The Rivals

“What happened to the original contractor?” Travis asked.

“There were apparently multiple inspection issues that came up,” Len said. “Ms. Copeland was unhappy about the frequent delays, so she fired the contractor with the intention of bringing on a new one. At one point, she told me she gave a new contractor a deposit, but nothing was ever started.”

Great. Note to self. Add find out if a contractor was paid to start work and pulled a no-show to my to-do list.

“Everything pretty much came to a halt fourteen months ago when Ms. Copeland’s health took a turn.”

“And when do you need all of this done?” Sam Bolton asked.

“Three months,” I said.

Travis’s eyebrows jumped while his father blew out a deep breath and shook his head. “We’d have to have crews here around the clock. That means paying night differential, two foremen working overtime in twelve-hour shifts, and all sorts of extra benefits the union would require.”

“But it is possible to get it done?” I asked. “We have events lined up starting in three months and really don’t want to have to cancel them.”

Sam looked around, scratching his chin. “It’s possible. Not going to lie, I don’t like working like that. I won’t cut corners to get things done. Many times I’m at the mercy of subcontractors, so there’s always a chance something could go wrong, too.” He nodded. “But yeah, with those extras I think we could shoot for three months. We’d need to get down to the building department right away and see what the issues were with the last inspections and also take the blueprints with us today. But we can give it a shot.”

“How fast could you get me an estimate?”

“A couple of days.”

I sighed. “Okay. Well, let’s do that.”

Weston showed up just as we were finishing—more than a little late. Nevertheless, I kept the peace and even managed to smile as I made the introductions. He and Sam got into a discussion about people they both knew and jobs they were both familiar with. I told Len from maintenance he could go, and that left Travis and me talking.

“Do I hear a bit of a British accent?” he asked.

I didn’t think I had one. But he wasn’t the first person to ask me that. I’d only lived in London for six years.

“You’re very perceptive.” I smiled. “I was born and raised in New York, but spent the last few years living in London. Apparently I picked up a few things while I was there.”

“What brought you to London?”

“Work. We have hotels there, and my father and I get along best when we’re on different continents.”

He smiled. “What made you come back?”

“This hotel. Plus, the timing was right. I was ready for a change.”

Travis nodded. “And not one that entails an apron around your waist, I take it?”

I laughed. “Definitely not.”

From the corner of my eye, I caught Weston looking over at Travis and me. It was the second or third time in five minutes. He was definitely monitoring our discussion.

After the Boltons left, Weston shook his head. “Those two are definitely not right for this job.”

“What? What are you talking about? They said they could get us an estimate in a few days and meet our crazy timeline. My family has worked with them many times over the years. They’re absolutely reliable. What else could we hope for at this point?”

“I just didn’t get the right vibe from them.”

“The right vibe? What vibe did you get?”

“I don’t know. Just an untrustworthy one, I guess.”

“That’s insane!”

“They can submit their bid on the job. But I wouldn’t count on my vote to give them the work.”

My hands flew to my hips. “And who, exactly, do you think is right for this job? Let me guess, one of your people.”

Weston shrugged. “I can’t help it if we use better contractors.”

“Better? How the hell do you know anyone is better than anyone else at this point?”

“Maybe if you paid a little more attention to what was going on around you, instead of checking out the contractor’s son, you’d be in the same mindset as I am.”

My eyes widened. “You’ve got to be joking!”

He shrugged. “Lust is blind.”

“Obviously! Why else would I have slept with you!”

Weston’s eyes darkened, his pupils blocking out most of the soft blue color of his irises. I could feel my face heat with anger, and… Oh my God, my damn belly did a little flutter.

Is my body insane?

It had to be. A sheen of cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and my body started to light up like a Christmas tree.

What the hell?

Seriously?

No. Just no.

As my head reeled from my body’s crazy response, Weston’s eyes dropped to my chest. I was mortified to find my nipples protruding. The traitors were standing at full attention, saluting this asshole through my blouse. I folded my arms across my chest, but it was too late. My eyes lifted to find a giant, wicked smirk on Weston’s face.