Building Something Hot Read online

  “Oh, we’re just getting rid of the perishables, so that they don’t spoil and make the house stink,” he said. Briella nodded and walked into the family room.

  She ran her hand along the cool marble of the mantle and took one of the pictures down. It was of her and her mother on Charlee’s first day in Texas. The girls were standing in the middle of the room surrounded by boxes, looking overwhelmed. Briella didn’t know it, but Mila must have taken the picture.

  That picture was just taken a few months ago, and her mother was fine. Now she was dead.

  Just as that thought went through Briella’s mind, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Briella turned and buried her head in Kason’s chest. He whispered soft, comforting words into her ear.

  Briella realized right then that her mother didn’t leave her all alone. She left her with the support of a wonderful fiance.

  Briella lifted her head, and Kason wiped the tears from her cheeks. The two of them left the house shortly after, carrying the jewelry box, the picture of Charlee and Briella in the midst of boxes, and the dress for Charlee to wear.

  The wake was a somber affair, but Briella made it through. The funeral director told Briella that he had never seen so many flowers or so many people. A lot of people that Briella didn’t know came to pay their respects.

  Briella looked around the room at the set up. Raelynn had helped her choose a beautiful casket. She thought that if her mother were alive, she would have said it was just perfect for her.

  Next to the casket was a big board, scattered with pictures of Charlee over the years. A lot of them had Briella in them, with both Mom and daughter looking so happy. Briella had placed a picture of them in the casket with Charlee, taken when Briella graduated high school. She also put a picture of Mila, Charlee and her in there, from when Mila and Briella graduated college. Along with the pictures was a stuffed toy Ladybug.

  Briella went up to the casket before everyone arrived and knelt before her mom. It brought tears to Briella’s eyes as she looked at her mother lying there, looking so peaceful, as if she were only sleeping. Briella knelt there for a while, silently talking to her mother, until people started to show up.

  Throughout the rest of the night, Briella stood in a ‘receiving line’ with Mila, Kason, and Dexter. Everyone commented on how sorry they were, and how much they all liked Charlee. By the end of the night, Briella was ready to drop. The wake had lasted three hours longer than it should have because so many people came.

  Briella fell asleep in the car on the way home, and Kason carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. He gently took off her dress and placed her naked body under the covers. She didn’t stir during any of it.

  The next day at the funeral, Briella was grateful to sink down into a chair. She was so exhausted that she didn’t think she’d be able to stand anymore.

  The preacher spoke a few words about Charlee, and gave the standard funeral speech. When it was time for the eulogy, Kason stood up and went to the podium. He spoke for a while about how Charlee had been a great influence, how she became his mentor when she took over the company. As he listed her accomplishments, he talked about how her biggest success was her daughter.

  As Kason spoke of Charlee’s pride in Briella, his voice cracked and he broke down into sobs. He looked into the crowd and said, “I’m sorry, this part is so hard for me. It’s easy for me to talk about her work and distance myself from it, but when I include Briella, it’s personal. She is the love of my life, and I couldn’t imagine a day without her. Charlee made Briella into the woman she is today, and though Charlee is gone, a large part of her lives on through Briella.”

  Kason stopped for a minute and composed himself. “Before I knew that Briella was Charlee’s daughter, she used to drag me into her office to tell me about this fabulous daughter she was so proud of. Little did any of us know I was already dating her daughter.”

  Everyone laughed softly.

  “But the one thing I will always remember is the sparkle in her eyes every time she mentioned Briella. They had a bond between them stronger than any other bond I’ve seen, and they truly were best friends. We’re all going to miss her dearly, and she will always hold a place in our hearts.”

  Kason looked up to the ceiling. “Charlee, I know you’re up there watching over us right now. Just know that I’ll always take good care of your daughter for you.”

  He walked down from the podium and was met halfway by Briella. She ran into his arms and held him as sobs shook her whole body. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

  After the funeral, everyone congregated at Kason’s house. Raelynn had arranged for a caterer to bring food so none of them would have to do any work. . People were reminiscing about Charlee and congratulating Briella on her engagement, all at the same time. It was a surreal moment, celebrating the passing along with the future.

  Kason didn’t leave her side all night. He was there to get her food, drinks, and tissues. She didn’t think she would have been able to get through the whole thing without Kason or Raelynn.

  Mila had been very distant and didn’t want to talk to anyone. She didn’t stay at the ‘party’ for very long, but instead went up to her and Dexter’s room to be alone.

  At the end of the night, after all the guests had left, Kason went upstairs to run a bath for Briella. Raelynn took Briella onto the back patio, and talked to her alone for the first time since Charlee had passed.

  “Briella, I want you to know how truly sorry I am about your mom. I know we haven’t known each other long, but you are a part of our family now. If you ever need anything, let me know. I’m not trying to take over for your mother, because no one could ever replace her, but just know that I am here for you.”

  Briella smiled. “Raelynn, I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve already done for me. I wouldn’t have been able to get through all of this without your help. I hope you know how much it means to me. And your son…I can’t thank you enough for him.” Briella said with a small laugh. “You did a great job raising him, and I don’t know where I’d be without him. I love him so much, it’s unreal.”

