Page 26 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

“Rob, this is Ellie Pang,” Alec said. “Ellie, meet Rob Carmichael, the builder I told you was away on holiday. He was the contractor I worked with on my first development. Best in the business, but likes to think of himself as a comedian.”

“Nice to finally meet you.” Rob smiled at me. “You must be a very important person. This one sent me an urgent email last night, asking me to scramble a team and be here first thing in the morning. Anyone else, I’d tell them to go f—”

Alec cleared his throat.

“—find someone else.” Rob raised his eyebrows at Alec. “Honestly, Mackenzie. What did you think I was going to say?”

Finally meet me?I returned his smile. “Thanks, Rob. Appreciate you coming at such short notice. But I thought Alec said you’re not back until next week?”

“And he would be right. Except I was more than happy to cutmy holiday short when he contacted me.” Rob gave me a lopsided grin. “It’s my extended family’s annual get-together, and there were more relatives than I could tolerate. I’d rather be knee-deep in debris on a job site than endure another day of nosy questioning about my love life.”

“I can relate. They sound like mine during Lunar New Year. It’s the worst.”

“Oh, exactly. They don’t know when to stop.”

Alec glanced at his watch. “Okay, you two need to wrap up the bonding session. We haven’t got all day.”

Rob gave me a knowing look. “He thinks he’s the boss.”

“Tell me, Rob. How do you put up working with someone this curt and rude?”

“He can be charming if he wants to. But you want to know my theory?” Rob leaned over and mock-whispered, “I think he does it to keep his distance from people, especially the ones he cares about. It’s his defense mechanism. A way to protect himself so he doesn’t get hurt.”

Alec sighed. “Are you done psychoanalyzing me? You two want to get started now?”

He ignored our snickers. Rob and I started walking around the place, discussing what needed to be done. He said he’d be able to fix the roof, the floor tiles, and the leaky pipes in one week, before remodeling and refitting the shop with ovens, commercial refrigerators, sinks, and the prep areas. I explained my idea of having an open-plan style kitchen with glass windows, so customers could see the behind-the-scenes process. Rob took notes and offered suggestions, including installing energy-efficient appliances to reduce the shop’s carbon footprint.

“We can finish in two, three weeks at the most,” Rob said when we were done. “I’ve got a crew ready to start today. You won’t recognize the place when we’re done.”

I released a breath of relief. “That’s perfect. We haven’t discussed the budget, though. Can you email me your quote for the project?”

“We’ll do it at cost, plus the labor expenses to pay my guys.” Rob chuckled at my widening eyes. “You should thank him.” He pointed at Alec, who looked up from his phone. “I owe him big time, so I’m just paying it forward.”

Baffled, I turned to Alec, but he only shrugged.

“I have to run. I’ll leave you two to it.” He gave Rob a friendly slap in the back, then glanced at me. “If you don’t want me to pick you up, we’ll meet somewhere nearby.”

“I said no dinners.” I followed him as he stepped outside. “Also, what’s the deal with Rob? I can’t let him work for free.”

“Youarepaying him. For the materials and the labor costs.”

“But that’s not fair to him. He needs to make a profit, right?”

Alec sighed, because I was clearly stretching his patience. “Rob is a shareholder in Mackenzie Constructions. He heard about the Goodwin offer and asked if he could buy a stake in my business. We worked out a deal where I gave him ten percent ownership in return for him doing some jobs at cost.”

“Oh,” I said, surprised. “He must be a really good friend.”

“He is. Rob was the first person who gave me a chance when I moved out here, when nobody else did. I’m just returning the favor.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I was secretly impressed. “That’s very kind of you. And thanks. That would really help my cash flow.”

He made a noncommittal grunt. “See you at six.”

“Absolutely not. We can work out whatever details we need via email.”

“Says the woman who doesn’t even check her emails.”

“Send them before tenP.M., and I’ll guarantee you a reply the next morning.”

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