#HotAndHandy (Keeney Builds #1)

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

L ike a bright red beacon, the pimple on her chin couldn’t be more prominent. Hilary scowled at her reflection. She had gray hair and wrinkles, how could she still get zits? And why did they insist on showing up on important days?

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” Vincent stomped into the bedroom, removing his shirt and tossing it onto the bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I spilled my coffee. Do I have another—oh, thank you, Jesus.”

“Actually, it was me,” she said from the bathroom doorway. “Jesus wasn’t with me when I bought those shirts for you.”

“According to my Sunday school teacher, Jesus is always with us.” He emerged from the closet, buttoning a light blue dress shirt and smiling at her. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” The navy linen sheath fit her well. Hopefully, she could keep it clean until after the presentation.

Their phones dinged simultaneously, and Vincent rolled his eyes. “I wonder who that could be?”

Hilary patted his arm and scooped up her phone on the way to the kitchen, knowing it was Marcia confirming everyone had their marching orders. They’d met at her place again last night because Marcia insisted on a complete run-through. They did it twice, but Tomas balked at the third, and they all hustled out the door before Marcia could persuade him otherwise.

Fortified with coffee and peanut butter toast, and after ensuring they had Hilary’s laptop as backup in case something went wrong with Tomas’s, plus phones, charging cords, and printouts of the presentation, they took Vincent’s truck to meet everyone in the parking lot of Keeney Works.

“Have you got the—”

“Yes, Ma,” Vincent answered, kissing her on the cheek.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“Have you thought of something else since your last text message?”

“No.”

“Then we’ve got everything.” Vincent kissed her again, rolled his eyes at Hilary, and strolled away to join the men.

Seeing her freak out reduced Hilary’s own nerves. Marcia seemed more invested in Keeney Builds than the four men and Hilary combined.

“Do you want to check that we do have everything?” Hilary asked, opening her tote bag.

“I trust you,” Marcia replied but then stopped Hilary from closing the zipper. “On second thought, I will take a look.”

T wo hours later, the group filed out of the Keeney Works building into the bright sunshine, Vincent, Ali, and Carl removing their jackets and loosening their ties. Tomas wore neither; he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Hilary high-fived all four of the men. “You guys rocked it! Nicely done.”

The presentation went off without a hitch. Well, except for Ali not having his reading glasses and needing to borrow a pair from one of the board members. Receptive to the presentation, the board had many questions. All of which the group answered easily. And then brainstorming happened. Ideas were bouncing around the room, and it became apparent it wasn’t if Keeney Works would come on board but when .

“Who knew Carl could be so eloquent.” Ali clapped Carl on the shoulder, sending him stumbling forward a few steps. “Proud of you, son. Proud of all three of you.” The three younger men smiled. Ali walked to Hilary and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “But you put this together. I'm not sure why you chose Keeney, but I’m glad you moved here. We need you.” He kissed her on the forehead before releasing her. She blushed. Ali’s validation meant the world to her. She beamed at Ali and the others.

“Thanks. I needed Keeney, too.” Her gaze moved to Vincent, who stepped forward, wrapping her in a fierce hug.

The door opened, and Fiona walked through it with a broad smile. “Are you ready to celebrate? Because it’s a go.”

“Excellent!” said Hilary.

“Yes!” said Carl.

Ali clapped as Marcia whooped.

Vincent and Tomas grinned at each other.

Squealing tires drew their attention. Eddie leaped out of his car and stalked toward Fiona. “You stupid bitch. You sicced the cops on me.”

Fiona’s smile disappeared. “What are you talking about?”

“I got home to find the cops in the apartment questioning Nadia.” Eddie’s anger rolled off him in waves.

“Who’s Nadia?” Fiona whispered.

“His girlfriend,” Vincent responded, moving closer to Fiona.

Looking at Vincent, Eddie snarled, “Get the hell out of here. I’m talking to my wife. ”

“Eddie.” Ali placed a hand on Eddie’s arm. “Calm down, son. This is not the time and place for this conversation.”

Eddie shook him off. “Fuck that. And fuck you, old man. I am not your son. You’re just a lackey who sucks up to my mother.” Vincent’s hand was in his chest, pushing him back.

