Miranda turned out of the last cul-de-sac of completed homes with nerves fluttering in her belly. Roman was clearly on board with her ideas and her ambitions, but Jack had been strangely silent, his only conversation a few words with Marty. He’d seemed keenly interested in the construction of the homes when they’d toured a few of the finished units, yet hadn’t asked one question, hadn’t offered one comment. He hadn’t even met Miranda’s gaze.
Now, as she neared the main entrance, old fears resurfaced. She’d crossed paths with her share of pessimists and cynics on the road to building this community. She’d had several contractors tell her she’d never be able to keep the costs down. She’d had several architects tell her the community would end up looking like a trashy tin-can city. As far as she was concerned, she’d proven everyone wrong. She’d managed to keep the costs staggeringly low, and the homes might be small, but they were charming and unique. Miranda would have been ecstatic if she and her mother had been offered a home like one of these when she’d been a kid.
Roman and Jon were talking about all the potential uses for builds like this one when Miranda took the last turn toward the site of the community center and the hub of the project. All her concerns were shoved to the back of her mind as she took in the sight and smell that greeted her. Three large food trucks had set up near the snack shack, and each had lines of volunteers ten deep. The picnic tables beneath the trees were filled with more volunteers enjoying lunch.
“What in the…” She cut a look in the rearview mirror. “Marty, did you set this up?”
Marty glanced beyond her. The surprise on his face gave Miranda her answer. “No, but what a damn good idea. We should have thought to do this months ago.”
“Good timing,” Roman said. “That barbeque smells amazing.” He glanced at Miranda. “Let’s talk more over lunch. I’m seriously interested in investing.”
That tripped a series of mini explosions through Miranda, from excitement to terror. Marty’s assessment of her being afraid to succeed suddenly seemed far more accurate than she would ever have admitted.
Miranda worked up a smile for Roman. “Fantastic.”
She parked the utility vehicle beside the others and spotted Gypsy fluttering among the volunteers. Her sister broke away from a conversation with an employee of Roxie’s Rolling Café and hurried toward Miranda.
“Hey,” Gypsy said to Miranda before addressing the others. “Grab some lunch. Everything is free.”
Marty didn’t seem surprised by this at all. He rounded up the other men and started toward the picnic area as a group.
“Free?” Miranda asked Gypsy, expecting another shoe to drop. “How is it free?”
Gypsy was looking at the men as they surveyed the food trucks. “Is that your guy?” she asked with a tone of approval. “The blond one?” She turned back to Miranda with a spark of excitement in her eyes, but there was also something more subdued in her expression. “He’s seriously hot.”
Miranda’s gaze jumped to Jack. He sauntered behind the other men, head down, lost in thought. Yes, he was seriously hot. He wore jeans and a T-shirt today, along with a day’s worth of beard growth. Something was going on with him, and somehow, she was sure it meant trouble for her.
“Gypsy,” Miranda said, drawing her sister’s gaze. “I sure as hell hope you didn’t promise these vendors we’d pick up the tab for lunch. I don’t even have enough cash to buy the welding wire I need to finish the first phase of the last set of containers.”
Her gaze returned to Miranda, and she could see Gypsy looked a little haggard around the edges. Her complexion was a little too pale, her eyes a little too tired. Miranda was second-guessing her decision to get Gypsy on the schedule at Spur’s. Tonight was only a ten-to-two shift, but Miranda wasn’t sure Gypsy was up to it.
“No, no,” Gypsy said. “Marty told me about this work weekend, and I thought it would be a nice treat to supply lunch. I called around to food truck companies, and everyone loved the idea of this project and jumped at the chance to help out. Plus, it’s great exposure for them and they get a tax write-off. I’ve got different trucks lined up every weekend for the next three months.”
It took a few seconds for Gypsy’s selfless act to register. When it did, all the tension drained from Miranda’s shoulders. “Wow, Gypsy, that’s…incredible.” A new mess of emotions crowded her chest. “Thank you. This is a really special thing to do for the volunteers.”
Gypsy smiled. “My pleasure. I’m excited I could do something to add to this amazing project.”
“Hey,” Miranda said, “do you feel okay?”
“Sure, why?”
“You look a little tired. If you don’t think you can do that shift tonight, I’ll cover for you.”
She waved away Miranda’s offer. “Oh no, I’ll be fine, but thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing this bar in action.”
Someone from the cupcake truck called to Gypsy. She reached out and gave Miranda’s arm a squeeze. “Gotta go. Talk tonight? Marty’s going to fire up that amazing BBQ you built and have a few friends over. Bring Jack, okay? I want to meet him.”
“Sure.” Then she thought about Roman. “Hey. There’s a guy who wants to talk to me about investing—”
“Roman. Marty told me. Sounds like an amazing opportunity.”
Miranda sighed. She was going to have to have a talk with Marty about his loose lips. “I’m really not good with all that complicated business stuff. Would you mind sitting in? Giving me your opinion?”
The smile that lit up Gypsy’s face reminded Miranda of what a sweet kid she’d been.
“You bet,” she said, then started toward the food truck with an extra spring in her step.
Miranda watched Gypsy go with the strangest sensation of her world spinning completely out of control. She found herself searching for Jack. Somehow, she felt the sight of him would settle her nerves. He’d separated from the other men, and Miranda caught sight of him as he headed toward the parking area.