Page 23 of The Contractor & the Entrepreneur

Chapter

Eight

Rhett was stuckbetween a rock and a hard place as he tried to swallow bites of his medium-rare ribeye and figure out how to show Sloan he planned to be there for her and help her. At the same time, he had to be loyal to the other builders, especially Josh, his own crews, and the sub-contractors he routinely used. Josh was his mentor and one of his closest friends. Without Josh working with him on the needed years of apprenticeship, Rhett might still be swinging a hammer on a framing crew, praying for his chance. Josh was intense at times, but he’d come around, as would the other contractors. They’d realize that working with Sloan would help everyone in the long run.

Sloan said nothing as she ate with proper manners. She was a classy lady through and through. He was impressed with how she held herself and dealt with the hits that just kept coming. He could see in her deep-brown eyes that she’d wanted to stick up for herself and tell Josh off, but she’d stayed silent. That showed strength and control that few had.

He was drawn to her. Except for when she got prickly and pushed him away. His parents and his brothers and their wivesall had different but fabulous relationships. They supported each other. Though they could each be strong alone, they were stronger with their spouse. Sloan seemed to think if she let down her guard with him, he’d try to control her or overrun her. Unless he was reading it wrong, it was a deep-seated trust issue.

Rhett was generally good with people, but the insight he felt he had into Sloan’s emotions and triggers was unique for him. Did she see that they had a special connection or was she going to shove him the other direction? Would she really insist on a hotel?

Her idiot cousins probably had no clue where she was, and those two seemed like half-cocked drunks, but they were obviously lifelong brawlers and had decent fighting skills. The entire situation made him uneasy. Who was in Sloan’s corner? Up here, only him. Unless he was reading her wrong, she was going to dump her trust of him and the relationship they’d been building. It had only been a matter of hours since he’d met her, but it felt significant. To him at least.

Could there be any truth to Josh’s accusations that he was dumping his loyalties for a pretty face? Maybe he simply wasn’t around exceptionally beautiful women enough. It felt much deeper than that. He was protective of Sloan, drawn to Sloan, had a connection with Sloan. None of it mattered if she was going to close off and push him away.

The waitress came to check on them and Sloan said, “The food is excellent.” She shoved a credit card in the woman’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Ah, no.” Rhett stood and hurried to the waitress, pulling Sloan’s credit card out of her hand and yanking his wallet out.

“What are you doing?” Sloan demanded, standing as well. She looked impertinent and enthralling from her deep-brown eyes to her sky-high heels.

He handed over his American Express. “Paying for dinner. I asked you out on a date, not the other way around.” He’d been raised to be a gentleman. Sloan probably took exception to that, but it wouldn’t change that he was paying.

Sloan snatched her credit card out of his hand. He waited for her to slip it back into her purse. He hadn’t noticed her slipping it out, so caught up in the dilemma of how to keep everyone happy, keep Sloan safe, help her with the development, and if the good Lord willed, develop a relationship with her.

She shoved her credit card back at the waitress and stole his card from the waitress’s grip, hiding it in her clasped hands. “I am paying. It’s a business dinner.” She gave the waitress and then him a very insincere smile.

“Not on my watch,” Rhett growled. He was well-respected with his crews and didn’t put up with crap, but he wasn’t growly or angry. He felt both right now.

“I won,” Sloan said. “Deal with it, Mr. Macho Man.”

The words weren’t a compliment. He didn’t care who won, but he wanted to take care of her, be here for her, and she’d said she wasn’t even in the black with this development. She couldn’t afford many meals like this one.

He wasn’t going to rip his credit card out of Sloan’s hands. He pulled a different card out of his wallet.

“Don’t you dare take that,” Sloan demanded of the waitress.

“I’ll be right back,” the waitress mumbled, rushing away with Sloan’s credit card.

Sloan put his credit card in her pants pocket, sat primly on the hard chair, back straight, and cut another piece of steak. Rhett stared down at her, thunder rolling through his chest. He had never met such an aggravating, confusing, and enticing woman.

Drawing in a breath and then pushing it out, he said a prayer for insight and patience. He settled into his seat, but he couldn’teat. He studied her. She avoided his gaze, taking delicate bites. He swallowed a drink of water and set it down too hard on the table. It sloshed around, looking as agitated as he felt inside. All he was trying to do was help her and stick his neck out there for her, with Josh of all people. And what did she do? Treated him like a pain in her backside and bought his seventy-dollar ribeye, not to mention the side dishes.

The waitress brought the bill, avoiding Rhett’s gaze. Sloan warmly thanked her, wrote in a tip, and signed the receipt. Handing the card holder back, she asked, “Is there a hotel close by?”

“You are not going to a hotel,” Rhett bit out at her.

“You all have a nice night,” the waitress said, clinging to the card holder and scampering away.

Sloan tilted her chin, pulled Rhett’s credit card out of her pocket, and tossed it across the table at him.

He put both cards in his wallet and shoved it into his pocket.

“You are not going to a hotel,” he repeated, holding her gaze.

“Rhett, no way am I staying with you,” she flung back at him. She took a deep breath and continued. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but your ‘friend’ reminded me that I always stand on my own. I will take care of my own issues and fix this mess. I am not going to disparage your name by associating it with mine.”

“You aren’t going to disparage my name,” he said, his jaw tight. “Sloan, I can handle Josh and everybody else. You’re in over your head and you need me.”

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