Chapter 3

The next day . . .

Caitlin had just returned to her room at the DoubleTree when her cell phone rang. It was Catherine.

“Hey, Catherine.” Caitlin sat down on the edge of the bed. She had lunch while she was out.

“Hi. How’s your little retreat going?” Catherine asked.

“Not how I had expected. The house is . . . rougher around the edges than it looked online.”

“Uh oh.”

“No worries. At least I don’t think so. I’m looking for a contractor to at least improve the place where I can stay in it. Right now, I’m staying at the DoubleTree Hotel.”

“Good luck on that.”

“How’s being a married woman?” Caitlin asked with a smile.

“Marvelous,” Catherine oozed. “I never knew marriage could be so . . . so . . . I don’t how to describe it.”

“I see. I’ve only had a few moments to think about Hector’s proposal – Oh. I didn’t get to tell you about that before you left for your honeymoon.”

“Nooo. You didn’t tell me Hector proposed,” Catherine said, sounding shocked and offended.

“In all fairness, you had left already, and then Chelsea had gone into labor, then I had a new nephew to coo over before I left. I am going to be gone until after Labor Day. And you had only gotten back yesterday, right?”

Catherine exhaled lightly. “Right. I guess I can forgive you. You have been busy. But now that I know tell me what happened. How did he propose?”

Caitlin told Catherine what she wanted to know.

“He didn’t get down on one knee?” she asked like it was the biggest faux pas in history.

“I don’t think he could have done that even if he wanted to. First, we were in the middle of your wedding reception. I’m sure he didn’t want to steal the spotlight from you and Cameron. Second, I don’t think the man can get down on his knees even if he wanted to. He had told me about his arthritis several times.”

“I see. So, you are seriously considering it.”

“I am. I love Hector. He’s so good to me.”

“I understand that, Caitlin, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s so much older than you. Don’t you think you’re . . . settling?” she asked delicately.

“Catherine, I have to be real here. It’s not like men are lining up the block to sweep me off my feet. I’ve only had two real boyfriends in my life and the last one was when I was twenty-three. I’m thirty-two years old now, and I’m not getting any younger.”

“I’m thirty-seven and I just got married two weeks ago. Don’t feel like you have to marry Hector because you think you’re not going to get anyone else. The right man will come along. You just have to be patient.”

Caitlin scoffed. “I have been patient for one thing. And you’re situation is different. You’ve had two fiancés in your lifetime. I haven’t even had one. And that’s because you have something that attracts men. I don’t.”

“That’s not true. You’re beautiful, smart –”

“Smart at what? I don’t know how to do anything,” Caitlin said with frustration. “I . . . I’m boring and don’t bother trying to tell me I’m not. Hector is the one man that I’ve been with who finds me intriguing. I don’t know why but he does.”

“So, you’re thinking about marrying him because he finds you intriguing?”

“Yes. That and he loves me. He has said it and I’ve said it to him.”

“Honey, are you in love with him?”

“I just said I was.”

“No, darling, there’s a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. What you want is to be in love with the man you marry.”

“What I want is to not be a lonely spinster. And, yes, Hector is in his early seventies but I don’t care. If I did, I wouldn’t have stayed with him this long.”

“I have no doubt you care for him, and he is a good man. But . . . just think about his proposal seriously. Think about if you want children of your own. How does he feel about having children?”

“I . . . I don’t know. I guess he wouldn’t mind having another if I ever decide to have any,” Caitlin said with insecurity.

Hector had three children by his deceased wife. Caitlin had met two of them. They had been at Catherine’s wedding.

“Ask him. Make sure you think about it carefully while you’re away. If you decide to marry him, so be it. I’ll support you. If not, it won’t be the end of the world. There are plenty of fish in the sea. And I’m speaking from personal experience concerning more fish in the sea,” Catherine said with a smile in her tone.

“I will.”

They continued to chat about the family including the additional member, Davidson Dawson. After fifteen minutes, Caitlin and Catherine ended their call.

Caitlin kicked her sandals off and laid back on the bed. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do for the rest of the day. She could drive to the other islands in The Keys to go shopping. She could change into her swimsuit and go to the hotel pool. Or she could –

Her cell rang.

She reached for it on the nightstand. She didn’t recognize the number and there was no name. At first she wasn’t going to answer it, then realized it could be someone calling about the ad she had posted.

“Hello?”

“Yes. I’m calling about the job posting at Hokies. I’m interested,” the man said. He sounded like he was in his thirties. Not too old and not too young.

Good so far.

“All right. You have any references?” Caitlin sat up on the bed and swung her feet on the floor.

“Yes, three. When we meet, I can give them to you.”

“I prefer taking their names and numbers over the phone. If I get satisfactory reports, then we can meet.” Caitlin grabbed the notepad and pen that was next to the room phone. She didn’t want to meet a complete stranger who frequents a watering hole like Hokies. She was being cautious.

“That’s fine.” He began rattling off the names and numbers of his references.

“All right. After I check your references I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“You do that.”

