Page 29 of Daddy, Sir

When the cheers died down, she added, “And we’re welcoming Daniel, our temporary crew member, to the team.”

“Temporary?” Lourdes asked.

“Yeah. Sadly, we only get to keep him for two weeks.”

“Still a good excuse for a party,” Jasmine, her tiling specialist, said. “Betting pool is open for how long it takes for Sadie to get arrested.”

“Hey! That only happened one time!”

“What did you get arrested for?” Daniel asked. His reddish hair gleamed like fire in the light of the setting sun, and her knees went weak when he grinned.

For fuck’s sake. She was acting like a teenager when a cute boy smiled at her. Did she have no chill?

“Drunk and disorderly,” Lourdes said. “But she wasn’t drunk. She tried to steal a motorcycle cop’s bike and challenged him to a drag race.”

Sadie sighed and rolled her eyes. “I swear, it was just that one time. Who knew cops have no sense of humor?”

“Everyone,” several women sang out, making Daniel laugh.

“Bitches. I was a guest at the Navajo County Hilton for the weekend, but they dropped the charges.” She huffed irritably when everyone kept laughing, then turned to Daniel. “Do you need a ride?”

“Nope. I’m good. I’ll meet you there.”

It was stupid to be disappointed, but she seriously wanted to spend more time with the enigmatic Daniel. He just…

There was just something about him, and she couldn’t have explained it if she tried. Maybe it was how polite he was to everyone, or it could have been his work ethic. Or even the way he held doors for her crew and pitched in to help them without being asked.

No, it wasn’t that. She expected manners and helpfulness from everyone she hired. Nobody got a pass because she liked looking at them.

It was the twist of mystery he brought to life when he talked about the men who bought The Majestic. It was like he knew exactly what would be going on in there when it reopened.

She rolled her eyes at the fanciful thoughts, but the less sensible part of her wanted to learn more.

Chapter Three

Daniel

He was still laughing as he watched Sadie and her crew leave.

Talk about brat shenanigans…

After waiting for them to get out of sight, he went to his garage and entered the code for the door. His Charger still rested under its cover and the keys were on the pegboard over his workbench. Aside from a bit of dust and a few cobwebs in the corners, everything was unchanged. He’d gotten lucky that the storm didn’t do more to the garage than rip off a few roof tiles.

He dug into his kit bag for fresh clothes, then used the tiny bathroom in the back of the garage to wash up. As he dressed in jeans and a blue button-down shirt, he decided to come clean with Sadie. He’d still do the work he promised, but it didn’t sit right to let her pay him or eat the expense of onboarding a new hire.

Lastly, he pulled the cover off his car and slid behind the wheel, noting that Mel had left him plenty of gas. The engine started with a throaty purr, and he smiled as he backed it out ofthe garage. He hadn’t realized how much he missed having his own stuff, or how good it would be to get home.

And he didn’t mean to his sister’s place. As much as he loved Mel, she and her family had their own lives. Even storm-damaged and not quite ready to be lived in, the bungalow was his.

Hell, maybe he’d set up a cot in the garage after he spilled the beans to Sadie. It wouldn’t be for more than a week or so.

The scent of garlic, tomatoes, and spices snuck into his open window as he parked behind the restaurant, and his mouth watered. The turkey and cheese on white he’d had for lunch was hours past, and he hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he smelled food.

As he walked in, he heard feminine laughter from a large table in the corner and knew without looking that he’d found Sadie’s crew. Their buoyant giggles were infectious.

“There he is! Daniel!” Sadie called, waving her arm in the air. “Join us and cop a squat.”

Shaking his head, he grabbed a chair from an empty table and squeezed between Sadie and a beautiful redhead he hadn’t met. She looked to be in her late thirties, with cute, freckled cheeks and brown eyes.

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