of paper—“and as you can see on the purchase order for this tile, I clearly ordered something besides this inferior product.” Her voice isn’t angry or sugary sweet, it’s steady and confident.
She holds her hand out and James places a tablet in her open palm. “Also …” A quick finger swipe, and the screen comes alive. “You can see that on your own website, this product is priced lower than the product I ordered, and yet I was still billed for the more superior material.”
“Like I said, it’s easy to get confused.” Lou speaks as if Tiger hadn’t just nailed his ass to the wall. He picks up a piece of tile and holds it up to her. “Let me explain. It’s easy to confuse the two products because of the similar markings. You see here.” His stubby finger slides over the tile. “But this is just as good a product as the one you say you ordered.”
“Lou, we seem to have a breakdown in communication. So let me be blunt.” Her slender fingers take the tile from him. “You have until tomorrow morning to make this right and get me the tile I ordered, or I’ll be forced to go with someone else.” She flashes him her beauty pageant smile—if a she-wolf wore a beauty pageant smile—and places the piece of ceramic back into the box. “And when I say I’ll be forced to go with someone else, I mean Lewis Construction will no longer use your company as a preferred vendor.”
The red-faced man shoves his finger in Tiger’s face. “You don’t have that authority. Wait until I talk to Donny about this.”
James, Duke, and I all make similar sounds of displeasure.
“Call him. I’ll wait.” Tiger leans her hip against the island and crosses her arms.
That seems to take the wind out of his sails. Lou stares at the box of tiles, then glances up at the badass boss lady in front of him. “Tiger, what do you expect me to do? There’s no way I can get the product here by the morning. It comes from outside Austin.”
“You can if you pick it up and deliver it to me yourself.”
“But that’s five hours away.”
She nods toward the door. “Then you better leave now. Be safe.”
“But—”
“See you tomorrow. James will show you out.” She turns her back on the guy and puts an end to their discussion.
Once James and Lou are out of the kitchen, Tiger pulls her ponytail out of her hair tie, flips her head over, and scrubs her scalp. When she flips her hair up, she sees us staring, and I can tell that for a moment she forgot we were there.
“What?”
“I think I’m in love with you.” Duke speaks like he’s mesmerized.
Tiger laughs, but I don’t find that near as funny as her. I know Duke. The stronger and, frankly, meaner the woman, the more he loves them. That’s why he generally goes for sweet women, because he knows there’s no chance of anything serious happening.
“Shut up.” I shove him, and he has to catch himself to keep from falling off the stool.
“Yes, shut up.” But there’s far less heat in her command than mine.
This woman. With her hair falling in waves down her back and around her face, she’s breathtaking, but that’s not what has me fighting to stay in my seat and not go to her. It’s the whole package. She’s so freaking smart and competent, it’s intoxicating.
She wags her finger in Duke’s direction. “I’ve got your number, Duke Wayne.”
I clear my throat. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, he’s nothing but trouble.” Her affectionate expression irritates the shit out of me.
Duke rests his chin in his hand. “The best kind of trouble, sugar.”
Okay, I’ve had about enough of this. “Are we going to work out or what?”
“Work out. I made a call, and we can use Dr. Hansen’s office to do your massage therapy.”
I nod. “Thanks for doing that.”
“You’re a massage therapist too?” Tiger’s put her hair up again, and I can’t help but be disappointed.
“Yeah.” Duke cuts her a look and waggles his brows. “The package just gets better and better, right? Sure you don’t want to reconsider that ‘friend zone’ thing?”
She wads up a piece of paper and throws it at him. “You’re incorrigible.”
“That I am.”
I’m jealous of the easy rapport they have with one another. How does Duke do that? I hate that he gets her smiles and I don’t.
I stand and pull on Duke’s shirt. “Come on, dickhead, let me