A Different Light Page 5

“Stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?” Mac knew what, but again, too much fun was to be had by teasing him.

  “Looking at me like…that.” Bennett waved his hand at the direction of Mac’s face.

  “Well, Princess, I think that’s just one thing you’ll have to deal with. I like looking at hot guys.”

  “Stop calling me that, and I may not be able to stop you from looking, but no touching.” Bennett replied sternly.

  “No worries there, B. I have no problem keeping my hands to myself where you’re concerned.” Mostly. Mac had a feeling that might be a lie. “Let’s get going, it’s a bit of a drive.”

  Mac was used to people—mostly clients—not knowing glossy versus matte paint or that you needed more than just a paint brush to paint a room. But he’d never hung around someone as smart as Bennett who seemed so fucking lost in a hardware store.

  They’d already been to the flooring department, and Mac had made sure what he needed was going to be delivered tomorrow. He’d have to remember to let Danny know. They were now walking toward the paint section.

  “Do you know what colors you need to get?”

  “My mom emailed me what she picked out.” Bennett clipped out.

  Mac knew he shouldn't be surprised about the shortness of his tone, it was his fault, partially. But it still irked him. He liked the give and take their conversations had in the past, even if they were based in mutual dislike.

  As Bennett walked around looking from his phone to the paint cans, trying to find the ones he needed, Mac thought back on all those times they’d fought. He wondered if Bennett had ever found him attractive as Mac had him, or if Bennett saw the same thing his parents did, a boy who was lacking in everything. Of course, he’d always known that answer, Bennett said it in every look and every time he turned and walked away from Mac.

  Maybe he could change how they viewed each other. If he’d changed after all these years, was it so hard to believe that Bennett had too, maybe even just a little? A little was all he’d need.

  “Do you need help? It can be confusing.” See, he could be helpful and nice. Wouldn’t Allie be proud?

  “No, thank you,” Bennett replied, without even looking up from what he was doing.

  “You don’t have to be so stubborn you know. It’s okay not to know everything.” If there was an edge to his voice, it couldn’t be helped. Not even Allie could fault him on that.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just don’t need your help.”

  Ten minutes later, they were still standing there, and Bennett had only managed to find two of the ten colors he needed. He’d even turned down the help of the guy that worked there.

  “Still not being stubborn?”

  “Nope.”

  “Listen, I’m sorry alright. What I said yesterday…it was a dick thing to say and it wasn’t fair.”

  “You’re right, it wasn’t.” Bennett turned toward him, his face tight and his eyes hardened with a fierceness that was all him. “Don’t do it again, Mac. I know who I was back then. I don’t need some cocky asshole reminding me.”

  Mac nodded his head, not sure what else to say but knowing he needed to make up for his stupid ass comment. “If you want, you can text me the list. We can split it up; it’d probably go faster.”

  “Yeah, okay, I guess. We do have other things to get still.”

  “Yeah, like the rest of the paint stuff to start.”

  “What do you mean? I got rollers and the paint. What else is there?”

  “Seriously? You’re one of those?” Mac sighed, he shouldn’t be surprised. He doubted there was much use for painting in Bennett’s world. “B, you need brushes to do the edges and painters tape to tape off anything that doesn’t need painting. Not to mention the roller pan to pour the paint in.”

  “Fuck. I mean…” Bennett began, grumbling under his breath, “How did my parents think I could do this stuff?”

  “Don’t worry. I can teach you.” Mac replied with a wink as he walked away.

  Once they finished that task, moving much faster than they had been with Mac just standing around, they made their way over to the bathroom section to look for the next item on Mac’s list.

  “Which one do you think your parents would want?”

  “How should I know?”

  “They're your parents, don’t you know them?”

  “Mac, it’s a goddamn toilet. Just pick one.”

  “But you have to get one with the right height and width...”

  “I refuse to have a discussion with you about toilets.”

