Chapter 9
JINX
“Happy Monday!” Hayden grins from the coffeepot in the Enders Excavating lobby. “But you got my text that the staff meeting is canceled, right?”
I nod and scuff my boots on the entryway rug. “Yep. Thanks for that. But I’m meeting with Jesse.”
Her brow creases. “Oh. I don’t have that on the calendar. In fact, he asked me to cancel the staff meeting because they’re running behind at the Willis site.”
“It’s all right, babe,” my brother calls from the back. “I asked him to come in.”
I offer an apologetic smile, but she shakes her head and rolls her eyes.
“Not your fault, Jinx. Jesse needs to learn to either communicate,” she says loudly so he can hear, “or use the calendar app in his phone like I showed him.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he gripes as he appears in the doorway. “Gotta keep things interesting so you don’t get bored.”
She narrows her eyes and hums. The whole reason she’s here is because the administrative side of the business is beyond his level of expertise and had been neglected for far too long. There’s no chance of her getting bored. Homicidal maybe, but never bored.
“Anyway, come on back.” Jesse waves me over and lifts his chin, focusing on Hayden. “Babe, we’ll be in the office for a bit.”
“All right. I’ll hang out up here.” She smiles sweetly as I pass.
Technically, the big office in the back is Jesse’s, but since Hayden came on board, she’s made it hers, and rightfully so. She’s been in charge since the moment she arrived. She just lets my brother and his ego think otherwise.
“Have a seat.” Jesse gestures to one of the leather chairs in front of the big mahogany desk that’s been in this exact spot since the building was built some sixty or seventy years ago. This wood has seen just about every bit of EE business over the years, first when my grandfather ran the place, then when my dad did, and now that it’s Jesse’s. This is where the family business is run. And I might be a little envious that it’ll never be mine.
“You said you had some things to show me?” Jesse takes a seat in his oversized leather chair and leans back.
“Uh, yeah.” I slide the paperwork across the desk. “The quotes you told me to get for the new bucket truck. Some other info, too. Specs and whatnot.”
He flips through the pages with a crease in his brow. “Holy shit, you actually got them?”
I frown and scoot to the edge of my seat. Did he really expect me not to?
“You said we needed them.”
He looks up, head tilted, and surveys me. “You got all of these yourself?”
I dip my chin, reining in the frustration that hits me at his apparent shock. “Yeah. Went to two of the dealerships in person. The other one I got by email, but I called and talked to one of the guys at the dealer.”I pull out my phone, bring up the notes app, and share the list of used options I put together, too.
Jesse’s phone pings in response.
“That’s the list of what I found online. They’re all used and in-state. Two have delivery options, but we’d have to pick the other ones up if we went with any of them.”
He continues to regard me for a long beat, then shakes his head with a laugh. “I honestly never thought you’d do it.”
I see that. And it’s irritating as fuck. Jaw clenched, I clear my throat. “I’m not incapable, you know.”
“I know you’re not.” He cocks a brow. “I just wasn’t sure if you knew that.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
He holds up the paperwork. “Which one do you like best?”
“I like the brand new Dur-A-Lift in Janesville.”
He tips his head. “But…”
“But it’s more than we need and a lot of money. The first option in the used list I sent you is probably a better fit. It’s only two years old and priced right. I know the guy selling it, too. Remember Mike down in Oconto?”
Jesse nods. “Yep. Decent guy.”
“Exactly. He’s only selling because he’s not doing tree work anymore.”
“Did you go and look at it?”
“Not yet. Wanted to see what you thought first.”
Jesse taps the quotes against the desk. “Let me talk to Hayden about the financials. I’m sure it’s all good, but I’ll get back to you.”
This is where it hurts. Rather than making decisions like this together, I give my input, and he makes the final call. But nonetheless, I appreciate that he isn’t giving me shit about the current bucket truck being down.
“Thanks, man.”
He shakes his head. “No need to thank me. This is your company, too.”
Except it isn’t. And maybe that’s what really bugs me about all this.
Sure, I want his approval. And I want him to recognize how fucking hard I’ve worked. All the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve shed over the past six years. But I want more than that, too.
I want a stake in this business. And in our family legacy.
That’swhat’s been holding me back. And seeing him sitting at this desk right now has finally made that clear.
Jesse’s phone pings again, and he glances down and groans. “Motherfucker.”
“What?”
“I gotta go. Craig and Lenny are having a disagreement at the Willis site.” He gets to his feet with a sigh. “Craig has been such a fucking bear lately.”
Yeah, well, Craig is also an idiot who’s royally screwed up his life. I imagine he is out of sorts, and it serves him friggin’ right.
Jesse tucks his phone into his back pocket. “By the way, I’m impressed.”
“About what?”
“About you taking Mason under your wing. Something tells me he’s gonna need someone like you to talk to.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that.” I leave it at that. I have plenty of thoughts on the subject, particularly where Craig is involved—or rather, not involved—but putting them out into the world isn’t going to do any good. What I can do, however, is be there for Mason.
And Rachel, too, if she needs me.
With the Bishops’trees finally trimmed and Connor and Jack headed to the west side of town to start this week’s lawn care rotation, I head east to do the same.
With the revelation I had during my meeting with Jesse running on repeat in my mind, I’m looking forward to a few hours of solitude. Thankfully, the first job on my list is the Kaminski place. Dave and Vera are in Europe for the month, so I won’t have to stop to make small talk. I can get to work and—
Just as I pull into their driveway, a kid darts around the side of the house and into the backyard.
