Page 10 of Sunset Catchers

I mean, I just thought he was here to make sure I wasn’t a con artist taking advantage of an elderly. Not that I’d have to work with the guy.

For several weeks.

Way to miss the obvious when it’s staring you in the face with amused eyes from across the table.

“He helped me with projects in my own home. He’s good.” Her grandmotherly pride melts my frustration toward Levi, just the tiniest bit.

“Well, that’s great.” The words leave a bad taste in my mouth.

“I’m sure you’ll make the best team,” she reassures me.

“Totally.” I fix a fake, amicable smile on. Kit is none the wiser, but when I look at the culprit of my demise, he, on the other hand, is not fooled at all. Welp, the dial to my irritation level gets set to high again.

Kit pushes up from her chair.

“I’ll let you two get acquainted and go over your schedule. I have an appointment to get too. Thank you again, Winnie, for such a great job.” The smile I aim at her is genuine. She turns to Levi, and says sternly, “A word, dear.”

Someone’s in trouble.

I roll my lips together to keep from smirking. While they are chatting away, I start gathering my belongings to put them back in my tote bag.

My ears perk up at the sound of muffled voices.

“Be a gentleman, please.”

“Always am,” Levi replies.

I know he’s back to staring at me because his eyes are trying their best to poke a hole in my face. As soon as we hear the front door closing shut, I drop my act. I take in the cookies with longing one last time, then take on the few steps to reach Levi, who’s casually leaning in the doorway.

I am a professional. This is my job.

I keep the bite out of my words as much as possible when I say: “If you are free after lunch, we could meet up at the cottages and go over the plans to see if anything needs adjusting and to set up a timeline.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Great.” I make a move to go pass him, gritting my teeth when he blocks me.

“We got on the wrong foot.”

“No shit,” I say, eying him with pinched brows, “And whose fault is that?”

“I’ll admit that if I’d just been honest from the get-go, the situation might not have turned out so messy.”

Wow. Stellar conclusion on his end. I offer him a sarcastic thumbs up. His nostrils flare.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” he adds.

I school my features into a blank expression. I’m not saying a thing. Let him grovel; it’ll do him some good. He brings one of his hands over the back of his neck, rustling the hair there, uncomfortable.

“So, err, could we start over? We do have to work together for the next few weeks. We should play nice. It’s not even that serious.”

I rear back, the words landing like a condescending double tap against my cheek.

Yeah, so, wrong fucking thing to say to me.

This stud has another thing coming his way.

I take another step toward him to put us face to, well neck cause the guy is taller than me; it’s just semantics.