  “Toilets are an important part of any house. Fifty percent of a man’s life is spent on one.” Mac couldn’t hold in the chuckle at the look Bennett gave him.

  “I’m going to ignore you and go check out while you make the life altering decision of which toilet the next homeowners will defecate on.”

  As Bennett walked away, Mac broke down laughing. Only Bennett would’ve said defecate instead of shit. By the time he’d caught his breath and was able to load what he needed onto his cart and checkout, Bennett was done and by the car.

  They were on their way to White Acre when Mac realized how late it was. Well past dinner time, he turned into the parking of a franchise restaurant so they could eat. He wasn’t going to ask Bennett because he already knew the answer. One he didn’t want to hear, and he wasn’t going to let Bennett push him away.

  Not this time.

  “Why are you pulling in here?”

  Mac didn’t answer.

  “Mac? Why are you parking?”

  Mac parked and turned off the truck. Gathering his wallet and keys, he opened the truck door.

  “Mac, stop ignoring me.”

  Once he stepped outside, Bennett still hadn’t moved, so he turned back to him.

  “I’m not getting out, Mac.”

  “Okay, but I’m hungry, and the diner in White Acre is closed, so I’m eating here.” Mac stepped back ready to close the door.

  “Why are you being an asshole?”

  “Princess, this is me being a gentleman and buying you dinner. If you don’t know what that looks like, come in and I’ll show you.”

  Reluctantly, Bennett climbed out of the truck and followed Mac into the restaurant. Once they were seated in a booth by the windows, the waitress took their drink orders and walked away.

  Bennett still hadn’t spoken to him, so they sat in uncomfortable silence which annoyed Mac. He was trying to be nice, trying to give a little like Allie said he should. But this stubborn jackass was, well, being a stubborn jackass.

  By the time the waitress had come back, dropped off their drinks, and took their food order, Mac was beyond annoyed and moved on to frustrated. He didn’t know what to say to him. He wasn’t even sure what topic was safe not to get his head bitten off, to be honest.

  “Why are we here, Mac?” Bennett’s voice was as quiet as one could be in a crowded restaurant, so low Mac almost didn’t hear him.

  Mac sighed, some of the frustration draining away. “Because…I thought…” He paused trying to think of a way to say this that wouldn’t end up in a verbal battle between them. “We’re going to be working together for the next three months and knowing you—”

  “I’m not that kid anymore. You don’t know me.”

  Mac had to concede that point but only so much. “B, you may have changed, grown up, learned some life lessons, but you can’t tell me that your plan for the next three months wasn’t to avoid me at all costs.” With a look that clearly said he was onto the other man, Mac raised his eyebrows in challenge.

  Bennett looked away and out the window. Mac was once again waiting to get a response. Giving him time, because damn, all they ever did to each other was push each other’s buttons and poke and prod, trying to get a reaction. Well…at least that's what Mac had always done. It was just too easy to get a rise out of him. When he was younger, Mac craved it. Nothing had been hotter than teenage Bennett getting all fluster
ed and mad.

  Bennett turned back with an impatient look on his face, and with a wave of his hand, he said, “Fine. Make your point.”

  Mac took a deep breath and counted to ten. He could do this without losing his cool, even when Bennett was acting like an ass, he wouldn’t poke back.

  At least not this time.

  Or maybe just this one time.

  “Why, thank you for your permission, Princess.” Mac couldn’t help it. He said he’d try, and he did, but he wasn’t a miracle worker. Sometimes the snarky shit just slipped out in response, especially when Bennett was being well…Bennett. This attitude was the reason he started to call him Princess years earlier. He acted like royalty and like he was better than Mac, and the nickname had slipped out and stuck. He knew Bennett hated it, but he wasn’t trying to be a jerk. The name eventually grew on Mac, and it had become more of a term of affection, not that Bennett had known that. Even now.

