“So, did you have a good night last night?” I asked as we entered what would become the master bedroom.
He paused to glance at me over his shoulder. “I don’t think that pertains to the job site, Cameron.” His eyes warned me to drop it.
I smiled, already prepared for him to answer like that. “You’re right. Let’s just stick to nuts and bolts like robots. Beep boop.”
Grayson sighed and turned to keep walking. “It was fine,” he admitted.
I smiled, though he couldn’t see it.
“My night was fine too,” I volunteered. “Thanks for asking. I went to a strip club and then I robbed a bank with a bunch of strippers. We didn’t take much, since y’know strippers don’t tend to have many pockets.”
Grayson laughed and shook his head.
“Has anyone told you that you’re insufferable?” he asked, continuing to walk ahead of me.
Sure, he said insufferable, but what he really meant was irresistible.
After that, he insisted on continuing to talk about the house and I actually listened this time. The design was too amazing to ignore and I loved hearing Grayson walk me through the process with him. It was like getting a glimpse into his creative genius.
I’d assumed we were alone on the job site until we made it to the backdoor of the house and came upon a group of construction workers out on the grass, taking their time getting started for the day. A lanky man who didn’t look a day over eighteen was using a circular saw to cut planks of wood into even segments. The rest of the crew was unwrapping breakfast tacos and chatting animatedly until they spotted Grayson walking through the backdoor. They immediately straightened up and paused their conversations, waiting for him to speak. Grayson was both the architect and the general contractor on the project, which gave him nearly full control—a fact that I’m sure made him very, very happy.
I stood to the side as he went over the day’s work with them. They were expected to have the kitchen framed by the end of the day so that the siding and roofing process could begin the following day. A few of the guys peered over at me as Grayson spoke, most likely curious about my role. I kept my eyes on Grayson, trying not to let their gazes intimidate me.
When Grayson finished up his instructions, he turned and motioned for me to lead the way back through the empty house.
“Sorry for that. It was probably a little boring,” he said, peering over at me as we walked.
I smiled and shook my head. “Nah, it’s what I love. Don’t worry about it.”
He nodded.
“So what exactly did you do last night?” I asked, trying one last time to engage him in a real conversation.
His blue eyes slid to me for a moment and he shook his head. “What’s your angle here, Cameron?”
I laughed, holding up my hands in innocence. “Not everything has to be angles and safety factors, Grayson. Can’t an employee make small talk with her boss?”
Grayson grunted. “Sure. Except you aren’t curious about what I did last night, you’re curious about who I did last night.”
I turned to inspect the kitchen, or what would serve as the future kitchen, so he wouldn’t see me blush. My face burned with embarrassment.
“And if I am?” I ventured, still diverting my gaze.
“You’re being childish by asking these questions. You think I didn’t mean what I said the other day in my office, about us never happening. You’re playing a game.”
Of course I didn’t believe him.
“That doesn’t make me childish. That makes me willful,” I said, turning to glance at him, residual blush still stinging my cheeks. “And if you remember, this is work, not play.”
“I didn’t bring you here to have this conversation,” he argued, moving ahead so that I had to walk fast to keep up.
I should have dropped the conversation. I’d already pissed him off, but we were back on the street, seconds away from splitting off to our cars and heading in opposite directions. Any chance of having a private conversation with him would be over once we left.
“Do you ever think of me when you’re with them? The other women in your life?” I asked, pausing on the grass.
The second the words slipped out, I wanted to reach for them, pull them back in one syllable at a time and replace the question with some vague goodbye. I’d never been as bold as I’d been in the last few days. I usually went after what I wanted, but there was a difference between being confident and being certifiably insane. It’s like I wanted him to squirm, to feel uncomfortable in my presence. I needed to jar him out from behind whatever wall he was building for himself.