world’s most epic long-time crush was also an understatement.
“Dare I ask?” Gwen replied with an amused smile.
“I don’t want to go into the safety inspection blind and since that’s Mack’s field of expertise, I thought he could help.” Mack was a construction site safety manager, which was a little different to what the insurance company would require… but safety was safety, right? It couldn’t be that different. “I thought he’d be able to catch things that might trip us up.”
Gwen still had an amused expression on her face, which said she thought Zoey’s reasoning was ninety-nine percent bullshit and one percent bending the truth.
“Shut up,” Zoey grumbled, holding the container close to her chest.
Gwen held both hands up. “I didn’t say a word.”
Was this an excuse to see Mack? Maybe. But did it serve her business purposes to do some extra due diligence? Absolutely. Therefore, as far as she was concerned, that absolved her of any ridicule. Besides, she did value his opinion and she’d welcome any opportunity to have his practical, level-headed input at a crucial stage of setting up her business. It had nothing to do with Mack’s broad chest and warm brown eyes, or the delicious intensity he’d had ever since he was a lanky teenage boy playing footy in her backyard.
Absolutely nothing at all.
Chapter Two
Brian “Mack” MacDermot dragged a hand across his forehead, wishing he’d opted for shorts instead of jeans. Late summer was always like that—just when you thought it was cooling down, you’d get surprised by a scorcher. In addition to feeling the heat, he was dusty and grimy from spending a day on the site of a new multi-residential construction project. His boss, however, looked completely unfazed by the heat and given he was wearing a suit, that was nothing short of a miracle.
“Don’t let Steve get in your head,” his boss, Nick Walters, said as he shut the door on Mack’s Holden Commodore ute. They’d driven to the site together since it was over an hour away, and now they’d returned to Mack’s place so Nick could pick up his car. “He’s got his eye on the deadlines, which I pay him for. And you’re being a stickler for the details, which I pay you for.”
“So you admit to paying us to butt heads,” Mack replied with a snort.
“Basically.” Nick grinned. “I want it done quick, but I also want it done right.”
Mack was the “done right” part of that equation and his relationship not only with Steve but all the project managers could be tense at times. Despite Nick making it clear that they were part of the same team, Mack was the person who highlighted issues and shortcomings, which didn’t always make him a welcome figure on site. Some of that also had to do with Mack’s no-BS attitude. Putting lipstick on a pig never helped anybody, as far as he was concerned, and so if someone had stuffed up, he didn’t hesitate to call it out.
“I appreciate you being hard-headed enough to go toe-to-toe with him,” Nick added. “I know he intimidates the crap out of most of the guys, but he’s a good bloke.”
A good bloke who had to be over six foot four, was covered in tats, and had a beard that wouldn’t look out of place in a motorcycle gang, mind you. But Mack wasn’t the kind of guy who was easily intimidated. He’d been blessed with his father’s quiet yet unshakable confidence, and no amount of bluster would budge him from a decision. Not even Steve getting up in his face.
“I’ve got your back, Nick. I’d never sign off on anything unless I was certain it was safe.”
“Good man.” Nick shrugged out of his charcoal suit jacket and slung it over one arm. He wasn’t wearing a tie, but he still exuded that stylish look that had most women around town—and some guys—going gaga over him.
Mack, on the other hand, knew he lacked his boss’s polish. He was a salt of the earth type who was more than happy getting his hands dirty doing the job he loved, or working on some furniture restoration in his shed. Simple things, maybe, but he liked being good with his hands.
As he and Nick were finishing up their conversation about plans for the following week, the sound of a motorcycle cut through the air. It had a distinctive rumble and Mack knew exactly who was riding up his street even before the bike came into view and he