Page 32 of I Choose You (Wilder #2)

“You got it.” She went to work making up the specific drink orders for each person on-site.

Not one of them drank their coffee the same way, but I had memorized their orders early on as a means of getting into their good graces.

I was here so frequently the barista not only knew the orders as well, but she also knew my name.

She rang me up and passed me the drinks in a cup carrier.

“Thanks. Have a good day.” I swung around with the drinks in my hand and collided with the person behind me.

Coffees went flying, spilling onto the man, onto me, and landing in a heaping mess on the floor.

“Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry. Are you alright?

” My gaze flew to the poor man who now had coffee spilled down the front of his coat.

My eyes widened as shock rippled through me.

Andrew Hassell, my boss, was in Calla Bay.

“Andrew. Hi,” I said. It took a second for my brain to process the surprise encounter. “Let me help you clean up. I’m so sorry about this.”

He didn’t answer me or say a word, instead moving to the station where the napkins were kept.

Kayleigh came around with a mop to clean up the spill. “Are you okay? Did you burn yourself at all?”

“No, I’m fine. Here, let me clean this up. Whatever he orders, it’s on me.” I pulled the mop from her hands and shooed her back to behind the counter. Could this day get any worse?

“Claire,” Andrew called, getting my attention. “What are you doing? Are you mopping their floors?” he asked, clearly appalled by the idea. “They have people who do those kinds of tasks.”

“I don’t mind. I made the mess, I can clean it.”

“Put the mop down, Claire.” His mouth was pulled into a sneer, his cold eyes trying to look down at me, only he had to look up to do it.

Somehow, the effect was the same, even though I had a few inches on his five-foot-six frame.

“You are here as a representative of me and my company. You are not a servant.”

“Of course,” I said, putting the mop into the yellow industrial mop bucket. “What are you doing here? Can I get you a coffee? ”

“And add it to your expense report with the rest of those coffees?”

“I’ve got your replacements right here, Claire,” Kayleigh said. “And what can I get for you, sir .” Her mocking tone and clearly fake smile almost made me laugh. If I had to bet, I would guess that she didn’t like being called a servant very much.

Kayleigh got Andrew his coffee and refused to let me pay for it, even though she had just made double of my order already.

Andrew followed me to the library, and as I stood in front of the large, ornate building, its turrets and spires glinting with new, shiny shingles, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of it.

The first time I saw the library, I had been blown away by not only its size but the character and details that made it so unique.

Over the past few months, it had become a home for me.

“The stone needs to be washed. And that roofing doesn’t exactly look historical, now does it?” Andrew said as he walked up to me.

“That’s true, but some concessions had to be made for quality purposes. This roof will last the next thirty years. And the black shingles may look too new and shiny to us, but when this building was new, the shingles would have been black and shiny then, as well.”

“I don’t need a lecture on how history works, Claire. Let’s get inside so I can see what else you’ve been doing.”

Okay…

Andrew could be a bit gruff sometimes, but I’d never seen him quite so disdainful. It was making me nervous to show him around, even though I was really proud of the work that Reid and his crew had done with a little guidance from me.

“Hey, guys, coffee’s here,” I yelled to the open space. Banging and buzzing came from the two rooms where Reid had set up his construction zones.

The noises quieted, and Richie, Dale, and Shawn all put down their tools to grab their coffee. Eyes darted to Andrew, but no one said anything.

“Is Reid here? This is my boss, Andrew. I was hoping to introduce them and give Andrew a tour.”

“I can see what you’ve done from here. Although, it doesn’t seem to be much.”

Shawn’s eyebrows nearly touched his hairline while Dale’s furrowed deep into his forehead.

“That’s interesting that you can see everything from there, considering there are three floors and a basement, dozens of rows of bookcases, and various rooms. Must have good eyes.” Richie sipped his coffee, his face completely neutral.

“Morning…” Reid started, pausing to look me up and down. “What happened to you?” His brow furrowed in concern.

