Page 3 of Strip It Down (Spoiled by My Blue Collar Man #4)

Sayer

What the hell is wrong with me? I almost blew that. Proposition ? Knowing her past, her family, that was the dumbest thing I could have said.

I glance in my rearview mirror. Gentry Shaw is in my truck. Damn how I use to want that in the past.

I first met her when I was ten and she was fourteen. I’d seen her around town and the school yards and thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

I learned her name and started following her when I could. A regular little stalker. I’d been in the throes of puberty, and she was the icing on my cake. And the hard-on in my hand.

I knew she lived in a trailer with her mom and older sister. One day I saw her crying on one of the park benches in town. It broke my heart. I couldn’t stand her tears, to see her so sad.

I stole some flowers from the park garden and took them to her. She smiled and thanked me for the beautiful gift.

“You hurt?” I asked.

“Someone hurt me, but I’ll be okay.”

“You want me to bust their nose?”

She gave me her smile. “No, but thank you for offering. Just the offer means a lot.”

Then we sat in silence. A long time later she stood and asked me my name.

“Sayer Reed.”

“Thank you for the flowers, Sayer Reed. No one’s given me flowers before. They’re beautiful. You’re quite the gentleman.”

Then she walked away. For the first time.

The years passed, my infatuation grew. I still always looked for her. She always smiled at me. It was the last year of junior high. I was already taller than my friends and built from the construction work with my dad and weight training for football try outs.

We were on the field. I’d just run the best forty-yard-dash of the day. Standing behind the seniors with some of my buddies my spirits were high. I was gonna make the team. Then I heard her name and everything in me stilled. One of the guys was pissed because she turned him down for a date.

Greg Archer started bragging about how Gentry had been his fuck buddy since she was fourteen and he taught her how to give the best head. Then insinuated that he could get her for anybody at the right price. They all laughed.

All I remember is planting my fist in his face again and again before the coaches pulled me off and dragged me to the principal’s office. My dad was called. “When asked why, all I said was he’s a piece of shit and I’m sick of him running off at the mouth about people. So, I shut it.”

Gentry graduated that year. I heard her mom got sick and she was taking care of her. Once in a while, I’d get a glimpse of her. She never looked back.

I joined the wrestling team until Mom died when I was sixteen. After that all my time was spent working with Dad and preparing for the army.

I glance in my rear-view mirror. Gentry Shaw was beautiful then and still is.

Back at her car, I put the new tires on and give her my address. She agrees to get the other two put on before meeting at my house. We settle on a time, and I text Dad, asking him to be there.

At home, Ayla and I hit the bathroom, and I put her in a pair of pull-ups.

Her speech is behind. From all the social workers could find, her mother fed her, bathed her, and basically left her to play in front of a TV with Sesame Street.

I guess it could have been worse. Could have been porn based on her mother’s occupation.

Ayla knows her colors, and can say red, blue, Bert, Ernie, no, and more. I’m working on Dada and Papa.

We cuddle and I read her a couple books asking her to repeat the words she knows and the ones she’s learning.

Sometimes she does, sometimes not. As advised, I keep telling her how much Dada loves her.

You’ve only had her for a month I remind myself.

Patience. She’s with you now. You’ll teach her what it means to have a dad who loves her.

Saturdays and Sundays are my catch-up days, so after our cuddle time, I throw in laundry, pickup toys and make sure the house is presentable before hitting our in-home office to collect Dad’s coffee mugs and dust the desk.

After settling, my little one on a blanket with toys, I glance at the clock. Where is Dad?

I hear voices on the porch before the door flies open. In walks a smiling Gentry followed by my dad.

Something eases in my chest. She’s here. “Hi. Can I get you anything before we start? Juice? Water? Coffee?”

“Just water, please.”

“Dad?”

“The same. I’ll show her to the office.”

When I return, instead of sitting at the desk, she’s on the floor with Ayla stacking building blocks. Dad’s leaning against the desk, his arms crossed smiling. He looks at me. “She’s great with kids. MaryKatherine said she use to babysit her daughter, and she loved her.”

“Who’s MaryKatherine?”

“She owns the new coffee shop. You two ready to get busy? We’ve got a lot to talk about.” Dad takes the seat behind the desk.

I offer Gentry a hand to stand then hold out her water bottle.

“This is the deal,” Dad starts. “Sayer can’t be bidding new jobs, run existing jobs and do all the paperwork.

With people asking for new estimates, our operation is set to double in size due to the job growth of our town.

In a few weeks, I’m leaving for a month.

When I come back, I only want to do bids.

Which means we need to hire someone full-time to handle the phones, invoices, purchases, basic bookkeeping, and payroll so I can train before I go.

“I understand you have an associate’s degree and know how to do all that stuff.”

“Wha—what?” I stutter. “You’re leaving?”

He looks at me innocently. “You told me I need to take some time off. I booked a cruise today.”

“I meant when we got this all settled.”

“Aha.” He waves a hand. “We’re good. You’re a hard worker and know the jobs, construction, and trades part of the business.

She’s smart on the bookkeeping part. Piece of cake.

Now you need to buy one of those fancy computers for her to use with all the bells and whistles I don’t understand.

You can talk about that after I show her a few things. ”

I glance at Gentry, she’s as awestruck as I am.

“She and I will work together the next week or so and you’ll be fine. You know how to handle the job sites, bids and crews.”

He reaches in the middle drawer and pulls out his ledger book. “Come around here and pull up a chair, Gentry. Let me show you how I’ve always done this. Since it’s the end of the month, it’s the perfect time for you to start using the computer with next month’s entries.”

He pulls out an over-stuffed manilla folder from a different drawer. “I do have a few things that haven’t been entered from this month.”

Oh my god, this is so much worse than I thought. Running a hand through my hair I glance toward my daughter who’s sitting quietly, alone, just holding her stuffie. Priorities.

Standing, I cross the floor and lift her into my arms and snuggle her to my neck. “Dada loves you my little one. Come be with me.”

Gentry looks up when I sit back down, our eyes meet, then hers drift over Ayla before back to the ledger Dad is showing her.

I listen to Dads’ explanations and her questions which seem spot on to me as I stack and restack blocks on the corner of the desk with my child.

Gentry’s comments and suggestions convince me she knows what she’s doing. After another thirty minutes I cut in.

“Gentry, what are you thinking? Is this something you’d want to do? You’d be working out of this room with me when I’m not on site.

“We also use this room if clients want to meet.” I nod toward the oblong conference table across the room.

“We have enough room in here to shift things around so you can have your own desk, filing cabinets, whatever you need. There will be times we’re both working in the office.

You can’t see it because of the trees, but we have a barn with supplies and equipment on the back of our property. The crews come and go as needed.

“Tomorrow morning, we can go and get you a computer and whatever software you prefer and a printer. I’ll take the truck so we can get a desk at the same time.

You’ll have full run of the kitchen and there’s a bathroom down the hall.

If we’re all three here working I can always take my laptop to the kitchen.

“The other thing you need to know is that for right now I don’t leave Ayla with anyone.

Dad or I have her with one of us. She’s my first priority.

This is—new to her and she needs time to adjust. I guess if he’s leaving for a month, I’ll have to figure something out sooner than I planned. I’ll start work on that tomorrow, too.

“What do you think? Are you interested?