Mama Diane and the crew were used to cooking for large crowds. When he’d first started coming over here, he asked if it was an imposition to add him in. She’d told him she’d come from a large family and always wanted one of her own, but after her husband passed away, she’d never remarried, and she’d had Drake and Harmony to look after. And then Drake had gotten into sports and all his friends came over as kids, and continued to during high school, then college and pros, and it had been a dream come true for her.
But she’d taught them right way that it was their responsibility to do the dishes.
It was the same thing at his house, so it was a rule he understood well.
And since Mama Diane and her sisters were great cooks, no one complained.
After dinner, everyone piled back into the dining room for pie. Multiple pies, actually. Strawberry rhubarb pie, apple pie, pecan pie and cherry pie.
Barrett chose the apple pie. With ice cream, because pie without ice cream was practically a sin.
After he’d had his fill, he rinsed his dish and put it in the dishwasher, then hung out in the living room with everyone.
“How’s the house coming along?” Steve asked him.
“I close on it next Tuesday.”
Drake turned to him. “Have you decided yet what you’re going to do with it?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t hired a contractor. It’s a great house in a perfect location. It just needs a complete gut job and a total remodel.”
Harmony shifted away from the conversation she’d been having with Alyssa. “I didn’t know you bought a house.”
“Yeah. I’d been looking for a while. Found this place on the water, but it’s older, so it needs a lot of TLC.”
“What it needs is a bulldozer,” Drake said with a laugh.
Barrett laughed, too. “You’re right about that, but the location was perfect. It’s right on the water and has a boat dock. The property is in great shape and the dock is solid. It’s just the house that needs some work.”
“A lot of work,” Drake said.
“Okay fine. A lot of work. I need to find a contractor.”
“Harmony could help you with that,” Mama Diane said. “Have you forgotten what she does for a living?”
He’d honestly never paid much attention, other than it had something to do with mini blinds or shutters or paint or something. “Um . . .”
Harmony rolled her eyes at him. “I’m an interior designer, Barrett. I own my own company. And because of that, I have contact with a variety of contractors.”
He’d had no idea. “No shit.”
“Language, young man.”
“Sorry, Mama Diane.” He turned his attention back to Harmony. “No kidding.”
“No kidding. Why don’t you take me by your house, and I can assess your needs? We can go from there.”
Well, shit. The last thing he wanted was to spend any time in close proximity to Harmony. Especially alone. Not after what had happened earlier. “I don’t know.”
Mama Diane leveled a frown at him. “Are you insinuating my baby girl here can’t handle the job?”
Double shit. “No, ma’am. I wasn’t insinuating that at all. It’s just that the place is such a mess, I don’t want to burden her. I’m sure Harmony is very busy.”
Harmony gave him that all-knowing smirk again. The one that said she knew damn well he was trying to weasel his way out of being alone with her, he’d gotten caught in a lie and now he was going to have to backpedal his ass off.
She gave him her sweetest smile. “It’s hardly a burden, Barrett. It would be my pleasure to look over your place and offer my expertise.”
“You should definitely use her,” Drake said. “She’s good at what she does.”
It was all Barrett could do not to cringe at Drake’s choice of words. His gaze lifted to Harmony’s and her lips curved.
“Yes, Barrett. You should use me.”
Goddammit.
Figuring he was truly fucked, he finally nodded. “Thanks. That would be great. I’ll text you and we’ll set something up.”
“Perfect.”
Somehow he felt like he’d just been ensnared in Harmony’s web.
And he was about to get eaten alive.
Four
One of the things Barrett enjoyed about the off-season was more time to spend on the charities he’d organized. Together he and Drake had funded a community center for kids, and they were going to spend some time there this afternoon.
It was summer, so it would be busy with all of the kids out of school. One of the main objectives in setting up the community center was to have a place for both boys and girls in the middle school age group to hang out over the summer.
He remembered being that age, being bored and having nothing to do, and it really hit him hard when Drake had told him about being subjected to gang influence at that age. He wanted these kids to have an alternative.
He parked in the lot and noticed Drake’s car was already there. He quickly made his way inside to join his friend. At the security desk he flashed his ID.
The guard smiled. “I know who you are, Mr. Cassidy,” the guy said. “Go on inside.”
“Thanks.”
He heard a lot of noise coming from the gym, which made him grin. He peeked through the door and saw a bunch of kids playing basketball.
“Hello, Barrett.”
He turned and smiled at Greg Green, the administrator of the community center. They shook hands.
“How’s it going, Greg?”
“Good. I’m glad you and Drake stopped by today. We have a full house this summer. Drake’s in the computer room with Bianca.”