Finding Love in Forgotten Cove (Island County Series Book 1) by Karice Bolton Page B

that he produced, but it was near impossible. I took a step closer and placed the stone onto the thin set we’d just applied. He’d marked off with a string where I needed to place the first line of veneers, which made it easy to level the stone.
    “Perfection. Now take this and tap it.”
    I nodded and took the rubber block he handed me, secretly hoping for another hands-on lesson.
    None came. So the next time, I repeated the steps all by myself as he wandered into the kitchen to finish his apple slices, and I was left to wonder if everything that transpired had been in my head.
    Probably. It often was.
    I took a step back after the first several rows were completed and nodded.
    “That looks pretty good, if I do say so myself,” I called out to him.
    Mason brought over a soda water for me and I opened it up and took a sip.
    “It looks amazing,” he agreed. “Almost like the guy who planned this knew what he was doing.”
    “I wouldn’t go that far,” I teased. “It was the skill behind laying the stone that made it really sparkle.”
    He playfully touched my chin. “You have some thin set right there… Got it.”
    My gaze landed on his thumb as he pulled it away, and I didn’t see any of the grey substance.
    “So you guys bid on the high school job every two years?” I asked, trying to get my mind back on work, any work.
    Not fingers.
    Not lips, definitely not lips.
    He laughed unexpectedly and nodded. “Yep. Like clockwork.”
    My gaze landed on his mouth, and I cursed myself for not being able to follow a simple rule. Don’t look at his lips, or fingers, or anything below the nose really.
    “And you always win the bid?” I questioned. “Seems lucky.”
    “Sure do.” He had a twinkle in his eyes that I’d come to look forward to since meeting him. It was a blend of pure amusement and secrecy. It was like he held onto one big, life-changing secret that he’d someday divulge, if we were lucky enough. But I somehow believed that was just how he operated.
    “Why do I think there is more to the story?” I placed my soda water on the floor and dipped my trowel back in the compound and continued on. I was determined to get the fireplace finished tonight.
    “Our bid is always the lowest.”
    “Yeah, I gathered that, Captain Obvious,” I chuckled.
    Mason stood next to me and crossed his arms, staring at my work, and I suddenly cared what he was thinking.
    “We ensure that no one can beat our bid. It helps we only charge for materials and nothing for time.”
    I laughed. “So it’s a running theme for your company? How in the world do you stay in business?”
    Mason laughed and pointed at a bare area. “Missed a spot.”
    I rolled my eyes and filled in the area with more gunk—the technical term.
    “Well, that’s one way to outbid the competition. Why do it?” I asked. “It makes no sense. Here, I kind of understand it. You like the house. You want the house. You’re probably going to get the house. But at the school?” I shrugged, completely baffled.
    “My dad went to the school when he was in high school, and he knows there’s very little funding to keep it going. The amount of time it takes us to maintain it isn’t much. The moment that school starts to fall into disrepair, they’ll probably close it and ship all the kids to one of the other schools. My dad wouldn’t handle that well. He’s full of nostalgia over that place. It’s where he met my mom.”
    Could it get any more perfect? I think not!
    “Wow. That’s a love story I’m dying to hear.”
    “Well, it will only be from my parents’ lips. They tell it perfectly. If I tried, the sentiment would get lost pretty quickly.”
    “I doubt that.” I smiled.
    “I’m not really that romantic of a guy.” He stopped himself and our eyes met. “But for the record, Tori. It’s not only the house that I want.”

 
     
     
    Not serious. Only fun. Not serious. Only fun. Not serious. Only fun.
    “Tori, are ya still with me?”