Hammer & Nails (8 page)

“Why are you half dressed?” Mr. Hammerstein asks, motioning at Nolan’s clothes with his hand.

I glance at Nolan to find him frozen, his mouth open with nothing coming out. Idiot.

“Sir, he got sauce on his shirt. Can’t take him anywhere,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood and the attention off Nolan’s state of undress.

Nolan’s wide eyes flick to mine. I give him a look, trying to tell him to play along.

“Uhh, yeah, I got sauce on my shirt so I took it off,” Nolan says, his voice stilted.

What are we teenagers in high school who just got caught making out in his parents’ basement? Jesus! The man is 33 years old. I’m sure his father knows that he has sex.

Mr. Hammerstein raises an eyebrow, which lets me know that he’s not buying it for one second. Damn. Hey, I tried.

“Alrighty, I think I’m going to head out,” I drawl, quickly making my way into the living room to scoop up my iPad from the coffee table.

“Harley…wait…no…” Nolan hisses, pleading with me with his eye not to leave him.

I smile brightly at him then give him a peck on the lips and a pat on the stomach. “I’ll see you later,
client
,” emphasizing the fact that I wasn’t pleased by his earlier introduction.

Nolan’s flabbergasted expression has me giggling all the way to the door.

~ Nolan ~

“What was that all about?” my dad asks, his expression curious but disapproving.

“Nothing, she’s just messing with me,” I tell him.

Harley left a minute ago. I can’t believe that she threw me under the bus like this. No, wait, I can totally believe that she did that. I fight off a smile; I will get her back for this.

“Want to try again and tell my why you’re partially undressed?” His white eyebrows raise in question.

I shake my head. “No, not really,” I mumble.

“What are you doing with her? She is nowhere near being the kind of woman you need,” my dad says, crossing his arms over his chest.

I roll my eyes at him. “How would you know what kind of woman I need?” I huff, shoving my hands on my hips.

“Because it’s the kind of woman
all
men need, and she is not it.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t agree,” I reply.

“Are you two together?” he asks.

“Not really, no.”

“So you’re just seeing her?” he asks again.

I sigh and rake my hand through my hair. “I don’t know what we are right now, but I like her.”

“Son, from what you’ve told me, she doesn’t seem like wife material. You know that she’s not going to want to stay home and take care of the house and children. Why bother with her?”

“Do you even hear yourself? No one thinks like that anymore. Most modern women don’t want to stay home and take care of the house and kids,” I argue.

“Which is ridiculous!”

“What’s ridiculous is you expecting me to want the same things as you. I don’t want a woman who can’t think or do things for herself.” I frown.

“Fine, but don’t expect me to like her because I don’t approve of this
thing
you’ve got going on with her.”

I grit my teeth. I knew this would happen. I knew my dad wasn’t going to like Harley. I just didn’t expect it to hurt this much. “I didn’t ask you to,” I mutter quietly.

I leave the kitchen, grab my things out of the living room then start for my room.

“She’s not good enough for you, Nolan!” my dad calls after me.

I ignore him and close myself in my room. Dammit. What the hell am I doing? Is this -
thing
, as my father so aptly put it - with Harley worth the disapproval of my father? I want him to get along with the woman that I’m serious about. Am I serious about Harley? Is she more than just an outstanding lay? I drop down to the edge of my bed and contemplate everything. There is so much to think about, so many factors to include. I like Harley…a lot. But my dad’s approval of the woman that I choose to be with means a lot to me, too. Can I handle him not liking a girl that I clearly have feelings for? It will always be a struggle to please both of them and I’d constantly be caught in the middle. Shit, fuck, shit!

~
Seven
~

~ Nolan ~

I was hoping to bring just Harley to the season opener in an attempt at having a date with her, but then she looked at me with her puppy dog eyes and pouting lip and asked if her family could also come since they are all huge fans. I just couldn’t say no.

I’m a bit nervous about meeting her dad and brothers. I don’t know what Harley has told them about me. Do they know that we’re kinda sleeping together? Do they think we’re in a relationship? Harley and I really haven’t talked about it, so we’re not officially together even though I’ve not slept with anyone else but her. And I don’t think she has either. From the way she made it sound, before me, she hadn’t slept with anyone in a hell of a long time.

Harley texts me saying that they are here. I take a deep breath and blow it out. I leave the owner’s club box and make my way through the crowd toward the entrance that I told Harley meet me. I spot her before she sees me. Four huge men surround her. They are all at least 6’4” and her brothers are all built like freaking hockey players. Her father is a big guy, too. I can tell that at one time he used to be as fit as his sons are. Harley looks like a little girl with all of them standing around her.

I stop next to one of the guys scanning tickets and call to her. “Harley.”

She turns, her eyes immediately finding mine. She smiles and it immediately makes my heart flutter. Damn, she’s beautiful. She is wearing her hair down again. She looks really cute in her oversized Bruisers jersey, too. The group heads in my direction. When they reach the ticket guy, I hand him five box seat tickets to scan. He hands them back to me and I in turn hand them to Harley. Her eyes flash excitedly and I can tell that she’s ready to burst.

