Page 20 of His Build

“I got this,” she said.

Lucy walked up to Brad and turned her clipboard towards him. Around them nail guns popped, and she noticed only peripherally that Graydon’s colleague Chris had arrived and was watching the scene from beside his truck, arms folded.

“You see this?” Lucy asked. “This is the order your company sent over to us last week. The color is in bold. And the contract at the top there saysbinding. You know what that means? It means the order has to be right.”

“I’m sure we can figure—” the older man began, but Lucy shook her head, giving him a look that wasn’t unkind, but told him to back off.

“I see a name on the bottom here. It says order processed byBrad.Is that you?”

Brad leaned into her, sneering. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Now, everyone makes mistakes, I get that. And that’s totally fine. If you were gracious about it, we’d make some kind of deal. Maybe I’d call the owner and convince him what he really wants isMidnight Steel 001-49C.But so far you haven’t shown any graciousness. Do you want to try again?”

She knew she was setting him up. A guy like him didn’t like being talked to like a child. But neither did she. And she didn’t appreciate the slimy attitude from a kid barely able to get his shit together to do a job handed to him on a silver platter.

“Gracious? Lady, you can take the fuckin’ dye. It’s here. If you don’t want it, hire some other fuckin’ company.”

The hammering quieted behind them.

Graydon snorted.

Brad jerked his head up. “You think that’s funny?”

Graydon grinned. “Yeah, kid, I do.”

Brad snarled.

Beyond the kid, Chris lowered the heavy electric saw he’d been holding to the ground and stood up, folding his arms.

Glowering, Brad leaned down to Lucy and snatched the paper from her hand. “We don’t need your business anyway, bitch.”

Graydon’s whole body tensed next to hers. “Lucy,” he said, between gritted teeth. His eyes glimmered like steel.

She shook her head. “I suspect this isn’t the first time Grayscale has given you their business. Is it?”

Brad scoffed but didn’t answer.

“Your dad and Graydon go way back,” Fred said. The older man had turned a particular shade of pink as well.

“That’s what I thought,” said Lucy. “I would appreciate it if you went and got the correct color for this dye. If you can do that for me by tomorrow—”

“That shit’s special order,” Brad interrupted, his voice petulant. “It’s the same as the one we have in stock—it takes two days to get it in and then we have to drive to Millerville—”

“Clearly it’s not the same one you have in stock or we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Lucy said. “I’m going to tell you this only once. I will give youtwodays seeing as you’ll need to drive to Millerville to pick it up in person.” Lucy remembered Millerville from the map—it was the bigger town two hours from here at the other end of the county. “But I’d like a discount for my trouble, and a sincere apology for trying to fudge the order. If you can manage that, I might consider telling the property owner here not to void the contract.”

“And I’ll consider not severing ties with your father’s business,” Graydon added. He turned to Lucy. “But I need him to apologize for what he called you.”

Lucy didn’t actually mind that part—if this kid thought she was a bitch, she was doing something right. But she turned back to Brad and put her hands on her hips. “Well?”

“Say you’re sorry,” Fred hissed. “And maybeI’llbe gracious when I relay what’s happened today to your father.”

Brad scowled and huffed until Lucy shrugged and turned around. “Gray, let’s get another company on order.”

“Fine,” Brad spat. “I’m fuckin’ sorry okay?”

“Excuse me?” Graydon said.

If the kid didn’t cough out an apology now, Lucy was sure Graydon was going to clock him one.

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