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Karma was not my friend.
His words when I’d asked about the boss came back to me. “He’s nice enough. At least that’s what everybody says.” Bull-fucking-shit, Mr. Pompous Ass. They don’t know you like I do.
A while later, when I’d finished the last of the rooms and double checked that all of them looked spotless, I was ready to call it a day—or a night, actually.
I texted Boone for my pickup, hoping the dogs had held it in while I’d been gone. I’d dealt with enough messes this evening.
Me: I’m done
His response was quick.
Boone: Wait out front
I didn’t have to wait long before Boone’s truck pulled up.
“How was it?” he asked as I buckled in.
“Fine.” I could handle anything for a few weeks.
“The job is normally day shift, but we lost some help today.”
I kept my eyes forward. “I heard.”
“Ready to go back up north? I could maybe take care of the dogs for you.”
I turned and glared at him. “I’m not going back there.”
“Why not?”
This was not a conversation I was willing to have.
When I refused to answer, he changed subjects. “Yes, you can have time off for lunch tomorrow with the girls. But next time ask me yourself instead of calling my sister.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “I didn’t. That was Callie, and why didn’t you tell me you were the boss here?”
“Would it have made a difference?”
I wanted to say yes, but it didn’t make sense at this point to keep poking the bear. So instead I gave him the honest answer. “Not at all. It just would’ve been nice to know.” It made a difference to my comfort level, but not the choice I would have made.
“Why? Is that a problem?”
“I’m tired,” I sighed. “Can we please stop this?”
“Stop what?” he demanded. “I just told you to ask me yourself if you want something instead of working it behind my back through Pris.”
I shook my head and huffed. “Gladly.” I added a salute. “Boss.”
He dropped the issue and drove on. The man was infuriating.
I’d only met his sister, Pris, a few times when we were younger. In truth, I hadn’t been paying attention to anyone but Boone and his scary father the two times I’d been to his house. But if she gave Boone trouble, I looked forward to buying her a beer or three. I was Team Pris all the way.
Still, I’d been raised a lady, so I thanked Boone when we reached the house and walked myself around to the shack. The dogs were happy as could be to see me again. At least somebody liked me.
The bulb in the overhead light flashed when I turned it on and then went dark. I tripped over that stupid pan that had been catching the rain water, but luckily I’d emptied it last night. It took a minute to find the switch for the dim light over the sink and put the pan in the dishwasher.
Replacing the overhead bulb would have to wait, as would the applications still awaiting me on my laptop.
While I walked the dogs, I came to the conclusion that I needed to be nicer to Boone if I was going to be around him constantly, even if he was only helping me as a favor to Grace. I could manage being civil, although I wasn’t so sure about him.
