“Sure, if you want to,” he said casually, hiding his enthusiasm. Watching the sunrise with Hailey beat looking at Christmas paraphernalia any day. Sitting on a picnic table with her in the near dark had definite appeal as well. “Let’s take my truck so we don’t miss it.” He straightened his shoulders, thrilled to be going out with her. Thankfully, he’d vacuumed out the wood shavings and wiped up the dust at the carwash.
Jesse spread the heavy denim quilt on the table in the spot they’d been sharing most mornings and held their breakfast and drinks while Hailey climbed up and covered her legs.
“Your turn.” She reached for the cups.
They didn’t talk, they just enjoyed the beauty of the morning while the sun rose, streaking the clouds with dusky oranges, purples and fuchsia.
“Should be warmer today with all those clouds.” He stifled a groan. Weather commentary? Was that the best he could do?
“I could use a bit of warm weather after the last few days.”
“Me too. And Rover as well.”
“Where is he? He’s usually with you in the morning.
“At home, outside. Mom doesn’t like him in her house.” His house, actually, he’d long since paid off the mortgage and his mother had signed it over to him.
“Oh, it’s so cold.”
Jesse chuckled. “You’re a softie. He’s a husky. He loves the snow and the cold. He’s got a heated, insulated dog house if he gets a chill.”
“You should bring him to work with you. He’d love it.”
“You don’t need my dog in your shop.” Rover would love it; he was a people person. Crazy dog never met a human he didn’t adore, especially Hailey. Like master, like dog. “I can bring him, if you want.”
“Let’s go get him now.” She hopped off the table and started for the truck.
Her enthusiasm was infectious. He scooped up the blanket and hurried after her, sunrise forgotten.
Rover jumped obediently into the back seat and grinned at Hailey. All those hours of obedience training had paid off. He could take his dog anywhere and be certain the Husky would behave. Jesse closed the door behind his dog and climbed in the front seat.
Hailey had unbuckled and leaned between the seats to reach Rover. “Who’s a good boy?” She hugged his pet and patted him roughly, just the way he loved it. “We’re going to work and you’re coming. You’ll have so much fun.”
Rover barked once in agreement. She hugged him again, making Jesse jealous.
“Good boy.” She slid back into her seat. “I love your dog.”
“Yeah, me too.” He smiled sappily at her. Fortunately, she was looking down to fasten her seatbelt and didn’t notice. “More coffee?”
“Absolutely. I’ll make a fresh pot at the store. I’m on a budget.”
“To the store it is.” He wondered if she was trying not to embarrass him by spending money, or if she really was watching her pennies.
* * *
“If you’re goingto help with the demolition, you need to be safe.” He handed her a hardhat and safety glasses. He was the site foreman, and while the ideas were hers, the work was his domain and he insisted on all his employees being safe.
“Seriously?” She wrinkled her nose but put them on without further complaint.
“Adorable.” He tapped her lightly on the nose. The large hat and oversized glasses did nothing to dim his attraction to her.
“You don’t look so bad yourself. Why all the gear? We didn’t need it yesterday.” She cocked her head to one side.
“The hat no, but I wore goggles every time I made a cut. Woodworking and power tools need glasses. I got sawdust and a tiny sliver in my eye when I was a teen. It took weeks to heal. Demo is even worse. It’s full of dust and debris. We may even need dust masks, depending on how carried away you get.”
“You’re very serious about safety.”
Her praise felt good. “Deadly serious. Nobody who works for me goes unprotected.” Shoot. He’d slipped up. He meant to say nobody who workedwithhim.