  With the glare firmly in place on Bennett’s face, Mac continued, “If we can…I don’t know…at the very least find some common ground, we could work together, not avoid each other, making the project run a lot smoother. Besides, with how fast the damn gossip travels in this town, I know it’d make my life and job much easier.”

  Bennett regarded him silently. He’d been around the guy enough as a teenager—when they weren’t sniping at each other—to see him think things through before speaking. But hell, he could just be reigning in his temper because Mac said something that pissed him off without knowing it. Mac seemed to have that effect on some people.

  “You’re right, and I don’t want stuff getting back to my parents from the damn town gossips either.” Bennett sat up a bit straighter, leaned his elbows on the table, his scowl finally gone. “We can do this your way. I’m sure we can find something to put us on common ground.”

  Mac had a feeling this wasn’t going to be as easy as he was saying, but they had to start somewhere.

  Bennett stood in the shower, the steaming water relieving the tension that built after yet another morning of waking up to the damn roofers banging away way too early in the morning for his liking. Bennett wished everyone in the world hated mornings like him. It’d make his life so much nicer.

  Shower done, he made his way downstairs in his threadbare, holey jeans and t-shirt that Jaden had gotten him that stated, ‘Once you go black, you never go back’ with a diagram of a black hole next to it. His friend was a perverted science geek who thought it was the best shirt ever.

  He needed to make his coffee and breakfast, because without either, he’d be a cranky asshole and that wouldn’t make the day’s tasks ahead any easier.

  Once again sitting at the breakfast nook sipping the life-saving brew—not his life but other peoples—he thought back on the night before. Mac had not been like Bennett remembered him. Logical and nice weren’t two words he would have ever thought to describe the guy, but that had been exactly what he’d been. Buying him dinner, logically explaining why they needed to get along at least, and even making nice conversation.

  But what had surprised Bennett the most was the fact that, after three days in town, he had just found out that Mac was still the boy next door. Even though he prided himself on being observant, somehow he missed the last three days of Mac only going next door to go home. It’d irked him if he was honest. There was a sense of deja vu that came with the knowledge. Like things had been brought full circle.

  Ugh. He had a funny feeling this may turn into one of those life lessons he hated.

  Bennett couldn’t see how they could possibly find common ground. Bennett was a science guy, a Ph.D. in nanotechnology, wore bow ties with the occasional suspenders, and read for fun. Mac was nothing like him. Tattoos and black jeans with heavy boots and probably no reading was who Mac was. How could two people so opposite of each other find common ground? Especially when all they had ever had between them was friction. Oh, but not the kind of friction Bennett wouldn’t mind having between them, if it was anyone else besides Mac that was.

  Having the sexy guy right next door all over again was going to wreak havoc on his libido and his temper, for sure.

  Shaking free of those thoughts, since there was nothing he could do about it, he set out to get all the supplies that they’d bought yesterday so he could start the ever so exciting task of painting. And hopefully not screw it up.

  The living room was the first room on his plan since some of the crew were going to be working on the stairs at the same time. Gathering all the stuff out of the garage where they placed it the night before, he walked into the room, arms filled with all sorts of things he wasn’t sure he was properly trained to use.

  That was when he realized his one big error.

  The room was filled with furniture. Damnit!

  His parents had furnished the house about four years ago when most of their rentals started being short term. The realtor had said that they wouldn’t have to worry about the constant moving of furniture in and out of the house doing possible damage to the walls anymore.

  Dropping the stuff on the floor in the entryway, he reevaluated his plan to just move all the shit to the center of the room. He realized that, even though he wasn’t as skinny as he’d once been, he still wasn’t strong enough to move the bigger items like the entertainment stand or the six-foot wide bookcase that sat against one whole wall.

  He walked outside looking for someone that could help him move what needed moving. But definitely not Mac.

  The guy he saw standing over by one of the pick up trucks was the same guy he yelled at the first day in White Acre. Bennett searched his memory but was sure he’d never gotten his name. Now Bennett felt like an ass having to approach the nameless guy for help after he thoroughly embarrassed himself with his terrible sleep deprived behavior.

