The Honeymoon House

Paul flinched as though she’d truly insulted him. “Okay, okay,” he finally murmured in exasperation. “I took on too many jobs at the time. I was building three houses at once and ended up exhausted in bed for two months with pneumonia. I admit, I didn’t oversee the Tilden house properly. What’s your excuse?”

She nervously glanced at Mr. Harrington. Her hopes rose as he put on his spectacles to look more closely at her design.

“I was just out of architectural school,” she replied in a super-hushed voice, moving closer to Paul. “The firm that hired me was short on experienced architects. Just as I was completing the plans, the project was accidentally taken away from me before I could check for errors.”

Paul’s rugged face was so near that she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. His gaze went down to her lips. For a crazy second, she felt he was mentally kissing her And she wanted to kiss him back.

Danielle quickly stepped away from him. She could never get involved with a man she worked with ever again. Not after what had happened with her ex-boyfriend Kevin.

She forced her words out in a whisper. “If you knew the Tilden house was partly your wrongdoing, why did you give me such a poor job reference after that project? One client wouldn’t hire me because of what you told her.”

Paul held her eyes with his. “How could I lie about your inadequate plans?”

“You could have said it was your fault, too!”

“The client was questioning your architectural competence, not my workmanship.”

“Lucky for you!”

“Hey—”

Mr. Harrington got up from the computer. “Paul,” he said, “do you think you could work with Danielle on my house?”

“Mr. Harrington, do I have the job?” Danielle hesitantly asked, praying she’d heard right.

Mr. Harrington pointed to her computerized architectural sketch. “Your version of my honeymoon house is exactly what I have in mind. Now I need Paul’s expert opinion, since he would be the one working directly with your plans.”

Danielle held her breath. Paul’s charged eyes were on her. Her skin grew warm. The powerful attraction she felt toward him scared her. She had to keep business and her personal feelings far, far apart with Paul.

“Let’s do it,” Paul said, his gaze never leaving her.

“Wonderful!” Mr. Harrington said.

She was exhilarated straight down to her toes. “Thank you, Mr. Harrington!” But as her eyes held Paul’s, she felt an instant set of reservations. How could she work with him, when all she kept thinking about was how incredibly sexy he was?

“I must admit,” Mr. Harrington continued. “I like the idea of my honeymoon house being planned and built by a man-woman team. However, I have one stipulation.”

“Sure, Mr. Harrington,” Danielle quickly said, not wanting anything to spoil her job.

“I need my architect and general contractor to work very closely on this project. The house is a gift of love to my new wife and our future family. I’d like a lot of love to go into the building of it.”

Danielle’s gaze mingled with Paul’s. Her heart thumped in her chest. What was he thinking? Did she see an intimate glint in his expression, or was it just her fantasy?

Her voice came out shaky. “I—I have no problem with that.”

“Mr. Harrington, I’m ready to start,” Paul added without hesitation.

Mr. Harrington slapped his hands together. “Paul, I want a full-size trailer set up on the construction site, and I want the trees cleared off the property immediately.”

Danielle was so overjoyed that she couldn’t remember picking up her briefcase. “Thanks again, Mr. Harrington.” Her body was bursting with joy. “I think you’ll be very pleased with my work.”

Mr. Harrington shook her hand. “I’m positive of it.” He opened his office door for her. “Send me your entire plan. I’ll make my changes, and we’ll get it to the building department for approval. I want the house completed without a moment’s delay.”

Danielle’s heart was soaring. “I’ll get it to you immediately.”

She practically floated out of his office. Now that she’d gotten the job, she was one step closer to talking to Mr. Harrington about his choosing her as the architect for his children’s library.

However, as she got into the elevator, a sudden attack of anxiety overwhelmed her. Anxiety about working with Paul Richards.

She couldn’t erase from her heart what had happened at the architectural firm where she and her ex-boyfriend Kevin had been employed. Working together had destroyed their relationship and ruined a job she’d wanted more than anything. She wasn’t going to let that happen with the honeymoon house. She vowed to keep emotionally clear of Paul Richards, no matter how incredible a man he was.

Mr. Harrington closed the door to his private office and turned to Paul with a concerned look on his face. “Paul, I hired Danielle Ford because I owe her sister a huge favor. Danielle’s got talent, but I don’t want to see any mistakes due to inexperience.”

Paul felt uneasy. He remembered the Tilden house. He couldn’t afford to make even one infinitesimal error on Harrington’s honeymoon house, not if he wanted that partnership with him.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Harrington,” Paul assured him. “The construction will go smoothly.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Paul,” Mr. Harrington went on. “The only reason I feel comfortable with my decision is knowing you’re in charge of the construction. That’s why I’m asking you to monitor Danielle’s work on the house.”

“Watch over her work?” he asked. The idea of monitoring Danielle’s plans felt totally wrong. “It’s kind of an awkward situation for me, Mr. Harrington.”

“I know,” he replied. “But you’ve never worked with Danielle’s plans before, have you?”

Paul anxiously looked away. He barely knew Danielle, yet he felt an immediate allegiance to her. He didn’t want to risk her job with Mr. Harrington.

“I’ve never met her before today, Mr. Harrington,” he forced himself to say. He was telling the truth about that.

“That’s why I’m depending on you, Paul,” Mr. Harrington continued. “I want my house to be flawless.”

“I’ll make sure of it, Mr. Harrington.”

“I knew I could count on you, Paul.” Mr. Harrington sat at his shiny oak desk. “By the way, I’m still intensely interested in your partnership idea.”

Paul beamed with hope. “I’m glad to hear you say those words, Mr. Harrington.”

“However, I want to get this project going first,” Mr. Harrington went on. “I also want to discuss my new children’s library with you.” The telephone rang. “I definitely want you to build it, Paul. I particularly like your recommendation of Victor Horton as the architect for my new library, especially since the three of us might go into a partnership together.”

Paul’s spirits rose to the sun. “Victor’s a creative architect. I know you’d enjoy working with him on your library.”

“We’ll talk more about Victor when I get my requirements for the library together,” Harrington said as he picked up the phone.

Paul extended a warm, thankful hand. “I look forward to building your honeymoon house and your children’s library, Mr. Harrington.”

Though the partnership deal still wasn’t signed, Paul knew he was on his way.

Danielle hurried into her small architectural office on Main Street in Santa Monica. She threw down her briefcase and excitedly phoned her sister, Lisa, at the real estate office.

“Lee, I got it!” Danielle gushed when she heard her sister’s voice. “All because of you!”