No worries my ass.
“Are you absolutely sure? It is imperative that we stay on schedule on this. We can’t afford any delays at this point.”
“No worries, boss.”
I shook my head. It was still odd to hear Howard, who had worked for my father for decades, call me boss. But I wrote the paychecks, so I guess it made sense. “If I don’t worry, who is going to make sure everything doesn’t get fucked up?”
“Me. Max. I’ve told you this a time or two, Cane—relax a little. Trust us. You are so hard-headed, just like your old man used to be.”
I blew out a breath and swallowed hard, not wanting to go there. “You know I had you put on this job because it’s the most important one. I want the expansion of Benjamin Estates done on time and with no corners cut. I need you to make that happen.”
“I’m on it. I’ll bitch out Franklin for calling you. I was on the phone getting everything figured out when he decided we couldn’t handle this on our own.”
“Let me know if you have any problems. I’ll be by early in the morning to make sure everything is kosher.”
“Will do.”
I ended the call before tossing my phone on the passenger seat.
I needed to make sure I was there before the guys in the morning. That’s what Dad would have done. He led by example and that’s why everyone respected him. He kept calm, made rational decisions and didn’t get worked up. Unfortunately for me, my maternal DNA was a little stronger than his.
Treat me good, I’ll treat you better. Treat me bad, I’ll treat you worse.
I saw that in a bar in Newport shortly before my world flipped upside down. I liked the little motto that had been carved into a wooden table and it had stayed with me. It appealed to the side of me that was more like her, the side of me that was a pure hedonist.
Fuck her.
I tossed my sunglasses beside my phone as I glanced at the clock.
7:54 PM
I briefly considered turning around and heading back to the restaurant and to the beautiful brunette that pretended like she didn’t want me. Traffic was a motherfucker and it would be an hour to get back in the other direction, so I continued towards home.
I zipped through the lanes, weaving in and out of the cars, my driving a little erratic; it mirrored my thoughts. I had spent less than thirty minutes with Jada and now my mind was focused on her?
What the fuck? This is not how I operate.
She told me no. I shook my head, a grin touching my lips.
I jumped off the freeway and meandered through the streets before taking a left into my subdivision. The cookie-cutter houses annoyed me as they always did.
The idea of it—each house the same but in various color schemes—was the epitome of what I hated. They were just like people, all the same underneath their personal color palette. When you broke ninety-nine percent of people down, they were all assholes. Some people just covered it up a little better.
I arrived home and walked into my house. The warm scent of baked goods met me at the door. Although Penny was originally hired to clean up and do laundry, over the years she had taken pity on me. Very rarely did I come home on a day she had been by and not find a cake or cookies in the kitchen. She said I needed a mother; I said I would keep paying her salary.
My phone buzzed in my hand as I walked across the tile floor. “Hey, Max.”
“Was everything okay in Queen Creek?”
“Yeah, Howard took care of it. In more interesting news, how’s my girl?” A cheeky grin broke over my face.
“Your girl?” Max sounded confused. “I don’t know. Did Miriam text you?”
“Miriam? I mean Jada.” I flopped down on the black leather couch, my thoughts drifting back to her bright green eyes.
Max chuckled loudly. “I’m pretty sure she shut you down, man. That asshole thing you have going on turns some people off. Shocker, I know, but you should reconsider that. You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
“Don’t start your southern boy shit with me now. She’s just doing that little passive-aggressive thing some women do. She wants me. It was written all over her.”
“I thought she may like you, but I’m not sure she does.” His voice was full of amusement, enjoying the fact that Jada didn’t fall all over herself to get with me like women normally did.
“She does. Trust me, she does.”
“The most troubling times in my life are when I trust you.”
“They are also the most memorable.”
“Speaking of which, I’m not going to Payson with you this weekend. Kari has some movie she wants to go see and I told her I’d take her.”
“You’re ditching a weekend at my cabin with all of the Coronas you can drink for a weekend with her? I’m losing my faith in you,” I said, shaking my head.