Page 27 of Not In The Contract

He walked over to Ronelle, lifting his hand in greeting as he neared her.

“Your sites are always well oiled machines.”

I turned in surprise to find Taylor standing a few feet away, wearing her bright smile like an accessory.

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise.” I chuckled, opening my arms to her.

She tugged me into a hug and squeezed tight. “I’m glad itisa pleasant surprise,” she scoffed and pushed her sunglasses up onto her head. Her chestnut curls bounced around her shoulders. “God knows you have a right to kind of hate us right now.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know I can be a little dramatic.” I smiled. “But if I really was uncomfortable with the situation I’d never have agreed to it. Besides, Hayden promised a secret in return. If I disagreed it’d be like telling Santa you don’t want any toys for Christmas.”

Taylor slid incredulous eyes to me. “You sound very confident that you’ll last the two months.” She sniffed, squinting as if she could find whatever it was she thought I was hiding.

I shrugged, a secret smile curling my lips as a new set of footsteps joined ours.

“I have my ways,” I hedged and handed my iPad to my assistant. “Thank you, Jean. You can tell Ronelle I’m happy for her to move forward.”

Jean nodded and jogged to the group around Ronelle.

“Do you plan on divulging any of these devilishly clever schemes?” she whispered, a conspiratorial edge to her words. “I take it there’s more to it than your evil NDA and your weird house rules?”

“Would that make the game any more entertaining?” I shot back jokingly.

Taylor cackled and nudged my shoulder. “Come on, Alex,” she teased. “I bet that you would last the longest. Does my loyalty mean nothing to you?”

“It’s really not as clever as you’re making it out to be.” I chuckled.

She linked her arm with mine and we wandered along the very outskirts of the construction site. “Enlighten me, then.”

“You all made me out to be this impossible person, someone impossible to live with,” I explained, ignoring her wince. It wasn’t new and it was barely a jab. I knew myself well enough to know there was some truth in their teasing.

“And while that’s not entirely untrue,” I continued, “I’m interested in this line of study. Devon’s, I mean. I never thought about my success through the lens of an orphan or a child of the system. I can’t help but want to know more.”

“So,” Taylor mulled, eyeing me closely. “She’s hot, isn’t she?”

A startled laugh bubbled up my throat and I stared at Taylor. “What does that have to do with anything?”

But a knowing smile spread across her lips, and I knew that nothing I said would deter her. “That was answer enough,” she said with a wiggle of her sharp brows. “Everyone knows you have a particular weakness for, what did you call it? Intellectual stimulation?”

I groaned and hid my face in my hands. “Why do you take everything out of context?” I whined. “I said thatoncein reference to a lecture on artificial intelligence in construction and you’ve never let me live it down.”

“Because you made it sound like the robots were sexy!” She snickered. “I half expected you to implement an AI segment into your budget this year.”

I frowned. “That sounds horrid,” I deadpanned. “Besides, there are some things that humans can do that machines may never do.”

“Oh yeah?” she teased. “And what’s that?”

“Make art,” I said simply. “You can’t program creativity and free thinking; not just yet. And while robotic bricklaying may be the future of construction, there’s a subtle art to it that only humans can bring.”

“How very philosophical of you.” Taylor sighed wistfully. “Shall we grab lunch before you reminisce about the marvels of the Iron Age or something?”

“I think that was an insult,” I pointed out, and she blew me a kiss.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “You’re the only person who makes concrete seem interesting.”

9. Letting Loose

Devon