“Coffee mishap,” I said. My coat had been open when I rammed into Andrew with the tray. Most of the coffee went flying his way, but I hadn’t come away unscathed, as my splatted and stained shirt indicated.

“Did you get burned?” he asked. Kayleigh had checked on me too, but it didn’t escape my notice that Andrew hadn’t. It was my fault, and he was equally in jeopardy of searing his skin, but it would have been decent of him to at least check.

“No. I’m fine. Thankfully, Andrew is as well,” I said.

Reid pulled his sweatshirt over his head, handing it to me. “Here. I don’t have any spare shirts on me, but you can change into this if you want.”

I took the offered sweatshirt with a thanks. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wrap myself in the scent and warmth of Reid. It wasn’t going to help my resolve to keep things professional, but it would be worth it to smell his cedarwood scent on me all day.

“Reid, this is my boss, Andrew Hassell. Andrew, this is Reid Wilder, owner of Wilder Construction,” I said, making the introductions.

Reid extended his hand, his firm handshake causing Andrew to wince slightly.

“Glad you could stop by. Welcome to the Delano Library,” Reid said.

“Andrew, Reid and his crew have managed to get a lot of work done in a relatively short amount of time. Why don’t I show you around a bit? There is a lot more to see than you can gather from here.”

“No need for you to tag along, Claire. We’ll be discussing the actual construction. Stay here and drink your coffee.”

“Claire has been instrumental in the construction decisions. She’s even wielded a nail gun a time or two. She isn’t ‘tagging along.’ She’s presenting her work,” Reid said, his low voice reverberating in the open space, inviting Andrew to challenge him.

“No worries,” I said cheerfully. It wasn’t like this was my first experience with being summarily dismissed. “I have a lot to do this morning anyway. Do you mind giving him the tour?”

The raised brow from Reid told me he wasn’t buying my positivity. When did he become so attuned to me that he could see right through me? “Right. Let’s go show you around, Andy.” Reid clapped Andrew on the shoulder, emanating a quiet fury.

“It’s Andrew.” Frustration leaked from Andrew’s tone.

The two of them walked away, starting with the largest room, where the new windows were prepped and sorted, ready for installation as soon as the weather warmed.

The old carpeting had been removed, and the fireplace was still in need of some maintenance, but it was the largest single room, not considering the open foyer and vestibule area, and had the potential to be stunning when all of the finishings were in place.

The original artwork that had been in place was in need of restoration, and a couple of newer pieces would need to be curated.

I had changed out of my dirty sweater, donning Reid’s comfy hoodie instead, and I had barely started reaching out to some restoration experts when Reid and Andrew came back thirty minutes later, both looking worse for the wear.

Andrew’s sneer had grown deeper, his distaste apparent.

Reid’s jaw was tense, his eyes hard, as he deposited Andrew back in my office.

He looked like a cobra, restrained for the moment but ready to strike without warning.

His muscles bunched under his shirt. His abs were probably clenched tight, hard planes of muscles that would undulate beneath my touch.

I shook my head, my warm face warning me of a growing blush. Reid could clearly hear my thoughts because his gaze turned from stone to fire. The predator in him shifted from Andrew to me, only I didn’t think he had the same method of attack in mind.

“What did you think?” I asked.

“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done here. I can’t imagine how it will get completed on time.

And as I’ve mentioned to you before, if this project isn’t delivered on time and under budget, there will not be a next one.

” Andrew didn’t even bother to look me in the eye as he talked, looking around the small office space with his perpetual look of disgust.

“We aren’t even halfway through the timeline yet, and the winter months make it harder to work on the exterior, but we—”

“I’m not interested in excuses, Claire. You have a job to do, and I expect you to deliver.” Andrew had been threatening my job since the beginning, and I was seriously starting to get sick of it. I schooled my features, but internally, I was fuming.

Based on the tension in Reid’s jaw, he was too.