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Suddenly I’d had enough. I needed this job, and I was eager to make a good impression, but I wasn’t some mealymouthed “yes” girl who would happily put up with this jerk’s bad mood. I damn well had a right to be treated with professional courtesy.
“Yes, sir,” I snapped, stiffening as I shouldered my purse and headed for the door. My dignified departure was somewhat ruined when my heel caught on an exposed nail and I stumbled.
“You okay?” Dominic asked. And suddenly he was close enough so that I could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave.
“Fine,” I muttered and straightened to smooth my skirt out, even though there was no reason to do so. I hadn’t fallen; all I’d done was prove that Dominic was right. I didn’t have a good reason to stick around in the middle of a renovation zone. “But I still think I’ll take your advice and find a nice desk at Espo 1.”
Dominic raked a hand through his black hair and sighed. The two contractors had lost interest and were assessing the installation site.
“Listen,” he said quietly, “sorry about the attitude. As you can see, this is chaos right now.”
“I understand.”
“Gio can get you all set up at Espo 1 for the time being. I’m moving as fast as I can, but the office space won’t be ready for at least a week, so you can tell him I said you don’t need to worry about coming back here for a while.”
“Okay. I won’t worry about it.”
He flashed a sudden smile. I really wished he hadn’t. That smile caused all kinds of confusing things to erupt inside of me.
“Well,” I said, straightening to my full five-foot-four-in-heels height and trying to sound as crisp and proficient as possible, “I appreciate the chance to work with you, Dominic. I’m looking forward to it.”
Dominic nodded absently. “Nice meeting you, Melanie,” he said and then turned his back. It wasn’t quite the sentiment I was looking for, but it would have to do.
“Hey,” he called just before I stepped outside. “Do me a favor and prop the door open.”
I picked up a nearby brick and placed it at the base of the open door. Then I stood on the other side of the threshold and paused for a moment. The dusty interior of the restaurant must have really gotten to me because I felt a little light-headed. After a few deep breaths, the feeling passed.
Just before I walked away, I turned around one final time. Once I was outside in the sun, I couldn’t get a clear view, but I could have sworn I saw Dominic Esposito turn his head sharply, almost like he’d been watching me and didn’t want to get caught.
The idea made my cheeks flame, and I hurried back to my parked car.
