“Just a couple sugars and a little bit of cream or milk. If you get it on the side, I can fix it myself. And yes, something to eat. Anything. Carbs. I’m starving.”
I plant a kiss on her forehead and dress, making quick work of getting caffeine and food for Abby.
I check in on a few work tasks while I hunt and gather things for the woman waiting for me in bed. The marble guy’s daughter is still sick, so the countertops are still delayed. The painting is done. We’re waiting on the custom tile Doug and Marissa chose. I gave my guys the day off, knowing there wasn’t enoughfor them to do and the new custom cabinets aren’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow.
Supposed to. But an email in my inbox tells me otherwise.
“Why the fuck were these delivered today?” I mutter to myself, piling a plate with fruit and pastries for Abby.Well, that’s annoying.I’m going to have to go to the house today.
When I get back to the room, Abby is sitting up in bed, her hair pulled into a neat ponytail, her face a bit dewy, like she put some kind of product on it. She looks beautiful, but frankly, she could smear her face with mud and I’d still find her beautiful.
She happily accepts the tray of goodies I’ve brought—coffee, fruit, cheeses and meats, pastries, scrambled eggs, and bacon. It’s for both of us, but she gets first dibs.
She digs in, eating like she hasn’t seen food in weeks.
I sit on the edge of the bed. “Hey, so I?—”
My phone starts to ring. I don’t recognize the number, but that’s not uncommon
“Sorry, one sec.” I stand and move to stand near the window so I’m not taking the call in her ear. “This is Miles.”
It’s the cabinet guy, confirming everything was delivered today.
“Sí, pero la fecha de entrega era mañana.”
He tells me this is better; an arrival a day early is better than a day late. He would normally be right, but I took the day off today and I hadn’t intended to go in to work. Now I have to.
I glance over at Abby, who is staring at me, slack-jawed.
“Sí, está bien. Gracias. Adiós.”
I hang up. There’s nothing for it. I have to go in today.
“Hey, so—” I start but Abby interrupts.
“You speak Spanish?”
“Yeah?”
She continues to stare at me, her mouth open in a surprised O. “What the hell? Since when?”
“When I got into construction, I noticed I was having trouble communicating with my Spanish-speaking coworkers, and then when I became a foreman, it got harder because I wasn’t just socializing. I would have to rely on someone else to translate, and I’m too impatient to wait for a translator, so I learned Spanish. Took a few classes and made the effort when I was on a job to actually talk to the native speakers, and here we are. I’m not totally fluent, but it has made my life a hell of a lot easier working here in Mexico.”
“Wow,” she half whispers.
Did I impress Abby?I square my shoulders, feeling taller.
“Well, hey, I have to go in to work.”
“Yeah, it’s…it’s Monday, right?” She shrugs. “I figured you would be going in.”
“Well, I wasn’t supposed to. But something came up and I need to swing by. I don’t know what your plans are for the day, but would you like to come with me?”
Abby pauses mid-bite, a smile creeping over her face. “That actually sounds really fun. I would love to see what you do for work.”
“I’m going to go shower and change, and I’ll let you finish eating and do the same. We’ll leave in an hour?”
She gives me a thumbs-up, mouth full of croissant, and I nab a slice of bacon and a Danish before disappearing back to my room.
