Chapter Eleven
Catherine
––––––––
I PULLED UP TO THE job site, feeling a sense of dread. The project was a nightmare. Henry was an asshole. I was used to assholes, but Henry was next level. He was obnoxious. I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had been gnawing at me all morning. Henry’s presence loomed over the site like a dark cloud, his bad mood casting a pall over everything. The contractors were starting to complain. His demands were ridiculous. He was constantly questioning them and my direction. If Henry didn’t back off, they were going to quit. I could feel it coming. I spent my days putting out the fires Henry started. I didn’t get the chance to do my work because I was too busy trying to keep contractors from walking off the job. Luke was the only one that was keeping me sane. He was able to keep an eye on things when I wasn’t there.
When I walked into the house, no one was talking. No one was whistling and there wasn’t the usual music playing. That couldn’t be a good sign. I heard raised voices coming from down the hall. “Shit,” I muttered, recognizing Henry’s voice.
I watched as he berated one of my subcontractors, his harsh words cutting through the air like a knife. My frustration grew with each passing moment, and I knew that I couldn’t stand idly by and let him continue to treat my team this way. It was a fine line. If the little lady swept in and rescued a big, burly dude, I risked emasculating him.
I approached Henry. “Henry, we need to talk,” I said firmly, my voice tinged with irritation.
He turned to face me; his expression twisted into a scowl. “What do you want, Catherine?” he spat, his tone dripping with contempt.
“We should either step outside or perhaps we can go into another room,” I said.
“You’re not going to order me around in my own house,” he growled.
“We have some things to discuss, and I would prefer we did that in private.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, throwing his hands up as he turned and stomped toward the living room. I followed, my heart pounding in my chest. I loathed confrontation but knew it was necessary.
Once we were alone, I faced him. “Henry, you’re causing problems on the job site.”
“And?” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me defiantly.
“And it needs to stop. You’re disrupting the work, and your constant belittling of the workers is bad for morale. They’re professionals who are trying to do their jobs.”
“I’m paying them to do their jobs, so they should do it without complaining.”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure in the face of his hostility. “I won’t stand for you treating my subcontractors like this,” I replied, my voice steady despite the rising tide of anger within me.
Henry’s eyes narrowed at my words, his lips curling into a sneer. “And what are you going to do about it?” he taunted, his voice laced with malice.
I felt a surge of frustration welling up inside me, but before I could respond, he launched into a tirade of insults, each one more cutting than the last.
“I should have known hiring some chick to do this job was a mistake,” he hissed. “You only got the job with Timothy because you were screwing him. I should report this to that stupid Historical Society. I bet they would be interested in knowing you were fucking the homeowner.”
My jaw clenched at his vile accusations. “I’ll thank you to not make baseless assumptions about my personal life, Henry,” I said through gritted teeth. “My relationship with Tim had nothing to do with my work here.”
“And yet, here you are, defending your worthless crew and threatening me in my own house,” he countered, his eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction.
“I’m not threatening you, Henry. I’m telling you how it’s going to be. You hired me for a job, and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. But I can’t do that if you’re constantly undermining my authority and disrespecting my team. This is a professional job site, not a playground for your tantrums.”
Henry’s face reddened at my words and for a moment, I thought he was going to explode. But then he began to laugh, a low mocking chortle that set my teeth on edge. “You really believe you’re in charge here, don’t you?” he jeered.
“I am in charge of this project, yes,” I said flatly. “I am the general contractor. That is why you hired me. If you had wanted to micro-manage everything yourself, you didn’t need to bring me into the picture. But you did hire me, which means this is my job site as much as it is your house.”
Henry’s laughter died down, but the smug smirk remained. “I don’t think you quite understand, Catherine,” he sneered. “This will always be my house. You’re here on borrowed time and only because I allow it.”
A hot flush of indignation erupted within me, but I held my ground. “That may be so, Henry,” I retorted, trying to keep my voice steady, “but while I’m here, this environment will be respectful.”
His sneer deepened as he took a step toward me. For the first time in my career, I felt completely powerless. Henry’s words cut me to the core, leaving me feeling small and insignificant. A wave of self-doubt washed over me, and suddenly, I found myself questioning whether I was cut out for this kind of work at all.
“Catherine, let’s go,” Luke said from behind me.
I turned to look at him, his expression filled with concern. “But I can’t just leave,” I protested, my voice tinged with uncertainty. I hated it, but he had left me shaken. I had never been spoken to with such utter disrespect.
Luke shook his head. His expression was kind until he looked at Henry. “Yes, you can,” he insisted. “You don’t deserve to be treated this way, Catherine. Come on, let’s go.”
I nodded in agreement. With one last glance at Henry, I turned on my heel and made my way to my truck, Luke following closely behind.
“Go to the shop,” Luke demanded.
