Page 3 of Ice Princess

Cliff snorts.

I ignore him. “Mr. Rodney, I already suspected the roll cage would be difficult to build. That’s why I asked you to contact a welding team. I believe we can get this done by the preliminary judging.”

Mr. Rodney looks up at me with hope filling his dark brown eyes. “Is there anything I can do?”

“See if the organizers of the show can judge Scooby’s Nightmare last. If not, do your best to switch with someone later in the lineup. The more time we have, the better.”

“Great idea. I’ll make it happen.” Mr. Rodney leaves the barn with a few of his assistants trailing behind him.

Cliff swaggers up to me, a smirk on his lips. I’ve seen that expression a million times before and I know exactly what it means:

You shouldn’t waste your pretty face on hard labor.

Can someone who looks like you really be that smart?

Awww, it’s cute that you think you can fix this.

I motion to one of Cliff’s men. “Bring out your welding machine and your tools. I’ll decide on the design of the roll cage after I see the materials we have here.”

The worker’s eyes swing to his boss, waiting for direction.

I look at Cliff too.

His amused expression annoys me. ‘Get the machine and get to work, Cliff! We don’t have time for this!’is what I want to say.

Instead, I smile prettily. “Is there a problem, Cliff?”

“Rebel, anyone with half a brain could tell that there’s no fabricating a roll cage in an hour.”

My eyes narrow.

Cliff raises both hands. “I’m not saying this because you’re a woman. Don’t get me wrong.” He moves toward me, his tone slipping into that of a father coaxing a wailing toddler. “Why don’t we call Mr. Rodney back and tell him to drop out of this competition, then you and I can go grab a drink?”

“Alright, I’ll call him,” I say easily.

Cliff chuckles and shoots his crew an ‘I told you so’ grin.

Lifting my phone, I tap out the number and wait for the client to answer.

“Hello?” Rodney croaks.

“Mr. Rodney, the current welding crew is unwilling to cooperate. I’d like to bring my own guys here? Is that okay with you?”

“Y-yes, of course. Anything to get it done in time.”

Never taking my eyes off Cliff’s face, I hang up. “Cliff, you’re fired.”

His smile collapses into a hard frown. “What the?—”

I stop his angry tirade by speaking louder. “Get your things and get out now. I have a job to do.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“And I’m not going to repeat myself.” I shift my focus to my phone so I can call another company. I already have someone in mind. The welding crew that April and I use at The Pink Garage is ideal. We’ve got a good rapport with them and at least they won’t question my judgement.

As I’m dialing my colleague’s number, Cliff grabs my arm.

I whip my head up, glaring at his fingers.

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