Page 60 of I Choose You
“That’s interesting that you can see everything from there, considering there are three floors and a basement, dozens of rows of bookcases, and various rooms. Must have good eyes.” Richie sipped his coffee, his face completely neutral.
“Morning…” Reid started, pausing to look me up and down. “What happened to you?” His brow furrowed in concern.
“Coffee mishap,” I said. My coat had been open when I rammed into Andrew with the tray. Most of the coffee went flying his way, but I hadn’t come away unscathed, as my splatted and stained shirt indicated.
“Did you get burned?” he asked. Kayleigh had checked on me too, but it didn’t escape my notice that Andrew hadn’t. Itwas my fault, and he was equally in jeopardy of searing his skin, but it would have been decent of him to at least check.
“No. I’m fine. Thankfully, Andrew is as well,” I said.
Reid pulled his sweatshirt over his head, handing it to me. “Here. I don’t have any spare shirts on me, but you can change into this if you want.”
I took the offered sweatshirt with a thanks. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wrap myself in the scent and warmth of Reid. It wasn’t going to help my resolve to keep things professional, but it would be worth it to smell his cedarwood scent on me all day.
“Reid, this is my boss, Andrew Hassell. Andrew, this is Reid Wilder, owner of Wilder Construction,” I said, making the introductions.
Reid extended his hand, his firm handshake causing Andrew to wince slightly.
“Glad you could stop by. Welcome to the Delano Library,” Reid said.
“Andrew, Reid and his crew have managed to get a lot of work done in a relatively short amount of time. Why don’t I show you around a bit? There is a lot more to see than you can gather from here.”
“No need for you to tag along, Claire. We’ll be discussing the actual construction. Stay here and drink your coffee.”
“Claire has been instrumental in the construction decisions. She’s even wielded a nail gun a time or two. She isn’t ‘tagging along.’ She’s presenting her work,” Reid said, his low voice reverberating in the open space, inviting Andrew to challenge him.
“No worries,” I said cheerfully. It wasn’t like this was my first experience with being summarily dismissed. “I have a lot to do this morning anyway. Do you mind giving him the tour?”
The raised brow from Reid told me he wasn’t buying my positivity. When did he become so attuned to me that he could see right through me? “Right. Let’s go show you around, Andy.” Reid clapped Andrew on the shoulder, emanating aquiet fury.
“It’s Andrew.” Frustration leaked from Andrew’s tone.
The two of them walked away, starting with the largest room, where the new windows were prepped and sorted, ready for installation as soon as the weather warmed. The old carpeting had been removed, and the fireplace was still in need of some maintenance, but it was the largest single room, not considering the open foyer and vestibule area, and had the potential to be stunning when all of the finishings were in place.
The original artwork that had been in place was in need of restoration, and a couple of newer pieces would need to be curated. I had changed out of my dirty sweater, donning Reid’s comfy hoodie instead, and I had barely started reaching out to some restoration experts when Reid and Andrew came back thirty minutes later, both looking worse for the wear. Andrew’s sneer had grown deeper, his distaste apparent. Reid’s jaw was tense, his eyes hard, as he deposited Andrew back in my office. He looked like a cobra, restrained for the moment but ready to strike without warning. His muscles bunched under his shirt. His abs were probably clenched tight, hard planes of muscles that would undulate beneath my touch.
I shook my head, my warm face warning me of a growing blush. Reid could clearly hear my thoughts because his gaze turned from stone to fire. The predator in him shifted from Andrew to me, only I didn’t think he had the same method of attack in mind.
“What did you think?” I asked.
“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done here. I can’t imagine how it will get completed on time. And as I’vementioned to you before, if this project isn’t delivered on time and under budget, there will not be a next one.” Andrew didn’t even bother to look me in the eye as he talked, looking around the small office space with his perpetual look of disgust.
“We aren’t even halfway through the timeline yet, and the winter months make it harder to work on the exterior, but we—”
“I’m not interested in excuses, Claire. You have a job to do, and I expect you to deliver.” Andrew had been threatening my job since the beginning, and I was seriously starting to get sick of it. I schooled my features, but internally, I was fuming.
Based on the tension in Reid’s jaw, he was too.
20
Reid
“Claire is doing her job, and she’s doing it damn fucking well. Any setbacks that happen in construction—and there will be some—are not Claire’s fault or responsibility. They are mine. And I have a team of people here all working our asses off to get this project done on time and, more importantly, to the best standard of work.”
“Thank you for the tour, but this conversation doesn’t involve you,” the douche fucker said.
I saw red, and I had to flex my fist to keep from decking this guy.
“The fuck it doesn’t. If you’re concerned about timeline or budget, that involves me. Claire and I are working as a team on this, everything from flooring to windows to entryway doorknobs.” My spine stiffened, creating an even larger height difference between us.