Turning his wrath on Vincent, Eddie went on. “What? Are you going to hit me again? You’re worse than he is. Life was great when you were in jail. None of that ‘Isn’t Vincent wonderful’ shit from Mom. Now you’re back, and she thinks the sun shines out of your ass.” He swung back to Fiona. “And you, KBS was going to be mine. But you screwed everything up for me.”

Hilary sidled closer to Fiona, taking her hand. Tomas stood behind Fiona, slightly to the side, big hands curled into fists. Realizing that Vincent and Ali were maneuvering Eddie away from the tiny woman, Hilary looked to the side and spotted Carl filming the scene, phone held low to be unobtrusive. She caught Vincent’s eye and angled her chin toward Carl before saying, “You’ve been siphoning off money from KBS.”

Eddie jerked. “It’s not siphoning when the company belongs to you.”

“But KBS doesn’t belong to you. You paid wages to nonexistent employees and funneled the money to your own accounts. That’s not siphoning. That’s theft,” Hilary said, thankful her voice didn’t quaver.

Rounding on her, Eddie’s voice rose. “You dried-up old bitch. You called the cops.”

“I called the cops,” a loud voice overrode him. Marcia stepped in front of Ali just as Iris approached from the parking lot. Looking shattered, lips trembling, focused on her son. Fiona darted past Hilary to take Iris’s hand while Marcia confronted Eddie. “The cops questioned Nadia about the stolen goods found in Vincent’s apartment. They’ve been in the evidence room for years. I think you hid those things in the apartment, and the cops are going to find your DNA on them.”

Eddie reared back, the fading bruises standing out against his suddenly pale face. He looked around wildly before fixing his gaze on Iris and Fiona. His features hardened, and he strode toward them. “Now you’re ganging up on me? You chose Vincent over me,” he spat at his mother. “You moved him into your house, you set him up in business, and you parade him around Keeney like he’s the second coming.” Swinging his head toward Fiona, he continued, “My own wife knew how much damage that bastard did to me, now she’s waving the banner in the All Hail Vincent Parade.”

Releasing Iris’s hand, Fiona stepped up to him. “You lied to me about your parents. You told me they were disappointed you married me. Why should I believe what you told me about Vincent?” She glared at him. “And now I find out you have a girlfriend.”

Eddie gave a derisive laugh. “Of course, I have a girlfriend. I only married you for your family’s money. But those cheap slant-eyes wouldn’t let me near their business. And you were so cold and unresponsive, it was like fucking a—”

Thwack!

Standing over Eddie’s now prone body, Marcia reared back to hit him with her purse again.

“Easy tiger,” Ali said, restraining her with a firm hand.

“I’ve wanted to do that for years,” Marcia muttered.

“Me too,” Ali replied.

Vincent brushed past his mother and crouched beside Eddie, his thick thighs and work-scarred hands a stark contrast to Eddie’s slim frame. “Did you set me up?”

Eddie nodded, not bothering to look at him.

“Why? What did I do to you?” Hands clenched in tight fists; it was obvious Vincent had thought about this for years.

“You’re a nothing. Barely made it through high school. Worked just enough to pay for ski trips. I got a degree. I got an MBA. And they couldn’t care less. Yet when you decided to go back to school, my parents were so impressed.” Eddie met his gaze, venom in his eyes. “It was trade school, for fuck’s sake!”

“You took away three years of my life.” Vincent ground out. “I couldn’t find work. Ma had to remortgage the house to get me out. All because your parents liked me?” He stood and flung his arms wide. It was all Hilary could do not to grab Marcia’s purse and hit Eddie herself. She hoped Carl was recording everything and that his battery wouldn’t die.

Eddie rose to his feet, smoothing back his hair. “They wanted to take you on at KBS. Like an annoying fly, you refused to go away. So I made it happen.”

In a soft, tentative voice, Iris asked, “But why have you been stealing for the past year?”

Eddie leveled an angry look her way. “When Dad got sick and you asked me to come back, I was thrilled. This would be the time to show you what I could do. But I saw the corporate papers. I’m not an equal partner. I’m not the CEO. I’m a goddamn employee of my parents’ business. It will be my business when you die.” Eddie straightened his shirt and brushed off his hands. “So I decided to access the money now instead of waiting.” He headed toward the parking lot.

