Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Ms. Ross, maybe we should talk,” Reid begins.
“I like grocery stores,” Jeremiah calls out.
“Did I mention I would pay for the lunch?” Reid tries again. “Anything you like. It’s on me. Punish me with surf and turf?”
I simply keep walking.
I run straight into Ivy, who has two corn dogs in her hands and a smile on her face. “The twist is cheese, but you don’t know what kind. Also, some of them have ghost pepper in them but the dude forgot which ones, so it’s like corn dog roulette. Want one?”
“Sure, why not?” It can’t possibly be worse than learning my peaceful job is going to be ruined by an overly privileged dude in designer wear who I absolutely am not attracted to in any way.
Any way.
I follow Ivy down the hall but when I glance back, Reid’s there, his icy eyes watching me. Probably still plotting how to get rid of the construction worker in exchange for his high-minded friends who only work on mansions and museums.
“Hey, have you ever tried crab juice? This guy says he makes the best,” Ivy explains.
It’s going to be that kind of a day.
Chapter Two
“How is my mouth still on fire?” I ask five hours after the worst corn dog experience of my life, and yes, it is sad that I rate them. Being friends with a woman who loves street food can be an adventure at times.
Not that Ivy is the only reason I often eat like crap. I work in construction. We eat a lot of street food.
I prefer the times when I’m doing a quiet reno. I bring my own lunch and sit in the house I’m working on and think about how I’m making someone’s home better.
I don’t want to admit it, won’t admit it out loud, but Reid is right about the normal construction work I do being different. It’s necessary, but I don’t love it the way I do renovations. I don’t get to do them often. There’s a lot of administrative work involved in running a company. Even a family one.
“Your mouth is on fire because you lost the game,” Ivy points out.
I wasn’t aware lunch was a game. I’m losing at all the games today. We’re sitting in my apartment, the whole gang having come over for pizza—that did not include ghost peppers but did have cheese.
“I can’t believe you ate it,” Heath says with a shake of his head.
“She was pissed off at the time,” Ivy explains. She called her fiancé over when we left for the day.
I managed to avoid Reid Dorsey the rest of the afternoon. Mostly because I had to take a couple of hours off to run to a job site and deal with a picky client. And yes, it was a grocery store in Jersey. But a nice one. Still, I didn’t say a word to anyone about what a massive ass Reid Dorsey is. I’m waiting for the right time. “Why would you say I was upset? Also, why would that make me try a weird corn dog?”
Anika takes that one. “When you are angry, you tend to say yes to anything that might vaguely be seen as a challenge. And you see everything as a challenge when you get into that head space.”
I can be prickly, but they don’t know I was angry this afternoon. “I wasn’t mad.”
“Also, I totally overheard you talking to Reid Dorsey,” Ivy admits.
Or they did.
“What happened?” Anika sits up in her chair, eyes on me.
I’ve been thinking about this all afternoon. How to talk to my bestie gently. Ani has a lot of stress right now. She’s starting a brand-new business, planning a royal wedding, and getting ready to lead a country. Hearing that she made a poor choice when hiring Reid Dorsey is probably the last thing she needs. So I have to be gentle. Subtle. “That man is a massive ass.”
Maybe not so subtle.
“Ah, so this is what he meant when he said he’d met you and didn’t make the best impression.” Ani puts down her slice of quattro formaggi. “I thought maybe he mistook you for a production assistant and asked you for coffee or something. You wouldn’t get upset about that. I should have known. What did he do? Did he hit on you?”
I wanted him to hit on me. At first. Then he opened his gorgeous, stupid mouth. “Yes, but that didn’t bug me. The man is hot. But he doesn’t think a girl can be a contractor, apparently.”
Not fair, but I’m not feeling fair. I’m feeling…restless and a little mean. I can’t stop thinking about that man, and not in a good way.
“Uh, seriously?” Ivy’s eyes narrow on me.
Shouldn’t my friends let me be a heinous bitch when I feel the need? Not mine. They call me out when I’m overstating things. So unfair. “Fine. He didn’t know I’m the contractor and all he knew were the initials. He thought HR Ross was a man, and he doesn’t like my construction business. He said my grocery stores are blights on the city.”