Small town. Big dreams. One renovation that changes everything.After three years of climbing the corporate ladder, Carl can practically taste the corner office with his name on the door. However, caring for his injured grandmother takes precedence, forcing his return to Keeney. But not to stay. Career-wise, the small town is a dead end, and others have their eye on that corner office.
Trading boardroom strategy for work boots and hard hats, Carl rejoins Keeney Building Supply to work as a general contractor—temporarily. He’s made that clear to everyone, including Sylvie.
Years ago, they parted ways before their mutual attraction could ignite, and Sylvie moved on, partnering with a charming developer who shared her excitement for flipping houses. However, charm can be deceiving—the developer wanted only her money, not her heart, leaving her plans in ruins.
Carl steps in, offering friendship, ice cream, and a new opportunity for her own home renovation business. Sylvie’s spark returns, and their attraction kindles, but Carl keeps his distance.
With his grandmother well on her way to recovery, there’s nothing to keep him in the small town. His future is waiting, and it’s not in Keeney.
Or is it?
A workplace romance, Fabulously Flawed is a story of the messy beauty of falling for someone who challenges everything you thought you wanted: a would-be house flipper who clashes and connects with the driven project manager determined to escape the confines of small-town life.
His GPS led him to the Keeney Commons apartment complex, and he spotted a KBS truck backed up to a curb. Ali stood at the back of the truck, surrounded by people Carl didn’t recognize but assumed were Keeney Builds students. Grabbing his travel mug, he walked over to join them.
“Good.” Ali greeted Carl with a nod and addressed the others. “Everyone’s here, and we can get started. We start with the furniture and then load the boxes. They should be well-packed, but handle them with care. Marcia will have my head if anything gets broken. Rex and Daveed, when the apartment is empty, you are the cleaning crew. Iris will give you the supplies and instructions. Scour that place until it shines and don’t dilly-dally. We only have today to do everything.”
As Ali continued delivering instructions, Carl’s gaze traveled over the well-maintained buildings, wondering who was in a bind and had to move in a hurry. His job was to dismantle the bed and anything else that needed to be taken apart before being moved. Ali gave him a toolbox, and he hung back while watching the others file up the stairs and toward the open door at the end of the corridor.
“You’ve got four students hauling boxes and cleaning. Is that really the best use of their time, or is KBS going into the moving business?” Carl asked.
Ali shot him a cool look. “I don’t know about the company you’ve been working for, but at KBS, when a friend needs help, we’re there. If that’s not something you’re willing to do, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Thoroughly put in his place, Carl climbed the stairs and got into line behind the others. Standing beside an open door, Sylvie greeted each person with a smile and a word of thanks before her gaze met his. The smile wavered then firmed up. Red spots dotted her cheeks, though she held her head high. “Morning, Carl.” Radiating with thinly veiled tension, she whipped around before he could respond, and he stared after her, his eyes fixed on the swinging ponytail as she disappeared from sight.
Being a smart-ass was second nature to Carl, but after Ali’s remarks and seeing the way Iris and Marcia treated Sylvie with kid gloves, he kept his comments to himself. Instead, he worked swiftly and efficiently, taking apart the dining table and media stand before heading to the bedroom. Daveed carried away the boxed-up bedding, and Carl muscled the mattress aside to prop it against the wall. A balled-up piece of neon green lay squished on top of the box spring.
He picked it up without thinking.
“Hey, could you—” With Marcia right behind her, Sylvie stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open, and her face drained of color. Her gaze was fixed on Carl’s hand. More specifically, the fabric.
His cheeks flamed as he realized he was holding a pair of women’s panties.
Sylvie left without saying another word.
“I don’t think those are hers,” Marcia said, plucking the offending fabric out of his hand before leaving the room.
“Oh.” He stared stupidly at the empty doorway, then back at the box spring. Taking a utility knife from his back pocket, he proceeded to methodically slash the fabric covering the box spring and mattress. Marcia returned to find him shoving the knife back into his pocket.
“Oops,” he said blandly. “I tripped. Guess I’ll have to replace the bed.”
Marcia’s lips twitched. “Guess so,” she replied, equally as blandly.
Everyone in town loves the handsome handyman.Everyone except his new neighbor.
Out of jail and desperate for work, Vincent scrapes by with odd jobs. He’s hired to help the gray-haired lady move in next door but stumbles when he finds nothing old or feeble about Hilary.
Rejected by her husband after her body rejected implants, the breast cancer survivor shuts out Vincent until a kitchen appliance crisis forces her to accept his help. Convinced that he could do better, she keeps the younger man at a distance, but he persists, building her confidence and coaxing her out of her colorless cocoon.
With the hot handyman by her side and in her bed, Hilary develops a community program bringing at-risk youth into the building trades. But not everyone wants to see the ex-con succeed. An old foe is determined to derail Vincent, and Hilary is caught in the chaos.
Facing an embarrassing divorce and fighting against her controlling mother, Fiona doesn’t have time for the broody ex-con, despite toe-curling kisses that still star in her dreams.
Surprise doesn’t begin to describe her reaction when he appears in her company’s boardroom months later. And ignores her.
Tomas tells himself he’s no longer interested in the tightly wound executive. But he can’t stop wondering if she’s all right. Can’t stop wanting to pick up the pieces. Can’t stop thinking about how perfect she felt in his arms.
Defying her mother, Fiona gives Tomas a chance, and they connect over their shared dream of building affordable housing. The community rallies around them, but not everyone is on board, and roadblocks are thrown up to challenge their plan and their relationship.
Can they build something solid despite threats to their foundation? Is permanent even possible when family differences turn ugly?
Perfectly Polished is a small-town, opposites-attract romance between a burly builder who grunts more than he speaks and a polished professional who has never known love.
I would love to read this.
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