Page 56 of Baker

I forced a sigh. “This is going to take all day.”

While Hank had the kids for the weekend, Holly and I were doing our best to get everything I’d purchased put in place. I was beginning to have my doubts if two days was going to be enough time.

“Hank would do stuff like this in ten minutes,” she said.

“Yeah, then he’d have plenty of time to go get the chicken wing girl to suck his dick while you were changing diapers. I don’t need a man to help me if that’s what you’re getting at.”

She tipped the left side of the picture frame up a little. “We’re not made to do this kind of stuff.”

I took exception to her statement. In my opinion, a woman could do anything a man could do. Any. Thing. I cocked my hip and gave her a look. “What are we made for?”

“I don’t know. Cuddling.”

“Like teddy bears?” I asked sarcastically. “We’re basically stuffed animals that can talk?”

Her eyebrows raised slowly. “And cook.”

“You submissive twit,” I said with a laugh. “You should have been born in 1950.”

Instead of responding, she looked away. While I stared at her in disbelief of her narrow-minded way of thinking, there was a knock on the door. I looked at the door and then at Holly. She gave a shrug of uncertainty.

“Come in?” I said, asking the question and giving permission at the same time.

The door opened, revealing none other than a jeans and wife beater clad Baker. I looked him over and then turned toward the three askew picture frames, leaving him standing behind me in an awesome pair of brown lace-up boots I’d never seen him wear.

“Well. Look what the cat dragged in,” I said over my shoulder.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

I was more excited to see him than I would have expected. Truth be known, I wanted him to rush in and kiss me, but I wasn’t about to say anything or even give him the subtlest of hints. Instead, I wanted to be a bitch.

It was something I was good at, and required far less thought than anything else. “Going great,” I said sarcastically. “Just doing some mild construction work.”

“Looks like it.”

I rolled my eyes and then looked at Holly, who was standing near the corner of my desk. With her mouth hanging open, she gazed beyond me, toward Baker. I wagged my eyes to get her attention, but she was impervious to my signals.

Eventually, I gave up and turned around. Baker’s beard was looking badass as usual, and his hair was brushed back and held in place with product. I dropped my gaze to his new boots, and then raked them up the length of his frame slowly. He looked delicious. When our eyes met, I fought not to show emotion. “I’m guessing you’ve been busy?”

He nodded. “I have.”

“Figured as much,” I said snidely.

He pushed his hands into his front pockets. “I’ve been looking out of state at a few business ventures. One of the reasons I’m here, actually.”

“You came for business advice?”

“No,” he said. “I need a manager. In Arizona. I was wondering if you’d be interested.”

I wrinkled my nose. “In what?”

“Managing a sandwich shop.”

I cocked my head to the side dramatically. “In Arizona?”

“Flagstaff, to be exact.”

I cocked it to the other side, just as dramatically. “I’d be working for you?”