Until Arden

Chapter 8

Dash

Thelastfewweeks have passed like a maelstrom. The daily work seems to last forever, while the dates on the calendar whizz by with little regard for anything else.

Fortunately, my efforts seem to be paying off—on the building site and with Arden. I know she still needs time, and that our casual lunches have been a big step for her. But damn it, she’s making me crazier by the minute. Especially since the day I discovered her love of berry-flavored lip balm and learned they make her lips taste like heaven—even better than the chocolate shake kisses. Now I can’t seem to stop thinking about that, or the way she melted into me when I kissed her. My self-control is wearing thin, but I know she needs this time.

Much as I hate to admit it, I do too.

The shrill hum of drilling echoes from the next room, and I remind myself I need to focus on the house today. We’ve finally broken through all the delays and made it to the home stretch. Now, as they say, the devil is in the details, and I’ve had to spend the morning going over every aspect of the recent electrical work after a couple members of the crew alerted me to several careless mistakes. This is the third time Harry has brought along his apprentice, and with every encounter, I have to wonder why he’s still around. He’s only been here a couple of days, but with all the things he’s managed to fuck up, we’re skating on the razor’s edge of falling behind again. He thinks he knows everything until he fucks up, and then it’s someone else’s fault because he’s “only an apprentice.” And Harry is more than happy to cover for him and make excuses. It’s a big circle jerk between the two of them, leaving no one to address fucking problem.

After checking that Harry fixed everything in the master bedroom, I head to the kitchen to check on the installation of the cabinetry. The crew is installing the final pieces we’d been waiting on and preparing to bring in the countertops. I can’t believe it’s almost done after all the trouble and delays we’ve run into.

“Hey, Boss,” Jesse says. “We’re about done with the cabinets in here. Would you mind helping us haul in the countertops?”

“Sure.” The crew is divided up today, some sweeping for electrical issues in the rest of the house, and others putting the final touches on various projects. Jesse and I grab a couple other guys and we haul in the long, rectangular pieces of granite. As I cross the threshold into the kitchen first, my foot catches on something odd. In the split second it takes me to tell the guys to hold up while I try to avoid tripping, the object rolls, throwing off my balance.

Somehow, I manage to stay on my feet, but a searing pain moves through my lower back.

I look down and kick the yellow-handled screwdriver out of the way and force myself to keep moving so we can place the granite on the island. As soon as it’s in place, I back away, leaning against the nearest wall.

“You okay, boss?” Jesse asks.

I grunt. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just twisted my back. I just need to rest it for a minute.”

Joe, the apprentice, scampers through the door. “Any of you seen—oh, never mind.” He grabs the screwdriver off the floor and disappears just as quickly.

“Aren’t you going to say anything to him?”

I glower at the empty doorway. “I should probably wait until I’m less inclined to punch him in his smug face.”

Jesse narrows his eyes. “Why? I can guarantee we’ll all swear that he fell flat on his face after tripping over his own feet.”

I can’t laugh. Even the thought of it sends another bolt of pain from my spine to hip. When the spasms fade. I gently stretch my back, assessing the damage. It seems to be a mild sprain, but I definitely won’t be much help for the rest of the day.

“You should take a rest,” Jesse says. “I’ll take care of everything in here.”

With each step, pain lances through my back, but I somehow make it to the trailer and pull out my phone to let Talon know what’s going on.

After I send a quick message, I ransack the drawers of the nearby desk until I find an Icy Hot patch and some Aleve.

Fifteen minutes later, Talon pokes his head in the door. “Hello?”

I wave him inside.

A second later, Bax jogs up the stairs and joins us.

“What the hell happened?” Bax asks.

“We were moving the countertops, and my foot got caught on the handle of a screwdriver. I’ll be fine in a few days.” I grit my teeth. “Harry’s apprentice is a fucking idiot though.”

“Yeah, I heard. That’s why we both came by.” Bax crosses his arms and leans against the wall.

By the time we’ve documented all the details, my back has had time to relax, and the pain has faded to a dull ache.

Talon rubs the back of his neck and leans back. “I can watch over the crew for the rest of the day. I want to have a chat with the electrician anyway. Can you get yourself home?”

“Yeah, it’s bearable now.”

“Look on the bright side,” Bax says. “It’s a real good excuse to ask Arden for a massage.”