Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 99748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“Hey, Chrissy. I brought cupcakes from Mom’s bakery for the office.” I don’t tell her that there’s a special one just for her, as much as Mom would’ve liked for me to. I’ll leave it to chance, especially since it was surprisingly pretty good.
“Thanks. I want to talk about Township.”
Chrissy sits down behind Jed’s big desk, looking small in the large chair that Jed filled out. I make myself at home in one of the other chairs and wait for her to make the first move.
I’m expecting her to ask questions about deadlines, designs, and maybe some delivery dates. But that’s not at all what she asks . . .
“Does it have to be those tacky little town houses?”
“Uhm, what?” I’m sure I misheard her. I had to have. I try to think of something else to ask, but what comes out again is, “What?”
She wiggles her chair back and forth, not quite spinning but going right to left and left to right, as she hums thoughtfully. “I don’t know. They’re just so . . . boring. And didn’t seem particularly well-built. Like they’d probably fall apart in a windstorm.”
“One held up to you trying to drive a skid steer through it. That stunt of yours only cost us into five figures to fix. You know, no big fucking deal.” Is sarcasm the ideal way to talk to my new boss? Probably not. Do I give a fuck? No. Especially when she’s insulting the workmanship of my guys and me.
“Touché. I was mad,” she offers by way of explanation, like that makes it all okay.
“Lady, you were wild and out of control,” I declare, stopping short of what I want to say only by a hairbreadth. “And your actions put the entire site at risk. My site, my crews, and that won’t happen again.” If nothing else, I want to make that crystal clear. And you can bet I’ll be documenting it in writing later to cover my own ass.
Her cheeks go red, but I’m not sure if she’s embarrassed or angry with me now. “Sorry,” she bites out.
The bitchiness still doesn’t tell me which way she’s leaning, but if she’s mad at me now, this work relationship is only gonna get worse. And so help her if she comes after me like she did that town house or Jed. I won’t be nearly as nice, and she will end up in the back of Officer Milson’s cruiser when I press charges.
Having apparently made the only amends she’s going to make, she goes back to talking about Township. “The ones that are built are fine, I guess, but can’t we do something? What about if we combined some on the back streets or something to make them bigger? Or did some beautiful colors on the outside so they’re not all sterile and white? We need to add some pizzazz.” She moves her hands through the air like she’s drawing a rainbow or some shit, and I wonder if she’s always this annoying. “What do you think?”
I think it sounds like someone’s been on Pinterest a bit too much and is distracting themselves from not knowing a thing about the business with pretty details that don’t matter a lick.
“I think that’s stupid as hell,” I say honestly. This is a test of how we’re going to work together. Or not.
Chrissy’s smile falls instantly, and her mouth drops open in offense. “Excuse me?”
I lean forward in my seat, putting my elbows on my knees to look directly into Chrissy’s eyes. “Look, I’m gonna be honest with you, and I hope you can appreciate the gift that my honesty is. Not because my opinion is worth shit, but because I’ve got experience you don’t, and you pay me to give it. And seeing as this is our first meeting, we need to set some ground rules.”
I’m a good boss, but I’m also a no-nonsense bastard, and Chrissy needs to know that.
Her response is to blink blankly.
“As far as Township is concerned, it’s a done deal,” I tell her sternly. “The plans are drawn, the plots are surveyed, and the materials are ordered. The contract needs to be re-signed, the permits approved, and then we’ll get the crews back on-site to finish it as quickly as we can to open it up for sales. Changing it midbuild is a waste of time and resources that’ll only cost money in the long run. Money you don’t have right now.”
Chrissy falls back in her chair, crossing her arms and glaring at me. I can almost see the pouty Karen coming out of her. “How do you know what I have?” she challenges.
I rise from my chair, having gotten what I need. “If that’s all you got out of what I said, then I know everything I need to. Good luck.”