Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
I wince and look away, but dart my eyes straight back to his throat in a double-take, squinting. What’s that mark on his neck?
‘How are we doing?’ Richard appears, getting Jack’s attention so he lowers his head and I lose sight of the blemish. Or was it a shadow?
‘We need to keep an eye on these roots, mate,’ Jack says, stubbing the toe of his shoe on the trunk. ‘And we need to call in the surgeons to get rid of a few branches.’
‘Got it,’ Richard confirms. ‘Can I borrow Annie for a moment? I have a few questions about the steel supports.’
Yes! Please borrow me! Get me away!
‘Sure,’ Jack says softly, but I’m walking back into the building before I get his go-ahead. And I can feel his fiery stare on me the whole damn way, raising my temperature higher and higher.
‘Is it me, or is it really warm today?’ I ask Richard’s back, pulling at the sides of my high visibility jacket.
‘It’s you.’ He laughs and points to a wall splitting two rooms. ‘This here is a supporting wall.’
‘Right,’ I confirm. ‘And the wall on the next floor is too, so we need a pretty hefty steel in there. The calculations are on the drawing. I suspect we’ll need to get it specially made.’
‘I’ll speak to the fabricators.’ Richard reaches into his pocket and pulls out his card. ‘You’ll be needing this.’
‘Perfect.’
‘And this.’ Another card appears, held between the fingers of Jack’s big hand.
‘Thank you.’ I take it without looking at him and slip them both into my trouser pocket.
‘It’s gonna look amazing,’ Richard remarks. Any other time, I would feel a sense of pride, but right now I’m riddled with too much apprehension to feel anything else.
‘Colin’s filled you in on the roof situation?’ I ask.
Richard laughs. ‘Yes. You’re one brave woman. If that roof arrives with a chip or crack, this whole project will be knocked off schedule.’
‘I have a question.’ Jack steps forward, and I can’t stop my eyes from meeting his. The grey I remember is clouded and dull, not sparkling and glittery. He’s definitely suffering here, and I get no pleasure from it. I’m suffering too.
‘What?’ I ask tentatively, my head spinning with all of the questions that are probably on his mind, none of them work-related.
He lifts a heavy arm and points at my torso. ‘Can I have my jacket back?’
Richard starts laughing, and I tense from top to toe, looking down my front. ‘It’s yours?’ Quickly shrugging the jacket off, I hand it to Jack with an awkward smile.
He takes it slowly, and then his arm starts to lift towards me again. I find myself discreetly pulling back, my stare following his outreached hand as it moves towards my head. What is he doing?
‘And this,’ he says quietly, taking the hard hat from my head.
I let my tense muscles relax as he pulls back. ‘Thanks for letting me borrow them.’
‘I didn’t.’ He swings his jacket on, stilling when he’s shoved one arm through the sleeve, his face lowering to the collar a little. He almost scowls, and I know it’s because he just got a waft of my girlie perfume lingering on the threads. ‘Richard did,’ he finishes, looking at Richard like he hates him.
I have a feeling that jacket will be going on a super-hot wash to get rid of my lingering scent the moment Jack gets home. Maybe even in the bin. Arranging the collar, he flexes his neck, and I see it again. Marks, but this time I’m a lot closer, and I can see there are four perfect lines. Scratches?
‘What have you done?’ I ask before I can stop myself, my hand lifting to his throat to touch gently below one of the raw red marks.
Jack freezes, his wide eyes burning into my concerned ones. It’s silent for a few tense seconds; not even Richard says a word. ‘It’s nothing.’ Jack moves away from my touch and back over to the drawings. ‘Do we have the bifold door spec on here too?’ he asks.
I look at Richard, my arm dropping to my side. His narrowed eyes turn on me, and he shakes his head, his lips in an angry straight line. ‘Bottom right corner,’ he answers for me.
‘They’ve changed. The drawing I have states five metres wide.’
‘Colin wanted more light,’ I say quietly, my head spinning. What has happened?
‘Get them requoted,’ Jack orders shortly, and Richard nods. ‘I have somewhere I need to be.’
Without so much as a second glance, Jack storms out, leaving me and Richard standing in awkward silence. I know it’s not my place to ask, and I know I really shouldn’t, but . . .
‘Don’t ask,’ Richard grunts, marching off after Jack. I remain where I am for a few moments, stunned and quiet, and once I’ve finally found the will to move, I do so on heavy feet, collecting my bag and files and making my way out to the front.