The group gaped at each other and then at Eddie.

Carl held up his phone. “Should I call the cops?”

“Already done,” Marcia said, tucking her phone in her purse.

Sirens approached, and Hilary and Marcia went to support Fiona, who was holding up a sobbing Iris. They watched Eddie’s car disappear in traffic.

“Well, that certainly put a damper on the day,” Carl muttered.

H eads turned as Marcia climbed the stairs to Hilary’s deck. “She took a sedative and went to bed. I’ll check on her in half an hour, but I expect her to be out like a light.”

Vincent, Ali, Tomas, Fiona, and Hilary sat at the patio table. Settling into a vacant chair, Marcia announced, “I don’t know about anyone else, but I could use a drink.”

“On it,” Ali said, flipping open the cooler he’d brought up from his truck and set at his side. “I brought beer and a bottle of sparkling wine.” He grinned at the faces around him and looked at Hilary. “I’ve got everything but the wineglasses.”

“On it,” said Vincent, rising from the table and going into the house.

Marcia looked at the assembled group. “Where’s Carl?”

“He had some kind of family thing,” Ali continued to root through the cooler, pulling out containers of food, which he set on the table. He called to Vincent, “Bring plates and stuff as well.” Removing lids, he displayed the bounty; hummus and veggies, three kinds of cheese, crackers, salami, olives, artichoke dip, and pickles. He smiled at the oohs and ahhs. “I figured we’d have something to celebrate.” He popped the cork, poured wine for everyone in the glasses provided, and raised his glass. “To Keeney Builds!”

Glasses clinked. Tomas poured his wine into Fiona’s glass and dug a beer out of the cooler for himself.

“Are we being premature? Is Iris going to want to continue?” Vincent asked. Satisfaction and guilt warred inside him. Seeing Iris sobbing in Fiona’s arms as Eddie was cuffed and frog-marched to the police car took some of the shine off the day’s events.

Ali shifted in his chair, looking at Marcia before speaking. “Iris wants to step back from KBS. She thought when she returned to work, she, Eddie, and I would be a team. Now, she needs to regroup. ”

“Are you moving up the ladder?” Vincent asked Ali.

“Nope. I like it where I am. I’ll step in until we settle on an executive, but just for the interim.”

“How long will that take? It can’t be easy to find someone to take over.” Vincent didn’t say it aloud, but would they be able to find someone supportive of Keeney Builds, someone comfortable working with ex-cons?

“We’ve found someone.” Ali exchanged smiles with Marcia. “We just haven’t asked her yet.” They both looked toward Hilary.

She was busy layering salami and cheese on a cracker and didn’t notice. When the table went silent, she looked up. Five pairs of eyes were turned her way. “What?”

Ali leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him. “On behalf of KBS, Hilary Banks, would you accept our offer for the CEO position?”

“What?” she asked, frowning in confusion.

Ali grinned. “Wanna come work at KBS?”

“I don’t…I didn’t…” She looked around at the expectant smiling faces.

“The employees like you,” Ali gestured at Vincent and Tomas. “You have excellent references,” he gestured at Fiona. “And Iris wants you.”

Vincent reached over and unclenched her hand from around the arm of the chair. “You can do this,” he said in a soft voice meant just for her. The idea of working with her filled him with pleasure. She had vision and determination, and believed in him. KBS would thrive with her at the helm. “Please?”

Blinking rapidly, she nodded, then downed the contents of her glass in one gulp.

“Good,” Ali said, looking smug.

Marcia smacked him on the arm. “Don’t even think of taking credit for the idea.”

Fiona rose from the table, holding her phone. “Thank you for inviting me, this was nice. Hilary, congratulations, I’ll talk to you soon.” With a polite smile for everyone, she gathered up her purse and turned to the stairs. “I’ve called an Uber, so I’m going to wait in the driveway.”

Tomas stood as well. “I’ll drive you home.”

“Oh.” She craned her neck to meet his eyes. “That’s not necessary.”

With a fierce frown, he moved past her. “I’ll drive you home.” He jerked his chin at Hilary, “Bye, boss,” and headed down the stairs.

