The Echo Ridge Romance Collection

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

ON MONDAY MORNING, ANIKA WOKE at six-thirty with stiff muscles. She looked out the window and smiled. Who said two feet of snow was such a bad thing? She had taken Megan out to play and started shoveling one of the elderly neighbor’s driveway down the street. When the woman offered to pay, Anika had refused, but at the widow’s insistence she’d finally accepted and then been hired to shovel the next house. She’d shoveled both of their walks twice and pulled in an extra twenty-five dollars over the weekend. The gray clouds held a promise of more snow, but not enough to shovel again today. That was probably a good thing because Anika’s back was sore. She stretched out on the floor and lengthened her spine.

She made a list of the things she needed to pick up at the grocery store before her three o’clock shift at Kenworth’s. This week she was pulling six-hour shifts and the extra money would help to keep the creditors at bay. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something besides bills and paychecks.

A giggle by her ear jolted her awake a few minutes later. She glanced at the clock, fifteen minutes past seven. Okay, it had been almost forty-five minutes. Anika groaned and stretched, snatching Megan and tickling her until the little girl squealed.

Anika laughed and they both collapsed on the floor with a sigh.

“Mommy, are you happy now?” Megan asked.

“I’m trying to be, sweetie. It’s just a busy time right now. Lots to do.” She ruffled Megan’s hair. Her daughter snuggled close to her. Anika pulled the corners of her lips up into a smile. Right up until her mother died, she had said that smiling made you happy even if you weren’t. Anika resolved to try it more often, otherwise she’d end up like Cecilia. Megan smiled back at Anika.

Four-year-olds were much more perceptive than people gave them credit for. Anika had tried to hide it, but her daughter noticed the strain that accompanied most days in their cramped apartment. It was hard to shake off the old fears of Jimmy showing up looking for drug money. Anika wasn’t sure where he was now, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he was back in jail. Thankfully, Megan was too young to remember her deadbeat father and Anika didn’t speak of him. It was better that way— safer that way. She kissed the top of Megan’s head. “We’d better cook some breakfast. Who’s in the mood for waffles?”

“Me! Me! With extra peaches.” Megan jumped up and ran to the kitchen. There was one can of peaches left in the cupboard and Megan had pulled it out by the time Anika followed her into the kitchen. She mixed up the batter while Megan played with some cloth napkins. Anika reached for the cinnamon and her fingers brushed the white sack Reese had given her that still held two chocolate Santas— she was saving them for Megan’s stocking as she hadn’t been able to find any flaws on the packaging or the chocolate. Why they were marked “no-sale” was beyond her. But Megan couldn’t read so she’d have no idea they were free.

Anika shook the cinnamon into the batter and tried to concentrate on the dark flecks of spice instead of the Puerto Rican carpenter/fireman, but she found herself imagining his deep brown eyes again. She whipped the batter until the cinnamon had blended in. She thought about snow, her sore back, Megan’s chatter… Anything but Carlos.

Carlos rubbed his hands against his jeans. He’d been building up the courage to talk to Anika for the past fifteen minutes. The area for the new soda fountain had been cordoned off with yellow warning tape and Jessica, manager of the women’s department had helped him to move all of the stock to another area of the store. Jessica had been pretty friendly but when he’d asked her about Anika, she’d stopped flirting and Carlos could almost see the matchmaker in her head light up. Jessica had left promptly at three when Anika arrived.

It was his responsibility to “interview” the employees he wanted to help with the refurbishing project. Anika would be a hard worker and she was looking for extra opportunities to earn money. He’d overheard her tell Jessica that she could cover her shift on Wednesday. She must have found someone to watch her little girl. That was a good sign that she might accept the extra hours to work with him.

Keira had requested that he do the “noisy work” after hours, so he planned to be at the store until midnight for the next several nights and then early in the morning as well. Hopefully Anika could team up with him and he could get the soda fountain done on time. Of course, he could have asked a man able to heft some weight, but there was only one name on the card that wasn’t a female and Carlos was pretty certain that Anika could lift more than the man in his late sixties who was temping in the shoe department.

Carlos blew out a breath and approached the rack of dresses Anika was arranging. She looked up and her eyes widened before she turned and hung up another dress.

“Can I help you?” she asked without making eye contact.

“Actually, yes,” Carlos responded.

Anika turned around and yanked another dress off the stand and hung it, forcefully next to the others. She wasn’t going to make this easy, so he’d better just get it over with.

“I’m really sorry about the other day,” Carlos said. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Cecilia is hard to deal with. She makes my blood pressure rise and then I do stupid things. I just wanted to help.”

Anika licked her lips. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

Carlos let go of the breath he’d been holding. This was going better than he thought. Maybe she would give him a chance. “I’m in charge of refurbishing the old soda fountain and Cecilia gave me a list of names of employees who might be able to help outside of their shifts.” He stopped and gulped for air. There, he’d said it.

Anika paused and he could see her swallow before lifting her eyes to his. The crystal blue color was striking against the dark red of her shirt. This was his chance. If Anika didn’t want to work with him, he probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to break past her wall made of all brick and steel and prickly thorns. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she studied him. Carlos held out the schedule he’d written up.

“If you want to look it over, you’ll see the areas I need extra help are highlighted in yellow. Keira wants this finished quickly. They’re paying fifteen dollars an hour.”

The papers crinkled as Anika took them and smoothed them out. She nodded. “I’d like to help, but I don’t have much experience in building things.”

“That’s no problem. I’m a good teacher,” Carlos said. His heart thumped when Anika looked up. He shouldn’t be so excited to work with someone who had shut him down the way she had last week, but he saw her— the vulnerable side of her that she didn’t want him to see. “Most of these things are pretty simple. If you can put together a puzzle, you’re qualified to lay tile.”

“I put together puzzles with my four-year-old,” Anika said. “Does that count?”

Carlos chuckled. “Más o menos. It’s a stretch, but I’ll take it if that’s a yes.”

“Yes, I guess it is. Nights work best for me because I’ll have a sitter, but I could maybe come in a couple mornings depending on what I can work out for Megan.”

“In that case, I might be able to get this finished,” Carlos said. “That’s a relief.”

“Under a lot of pressure, huh?” Anika handed him back the schedule.

“Yeah, I guess the boss is planning some kind of event for the grand reopening to attract more customers.” Carlos took the schedules back from Anika and slid them into the folder, but he pulled the top sheet off and held it out. “This copy is for you. Check your schedule and see what you can work out. I’ll hope to see you whenever there’s a highlighted slot.”

“Thanks, Carlos.” Anika stepped back to the dress rack, but turned and spoke over her shoulder. “I have a feeling you’re trying to help me out again.”

“Who me?” Carlos shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She smiled and turned back to her work.

Carlos walked back to the soda fountain, resisting the urge to turn around and stare at Anika. That had gone better than he expected. The only problem now had to do with the way his heart was pounding when he thought about working alongside Anika. She’d agreed to work with him, but would she consider going on a date? His stomach tightened when he thought about finding the nerve to ask her out. He bent to pick up his bag of tools, thinking about the possibilities in his future. When he looked up a few minutes later, he could have sworn Anika was watching him.