impersonal respect. And the few times they’d been alone together, she’d acted as if she was in a hurry to get away. Soon taking the hint, and far too proud to try to change Wil’s mind, Jillian had simply left the polite space between them.
As she turned the corner she heard the high-pitched whine of a saw, which got louder as she approached her garage. The overhead door was open and, inside, Wil leaned over a wet saw, carefully cutting a piece of tile. She paused and glanced up as Jillian passed.
“Good morning.” Wil’s stomach twisted with nervousness and she wondered how long she could put off revealing that she was down to a crew of one.
“Morning. Coffee ready?”
“Yep,” Wil replied. Jillian was always somewhat single-minded after her walk.
Wil consulted her notes, then measured the next tile. She was about to turn the saw back on when Jillian reappeared and lounged in the doorway, cradling a mug in one hand.
“Where is everyone?”
Wil took off her safety glasses and set them on the makeshift table. “It’s just me today.”
“What happened?”
“Well, actually, it’s just me for a while. We’ve had a bit of an emergency on another job and I had to send the girls over there.”
“For how long?” Jillian tried not to panic, hoping it would be only a couple of days, and it wouldn’t affect her projected listing date.
“I don’t know. A few weeks maybe.”
“A few…” Jillian was completely at a loss. They were supposed to be finished in less than three weeks. “Which job was more important than mine?”
Wil winced. “The school.”
“Ah, I see. The hometown team gets priority,” Jillian said calmly. Considering Wil’s dedication, she knew if there was a better option Wil would have taken it, so there was no point in getting angry. As an idea formed, she realized she would need her energy elsewhere.
“There was nothing I could do.” Wil sounded truly apologetic.
“So, now you’ll let me work with you.”
“No.”
She planted a hand on her hip and gave Wil her hardest stare. “I’m sorry if that sounded like a question, because it wasn’t.”
“No. You’re not working with me. I’ll get it done.” Wil lifted her chin a notch and Jillian was actually impressed. Lesser men and women had backed down from her before.
“I’m sure you will. But you don’t need to. I want this done. Do you really expect me to sit around while you do it all?”
“Yes. That’s what you’re paying me for.”
Jillian carefully skirted the stacks of tile on the floor and stepped closer to Wil. “Stop thinking that you work for me.” The resolve in Wil’s eyes didn’t waver, even when Jillian took her hand. “Circumstances have changed, and now we’re in this together.”
“I can’t let you do it.”
Jillian knew where Wil’s resistance stemmed from and, hoping it would pay off, she bluffed. “Then I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
“No one else is going to do it faster. You’ll have a hard time finding someone who can even start for a few weeks.”
“I know. But as I’ll tell your father, Johnson and Son has shown just how little my project means to them. And since you’re not showing enough flexibility to consider my suggestion, I’d rather someone else take twice as long than keep you on the job.” She saw the evidence of her barb in the quick tightening around Wil’s eyes and didn’t wait for a response. “Here’s my plan. The exterior paint will take forever with just two of us. So I’ll hire painters. Other than that, I think you and I can handle everything. I don’t know much about all this sawing and measuring.” She waved her hand toward the table behind Wil. “But I take direction well—I can bring you stuff, hold things while you hammer,” she laughed, “basically do whatever grunt work you’ve got. It has to be better than working by yourself.”
The corner of Wil’s mouth twitched as if she were fighting a smile.
“So—do we
As she turned the corner she heard the high-pitched whine of a saw, which got louder as she approached her garage. The overhead door was open and, inside, Wil leaned over a wet saw, carefully cutting a piece of tile. She paused and glanced up as Jillian passed.
“Good morning.” Wil’s stomach twisted with nervousness and she wondered how long she could put off revealing that she was down to a crew of one.
“Morning. Coffee ready?”
“Yep,” Wil replied. Jillian was always somewhat single-minded after her walk.
Wil consulted her notes, then measured the next tile. She was about to turn the saw back on when Jillian reappeared and lounged in the doorway, cradling a mug in one hand.
“Where is everyone?”
Wil took off her safety glasses and set them on the makeshift table. “It’s just me today.”
“What happened?”
“Well, actually, it’s just me for a while. We’ve had a bit of an emergency on another job and I had to send the girls over there.”
“For how long?” Jillian tried not to panic, hoping it would be only a couple of days, and it wouldn’t affect her projected listing date.
“I don’t know. A few weeks maybe.”
“A few…” Jillian was completely at a loss. They were supposed to be finished in less than three weeks. “Which job was more important than mine?”
Wil winced. “The school.”
“Ah, I see. The hometown team gets priority,” Jillian said calmly. Considering Wil’s dedication, she knew if there was a better option Wil would have taken it, so there was no point in getting angry. As an idea formed, she realized she would need her energy elsewhere.
“There was nothing I could do.” Wil sounded truly apologetic.
“So, now you’ll let me work with you.”
“No.”
She planted a hand on her hip and gave Wil her hardest stare. “I’m sorry if that sounded like a question, because it wasn’t.”
“No. You’re not working with me. I’ll get it done.” Wil lifted her chin a notch and Jillian was actually impressed. Lesser men and women had backed down from her before.
“I’m sure you will. But you don’t need to. I want this done. Do you really expect me to sit around while you do it all?”
“Yes. That’s what you’re paying me for.”
Jillian carefully skirted the stacks of tile on the floor and stepped closer to Wil. “Stop thinking that you work for me.” The resolve in Wil’s eyes didn’t waver, even when Jillian took her hand. “Circumstances have changed, and now we’re in this together.”
“I can’t let you do it.”
Jillian knew where Wil’s resistance stemmed from and, hoping it would pay off, she bluffed. “Then I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
“No one else is going to do it faster. You’ll have a hard time finding someone who can even start for a few weeks.”
“I know. But as I’ll tell your father, Johnson and Son has shown just how little my project means to them. And since you’re not showing enough flexibility to consider my suggestion, I’d rather someone else take twice as long than keep you on the job.” She saw the evidence of her barb in the quick tightening around Wil’s eyes and didn’t wait for a response. “Here’s my plan. The exterior paint will take forever with just two of us. So I’ll hire painters. Other than that, I think you and I can handle everything. I don’t know much about all this sawing and measuring.” She waved her hand toward the table behind Wil. “But I take direction well—I can bring you stuff, hold things while you hammer,” she laughed, “basically do whatever grunt work you’ve got. It has to be better than working by yourself.”
The corner of Wil’s mouth twitched as if she were fighting a smile.
“So—do we
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