Page 10 of Forty and Fighting Dirty
“Like you.”
“Yes,” she snipped. “Like me.”
“And the fact that I own that coffee shop doesn’t change your opinion?”
“That’s even worse,” she exclaimed, then pinched her lips. “Although, of course, you’re free to run your business as you see fit,” she amended in a tone that made it seem like a physically painful thing for her to say.
I wanted to laugh. She was something else. Spending any amount of time with her would be irritating as all hell. But I had to admire her guts.
“So how would you have preferred I handle that situation?” I asked. We drove past a still lake reflecting the blue sky and clouds. On the far side of the lake were pine trees that crawled up the side of the mountain. It was a beautiful part of the country, and I stole a glance at the woman beside me to check if she was seeing any of the scenery.
Her eyes were glued out her window, her lips slightly parted. She inhaled, then leaned back in her seat before answering. “Is the concept of standing in line so foreign to you that you need me to explain it?”
“That would have made me late for work.”
“So next time, show up earlier. Or get behind the counter and make your own damn coffee.”
“Is this how you treat all your bosses?”
“Is this how you treat all your employees?” Piper shot back.
Once more, my grin broke free, but that only seemed to irritate Piper more. I arched my brows at her. “I asked first.”
My new designer let out a frustrated huff. “Let’s just say I’m out of practice in dealing with bosses.”
I remembered what Todd had told me—Piper Darling had taken time off to raise her family. It was a risk to hire her, but her salary expectations had been lower than someone of comparable experience, and I wasn’t one to look poorly on someone fortaking time off to look after their kids. Apart from the gap in her resume, she’d been the best woman for the job. Todd had said she seemed hungry, had prepared a killer proposal, and would be a good addition to the team. He said she was accommodating and polite.
I’d have to circle back with Todd and see if he needed to get his head checked.
“Fair enough,” I replied. “To answer your question, no. Usually my employees don’t pick fights with me first thing in the morning, so I have no reason to treat them any way other than cordially.”
The woman harrumphed. Actually harrumphed. It almost made me burst out laughing.
We drove in silence until I took the turn toward the ski resort. We’d had the access road repaved and widened to allow for trucks and machinery, but it still switched back and forth as it wound its way from the base of the mountain up to the level of the resort. When I’d first bought it, the place had been a dilapidated mess.
Now it was almost ready to open. I’d been hopeful about opening the lodge for this year’s ski season, but with snow on the way and Piper only starting work at the end of September, the timeline to get the interiors procured and installed would be tight.
And if I got rid of this woman simply because she dared talk back to me, I’d have no chance of opening the lodge’s doors at all this year.
That didn’t mean I wanted to take it easy on her. I wouldn’t let her run roughshod over me just because she didn’t like theway I did business. I’d had my fill of women who thought they could push me around, make a fool out of me. It wasn’t going to happen again.
We drove into the lower parking lot, and I took the access road behind the gondola terminal to start making my way to the resort, where the lodge was located. We’d gotten a few small snowfalls higher up on the mountain, but autumn had been warm this year, and the access road was still clear. Piper stared out the window, and neither of us spoke until I turned into the small staff parking lot and found a spot near the lodge’s entrance.
“Here,” I said, grabbing a hard hat and fluorescent vest out of the back of the cab. I handed them to Piper, who nodded, slid out the passenger door, and donned her safety gear.
“The lifts are all operational,” I said, pointing to the two chairlifts and the T-bar that were visible from the lodge level. “Our ticket booths will be done by the time we open for the season. The avalanche-safety team is in place, and we’ve got their offices finished.” I pointed to a small outbuilding midway across the curve of the mountain. “But this is what you’ll be working on.” I pushed open a door and held it for her, and my eyes strayed below the level of her fluorescent vest to glance at the shape of her curves in her prim and proper pinstriped pants. The light gray lines marching down the fabric only emphasized her curves. Generous, shapely curves?—
Snapping my eyes back up, I followed her inside and gestured to the wide, sweeping staircase with a temporary banister made of scaffolding tubes and two-by-fours.
“The documents Todd sent over had a hand-carved cedarbanister drawn. Has that been procured?” Piper asked. She looked at the doorway, then up at the roof. “And how will you get it in?”
“The banister is one of the reasons we parted ways with our previous design firm. We found out they were taking commissions from half the companies they recommended and charging us for the privilege.”
Piper’s brows jumped. “I see.”
“How does that line up with your principles?” I couldn’t help but ask.
She shot me a sideways glance. Icy blue eyes cut into me, and I found myself enjoying the experience.
