Page 31 of Rival
“I’ll toss the bill. Hopefully you handle shit better than your pop ever did. Not too good for business when you fuck over your customers.”
A feeling of indignation comes over me, an urge to defend my dad pushing past my irritation with Mason. Since I know we’ll never work together, I lay into him. “The issue with the contract between our fathers had nothing to do with somethingmyfather did. I’ve got notes going back to the beginning of the job detailing scheduled arrival times for the crew where they were turned away byyourfather because he couldn’t keep his dates straight.”
“That’s a laugh. I was here when all this shit went down. We showed your pop proof through emails and text messages on when he’d say he was showin’ up and he’d either come days early or a week later. Best get your facts straight before you start throwin’ out accusations on who screwed up. I gotno problem sendin’ you proof if you’re a guy that can’t handle takin’ accountability without evidence in front of him. Have a great day, Jaxon Thorton. I’m gonna go handle my shit while you scramble to keep yours from goin’ under over there.”
The line goes dead and I stare in disbelief at the audacity of this asshole. I knew Mason’s always had a temper, but fuck. He’s only gotten worse with age. With his contact still up, I sent him a quick text.
I’d like to see those emails
I’ll send them when I got the time
Typing out a quick thank you, my thumb hovers over the send button for a moment, then I decide he doesn’t deserve me to be polite when he just hung up on me.
“Fuckin’ asshole,” I grumble to myself.
Gathering my things, I shove some project proposals into my bag and lock up my office. I pass through the front without slowing down, but Jennice chases after me. “Wait! I have some changes I need you to sign off on!”
Swallowing my groan, I turn around and take the papers from her and look them over. We’ve got a pretty massive kitchen remodel going and the changes Jennice gave me are pretty self-explanatory. Different light fixtures and a higher-end tile for the backsplash. “They know about the price differences?” I ask as I initial the addendum sitting on top.
“Yeah. The wife definitely said if they were gonna do this. They wanted to do it right and a few extra thousand wasn’t a big deal. They must got lots of money, huh? Didn’t know we had anyone rich like them around here.”
I pause and my eyes flick up to her face. “Plenty of people around here have all different financial backgrounds. Most justdon’t advertise it. Don’t get it into your head that you can go let your friends and family know what youthinkyou’ve learned here about our clients.”
Jennice’s easy smile falls away, and she stands up straighter. “I wouldn’t do that, Jax. I was just talkin’.”
“Good. I’m heading out to the barn build. I have my cell if you need me.” I gentle my tone and give her a quick smile to let her know she’s not in trouble. My call with Mason irritated me, but Jennice shouldn’t bear the burden of my poor mood.
I’ve been trying to get to the site in the mornings, but today was just one of those days where I had to put some extra time in the office. As soon as the framework of the new barn comes into view, my eyes almost immediately catch sight of the lone figure walking at a fast pace along the road from the opposite direction.
My chin drops, and I let a grin explode out of me.Edith is here.I park and hop from my truck, jogging over to meet her just as she reaches the drive.
Maybe for the first time, I notice she doesn’t dress much like other women her age. Most of them tend to go for tight jeans and stylish tops, but not Edith. Her pants seem a bit worn and a touch large on her body. The dark green shirt she’s paired the stonewash pants with is straight cut and hides any ounce of curve she has hidden underneath.
I know they’re there. When she’s working and moving around, I’ve caught hints of her frame on occasion. A small ache of lust builds and I try to convince myself to let it go as I slow my steps.
The moment she lifts her head, I notice two things. The first is the way her face lights up when she sees me not far from her. The second is a bruise across her cheekbone and stretching down her cheek.
My grin falls away and turns into a deep frown. I know she can tell I’ve noticed since her smile for me also falls away. Edith lets her head fall as she tries to look anywhere but at me.
“Afternoon, Jaxon.” The quiet greeting comes just before she attempts to walk around me, but I hold an arm out to stop her.
I don’t fake pleasantries, and I don’t ask her to look at me. Instead, I lightly grip her chin and turn her face up so I can see the damage hovering just under her perfect complexion. Bending forward, I look closer and notice a bit of scraped skin barely visible over the light purple of her injury.
Dragging my eyes from the bruise, I focus on hers. She seems wary of my inspection, and I don’t blame her. My jaw is already aching from how hard I’ve got it clenched. Our gazes are locked, both of us silently waiting in a standoff to see who will speak first.
When she starts to shut down on me, I let her win and speak, giving in first.
“You wanna tell me what happened? Because it looks like you got cracked across the face.”
Edith’s pupils dilate almost imperceptibly, and I know she’s getting ready to lie. I’m not having it. I may not know this woman well, but she’s not a liar, so if she feels like she needs to, then I know there’s got to be a good reason.
“Hold that thought,” I tell her, then look over my shoulder for Ruth. As soon as I find her, I turn back to Edith. “Stay here for just a minute, please.” She must hear how sincere I am, so she nods once and hugs her arms around her body.
I jog halfway to Ruth and call out, “Hey, Ruth? I forgot some equipment back at my shop. I’m going to steal Edith to help me load up and haul it back here.”
“Take your time.” Her bony hand waves me off and as soon as I’m back to Edith, I simply grab her hand and tug her to my truck without a word. Jerking the passenger door open, I lift her intothe seat and wait as she gets settled before shutting the door and hurrying to my side.
As soon as I back up my truck to turn around, I flip the music off and let the rumble of the engine fill the silence that’s becoming increasingly obvious between us. I swallow hard, my throat dry as fuck, while I debate how to handle the situation.