  His back was to Bennett, but he looked like he could move all the furniture himself. The dark blue t-shirt he wore left nothing to the imagination when it came to all the muscle that was under it. He had dark wavy hair and tanned skin that spoke of how much time he spent outside. When someone spoke of tall, dark, and handsome that guy fit the bill and then some.

  Bennett cleared his throat as he approached the guy, so he wouldn’t startle him. “Excuse me. I need some help.”

  The walking Adonis, not taking his attention from what he was doing, replied, “Just give me one minute while I try to fix this stupid machine.”

  He took the time to look around at the houses nearby. They weren’t as close as some in town, but being this far outside of the center of the small town, everyone had more property. Mac’s house stood behind him, about a hundred yards separated the two houses. Most of the other houses were further apart than theirs.

  He’d once loved the quiet of the neighborhood. How someone could be outside looking around at all the houses and still feel alone in the world with the birds chirping and the rush of the town creek.

  A throat being cleared brought him back to the man in front of him, who was now staring with a smile on his face and strong corded arms crossed over his chest. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. The scenery around here never gets old,” he replied, as he looked around before he turned back to Bennett. “Names Danny. I’m the foreman. I believe we met.”

  Bennett reached his hand out to shake Danny’s hand. He saw no anger or censure toward him, but he would still need to apologize. Again. “I’m Bennett Cole.” Danny just nodded and smiled at him. Bennett realized he probably knew who he was since he was the idiot who yelled at him. “Yeah, I just want to apologize again for my behavior the other day. My lack of sleep was no excuse.”

  “No worries. I had a roommate once that hated mornings after ten hours of sleep. You being cranky after only a few was okay by me.”

  “My college roommate liked to collect worms. I would’ve rather had yours.” Bennett shuddered, thinking about all the containers with tiny holes in the tops that had been spread around their room for months.

  Dann
y’s laugh was loud, and just as deep as his voice. It made Bennett smile in return.

  “I think I’d have to agree with you. I guess we never know how good we got it, right?”

  “Oh, yes.” Bennett replied, chuckling. He decided he liked Danny. The big guy was one of those people that just made someone feel safe. It wasn’t just his size, it was his warm smile, and he exuded a calmness Bennett hadn’t ever felt when near someone before. If all the people that he had ever come into contact with had made him feel this way, he’d have more friends. “How long have you worked for Mac? Or with Mac? I’m not sure how it works.”

  “I’ve work for Mac, going on five years now. Mac was a friend before he left for college. When he came back he bought the company from Old Mr. Mills who retired, offered me a job, and now he’s one of my best friends.”

  Bennett wasn’t sure what to say to that. Getting a view, albeit limited, from someone who liked Mac was sort of strange. It was a piece of Mac he hadn’t known, but he was just given another piece to the puzzle of the life Mac had led while he was gone. “That’s very nice. I couldn’t imagine working with my best friend, but he’s very different than me in a lot of ways.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes. Mostly dialing the conversation down to social niceties before Danny finally asked him what he needed help with.

  “I have to start painting in the living room, but it’s filled with furniture that I can’t move alone. I just need someone to help me move the bigger stuff to the center of the room.”

  “Oh, okay, well, I was just about to head out to another site. Let me get the boss and he can find someone to help you.”

  “No—” but it was too late because Danny had walked away.

  Bennett hadn’t wanted to get Mac involved. He agreed to not avoid him, but it wouldn’t hurt to start that tomorrow. He was curious about Mac, especially after dinner and that conversation with Danny. Seeing an almost logical side of the man disconcerted him. He never expected that from him.

  Nothing he could do about that now.

  Bennett walked back up and waited on the front porch of the house until either Mac or someone he sent to help showed up. It was such a nice early summer morning. It was the one part of the year in upstate New York that had the perfect weather. Not too hot with nice cool breezes for the hotter afternoons.