AllFreeNovel
Share Us
According to Klein, she had to go back to New York to pick up a few things and make arrangements for her absence there. Perhaps let a boyfriend know to water her plants or feed the cat. Who knows? Once I gave him the go-ahead for keeping her on the project, she decided she would be staying in Somerset Harbor. Certainly makes for a better commute for her and it’s great for going forward because I imagine once she knows the drive to the job site, she won’t run behind. But for today, I am annoyed. Hopefully, she will not make a habit of being late.
It is not good for team morale for my construction crew to see me standing around doing nothing while I wait for her. Sure, I’m their boss, but they need to see me work, too. So, I screw around on my phone to look busy.
Just as I’m ready to text her, I hear one of the guys let out a low, quiet whistle. A few of them are staring in the same direction like a bunch of lemmings. I turn around to see what they’re looking at, and it’s Elsie. Not that I blame them.
She shows up at the job site wearing boots, tight jeans, and a fitted black T-shirt, nothing too professional. But shedoeslook like she’s ready to work. For that matter, she looks like she’s about to strip and pose for a construction crew’s nudie calendar. But she also has a bulky crossbody bag slung over her shoulder, so I forget the calendar fantasy and focus on what might be in the bag.
It’s hard, though. I have never been this distracted by a woman in all my life. After I left her the other day, I couldn’t stop thinking of her. And that pink lace. When I returned, a faint whiff of her perfume had haunted my office until I opened the window and replaced it with the sea breeze. There is no point in getting hung up on Elsie Braudel. A woman as beautiful as she is must have a significant other. Or if not, she must enjoy the single life. Either way, she is not for me.
Not to mention the fact we will be working together for the foreseeable future. I do not need to complicate matters for the resort. Things are complicated enough as they are.
She strolls straight to me, ignoring the other guys. Her sunglasses hide those pretty blue eyes, sadly. “Good morning, Beau.”
“Good morning, Elsie. You’re late.”
“Yes, by three minutes, but it’ll be worth it. I brought Trigger.” She pats the bag on her hip.
“Trigger?”
“My drone.”
I chuckle. “You named your drone after Will Rogers’ horse?”
She frowns. “I named her after Willie Nelson’s guitar. Ready to get started?”
Never would have guessed that in a million years. I literally never know what is going to come out of this woman’s mouth. It is bothersome, and yet, I almost like that she is unpredictable. Odd. Normally, I prefer predictability.
“Uh, sure.” We begin our walk so she can get pictures and examine the site lines. “The crew has finished most of the groundworks, as you’ll see. The surveys have shown the land is stable, no contamination. We were able to work with the local authorities for the tree removal, no problems there...” I go on about the details and can’t help but wonder if she wore the tee shirt to prevent me from seeing down her blouse again.
I am being paranoid. Probably.
For all I know, she wore it to prevent the construction crew from being able to check her out. But I’ve worked around these guys long enough to know that most of them have X-ray vision and X-rated imaginations. There is nothing she could wear that would stop them from their fantasies.
When she pulls out the drone, one of the guys pops by. He smiles. “I can help you fly that, if you’d like.”
I shoot him a glare, but he doesn’t notice. So, I point out, “Ricky, don’t you have a backhoe to drive?”
“I’m on a break,” he says to me without taking his eyes off of her.
Elsie smiles, but there is something sinister in it. She’s pissed. “So, you drive backhoesanddrones? You have range.”
He chuckles. “I’m a bit of a renaissance man. Here, I’ll—"
But she keeps the controller in her hands. “Can you fly a Freetel Alto Dual-evo 1040X quadcopter with thermal imaging resolution, obstacle avoidance, a 3.5:1 thrust ratio, and DoD compliance? Have you, I mean?”
“Well, no, but I’m sure I can get the hang of it. I can drive anything. Let me give it a shot.”
“Give it a shot?” That ominous smile is frozen on her face. “My drone costs more than your backhoe, Ricky, so that’s gonna be a no from me, but thanks for the offer. I’ve got it.” She keeps walking.
It is all I can do not to laugh at him or yell at him, so I catch up to her. “Sorry for his—"
“No worries. I get it all the time. Guys see a shiny new toy, and they want to play with it, or, barring that, they want to impress a woman in front of their friends.” She shrugs. “No need for you to apologize, Beau. What about that hill there? Do you think...” Elsie goes on, as though Ricky’s behavior doesn’t even bug her.
But it bugs me. “I’ll have a talk with Ricky. That was unprofessional of him.”
She stares for a beat. “You’re still stuck on that?”
“He was rude, not to mention the fact that he has a job to do.”