Fiona looked at Hilary as well, her cheeks stained red. “I guess he’s driving me home.” Silently, she trailed behind him.

The table was quiet, listening to the slam of closing doors and the truck starting up. Then they exchanged glances and laughed. When it died down, Marcia said, “I’ll go check on Iris.”

“Are you going to press charges against Eddie?” Ali asked, reaching for the beer and passing one to Vincent.

Vincent shrugged. “I doubt that it’s up to me. Besides, isn’t he in enough trouble?”

Ali started counting things off on his fingers. “Sexual harassment charge. Theft—provided Iris presses charges, and framing you—provided you press charges.”

Marcia returned at that moment, snagging an olive off Ali’s plate and settling into a chair. “Iris is pressing charges. She’s had some long conversations with Fiona, and Eddie tracked the transfers in his planner. It was sitting right on the coffee table when the police interviewed Nadia. Letting Eddie off the hook won’t benefit anyone. And,” reaching for her wine, she raised the glass, “Nadia made a statement. Apparently, she thought Eddie and Fiona were divorced.” She took a sip and smirked. “Before she left for Australia, she’d been seeing Eddie and gave him her house key to return it to you.” She nodded at Vincent. “They’d broken up because she was headed to a six-month spiritual retreat where she went off-line for the duration, and lost the habit of going on social media. She looked Eddie up when she returned to the States early last year. One thing led to another, and she moved into an apartment here in Keeney about a year ago.”

“That’s when the money started going missing,” Hilary stated.

“Mm-hmm,” said Marcia. “Feathering a love nest. He claimed Fiona had left him, get this, for a Latino man she had met through her non-profit.” Marcia put air quotes around the last phrase. “Almost like he was conjuring up Tomas.”

Ali shook his head. “The man just drove her home.”

“Sure,” said Vincent, nodding sagely. “Like I just needed to borrow Hilary’s laptop to order a new cellphone.”

“You didn’t?” Hilary asked, twisting to look at him.

Vincent dragged her chair closer to his own. “Not really. It was an excuse to spend time with you.”

Speechless, Hilary stared at him. Forgetting about the presence of Ali and Marcia, she leaned in and softly kissed his lips. “I’m glad you did that.”

Vincent returned the kiss. “So am I.” Climbing those stairs was the best decision he ever made. That and going to find her at the bar.

“Can we get back to the story?” Ali asked with mock disgruntlement.

Vincent wrapped an arm around Hilary, and smiled. “Sure.”

“So when Nadia realized Eddie was stringing her along, she sang like a canary.” Marcia rocked in her chair with glee. “Eddie told her he’d discovered the stolen goods in the back bedroom of your apartment and called the cops from a payphone. He didn’t want to hurt Iris by being the one to inform on her best friend’s son.”

“How much does Iris know?” Hilary asked.

“Everything,” Marcia stated flatly. “Chief Reyes called me while I was with her, and I put it on speaker. ”

“This must be killing her,” Hilary glanced between Ali and Marcia.

“Hence the sedative. She’s going to need some counseling. At some point, every parent realizes they are no longer responsible for the actions of their children.” Marcia regarded Vincent. “That being said, I’m claiming responsibility for you and Hilary getting together.”

“Whatever,” Vincent muttered with a mock glare.

Marcia finished her wine, and rose from her chair. “You can drive me home,” she turned to Ali.

“Umm…okay…” Tossing the containers into the cooler, he said goodnight and headed down the stairs.

Marcia winked at Hilary and Vincent, and sashayed after him.

Vincent gaped at his mother, then turned to find Hilary grinning at him. Slowly, he returned the smile and waggled his eyebrows. “It’s about damn time for those two.”

She nestled into him, and he kissed the top of her head. Life was good. The evening sun slanted over the yard, highlighting the contours of the tiny house. He was pleased with the work he’d done for Iris and where it had led.

“Who’s going to move into the tiny house?” Her voice brought him out of his reverie.

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” she said, moving to sit in his lap, “you’re not going to need it because you’re moving in with me.”

“I am?” He circled his arms around her.

“You are.” Sifting her hands through his hair, she nodded. “Boss’s orders.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said before kissing her.