So sometimes I go to Gabe’s, and he lets me have control of the remote, only speaks when spoken to, and allows me to relax.
My phone pings. It’s a date.
I’ll have Jackson make the pizza. No one can beat him, and he won’t mind. He’ll use it as a chance to experiment with something weird that shouldn’t taste good together, but will be magical when it hits your tongue. That’s his gift.
Gabe: Seven?
I text back. Sounds good.
An escape is in my future.
There’s a knock as I put my phone back on the desk. “Come in.”
The door swings open, and Caden stands there, filling the doorway.
My heart skips a beat, but I am determined to remain unaffected. “All done?”
He nods. “May I?”
Well, isn’t he polite? I stand and point to the hallway at his back. “How about I show you your office and take you through our system?”
Another nod. “Now’s as good a time as any.”
Before I move, I pick up his paperwork and hold it out to him. “You didn’t fill this out in its entirety.”
His jaw takes on a stubborn line. “You’ve got all you need.”
I flutter the papers. “What if I need to run a background check?”
“Are you going to?”
“Do I need to?”
“Nope.” His voice is flat.
Okay, he’s clearly got something to hide. I find myself torn between wanting it to be an offense I can fire him for and panicking over what I’d do if I was forced to let him go. I don’t think I could handle the next six weeks on my own—not with the type of results Jackson demands.
I take a chance and see whether if I’m direct, he might be direct back. “What are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding anything.” His shoulders loosen, and he props himself against the doorframe. “I just don’t see the need to talk about the past.”
So that didn’t work. Let’s try logic instead. “Employment history is not the past; it’s relevant to the safety of our business.”
“Nothing in my history is any danger to your business.” He smiles. “Talk to your brothers. They’ll vouch for me.”
This sets my teeth grinding, because it’s been a day and he’s already figured out the truth. Wyatt and Jackson are the ones that matter, and he’s won them over. Dissent on my part will only look petty. I haven’t been involved in their discussions about our operations, but Caden has impressed them, and he hasn’t even delivered a crop yet.
Caden has already homed in on the fact that I hold none of the power.
This compels me to exert some authority.
“What if I want to make sure you don’t have a record?” Barring a criminal record, my brothers will view his employment history as inconsequential as he does.
He shrugs. “Go ahead. I don’t have one.”
I narrow my eyes. “So I can check your criminal record, but not your employment history? Does that sum it up?”
A nod. “Pretty much.”
Another battle I’m not going to win. I hope that’s not a sign of things to come.
“All right.” I gesture toward the hall. “Let’s get on with it.”
Caden
I’m propped against the edge of my new desk and Cat is in the chair, tapping away at the keyboard as she does her thing. I’m aware I’m being unreasonable about my employment history, although it’s not for the reasons she thinks.
I’ve never given my employers anything but 110 percent, and all the outfits I’ve worked for have thrived under my care. I don’t have a record either.
I’m a bastard, not a criminal.
Asking her to trust my abilities without proof or references is a lot. I understand that, but I can’t risk her calling because I don’t want a trail back to me. It’s really that simple. Part of why I’ve played my cards the way I have, including showing up for the interview in the first place, is because Gabe assured me the McKay’s were desperate and he’d vouch for me.
I’m being a hardass, and it’s created friction between Cat and me. Friction that certainly doesn’t help the heat between us. I’m going to have to find a way to fix it.
This job is perfect for me and fell right into my lap just before I ran out of money and couches, so nothing is going to ruin it.
Not the past.
Not my self-destructive streak.
Not Cat McKay with her flashing silver eyes.
I’m going to do right this time.
I glance down at the woman staring far too intently at a computer screen. She’s dressed in a yellow sleeveless top and jeans,