knew it would be imprinted in my soul from now on. My breathing accelerated as the realization that he was kissing me hit me even deeper. I never ever anticipated this and now that it was finally happening, I never wanted it to end. My heart jumped out of my chest when I felt him suck on my lower lip. I knew that things with Paul would never be the same again. We had crossed over to a new path, one that I’d been waiting on for him for years.
I felt his hand go to the back of my neck, pulling my hair so my head went back, giving him access to my neck. He broke the kiss and began kissing my neck, down to my collarbone. I moaned at his touch. Feeling him smile against my skin, he started back toward my lips when we heard a car driving into the parking lot.
Realizing we were standing in the way, Paul broke the kiss and dragged me to the grass area by the hotel entrance. Still out of breath from our searing kiss, I took deep breaths and tried to come back to reality.
Glancing over at Paul, I saw he was doing the same thing as he looked at me. Seeing the lust in his eyes, the fire inside of me erupted again. Trying to gain control, it finally hit me.
Paul Pierce just gave me the sexiest kiss I’d ever had in my entire life.