“Thanks!”

“You’re welcome,” I reply with a small smile.

“Nolan, this is my dad, John, and my brothers: Shane, Jason, and Nate. Guys, this is Nolan Hammerstein,” she introduces.

We all greet each other with handshakes and nods.

“Thanks for this, Nolan. In all the years that I’ve been a fan, I haven’t been able to get tickets to the season opener,” John says, and I can tell that he’s ready to burst with excitement, too.

I smile. I like her dad already. “You’re welcome.”

“So, where are we sitting?” her brother - I think it’s Shane - asks.

“We’re all sitting in the owner’s club box,” I tell them.

All five of them stare at me with wide eyes before erupting into cheers and high fives. I bite back a smile. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very loud club box once the puck drops. I lead them upstairs to where the private box is. The box has its own bar, bathrooms, and wait service. Along with a few rows of regular seats, there is a lounge in the back with TV’s to watch the game if you so choose.

“Food and drinks are included, so order anything you want,” I tell them.

The youngest of the brothers, Nate, I believe, turns to me. “Dude, I could totally kiss you right now,” he says, then nods as if he makes a decision before adding, “Yeah, I think I’m going to kiss you right now.”

He comes over and grabs my face, planting a rough kiss on my mouth. He releases me suddenly and I stumble back in shock. He gives me a rakish grin and a wink as the rest of them laugh hysterically, including Harley, who is doubled over clutching her stomach.

“You can’t make fun of me anymore, asshole! You initiated that all on your own!” Harley’s brother, Shane, exclaims, giving his little brother a shove.

Nate shrugs, his eyes shimmering in amusement, and I can’t help but wonder what that is all about.

“What am I missing over here?” comes my father’s voice from behind me.

I turn just as he steps up next to me, a curious smile on his face. The laughs immediately die as the five Jamesons stare at my father in shock and awe. John is the first to speak.

“Holy shit, Mr. Hammerstein! I’m John Jameson. It’s an honor to meet you!” he says, shaking my dad’s hand vigorously.

“Please, call me Gene,” my dad replies.

John smiles so big that I’m pretty sure it’s going to be stuck there permanently.

“These are my sons: Nate, Jason, and Shane,” John says, pointing to each of his sons as he says their name.

My dad shakes all of their hands.

John’s hand lands on Harley’s shoulder. “And this is my daughter, Harley,” he says proudly.

I watch Harley glance up at her dad with unconditional love and affection. Her smile is so big and bright. It’s that moment that I realize that I am totally falling for her. The realization leaves me a little stunned. I’m falling in love with Harley. I can’t believe it. I never meant to get this involved with her, but she somehow snuck her way in.

“I believe we’ve met. You’re the girl doing the renovation at Nolan’s house, right?” my dad says, practically looking down his nose at her.

I wince at his choice of words. He called her a “girl.” He could have said, “You’re the contractor,” but he chose “girl.” Not even woman. “Girl.”

It’s obvious that her dad and brothers caught it, too, as they all lose some of their excitement. Harley, however, puts on a brave face and shakes my father’s hand. She knows from the night I had her over how my dad views women. So she knows what to expect. But I can still see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes.

“Yep, that’s me,” she replies with a tight smile.

My heart hurts for her.

“Have you seen any of the renovations yet? Harley is a very talented contractor,” John says, his tone even. I can tell he’s not liking my dad right now, though. Can’t say that I blame him.

“No, I haven’t had a chance to get over there,” my dad replies.

“She’s doing a fantastic job so far; the house is really coming along,” I say, looking at her.

She gives me a grateful smile.

“Yeah, I bet you go over there just to stare at her ass while she’s up on a ladder,” Nate quips.

Everyone but my dad chuckles at the dig. My dad, on the other hand, lets out a snort as if to say, “I doubt that.” I sigh. This is not going well. I think it’s time to end this little conversation.

“Why don’t you guys go grab a seat and I’ll have the waitress bring down some beers,” I tell the Jamesons.

They quickly agree and start for the stairs that lead down to the rows of seats. Harley glances over her shoulder at me, a tender smile on her lovely lips. I send her a wink before turning to face my dad.

“That was unnecessarily rude,” I tell him.

One white eyebrow lifts. “What was?”

My dad is about the same height as I am, but much rounder. His short hair is white, as is his eyebrows and mustache. He’s wearing one of his many suits.

“You insulted Harley in front of her family.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” he says dismissively and walks toward the bar.

I follow, my irritation flaring. “Even so, you can’t say things like that to people. Especially ones that don’t share your views on the roles of women,” I snap.

I catch one of the waitresses and ask her to bring my guests some beer. As she walks off to take care of that, I turn back to my dad, who is leaning against the bar.

“You need to keep your opinions of Harley to yourself,” I say to him.

My dad eyeballs me. “Would you still think that if you weren’t fucking her?”

I gape at him. “That has nothing to do with this.” I blink.