  “Well, he loves you so much it’s unreal,” Kason said from behind her. Briella turned and smiled as he kissed her softly on the lips. “I see, I leave for two minutes and you start talking about me to my mother. Have you been asking for baby pictures again?”

  “We were just getting to that when you so rudely interrupted,” Briella laughed.

  “God, that’s music to my ears!” Kason said. “I haven’t heard that beautiful laugh in a while. I’ve missed it.”

  “I know. It felt pretty good to laugh too. Where would I be without the two of you?”

  Kason scooped her up into his arms. “Well, without me, you’d probably be on the ground since I’m carrying you right now.” He pretended he was going to drop her and her arms tightened around his neck. “Come on, your bath’s ready.”

  “Good night, Raelynn. Thank you again, for everything,” Briella said.

  “You’re welcome, dear. See you tomorrow.”

  Raelynn watched as Kason carried Briella back into the house and up the stairs. Her heart went out to Briella for losing her mother at such a young age. Her heart ached for Charlee, for she had known she was going to die. As a mother, Raelynn knew that had to have been a terrible weight to bear. At least Charlee had the comfort of knowing that Briella loved Kason, and Kason dearly loved her.

  The next day, Kason and Dexter went into the office to see how everything was going. After the men left, Briella went to find Mila. She was lying on the couch in the game room, just staring at the ceiling.

  “Hey Mila, can we talk?” Briella asked.

  “Whatever,” Mila said.

  Briella bit her lip. Mila had been distant at first and now she was cold. Briella understood that people grieved in different ways, but Mila seemed to be shutting them all out.

  “Look, I know you’re going through a difficult time, but so am
I, Briella said softly. “I think we need to be there for each other.”

  “Oh yeah, like you’ve been there for me the past couple of days?” Mila asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Briella started to get angry. “Mila, are you really that selfish? My mother just died. I know she was like a mother to you too, but come on. She was my flesh and blood; she was the only family I had left. Now she’s gone. Do you think that’s easy for me?”

  “Do you think it’s easy for me ? I don’t have any family either, Briella. At least you’ve had Kason and Raelynn there to help you. Who have I had?”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t you had Dexter? I seem to remember Kason trying to help you out too, before you bit his head off over something.” Briella sighed. “I know you’re hurting, but so am I. I don’t want to fight with you about this. I’m trying to move on and live my life like I promised my mother I would, but I feel like you’re not letting me.”

  Mila was silent. She looked over at Briella with tears in her eyes and finally sat up. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I know I’ve been selfish, I just didn’t know where I fit into all this. I know Charlee didn’t want us to grieve over her, but it’s just so hard.”

  Briella nodded. “Tell me about it. All I know is that we’re all going to get through this together. You need to remember it’s hard on the guys too. Mom came to mean a lot to them in the short time that she knew them, so comfort Dexter a little too, okay?”

  “I know. You’re the best friend in the whole world, Briella. You know that?”

  “Are you drunk, Mila?” Briella joked.

  “No, but that sounds good for tonight, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. What sounds good to me is a nice soak in the hot tub out back. Are you in?”

  Mila nodded, then ran up and put her bathing suit on. Briella did the same, then put some beer in a cooler and set it next to the hot tub. Briella and Mila both climbed in and began to relax as soon as the hot water jets hit their bodies. They stayed in the hot tub talking about the past until the guys got home. It obviously helped Mila feel better to revisit some memories from when they were younger.

  When the guys got home, the women went into the kitchen and sat down with them to talk about arrangements. Briella had arranged for movers in New York, to pack their stuff up on Monday and transport it down here. She had also called an auction house to set up an estate sale for her mother’s stuff. They had to go over and tag everything they wanted from the house before the auctioneers got there. They were going to meet a realtor the next day to put the house on the market.

  Dexter gave Mila a long look and asked how much Briella was going to sell the house for.

  “I really hadn’t thought about it. I was going to go with the realtor’s appraisal. I know what Mom paid for it, but she also made some improvements, so we need to factor those in. Why?”

  “Well, I was just thinking that Mila and I might like to buy it,” Dexter said, glancing at Mila again.

  Briella raised an eyebrow and looked at Kason. “Wow, that’s a great idea Dexter. I hadn’t even thought of that.”

  “We’ll be able to get a fair price on it since I own half of it already, right, Briella?” Mila asked.

  “Yeah, that’s true. It would be a perfect house for you two. Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Dexter nodded and looked at Mila.

  “It makes perfect sense,” she said.

  “Well, how about you give me half of what my mom paid for it to buy me out?” Briella suggested.

  “You’ve got a deal, Briella,” Dexter said, then turned to Mila and said, “And we’ve got our own house!” Mila threw her arms around Dexter and kissed him hard.

  Everyone started laughing when Mila began to babble on and on about what she wanted to do to the house. Mila was finally starting to feel better again, and it was good for all of them to see it.