I wanted to argue with him, but truthfully, I wanted to get out of there. I needed a chance to collect myself. I couldn’t look weak in front of the subcontractors or Henry. “Fine,” I muttered.
I got in my truck and drove away.
Luke watched me like he wasn’t sure I was going to leave. When I glanced in my rearview mirror, he was right behind me. I hated that I needed a backup. I was so used to being independent and handling my business on my own, but dammit, Henry knew all the right buttons to push. He got to me. He made me question my self-worth. He made me wonder if Timothy’s job was just because I was a woman he was interested in. The sex thing was something I had never done before with a client. Had I really gotten rave reviews from him because I was good at my job or was it the sex?
I pulled up to my dad’s shop and was surprised to see Timothy’s car parked out front. Luke parked beside me. The guy was out of his truck before I could even turn mine off. He went storming into the shop like he was the one that had just been insulted.
When I walked into the shop, it was like a cloud of testosterone. Their voices were raised in what appeared to be a heated discussion. At first, I thought my dad was angry with Timothy, which I didn’t understand.
Before I could even utter a word, Timothy turned to face me, his expression dark with anger. “Catherine, what the hell is going on?” he demanded, his voice laced with frustration.
I blinked in surprise, taken aback by the intensity of his tone. “I don’t know,” I replied honestly, my voice tinged with confusion. “What’s going on?”
Luke stepped forward, his eyes flashing with anger. “I called John,” he admitted, his voice tight with tension.
“I called Timothy,” Dad said.
“About what?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
“We need to do something about Henry,” Luke said.
Timothy’s eyes narrowed at Luke’s words, his jaw clenched with barely contained rage. “And what exactly do you propose we do?” he asked, his tone icy.
Luke shrugged, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “I say we drag him out of town,” he replied.
The way he said it left me wondering if he was joking. He didn’t sound like he was joking.
My dad stepped forward, his brow furrowed with concern. “That’s enough, Luke,” he interjected, his voice firm. “We need to handle this situation calmly and rationally. We don’t need to go running out of here full of rage and do something stupid.”
I felt a surge of frustration welling up inside me. “Can’t we all just calm down and talk this through?” I said with exasperation. “You are all being ridiculous.”
Timothy’s gaze hardened as he looked at me, his eyes filled with determination. “No, Catherine,” he replied, his voice firm. “No one is allowed to talk to you the way Henry just did.”
John nodded in agreement, his expression grave. “He’s right, Catherine,” he added, his tone somber. “We need to take this seriously. No man is going to talk to my daughter like that.”
“Dad, I don’t need you guys to save me,” I said. “Henry was out of line, but I can handle it.”
“You don’t need to,” Timothy said.
“We’ll handle it,” Luke growled. “Man to man.”
“Catherine, why don’t you go upstairs and get yourself something to drink,” Dad said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not the little lady that needs to be rescued. I can handle this guy.”
“Go!” Dad shouted.
I was taken aback by his vehemence. “Fine. You three sit down here and figure out who’s the bigger man. I’m going to get a drink and think about how I will handle the situation in a rational manner.”
None of them said anything. They were already arguing about who should get to kick Henry’s ass first.
“Men,” I muttered.
As I climbed the steps, the noise from their argument grew louder. I could hear Luke’s accusation of Timothy, suggesting he was too soft. My father countered, asserting it was his daughter and his duty to protect me. I wanted to yell that none of them needed to protect me. But they wouldn’t understand. They saw this as a fight in a sandpit, claiming territory and asserting dominance.
Inside the apartment above the shop, I poured myself a glass of tea from the pitcher. I slumped onto the worn couch, my mind whirling with thoughts and emotions. Was Henry really questioning my capabilities just because I was a woman? Or was it because he couldn’t bear to see a woman succeed in a field dominated by men? Was his ego so fragile that he had to belittle me to feel superior?
I swirled the tea in my glass, the ice cubes clinking against the sides. How could I have let him get to me this way? I thought back to when I first started working with Henry. Back then, he seemed to admire my tenacity, my drive.
Perhaps he felt threatened. Perhaps in his mind, women were supposed to be accessories, not competitors. I had chosen this path knowing the challenges but vowing not to let it deter me. This was exactly what my father had been worried about.
As the voices downstairs grew louder, I took a deep breath and released it slowly, attempting to calm my racing heart. I knew they meant well; their misplaced machismo was just an expression of their concern for me.
But this was my battle to fight. Not because I was obstinate or stubborn, but because I needed to make a point. I would not let Henry or any other man belittle me.
After what felt like an eternity, I couldn’t stand the silence any longer. I walked back downstairs, only to find Timothy and Luke gone.
“Where did they go?” I asked my father.
He shook his head. “Gone.”
“Dad,” I groaned. “Tell me they didn’t go back to the house?”
“No one should ever talk to you like that.”