“Oh, and one quick thing,” Janice speaks up again, her eyes darting between me and Jesse with a sparkle that’s hard to miss. “Hayden’s pie is amazing. As much as I hate to admit it, it might even be better than mine.”
Both of the older Enders men raise their eyebrows at the admission, but neither says a word. They don’t dare.
“If you’re going to date someone…” She points a finger at Jesse. “At least be sure she can make a damn pie without cheating. Because if she’ll cheat there, Lord knows where else she’ll cheat.”
At that, Al groans and reaches for the ladle of the gnocchi-looking things I can no longer remember the name of. “Jesus, woman, let’s just eat already.”
Chapter 21
JESSE
“You cutting out soon?” Craig asks when we get back to the shop Friday afternoon, the job at Murphy’s finally complete.
I assume he means to grab Jett from Green Bay, so I shake my head. “Nope, not my weekend.” Though, I’m hoping for at least a few hours with him at some point over the next couple of days. It’d be a shame not to take advantage of him and Hayden still being in town like this.
“Is that her car in the front lot?” Craig lifts his chin toward the building.
We pulled around to the fleet yard out back to unload the equipment and gas up for Monday, and I was kind of hoping no one would notice her SUV. Mostly I don’t want anyone asking why she’s here—thus, having to admit I’ve fallen so far behind—but partly because I know everyone’s going to have questions that I don’t have the answers to.
“Yeah, she’s using the internet for work.”
“Huh.” Craig leans against the truck and smirks.
“What?”
“Just interesting that she’s in town.” But from the way he’s eyeing me, his curiosity runs deeper than that.
“What’s so interesting about it? Her family has property here.” Property she hasn’t visited in four years, but that’s beside the point.
“I’m aware. I just mean it’s interesting that she splits up with the guy she’s been with forever and then comes straight here.”
How the hell… “Who told you that?”
He lifts a hand. “Rumors fly in small towns like this, man, you know that.”
Yeah, but I don’t like them flying about her. “Do me a favor and tell whoever’s talking to shut their friggin’ mouth.”
Craig laughs, his big chest shaking. “Wow, man.”
“Don’t even think about reading into that.”
“Too late.” He pushes off the truck and shakes his head. “Just be careful. You were already the rebound once, you know what I mean?”
Heat slides up the back of my neck and my jaw hardens. “First of all, there’s nothing going on with me and Hayden. Second, she’s the mother of my son, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t stoop to the level of whoever’s talking shit about her and do the same. We clear?”
His eyes widen as he raises his hands in the air. “We’re good, man. Didn’t mean to overstep.”
“Good.” He may be my best employee and a damn good friend, but that doesn’t give him license to say whatever the hell he feels like saying. “Now, let’s get these hogs gassed up so we can get the hell out of here.”
Forty-five minutes later, I head into the rear entrance of Enders Excavating with a handful of time sheets from the guys at the Murphy job.
The second and third crews should be wrapping up any time now, too, and they’ll drop their sheets through the slot on the back door like always, which I could very well do, too, knowing Greta will collect them on Sunday.
Bringing them inside is just my excuse to see Hayden, since I haven’t seen her for more than a few minutes since we had dinner with my parents on Tuesday night.
She’s only been helping out for four days, alongside her own job, so I don’t expect she’s tidied up all of my shit just yet. Or maybe I just hope she hasn’t, because I kind of like knowing she’s all up in my space, making herself at home.
I hear her typing away as I approach the office from the back. Faint music plays, too. A soft country song about remembering every little thing. The sultry vibe is one-hundred percent Hayden, and the image I conjure up in my head is exactly what I find when I step into the open doorway.
Her blonde hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, with loose, wispy strands flowing over her neck. She’s angled away from the door, giving me her back and allowing me a moment to appreciate how one side of her top falls from her shoulder, revealing lightly sun-kissed skin.
She sighs softly, pauses at the keyboard, and stretches that pretty neck from one side to the other, before getting back to work and humming along to the song.
I almost don’t want to interrupt her. I’d much rather stand here and watch… but not as much as I’d like to toss these damn time sheets, stalk over, and place my lips on that pretty neck of hers.
All week, I’ve thought about getting her alone again. Not only because I’m waiting on that green light, but because I friggin’ miss her, too.
“If you’re debating whether or not you should bother me, let me remind you that this is still your office.” She spins in the chair to face me and, Jesus Christ, she’s wearing glasses. The sexy, dark-framed librarian kind.
“You looked like you’re in the middle of something. Didn’t want to interrupt.” I shuffle the papers from one hand to the other. “Just need to put these on Greta’s desk.” Speaking of which… where is all of the shit that had been on mine?
Hayden follows my gaze to the spot where the tallest pile had been stacked. She grins and crooks a finger at me. “Come here. Let me show you what I’ve done.”
I’m almost afraid to find out.
“I’ve sorted through everything. Most of it I’ve also scanned in, so you’ll have a digital copy, as well.” She shifts her laptop to the side and clicks around on my computer for a second, bringing up a screen with a bunch of organized files. “I also brought Greta the invoices and she promised she’d take care of the most pressing ones right away. There were only two that were past due, so I called the vendors and explained that things have been a little crazy—”
“You called?” Holy shit. “And what do you mean you brought Greta the invoices?”
She blinks, then bites her bottom lip, almost like she expects I’m going to reprimand her. Which I might, because she’s obviously done way more than I expected.
“Greta called earlier and said her husband wasn’t feeling well. She didn’t know if she’d make it in today. She said she’d try to come in tonight, but I didn’t think you’d want her to worry about it if she’s dealing with things at home. So, I brought her what she needed, instead. I also grabbed lunch for them, since she seemed stressed. As far as calling the vendors, I thought it might help. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“Hayden…” Overstep? Fuck that green light, I want to kiss her all over her damn face. “I’m not mad. It’s just… you really didn’t need to do that.”