Page 106 of The Fixer

“You didn’t have to. Your face says it for you. That poker face you’ve perfected is slipping, sweetheart.” God, how he wished he saw affirmation in her features instead of the doubt etching them. “For your information, Cully’s right. I ordered and paid for select, which means this delivery makes abso-fucking-lutely no sense.”Just like the electrical panel.“There must havebeen a mix-up in the order, which blows because now we’re gonna be delayed.” He huffed out a mirthless laugh. “Then again, we’re already delayed thanks to the electrical fail.”Fuck. Me!

“I’m going home,” he sighed. “My paperwork and my computer are there, and before I call and rip someone a new one, I need to be sureIdidn’t fuck up somehow. Then I’ll tackle this bullshit with the electrical inspection.” He looked into those whiskey-gold eyes staring right back at him. “You should come with me.”

“Because?”

He flicked his eyes toward the back of the shop. “I’m looking at your place, and it’s a complete mess. You’ve got to be wanting a break from it. I’m not sure how you’ve been able to live through it so far, and you’ve done it without a single complaint.”

“Itisgetting harder to work, and I’ve got a critical meeting coming up, but I can go back to the Majestic for a few days.”

“There’s no reason for you to do that when I have a spare guest room where you can spread out. It’s much quieter there.” He had an ulterior motive for getting her out of here, and it had nothing to do with getting her horizontal … or vertical … or in another position that had to do with sex.

She seemed to appraise him, pursing her plush pink lips. His patience flagged. “Look, either come or not. I’ve got to get going, so if youdodecide to accept the offer, you’ll need to get moving.”

Offering him a tentative smile, she waved a virtual white flag and quipped, “All right. You convinced me … mostly because I get to spend time with the dogs.”

He accepted the olive branch she extended. For now. “I’ll wait out here. I have some calls to make.”

With a nod, she wheeled and headed toward the back door. As soon as she was out of earshot, he dialed Cully. “We need to meet.”

Chapter 30

Prickly Heat

Joy didn’t bother askingif everything was all right. She knew it wasn’t, but was the trouble restricted to the Crystal Harmony Haven project, or was it spilling into their personal lives?

The air between them was charged with prickly heat as they rode to Charlie’s house, making a trip that only lasted minutes drag by. In the squirmy silence, Joy’s ADHD pulled her in different directions, with the project’s setbacks and mysterious motivations behind them ping-ponging in her brain. She turned over what she knew, which was a murky muddle at best, though one truth was clear: the sabotage was real. It was deliberate. If it wasn’t Cully, then who? Why?

A tiny kernel of doubt where Charlie was concerned lingered, and while shedidbelieve him, she wasn’t ready to brush away the facts and retract her high-alert antennae. She hadn’t out-and-out accused him of cheating, but she’d prodded, curious to gauge his reaction. What she’d gotten were his dark brows drawn together in angry slashes. Obviously, he hadn’t appreciated her fishing expedition. He had seemed genuinely confused and upset. Was that how a guilty man acted?

They bumped along over unpaved roads, and Joy tried to order her thoughts. The lumber swap had a handful of rationalizations that might make sense. What tickled the back of her brain most was how magnanimous Cully had been with his “concern,” taking time to show her the problem when most days he barely acknowledged her presence on this earth. The entire show-and-tell wasn’t his style. No, his style was more nefarious. He didn’t like Charlie and seemed juiced to undermine him. Not exactly a smart move on Cully’s part, considering how eager he was to take his boss’s paychecks.

When they arrived at Charlie’s house, she followed him into the guest room, her belly tight with trepidation. He had invited her into his personal world, but he didn’t seem happy about it. His dogs were the only welcoming presence, prancing with excitement at her feet.

Joy had accumulated several bags of clothing, soaps, and other odds and ends since her arrival in Fall River, and Charlie, laden with them all, dropped them beside the bed. “Make this room yours. Spread out. Feel free to turn it into your temporary office.” His expression was stoic and on the chilly side.

She wasn’t sure what to do with the armful of awkward he’d just handed her. Was he planning on her staying here overnight, and if so, where was she expected to sleep? The last few nights, he hadn’t stayed over because he’d needed to return for Sunny and Luna. Joy being here would be far more convenient—if that’s what he even had in mind.

“I’ve got to take care of a few things.” He brushed past her so brusquely she could feel the passing breeze. After letting the dogs outside, he wordlessly stomped to his office.

Crossing her arms, she stared out the window into his fairy-tale backyard where hummingbirds zipped from one colorful feeder to another and the dogs sniffed their way around. As she was reconciling this perfect scene with the enigma in the next room, said enigma called out, beckoning her to him.

“I want to show you something.” His gaze was locked onto his computer screen, and she inched beside him and took a peek. “This is the invoice for that delivery.” He pointed at a line item for select lumber, then showed her the date. “The item number on the tag doesn’t match the item number on this invoice.” He pulled up a picture of said tag on his phone and handed her the device. “Compare for yourself.” Leaning way back inhis office chair, he tucked his arms across his chest. She scanned the computer screen, taking pains not to invade his personal bubble, which surrounded him like a force field.

“They’re not the same,” she agreed.

He sat upright, and she stepped back. He shoved a file at her that held orderly paperwork. “These are all the receipts we’ve accumulated so far, and if they look familiar, that’s because I’ve given you copies along with each draw request.”

She flipped open the file and, without examining its contents, closed it and slid it onto his desk.

“Now I suppose I could have bought the crap lumber separately and hidden that paperwork, then canceled the select and received a refund, which I’m also hiding, but my account doesn’t reflect that.” He tapped his keyboard and moved to a different screen in the same supplier’s account, where every order was listed. “See for yourself. Oh, and you can check with these guys, and they’ll verify I don’t have a separate account where I might be able to bury my dishonest dealings.”

She’d been feeling like a heel for doubting him, but now that heel was twice as big. “You paid for select, but the stuff in the backyard is utility. What do you think happened?”

“That’s a great question, and I’m going to get some answers.”

“Will the tag on the bad stuff lead you to its source?”

“Don’t know. Doesn’t look familiar.” He scrolled to a number on his phone and hit the green icon. Soon he was barking at whoever was on the other side of the call, and, feeling like the creepy eavesdropper, Joy slinked back to the guest bedroom to check on her own work.

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