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“Sorry about before. I wanted to make ya uncomfortable, didn’t want to scare the shit out of ya.”
It took serious work to keep the irritation off my face. “Yes, well from now on we’ll either meet here or in my office. Since you can’t be trusted.” I gave him a significant look and he laughed, rubbing his neck again.
“Deal. Just… if ya see her around, don’t tell my wife. She’s my electrician on staff. She’ll kick my ass six ways from Sunday for pullin’ that kinda thing.”
Smirking, I nodded. “Deal. Here’s my card, if anything comes up that you’re concerned about or you have questions, feel free to call. I almost always have my phone on me unless I’m in a meeting and I return calls within twenty four hours.”
His brow furrowed. “Anyone ever told you you work too much?
ChapterSixteen
Once Carl left,I pushed to my feet, my knees still a little weak from the scare earlier. The thought of going upstairs again made me nauseous but I sucked it up, putting the paperwork away in my briefcase and drawing in a deep breath. I knew my office was safe enough, I’d just need to get over myself and the stupid fear I’ve had since–
Nope. Not going there. Shaking my head, I strode to the elevator, almost forgetting Jaime was behind me. He’d been silent throughout the whole meeting. I didn’t look at him, he was behind me for the most part, but I figured he was on his phone and wasn’t paying any attention to the exchange.
“You’re good.”
I frowned, looking over my shoulder at him. “What do you mean?”
Coming to stand next to me, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I mean not many lawyers would take the time to explain a contract like that. Sometimes it feels like they put all that complicated mumbo jumbo in the contracts just to confuse people like me and Carl. You walked him through the whole thing without being condescending. I’ve never met a lawyer like you.”
The door to the elevator opened and I did my best not to grimace at the stupid window in the back. Turning my back on it, I looked up at the numbers as we ascended.
“According to other lawyers, I’m really bad at my job. I don’t take jobs I don’t feel I’m suited for, I don’t allow for verbal contracts, and I don’t swindle workers to benefit their employer. But that’s just who I am. I never liked how my family treated others and I refused to be part of it. I’d originally intended to be a public defender but…”
But there was no way I’d be able to stay out of reach of my father in a job like that. I needed the paycheck and the protection that came with big clients because they’d make a fuss if he dragged me away. It’s why I was always working. He’d never find an opening when I wasn’t working to try and take me. And yes, I wholeheartedly believe if he got the chance, he’d snatch me off the street to get me to do what he wanted.
“But life happens. Yeah, I get it. I’m the same.”
When I lifted an eyebrow at him, he chuckled. “Believe it or not but being security for my cousin wasn’t what I dreamed about when I was a kid. It’s just the way things work.”
We were getting dangerously into personal territory but I couldn’t help myself. “What did you dream about being?”
He shook his head, grinning. “Nope. I’m not telling you that. You’ll make fun of me. You want that story, you gotta earn it.”
Rolling my eyes, I stepped out of the elevator and headed toward my office. I had to finish up the paperwork and move on to the next contract on the list that needed fixing.
Jaime followed me, sitting in his spot by the door. I eyed him carefully, my eyes narrowed as I sat at my desk. He must’ve felt it because he glanced up, raising an eyebrow at me.
“What?”
“You knew you’d need to be there, didn’t you?”
A slow grin passed over his face. “Maybe.” When I scowled, he laughed, putting his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. Yes. I’ve hung out with the construction crew before and I knew how Carl felt about the guys upstairs. I didn’t want him causing you trouble.”
Well, that wasn’t easily avoided. I flashed him a suspicious look. “Did you know he was bringing me to the open site?”
Jaime’s face darkened almost instantly, all hints of his amusement disappearing into thin air. “No and I’ll be talking with him about it later. He shouldn’t have treated you like that.”
His disposition changed so suddenly that it surprised me. He did that a lot, surprising me. He was sweet and kind, flirtatious and funny, but he also went dark and dangerous at the drop of a hat. He kept me on my toes and I reminded myself yet again that I couldn’t start something with him. The list of reasons on why it’d be a terrible idea was vast and I wasn’t risking my career. Not even for a man like Jaime.
* * *
The next fewweeks were pretty much the same. I went over the contracts, fixed them to best suit both parties, cleared it with both sides, and started again. It kept me busy and I felt like I was really accomplishing something with each matter I fixed. Liam stopped needing me to check in so often and the workers I dealt with seemed at ease with me. I got a few phone calls here and there about their concerns but they were pretty simple fixes and I brought them to Liam if I really felt I needed to but otherwise I handled them myself.
I worked long hours and almost always ended up on the last train but Jaime stopped complaining about it. In fact, he hasn’t complained once since I first got here. He met me every morning, escorted me to work and back, and accompanied me to every meeting. The workers seemed to like him so I couldn’t complain about it and Liam let up on him having to be in the same room as me after a while. So long as I wasn’t leaving the building, I was fine to be on my own and he only came to hang out with me in my office if I was working late and he had nothing better to do.
My phone rang and when I saw who it was, I rolled my eyes. I’ve been dodging her phone calls all day but I knew she wouldn’t leave me alone until I answered.
