Page 58 of The Fixer

She gawked at him.

Nowthatwasn’t inappropriate, he scolded himself. Taking a few steps back, he gave himself an inner shake and pointed at the grinder. He cleared the embarrassment from his throat. “I figured you for a grind-your-own kind of girl.”

She smirked, letting him off the hook. “I’m more of a buy-it or let-my-assistant-bring-it kind of girl, but since I’m on my own here, there’s no better time to learn, is there?”

“I’m happy to give you lessons.”

“Because you Hunnicutts are very skilled with your hands?”

Why that exchange sounded dirty, he had no idea, but she must have picked up on it too because her eyes flashed and quickly shuttered.

He helped her unpack everything, and she began washing the pieces while he tried reaching Felix again. He also texted Cully, whom he’d been trying to get hold of all morning. The guy hadn’t responded to any of Charlie’s texts or voicemails. He really needed to get to work, but he also had to figure out what the hell was going on with his guys. He would wait another fifteen minutes before heading to the other job site.

Biding his time, he watched as Joy finished washing the coffeemaker parts. An awkwardness hung between them, which wasn’t that unusual, but it bugged him. Her back was to him, and he ran his eyes over her form, well disguised beneath the baggy sweats. “That’s a new look for you.”

She chuckled. “I didn’t come prepared to stay more than a few days, and most of the clothes I brought have to be dry-cleaned. Shortsighted, I know. Meanwhile, the stuff I can wash seems to have shrunk—I’m wondering if it’s got something to do with the water here—but I ended up hanging on to some of my mom’s clothes until I can get to Montrose and buy new ones.”

He didn’t dare ask if her hamburger habit contributed to the tight clothing. It could explain why she looked slightly rounder, and frankly, he was a fan—not that it concerned him in the least. It was probably his imagination anyway.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Any idea who slashed your tires or why?”

He shook his head. “None. The girls barked their heads off in the middle of the night. I didn’t see anything when I got up, but I’ll bet whoever did it was the reason they went off the way they did. I thought about bringing them with me this morning ’cause I hate leaving them alone all day, but I figured I’d keep them there in case someone comes back. There’s been some weird stuff going on at my house.”

“Like what?”

“Tools disappearing, my locked shop door left open, and—this one’s really strange—someone went through my medicine cabinet.” Joy made a little strangling noise. “You okay?”

“Fine,” she croaked and turned back to her chore, but he caught sight of her cheek, which blazed red. “How could you, um, tell?”

“Because nothing was where it normally is. The weirdest part is that the entire contents were put away meticulously, like someone wanted to mess with me, gaslight me.” He smoothed the hair at the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I’m probably just paranoid and seeing shadows where there aren’t any.”

“Can’t say as I blame you.” A phone rang, and she flicked suds from her hands. “That’s work. I need to get it.”

Just then, his phone buzzed too. Charlie picked up with a clipped voice. “Where are you, Cully?”

“Home. Sick. Can’t make it in today.” He hacked a few times, and it sounded fake.

Charlie let out a long exhale. If the guy really was sick, he couldn’t fire him. Yet. “Do you know where Felix is? He was supposed to meet me at Crystal Harmony Haven.”

“Oh. I guess he wasn’t lying after all.”

“What?”

“I talked to him early this morning. Told him to go to Montrose and pick up supplies and take them to the other job site. He’s probably halfway there.”

Which explains why he hasn’t responded. No cell coverage.

“You should have called me and checked first.”

“I was sick.”

Had Cully found out what Charlie had put Felix up to? “But not too sick to tell Felix what to do. Are your thumbs broken too?”

“What does that mean?”

“Jesus Christ, Cully. You could have at least texted me.”

“I thought I was your foreman, and as your foreman, I call the shots when it comes to these day workers.” He paused to cough. His tone grew more sullen. “I can’t have you breathing down my neckallthe time, Charlie. I need some autonomy.”

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