  Later that afternoon, the four of them went over to Charlee’s house to start cleaning it out. Mila and Briella began in the bedroom.

  Briella and Mila went through Charlee’s clothes, making four piles: One for Mila, one for Briella, one for Goodwill, and one for consignment. Some of her business suits and formal wear went into Briella’s pile, while Mila’s pile remained empty.

  “None of this stuff fits me. Your mom was too little!” Mila whined. She ended up finding some purses in the closet that she was crazy about and put those in her pile. Everything else went to Goodwill or consignment. Kason and Dexter brought up boxes and filled them according to what pile they were in and labeled them. They carried them downstairs and put them in the garage.

  The next day, Kason, Dexter, Briella, and Mila went back to Charlee’s and finished cleaning. The divided up the furniture and set aside the stuff they were going to sell. Dexter packed his truck with stuff to bring to Goodwill, and Kason packed a trailer with stuff to bring back to his house for him and Briella. Little by little, Briella was beginning to feel at peace with her mother’s death.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Monday morning, everyone returned to work. No one was surprised when Briella announced she and Mila would be running the company, and that Kason was now a part owner. There were a few older architects who seemed resentful that people so young were now running the company. Briella sensed this and told everyone that if they were uncomfortable with the new management, they were free to leave and would get positive recommendations for new jobs.

  The rest of the day was spent with Briella, Mila, and Kason redesigning the offices to give both Briella and Mila new office space.

  They also divided up duties, giving Mila most of the public relations work, since that was what she was most interested in. It would give Mila the opportunity to go out and meet people, make new contacts, and travel. She felt that she would thrive in this atmosphere, and still do some interior design when time allowed.

  Briella would spend most of the time managing the employees and ensuring their clients remained happy. She still wanted to design, but they all agreed that she would only do big projects and special requests.

  Kason would spend most of his time designing, but would assist in any other area required. Since his popularity was growing, he would be taking most of the larger residential projects and leaving the smaller ones to his associates.

  Briella felt like they had accomplished a lot in a short period, and was happy with the way things were turning out.

  She beamed with pride a few days later when the electricians installed the new sign in front of the offices that read “Fox, Harris & Lockheart Designs.” Everything was falling into place.

  The next weekend, Kason’s family threw an engagement party for Briella and Kason. Briella got to meet the rest of Kason’s family and other friends that hadn’t come by their house yet. Briella had a great time, even though she missed her mother’s presence at one of the most important events of her life so far. But she had the sketches and notes her mother had made about the wedding in her final days, and Briella was getting excited about planning the wedding. She felt as though her mother had had a hand in it.

  Raelynn seemed just as excited. She had a lot of suggestions when it came to location, caterers, and photographers. The excitement bubbled from Raelynn whenever she started talking about it.

  During the party, Kason pulled Briella aside into one of the bedrooms. Concern for his fiance was etched on his face as she looked at him. “Is everything okay, Kason?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just worried about you. Is my mom driving you nuts? If you want, I’ll tell her to butt out. I don’t want you to feel like she’s taking over or interfering.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Briella asked. “Honey, I am so happy that your mom is taking such an interest and wants to help out. I don’t know what I’d do without her. I think she feels that she has to play the role of both mothers since mine is gone. Please don’t ask her to butt out. I am really enjoying spending time with her, and I don’t t
hink I could get through the planning without her.”

  A smile spread across Kason’s face. “I am so pleased it’s working out. She loves you so much, you know. Just don’t let her take over completely.”

  “I know. She is listening to my ideas too. She just offers suggestions when I need them. I don’t know who is good at what around here, so that’s where she comes in. And you know what, I love her too,” Briella said and gave Kason a kiss on his cheek.

  Kason moaned, and let his hands roam over his fiance’s body as he deepened the kiss. He couldn’t seem to get enough of touching or kissing her. He wasn’t sure how he had survived without her before he met her.

  Briella broke away from Kason and said, “Come on, we need to get back to the party. Someone is bound to miss us.”

  Kason groaned, “Not yet. No one will miss us, we’ll make it quick. I promise!”

  Briella laughed and said, “Come on, we really need to get back out there.” She walked over to the door and put her hand on the door knob.

  Kason flew over to her and grabbed her wrist. He lightly pushed her against the door and put his hands on either side of her. He lowered his lips to Briella’s neck and began kissing her in all her favorite spots. Briella moaned as Kason reached down and locked the door.

  “You better make this quick, we don’t need anyone to know,” Briella said breathlessly.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. I don’t think I’ll last long at all. You have me too worked up, looking so hot and irresistible in that dress. Just watching all the guys drool over you out there…I have to have you now,” Kason said, while he was lifting the hem of Briella’s dress to her waist. He undid his pants and let them drop to his ankles.

  Kason picked Briella up and wrapped her legs around his waist. She moved, he thrust forward, and that was all it took - she was already wet enough. He slid his throbbing member into her. He took her against the door, hard and fast, even while trying to be quiet. As promised, he erupted quickly, growling out her name while she put her hand over his mouth to the whole house from hearing.