“Oh, what is your name?”

“A.J.”

“A.J. what?”

“No what. Just A.J. That’s what people call me around here.”

Ugh, great. No last name. He’s probably a nut or a fugitive.

                                                                                    ****

A.J.’s references had checked out. They all sang his praises, stating that he was always on time, but if he couldn’t make it he would call. He had done a fantastic job and in record time. Plus, his f*e was reasonable. The only thing he didn’t know how to do was electrical work.

The only things that disturbed her were the references didn’t know his last name and he had always wanted to be paid in cash.  They had all said that they never really thought about getting his last name but they knew he was an honest man. Nothing was ever missing when he had finished a job. One woman had said that he came to the Florida Keys almost every summer looking for handyman jobs. Also, he lived on a boat that he parked at various marinas in The Keys.

Caitlin decided to take a chance on him. No one had a bad word to say about him and she did receive additional background information about him. Yet, she wasn’t ready to completely let her guard down. She had called A.J. to ask him to meet her at Hokies to discuss the job.

Caitlin sat at a four person table in the rustic bar. It didn’t smell as bad as it did the day before when she had been there. She ordered a soda.

A man wearing a pristine white T-shirt and tight blue jeans strode into the bar. Caitlin couldn’t help but notice him. He was gorgeous. He was tall and slightly broad in the chest. His dark hair was combed over from the top of his head to mid-way down his forehead.

Caitlin had almost become breathless just by looking at him. She cleared her throat and looked away before he noticed her looking at him. She picked up her soda and sipped it. She dressed down for the meet-up; a pair of jeans and a sky blue blouse. She had brushed her short blonde hair back on the sides. As she placed her drink back on the table, she noticed a shadow from the corner of her eye.

The gorgeous, sexy man was coming her way.

He must be going to a table on the other –

“Excuse me. Are you the one who needs a handyman and contractor?” he asked as he approached her table.

Oh my god. He’s too good looking to be . . .

“Um, yes. A.J.?”

“Right.” He pulled a chair out across from her. “So, what is it that you need done?” He sat down.

“Me .  . . I mean a lot. A lot.” She quickly swallowed and collected herself. “I purchased a fixer-upper and it was more work than I had thought it would be. So, this project might take a few months – even longer.”

“That’s fine with me,” he said with a shrug. “Give me an idea of what you need done.”

“First, the floors and walls all over the house needs painting and replacing. The kitchen needs to be gutted. And the upstairs railing is loose for starters.”

“Any plumbing or electrical issues?” he asked seriously.

“I . . . don’t know. But I do know the electricity and water are turned on. The accounts were transferred to my name at closing.” What she failed to mention was the closing was conducted via internet and document scanning.

“No problem. If there’s only light plumbing issues, I can handle that. But I’m not an electrician. If I take the job or you offer it to me, whichever, I can’t do any work in the house until I know the electricity is up to code. The last thing either one of us need is for me to plug in a drill and a fire starts.”

“Yes, that is a concern. I didn’t even think about that. Do you know any electricians that can look at the house right away? I want to get started as soon as possible so I can at least stay in the house.”

A.J. slowly nodded. “I know several electricians. Hopefully, I can get them to do a quick check on your place within a few days.”

“Perfect,” she said with relief. “Well, judging by your references, you are quite the contractor. And according to them, you wish to be paid in cash.”

“That’s right.”

“What is your f*e?”

“This sounds like a job that will take longer than four weeks. I charge by the hour under circumstances like that. Twenty-five dollars an hour.”

“If you’re as good as your references say you are, I’ll pay it.”

“So, do I have the job?”

Caitlin took a deep breath. He looked more like a model than a serial killer. And he seemed serious concerning the work. “You got the job. I’ll write down the address for you. Meet me there tomorrow at nine. I’ll let you in so you can start getting to work.”

“That’s perfect. I really want to take a look at everything so I know exactly what tools I’ll need going forward.”

“Well, see you tomorrow.”     

“Yes, I –”

A waitress came to the table. “Evening, A.J.”

Is he a regular here?

“Hi, Annie.”

“Are you and the lady having dinner?” Annie asked as she chewed her gum like a cow.

“Well –” A.J. began.

“No. Well, at least I’m not,” Caitlin interjected.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” A.J. said. “Al makes a mean cheeseburger.”

Caitlin smiled a little. “I’m sure he does, but I have to go. I’ll see you at nine tomorrow.”

                                                                           ****

            A.J. watched her leave. She was a pretty curvy woman. Nice ass and from what he could tell big tits. A man couldn’t ask for no more than that. But she didn’t seem like the type of woman to have a one-night stand or a wild fling. She was the relationship type. He avoided those type of ladies. He also avoided the uptight ones. And she was wound tighter than a virgin’s pussy on prom night.

            “She’s gone, big fella, now what will it be?” Annie asked, interrupting his sight-seeing.

            “Huh? Oh. Yeah. I want a cheeseburger with curly fries and a Michelob.”

            “Got it.”