Page 28 of Hearts of Wealth

I nodded in agreement. With one last glance at Henry, I turned on my heel and made my way to my truck, Luke following closely behind.

“Go to the shop,” Luke demanded.

I wanted to argue with him, but truthfully, I wanted to get out of there. I needed a chance to collect myself. I couldn’t look weak in front of the subcontractors or Henry. “Fine,” I muttered.

I got in my truck and drove away.

Luke watched me like he wasn’t sure I was going to leave. When I glanced in my rearview mirror, he was right behind me. I hated that I needed a backup. I was so used to being independent and handling my business on my own, but dammit, Henry knew all the right buttons to push. He got to me. He made me question my self-worth. He made me wonder if Timothy’s job was just because I was a woman he was interested in. The sex thing was something I had never done before with a client. Had I really gotten rave reviews from him because I was good at my job or was it the sex?

I pulled up to my dad’s shop and was surprised to see Timothy’s car parked out front. Luke parked beside me. The guy was out of his truck before I could even turn mine off. He went storming into the shop like he was the one that had just been insulted.

When I walked into the shop, it was like a cloud of testosterone. Their voices were raised in what appeared to be a heated discussion. At first, I thought my dad was angry with Timothy, which I didn’t understand.

Before I could even utter a word, Timothy turned to face me, his expression dark with anger. “Catherine, what the hell is going on?” he demanded, his voice laced with frustration.

I blinked in surprise, taken aback by the intensity of his tone. “I don’t know,” I replied honestly, my voice tinged with confusion. “What’s going on?”

Luke stepped forward, his eyes flashing with anger. “I called John,” he admitted, his voice tight with tension.

“I called Timothy,” Dad said.

“About what?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“We need to do something about Henry,” Luke said.

Timothy’s eyes narrowed at Luke’s words, his jaw clenched with barely contained rage. “And what exactly do you propose we do?” he asked, his tone icy.

Luke shrugged, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “I say we drag him out of town,” he replied.

The way he said it left me wondering if he was joking. He didn’t sound like he was joking.

My dad stepped forward, his brow furrowed with concern. “That’s enough, Luke,” he interjected, his voice firm. “We need to handle this situation calmly and rationally. We don’t need to go running out of here full of rage and do something stupid.”

I felt a surge of frustration welling up inside me. “Can’t we all just calm down and talk this through?” I said with exasperation. “You are all being ridiculous.”

Timothy’s gaze hardened as he looked at me, his eyes filled with determination. “No, Catherine,” he replied, his voice firm. “No one is allowed to talk to you the way Henry just did.”

John nodded in agreement, his expression grave. “He’s right, Catherine,” he added, his tone somber. “We need to take this seriously. No man is going to talk to my daughter like that.”

“Dad, I don’t need you guys to save me,” I said. “Henry was out of line, but I can handle it.”

“You don’t need to,” Timothy said.

“We’ll handle it,” Luke growled. “Man to man.”

“Catherine, why don’t you go upstairs and get yourself something to drink,” Dad said.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not the little lady that needs to be rescued. I can handle this guy.”

“Go!” Dad shouted.

I was taken aback by his vehemence. “Fine. You three sit down here and figure out who’s the bigger man. I’m going to get a drink and think about how I will handle the situation in a rational manner.”

None of them said anything. They were already arguing about who should get to kick Henry’s ass first.

“Men,” I muttered.

As I climbed the steps, the noise from their argument grew louder. I could hear Luke’s accusation of Timothy, suggesting he was too soft. My father countered, asserting it was his daughter and his duty to protect me. I wanted to yell that none of them needed to protect me. But they wouldn’t understand. They saw this as a fight in a sandpit, claiming territory and asserting dominance.

Inside the apartment above the shop, I poured myself a glass of tea from the pitcher. I slumped onto the worn couch, my mind whirling with thoughts and emotions. Was Henry really questioning my capabilities just because I was a woman? Or was it because he couldn’t bear to see a woman succeed in a field dominated by men? Was his ego so fragile that he had to belittle me to feel superior?

I swirled the tea in my glass, the ice cubes clinking against the sides. How could I have let him get to me this way? I thought back to when I first started working with Henry. Back then, he seemed to admire my tenacity, my drive.

Perhaps he felt threatened. Perhaps in his mind, women were supposed to be accessories, not competitors. I had chosen this path knowing the challenges but vowing not to let it deter me. This was exactly what my father had been worried about.

As the voices downstairs grew louder, I took a deep breath and released it slowly, attempting to calm my racing heart. I knew they meant well; their misplaced machismo was just an expression of their concern for me.

But this was my battle to fight. Not because I was obstinate or stubborn, but because I needed to make a point. I would not let Henry or any other man belittle me.

After what felt like an eternity, I couldn’t stand the silence any longer. I walked back downstairs, only to find Timothy and Luke gone.

“Where did they go?” I asked my father.

He shook his head. “Gone.”

“Dad,” I groaned. “Tell me they didn’t go back to the house?”

“No one should ever talk to you like that.”