days. Robert’s the only one who treats her normally, and that’s because he’s three times her age and thinks of her as a daughter.
I stomp down the steps of the trailer and make it halfway to them before Taylor notices me. Her smile fades and her eyes narrow with suspicion.
When I reach the group, my booming voice makes three guys jump out of their boots.
“I need a word,” I say, effectively parting the group in half.
I don’t take my eyes off her as the guys slink away quickly, more than happy to find that my ire isn’t directed at them.
Robert stays beside her. “Uh oh, what have you done this time?” he quips, shooting a teasing smirk at Taylor.
She returns it with one that sends my heart into overdrive. “Oh, who knows. It could be anything. Yesterday, he found a pair of my underwear accidentally mixed in with his laundry, and you should have seen his reaction. It’s like he’s never seen a pair of panties before.”
I was taken aback, that’s all. Can’t a man put away his laundry without having to come across a silky thong? So what if I stood motionless, holding it in my hand until Taylor walked out of the bathroom, saw me staring down at it, and quickly lunged over to snatch it out of my grasp.
Robert doesn’t give me the benefit of the doubt though, whooping and hollering like he’s never heard anything half as funny in his life.
I nail him to the ground with my gaze. “You done?”
He smirks, wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh, just about.”
“Taylor, you’re fired.”
I have to try it, at least.
That makes Robert double over in laughter yet again before he finally walks away and gives us privacy.
Goddammit, what has happened to respecting the boss around here?!
Oh right, Taylor happened.
She’s looking up at me, all big eyes and flushed cheeks beneath that ridiculous hard hat. There’s a smile playing on her full lips. She didn’t believe the You’re fired line any more than Robert did.
“I thought you’d be happy with me this afternoon,” she says, sounding sugary sweet. “I stole two cookies from the dessert counter at lunch for you. They had the most chocolate chips out of any ones I could find.”
“You answered my phone last night and talked to Isla,” I say, abrupt and curt.
Her smile drops, face pales, and she rushes to reply, “Not intentionally!”
“Right. I unintentionally answer someone else’s phone and talk to the person on the other end all the time.”
Her pleasant mood sours with my harsh accusation—and it is harsh, but then she deserves it for snooping into my personal life, for pushing my boundaries yet again. It seems we’re always here: at each other’s throats.
“I thought I made it clear: I let you borrow my phone so you could talk to your family, not mine. Find another phone to use from now on.”
Her face turns into a mask of anger and I can tell her hand is itching to reach up and slap me. I wish she’d do it. Then I really could fire her.
“And I don’t want you staying here over the weekend.”
She stands there in silence, rage pluming off her like smoke.
Her anger isn’t enough though. I want to make sure she’s taken my words to heart. I want her assurance that she’s going to obey me. For once.
I step closer. “Have I made myself clear?”
She whips the hard hat off her head and shoves it against my chest.
“Yes sir.”
It’s no surprise that Taylor avoids me the rest of the day yet still manages to complete her work with unfailing accuracy. She’s not in the cabin by the time I’m getting ready to leave for Austin, and I get a wild idea that maybe I shouldn’t leave. Maybe I should stay and ensure she follows my orders, but I have no choice. I need to get back to Lockwood’s main office for a meeting I have in the morning with a prospective client. My partners have made it clear that I need to be present since I’m one of the main draws for them.
So, I’ll just have to assume Taylor is complying with my command and leaving for the weekend. In fact, I should be focusing my attention elsewhere during the long drive home, and yet when I pull into my driveway and walk into my quiet house, I’m still thinking of her and wondering if I’ve been too hard, too unyielding where she’s concerned.