"Shit, I can't even remember what a burger at a fast food joint costs, and I'm supposed to remember this?"
I bit down to keep my temper in check. "I'm running a business, and businesses require secure passwords."
"Whatever. Don't you think this project is too big for you? I thought all you did were like one bedroom houses over on the east side," she said and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was an action she'd done plenty of times in the past, and it never failed to draw attention to one of her major attributes. But even as the motion drew my eyes to her hair, the blond locks had zero effect on me. I preferred the coal black of Winter's straight hair. It did make me look at Ivy more closely though. She'd curled her hair, and she was wearing a lot of makeup and a shirt that had a pretty deep V-neck. She'd get plenty of attention if she walked around the site like that. I had a niggling feeling there was something I was missing, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I picked up the extra walkie-talkie and placed it by the computer. "If you need anything, press the button to talk. When it's pressed you can't hear anyone, so try to remember that."
"Are we just going to ignore that night?" She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her perfume. I shifted to the side and then walked toward the door.
"Yes." I placed my hand on the doorknob, but before I could escape, she threw the bomb.
"This baby could be yours."
It was her aggressive and challenging tone almost more than her words that made me explode. "The hell it is. Have you told Winter this?"
"No."
"You'd better not because we both know I didn't fucking touch you that night," I snarled.
She shrugged, but she didn't quite pull off the nonchalance she was trying to project. "How else did I get pregnant? It wasn't an immaculate conception."
I had thought about that night a million times since learning about Ivy's pregnancy, and every time I replayed the events, I woke up wearing my jeans and a clean dick inside my shorts.
"Are you saying you've only slept with me since you got out of prison?"
"I'm not the type of girl to kiss and tell." She gave me a smug smile.
I thought about all the men she'd slept with and barely held in a nasty retort. "It's not mine," I repeated. "You better not break your sister's heart because you're jealous of her."
"I'm jealous." She laughed, but the sound was hollow.
"Yes. Sick green with it. She's got friends who care about her, a good job, and me." Maybe I wasn't a huge prize, but I was something Ivy had that she pissed away.
"I’m not jealous of my sister. I want her to be happy."
"Then you'll keep your nasty insinuations to yourself." I wrenched open the door and then paused, pinning her with a look of disgust. "You've been selfish all your life, and your sister, who loves you more than anything, has taken the brunt of it." She smoothed a hand across her stomach, the stomach that was supposedly holding a kid that could be mine. I tried to feel some fatherly excitement, but there was nothing. All the feelings I'd ever held for Ivy were dead. I didn't give a fuck that she was pregnant. "You're a liar and a cheat, Ivy. I don't believe you."
"It doesn't matter. Point is that you aren't the type of guy I want my sister with. She deserves better." Ivy dropped into the chair behind the desk and started sorting. "But you'll screw up, and she'll break up with you."
"What's the perfect guy for your sister?" I asked against my better judgment, angrily tapping my helmet against my leg.
"Someone real smart and artistic. He'd be close to her height so she wouldn't have to constantly be craning her neck to see his face." Ivy stretched out her chin. "He'd be a family guy, one that didn't already have kids with her sister."
The thought of Winter with another guy—any other guy—made me curl my hands into fists. I nearly broke the trailer doorknob off. "Funny how Winter has never once mentioned that she minds I'm taller than her. In fact, she's pretty damn happy that I can lift and carry…stuff."
"Probably because she doesn't want to hurt your feelings." She buried her head in the papers. The conversation may have been over for her, but it wasn't for me.
"I'm giving you an opportunity because I care about your sister and I want her to be happy. I've never had to fire anyone, and I don't want to start with you." I reached for the door and saw two guys walking toward the trailer. Throwing open the door, I called out to the guys.
"Come on in. Meet our new office lady. Ivy Donovan. She's single, guys." I winked at them and left the door hanging in the wind.