Page 10 of Nailed

“Didn't sound like he was involved in many of your shenanigans,” I explained. “I thought he would've made at least one appearance by now.”

Callum chewed the inside of his cheek. “Well, he's new. Hasn't really been around long enough to join in on any of the fun just yet.”

I felt my brows knot together in a slight frown. “I thought you said you could vouch for him.”

“And I can. I've worked with him enough to know that he's good at what he does, he's just a bit… temperamental. My mom would've called him a man of many seasons,” he said.

“That's a very generous description,” I huffed.

Callum's eyes sparkled. “Who knows? This is the first major team project he's working on. Maybe this will turn out to be one for the history books, too.”

I hummed, not quite sure if I liked the sound of that. If that was true, it meant that, judging by their existing corpus, my time with Rafe and Cornerstone would either be categorized as something hilarious or a complete and utter catastrophe just barely weathered.

I didn't like my odds.

“I think I'm done here, Miss Wolfhaardt.”

The inspector's drawl came down the stairs and into the bay before I saw him and Brock take the turn. I barely registered that Rafe wasn't with them and knowing him, he was probably out playing hooky. I couldn't have cared any less, really. Not an iota, not a speck, not a jot.

Nope.

I put my hair up into a bun and placed my hands on my hips. “Did everything check out okay?”

“For the most part, yes.” The inspector squinted at his clipboard.

My eyes darted between him and Brock. “That doesn't sound too promising.”

“There are a couple of issues with the preliminary inspection, but it's nothing I didn't notice the first time and nothing I can't have fixed before we start building. You can rest easy.”

“Thank you!” I said, genuinely so grateful to hear the news but Brock “First-Names-Freak-Me-Out” Lawson looked so uncomfortable at the casualness of my tone that I redirected my happiness to Callum, opting for a high-five instead.

He didn't even hesitate.

“Now, I just want to put it out there that I probably could've strung up more red tape than I currently am. You have my good friend Clara Reyes to thank for that one,” the inspector said, his face softening for the first time during the entire day.

I couldn't hide my shock. Clara? She didn't mention knowing the inspector or that she'd even reached out to him.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He shrugged. “She gave me a call when she found out I was the one doing the inspection and said that I'd better pass this firehouse or else.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “So you probably owe her a box of chocolates or something. She's partial to Turkish delight.”

I didn’t quite know how to feel. I wasn't used to having people in my corner, let alone after such a short period of getting to know them. A soppier woman might've teared up but instead, I made a mental note to get those Turkish delights.

As I saw the men out of my place, the inspector turned to me. “You seem like a nice girl. I understand that most people get nervous about these things but I'll give you one last piece of advice; I'm not the one you have to worry about. Just keep that in mind, would you?”

I was about to push back on that but he simply gave me a small, dismissive wave and scuttled off to his truck. I was left standing in my now-empty driveway with a thousand questions and a frown. Why was everyone in this damn city so freaking cryptic?

6

Lauren

The next week was laid out with iron-clad precision. Brock explained that this time would be used to finish all the general repairs that needed to be checked off before they could start any heavy renovation work.

I was excited to finally get started but nothing prepared me for the practical experience of having three men work in the firehouse while I still tried to maintain a normal daily routine.

On a random Wednesday morning, I was treated to a cacophony of clanking, hammering, thuds and banging and I could only imagine what was going on downstairs. I peeked over the railing occasionally to see them moving in and out of the front door carrying various pieces of equipment. Brock had briefly gone over their agenda but I was only interested in ensuring I had the top floor to myself while I attempted to work out.

I picked a room that I'd already decided would be turned into a home gym and was starting to work up a sweat with only a pair of dumbbells at my disposal when I felt the unmistakable feeling of eyes staring at me.