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“So what happens if the project goes over forty a week? Do my guys get paid overtime?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. Let me check.” She pulled her cheater glasses from her purse and perched them on her nose before scanning the documents in the dim light. “No, it doesn’t cover that. They are considered ancillary and do not get any increased stipend. I assume Dad would continue to pay regular overtime hours though.”
“You assume? Would my crew have any hour limits? Like max ten a day?”
“No. They’d agree to work until the required task was done.”
“I can’t sign this.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You are asking me to sign away their rights and protections. These guys will be taking the brunt of the workload, and this doesn’t even guarantee they will get paid what they’re making now. Did you talk about any of this with Dom?”
The truth rankled, but she hadn’t seen this pitfall, and she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her father since he’d dropped off the contract on Monday.
“I’m sure it’s just an oversight.”
“I can’t sign this without his assurances, and I need to talk to the guys first.”
“Damn it.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and calculated delays. “I can’t imagine your guys will be called on to do all that much overtime. Your projects always run on time.”
“But this contract says that if we do run late, we have no choice but to stay until it’s done. These men have lives, families, and second jobs that may suffer. They deserve the right to choose.” His voice had gone hard, and she realized she’d sounded pushy and petulant. Just because she wanted to move the contracts through quickly and without too much scrutiny didn’t mean it was the right thing for everyone involved. That realization didn’t make it any easier to tamp down her frustrations.
“You’re right. Of course they do. I just thought I’d be able to get these contracts done today.”
She looked up and took off her glasses. An almost wistful grin stretched his face, and that damn dimple that made her knees weak was winking at her.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” She wiped her upper lip.
“No,querida, I just like the way you look in glasses. I’ve always had a thing for smart women.”
Jesus, laying it on a little thick…Enough was enough. “Listen, you don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Compliment me, call me beautiful or gorgeous orquerida. It’s crap and you know it.”
He paused for a moment, and in that silence Sofia watched confusion turn to frustration.
“But it’s what I see.”
“Oh, please. Look at me.” She gestured to the body she loved and hated daily. Since Gabe had died and her well-organized world had fallen apart, she’d gained thirty pounds. On her already petite frame, this had pushed her from curvy to overweight. She hated not fitting into her cute clothes anymore, but buying new ones in a larger size felt like giving up. She couldn’t let herself get comfortable at the weight she was now, and the pinching waistbands and gapping shirts made sure she felt every unwanted inch. Sweaters were the only thing that covered her well enough to hide her ill-fitting jeans.
She needed to get serious about losing the weight. Tomorrow. Next week, for sure. But right now, she just needed him to stop reminding her of everything she’d lost.
“You can’t fire me, right?”
“No, I can’t.”
He sat silent for another moment, and she could almost see him weighing his words.
“Then I will tell you exactly what I see when I look at you. I see tempting blue-gray eyes that sparkle with intelligence and humor behind glasses that make me dream about naughty librarians. I see sexy blonde hair that you wear pulled back in a tight ponytail too often, making my hands itch to let it down. I get distracted when you walk into the room. Every curve makes me want to look, to touch, to savor. I see a pretty girl I used to know who has grown into a beautiful woman I’d like to know better.”
She had no words, no response, no idea that those thoughts had been hiding behind his casual endearments. She had no script for this situation because never in a million years could she have seen this coming. Her mouth dropped open but nothing came out past the lump of lust in her throat.
He shook his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget it, and I will call you Fi like everyone else. No. No, I can’t give you the nickname of a poodle. But I will watch my words.” He rose from the table and gathered up the papers she’d brought for him. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll talk to my guys tonight, and let you know about the contracts in the morning.”
Before she could marshal her whirling thoughts into phrases, he was gone.Damn it!He’d gone and crossed her wires, but he hadn’t given her a chance to untangle her tongue.