“What the hell?”
It’s probably some little shit messing with the place while the owners are out of town. But that’s gonna happen today.
Phone in hand, I hop out quickly and hurry around the back of the house. But whoever it is has already hidden.
“I saw you come back here,” I announce. “And we both know you’re not supposed to be here, so let’s make this easy. How about you come out, and maybe I won’t call the cops?”
A soft sniffle sounds from near the back patio.
Sorry, kid, but turning on the waterworks isn’t going to work with me.
I’m headed for the patio when movement in one of the basement window wells catches my attention.
At first, all that’s visible is a dark ponytail. As I get closer, a mint-green T-shirt comes into view, then the black shorts and the bedazzled flip-flops. But she keeps her face hidden in the knees she has pulled up to her chin.
“Do you have any idea how many bugs and spiders are down there?” I ask.
Her only response is a sniffle.
“Come on, kid. I’ll pull you out.” I drop to a squat and extend my hand, but she turns away.
“Go away, Jinx.”
Ah, so she knows who I am. Okay, that should make this even more fun.
“If you won’t come out on your own, I have some equipment that will do the trick. A backhoe maybe.”
“A backhoe?” She finally turns to me, her expression set in a glower. “I saw your trailer. All you’ve got is a couple lawn mowers and a weed wacker.”
Well, well. If it isn’t Emma Perry and her mother’s spunky attitude.
“Right now, sure. But all I have to do is make a call and—”
“Fine. Whatever.” She gets to her feet and brushes the hair from her tearstained face. Then she holds her hand out.
I pull while she puts a hand on the side of the window well and pushes off.
“Now, can you leave me alone?”
“Afraid I can’t do that. You see, these nice people pay me to take care of their lawn, and I’m here to work. Unless you’ve been invited to hang out here, you’re technically trespassing. Maybe you don’t know this, but my brother is a cop.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and rolls her eyes. “So go ahead and call him. See if I care.”
Hands on my hips, I bark out a laugh. “Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning, darlin’?”
Her face pinches in disgust. “First of all, gross. Cheerios are for old people. And you’re not a cowboy, so don’t call me darlin’.”
Holy hell. They really do grow them different these days, don’t they?
“How about Spitfire? Because you’re spitting plenty of it right now.”
Her gaze narrows for a moment, but her spite softens, and she shrugs. “That’s better, I guess.”
With a chuckle, I stroll over to the deck and lean against it. “All right then, Spitfire. You want to tell me why you’re here?”
“Can’t a girl just have a few minutes to herself?”
“Yes, but not on someone else’s property.”
“That’s dumb.” She kicks at the grass with the toe of her flip-flop, creating a small divot.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I raise one brow and pointedly look at her foot. “Now you’re destroying property.”
“Oh my god, you’re so annoying.” She stalks off toward the patio steps and drops down with a huff. “Can’t I just stay here since you’re here?”
“No. I have permission to be here, but you don’t. And aren’t you a little far from home, anyway?” She’s, what, eight? And at least four blocks from her house.
“I’m not a baby, jeez.”
“No, but your mom is probably worried sick about you.”
She shrugs.
“I should call her and let her know that you’re okay.” I pull out my phone, bracing myself for her protest.
Rather than argue, though, she leans her head against the deck railing, suddenly looking teary-eyed again.
I drop my hands to my sides and take a cautious step closer. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on before I do that?”
She picks at a string on her shorts. “You work with my dad, right?”
“We work for the same company, but we don’t talk much.” If that’s what she’s worried about…
“We don’t either,” she says, her little voice cracking. “Me and my dad, I mean.”
Running a hand around the back of my neck, I take a seat beside her. “Yeah, I’ve heard things have been kinda rough in your family lately.”
“He has a girlfriend now. Cady.” She pulls in a hiccupping breath. “He really hurt my mom’s feelings.”
Well, shit.
“I’m so mad at him.”
With my elbows planted on my knees, I duck my head. “I bet you are.”
“I just want my mom to be happy again.”
Damn, my chest aches for this girl. “Me, too, Spitfire.”
She turns and looks at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “You do?”
“Sure, I do. Your mom is a great person. She has a big heart.”
“Do you think she’s pretty?”
Uh…
“Because I think she’s prettier than Cady.”
Ah. “Your mom is pretty. But I don’t think that has anything to do with your dad moving out.”
She bites her lip and studies her shoes for a minute, like she’s considering that possibility. “I think she’s beautiful,” she finally says. “Maybe if she got a boyfriend…”
The back of my neck goes hot. From the sun, obviously, not the guilt that hits me for thinking her mom could use a good man in her life, too. “She probably will eventually.”
“You think so?”
I nod. “I do.”
She sniffs back her tears, seemingly satisfied with that response. “I just don’t want her to be lonely.”
Same, kid. Same.
“I like going to my grandma and grandpa’s to visit Dad, but I feel bad leaving her. I don’t want her to be sad when me and Mason are gone.”
“I understand, but your mom wouldn’t want you to worry about that, Emma. You’re only eight, right?”
She tips her head and glares. “I’m almost nine.”
I hold up my hands. “My apologies.”
We sit in silence for a couple more minutes before I tap my phone.
“Do you want to call your mom?”
She swipes at her tears and nods. “I hope she isn’t mad.”
“She might be, but I think she’ll be more relieved to know you’re safe.”
“O-okay.”
I bring up Rachel’s contact, hit the call button, and hand over the phone. “Here you go, Spitfire.”