He gives me a bored look. “Sure it does. I hope it’s nothing serious because she’s not right for you.”

I frown. “Not this shit again. Why not?”

“You know why, Nolan. She’s nothing but trouble. Say you marry her and have kids, you know she’s not going to want to stay home and take care of them. She’s going to want to be out working. She probably lives in a pig sty, have you been to her place yet?”

I struggle to wrap my mind around his way of thinking, but it’s difficult. I’m really starting to understand why he’s still single. My mother was a saint for putting up with him. I don’t know how she dealt with him for so long.

“No, I haven’t.”

“You should keep it that way.” He snorts and takes a sip of the drink that the bartender just placed in front of him.

“And if I really like her?”

My dad stares at me for a moment, his expression hard. “I don’t want her in my family.”

“Because she works?” I ask incredulously.

My dad sighs impatiently. “Son, you need to find a woman who is of the same social status as you. That girl over there is in no way presentable to the people that we deal with. She’s not wearing one ounce of make-up and she’s dressed like a man. Do you really expect someone like her and her family to fit in with people like us?”

For the first time ever, I actually see my father for the person he really is. And I also realize that when I first met Harley, I was just like him. A pompous prick. Not only does my father not like Harley because she’s her own woman, but he also doesn’t like her because she’s of a lower social status. He probably wants me to marry some gold digging, stuck up heiress. Well that sure as shit ain’t happening. I have nothing to say to that, so I just walk away. I will not be like him. I want to be happy. Harley makes me happy.

~ Harley ~

I glance over my shoulder for the millionth time to see Nolan finally coming this way. He was talking to his dad for a while and it didn’t look like they were agreeing on whatever it was they were talking about. I chose to sit behind my dad and brothers. They tend to get a bit rowdy and end up spilling beer all over the place. I’d rather not be covered in beer. Plus, I wanted to sit with Nolan.

Nolan stomps down the steps and drops his ass into the seat next to me. He is seriously brooding. I hand him my cup of beer because he looks like he needs it.

“Here,” I murmur.

Nolan doesn’t hesitate. He grabs the cup from my hand and downs the rest of the beer. I frown at him.

“Is everything okay?” I ask in concern.

He turns his head to look at me, his expression troubled. “No, but don’t worry about it,” he says softly and tucks my hair behind my ear. “You look really beautiful today.”

I smile shyly and blush. “Thanks.”

My brothers all start fake gagging in front of us.

“Oh god, that’s disgusting.” Jason groans.

I kick their seats. “Shut your mouths, assfaces,” I hiss.

I turn to apologize to Nolan, but he’s smiling and shaking his head. His smile slowly fades. He reaches forward and pats my dad on the shoulder. My dad turns slightly in his chair to look back at Nolan, eyebrows raised in question.

“Mr. Jameson…” Nolan starts.

“You can call me John,” my dad says with a small smile.

I can tell that my dad likes Nolan, which makes me extremely happy because I think I’m falling for the guy. Which is scary enough without having to worry about if my dad and brothers are going to like him.

“John, I want to apologize for what my father said…” Nolan starts again but my dad cuts him off.

“Stop right there, Nolan. You don’t need to apologize for what your father said. He’s a grown man, and if he felt bad about it, then he can apologize himself. But I honestly don’t see that happening.”

Nolan shakes his head. “No, it won’t happen.”

“Didn’t think so.”

“It’s just…I used to…” Nolan struggles, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.

“You shared your father’s views?” my dad asks.

Nolan nods. “Somewhat. That is, until I met Harley,” he says softly.

My breath catches. I knew Nolan didn’t like the fact that I was a woman who owned my own business at first, and I could tell that the more we got to know each other, the more he accepted it, and even liked it. But for him to admit it out loud, to my father nonetheless, is something that I never expected.

The smile on my dad’s face is one that he doesn’t give to anyone other than his own kids. It’s the smile of a proud daddy. It’s filled with love, acceptance, and understanding. And he’s giving it to Nolan. My heart pounds in my chest. This is huge. At least for me. Nolan might not realize it, but he just got inducted into the Jameson family.

My dad reaches back and gives Nolan’s cheek a couple of pats. “Nolan, you’re a good man,” he says. “And I’m proud of you for admitting that to me. It takes a strong man to do something like that.”

Nate, Jason, and Shane all slowly turn around to stare at me in shock. I can only shrug. When I look over at Nolan, he looks like he’s in shock, too.

“Thank you,” he says to my dad.

My dad gives Nolan’s shoulder a squeeze then turns back around in his seat just as the teams take the ice. He and my brothers jump up to cheer on the Bruisers. Nolan turns to look at me, a wary smile on his face, as if he’s not sure what to think about what just happened.

I reach over and place my hand on his where it’s resting on his knee. I give it a reassuring squeeze. Nolan flips his hand over and laces our fingers together. He then pulls my hand up to his mouth and kisses my knuckles as he looks into my eyes. Such a sweet gesture. I feel like there is definitely something happening between us and I really hope I’m not the only one feeling it.