Page 20 of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It
Frowning, she typed a response.
Erin: Who is this?
Jamie launched into a tale of his ex-wife’s journey through first trimester nausea. Erin’s phone vibrated again.
Unknown Caller: Carter.
A jolt went through her body. Her gaze flashed up to meet that sky-blue one again, staring from across the yellow glow that encompassed the crowded dining room. The intensity of that stare did funny things to her stomach.
“I’m Erin’s foreman, by the way.”
Pay attention, Erin! This is too important to allow distractions.
She shook herself out of her trance. “Wyatt has worked for me for over ten years,” she explained. “He’s excellent at what he does. As I don’t have a business partner and can’t be everywhere at once, I rely on his input when it comes to how much our crews can handle.”
“Interesting.” Jamie asked Wyatt a question, one Erin didn’t catch because she’d once again become caught in Carter’s stare. She forced herself to drop her attention to her phone.
Erin: If you want to apologize, I’m right here. Bring it on.
Carter: Don’t want to interrupt.
She wondered if it was not wanting to interrupt or not wanting to be seen begging forgiveness that had him stuck in his seat.
Carter: Who’s the suit?
She nearly choked on her sip of wine.
Erin: Wow. You just can’t stop yourself from putting your foot in your mouth, can you?
She raised a brow at the man and pushed send on the text. Carter glanced down at his phone and paused to read. Before he could respond, Thad bounced up in his chair beside his dad, seeming to use those exclamation points all over again to ask Carter a question. Whatever it was, it took a minute to answer, and then she saw Carter’s fingers moving across his phone again. When he looked at her one more time, the nearest corner of his mouth was raised in a half smile that sent an unexpected zing through her.
A vibration had her looking down at her cell.
Carter: It has to be your fault. It only seems to happen around you.
So it was her fault, was it?
Erin: That hole you’re digging is getting deeper with every text.
She more saw his bark of laughter than heard it from so far away. Still, she realized she was smiling.
Over the jerk.
What was wrong with her?
Whatever game Carter was playing—and it had to be a game—it was best to nip it in the bud before she got any more caught up in it.
Erin: I’m going back to work now. Bye.
She turned her phone off and laid it aside, putting her full concentration on Jamie and the important conversation going on at her own table. But despite her efforts, some small part of her was still aware, still watching, as Carter and Thad enjoyed their dinner with Lily and JD. Some small voice whispered in the back of her mind, wondering if they’d come by her table on their way out, wondering if Carter liked green. Wondering if Carter was as distracted by her as she was by him.
Why was she distracted by him, of all people? What he’d written wasn’t even a true apology, just an “I need to apologize.” Not the same thing, and yet her brain was turning it over as the evening wore on, refusing to focus on the topic at hand when a far more interesting one waited just across the room.
ChapterNine
Things were finally drying out at the job site. Autumn was typically wet in the Tennessee hills, but this season had been even more so than usual, delaying project after project. This week, however, they were finally making steady progress, which Erin was happy to report to JD—via phone, making it less likely to run into any irritating distractions with pretty blue eyes that had zero to do with the job or the weather.
Following the call with her client, Erin spent the morning at the build site, where the crew was finishing the final touches on the steel structure that the rain had put behind schedule. After lunch she started out from the shed, following the drive down the mountain, to touch base with the crew working on the access road. Wyatt waved her over when she reached them, and after going over their progress and addressing concerns, she left him to continue supervising. Walking back up wasn’t nearly as quick as walking down, so she took her time, enjoying the clear, cool air and the feeling of accomplishment the day had given her.
