Beautifully Broken

He starts to walk by me, and I quickly give way. “I’m Nina Jackson. Don’t you need any of my information?”

He keeps walking. “I have your name. I’ll be paying cash, so I don’t want to know any of your shit.”

I frown at his rudeness but still call after him, “Thank you for the chance.”

Taking a seat on the crate, I continue packing the nails, screws, and bolts where they belong. I’m so damn thankful I’ve worked in a hardware store before. I’m going to make this man eat every one of his words.

Chapter 29

DAMIAN

I drive away from Mrs. Perry’s house after fixing her fish tank. She got new lights, but they didn’t work. The problem was with the switch. A wire came loose, and it only took a minute to fix, so I didn’t charge her.

I think about the other job I have. It’ll take up most of my time for the next couple of weeks. Mr. Taylor is wheelchair-bound, and they want me to add a ramp for him at the back of the house. I also have to maintain the other ramps around and inside the house.

I stop at the hardware store so I can order some lumber and get other supplies. Walking in, I see Joshua behind the counter.

“Hey, Joshua,” I say as I take the measurements out of my pocket. “I just need a couple of things.”

“Sure,” he smiles at me.

“I’ll need these measurements in treated lumber for a wheelchair ramp over at Mr. Taylor’s place.”

Joshua takes the piece of paper I wrote all the measurements on and checks it. “I’d suggest you use screws. Nails will pull loose.”

That makes sense. I nod at him. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go with the screws.”

“I have some medium-length boards in the back, two by four. They should work well.” He starts to walk toward the back, then asks, “What are you going to use to make it non-slippery?”

“I was thinking grit tape. You have any?”

“I don’t have enough for this size ramp. I’ll have to order.” He stops in the back of the store, inspecting the lumber. “You’re going to need some thinner pieces for hand and guard rails.”

“Yes, you think you can get it all ready for me? Just give me a call, and I’ll swing by to pick it up.”

“Sure thing,” he grins, walking back to the counter. “Just write your number here.” He shoves a piece of paper my way, then yells, “Nina!”

I write down my name, Alex Jackson, along with my phone number and push the piece of paper back to him.

“Yes,” I hear a familiar voice behind me. Turning around, I frown when I see Cara.

What is she doing here?

“Go check how many packs of screws we have,” he barks at her, making my eyebrow dart up.

What the fuck?

Cara’s eyes dart from Joshua to me, and then she quickly disappears into the back.

“So,” I turn back to Joshua, “she’s working for you?”

“Who?” he asks, looking confused for a second. “Oh, you mean the woman? Nah, not for long. She came in here earlier asking for a job. Said she could do anything a man could.” He chuckles, and I don’t like the sound of it. “We’ll see how long she lasts.”

I don’t want to mess things up for Cara on her first day at a job, but I want to give Joshua a subtle warning. He better not mess with my woman.

Cara comes back, looking nervous, and she stays a safe distance from the counter. “Fourteen,” she says, trying to sound sure of herself, but the uncertain look in her eyes doesn’t escape my watchful gaze.

“Get back to work,” he barks at her again.

“Nina,” I say before she can dart to the back of the store. I walk right up to her, and taking hold of her chin, I watch her eyes widen. I press a kiss to her lips and then smile at her. “What time do you get off?”

“Five,” she squeaks.

“I’ll be outside.” I give her another kiss and then let her go. “We can grab something from the diner to celebrate your job, baby.”

“Okay,” she grins, and her eyes dart to Joshua, and the smile quickly fades before she darts to the back of the store.

“Later,” I say to Joshua, who’s gawking at us.

Let him try and fuck with her now.

CARA

It’s funny how nice people can be if they’re scared of your husband. Not that Damian is really my husband, but Joshua doesn’t know any different.

Joshua did a total one-eighty after the stunt Damian pulled, kissing me in front of him. So at least I’m not being treated like shit anymore, which is always a good thing.

I’ve worked my butt off, making sure there’s nothing Joshua can complain about.

The last thirty minutes really drags, and every time I look at the clock above the counter, only a minute has crawled by.