“Going well might be an exaggeration. It'sgoing.”
“Well, that's something.”
Brett rested his arm on the console. Penny was out of a job, so he couldn’t complain. “It's something. I have good teams, and we’ve been getting plenty of bids, which isn’t always a given. There are just some things that go smoother when the boss is around.”
“So you're the boss?”
His pupils dilated at that phrase coming out of her mouth. “What do you think a general contractor is?”
“See, you didn't tell me that you were ageneralcontractor. You only said ‘contractor.’”
“And you know the difference between the two?” Shit. If she knew construction speak, he was in serious trouble. Hopefully she knew nothing about hockey.
“Absolutely. My dad does custom woodworking. He's planning to retire in the next couple of years.”
Brett nodded, impressed. “That kind of work takes a toll on your body, for sure.”
“Where did you start?” Penny asked
“I did construction, framing, drywalling, electrical.”
“A jack of all trades.”
Brett chuckled. “Not really. Good enough to get by. Then I went and got my MBA.”
“Of course you did.”
Brett turned to face her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Do contractors normally get an MBA?”
“If they want to run their own company, they do.”
Penny sighed. “It's perfectly in line with what you told me about your family. You're ambitious.”
“More like I didn't want to haul pipes or boards for the rest of my life,” he commented. Penny pulled into the parking lot and took a spot marked staff only. “I don't think you can park here. You don't have a sticker.”
She spun in her seat and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do you really think someone will call me on it?” She motioned around the mostly empty lot.
“It feels like you have no experience with the RCMP.”
Penny groaned. “Fine. I'll drop you at the front and then go park.”
“I can just—”
“No way, I'm not going to make you walk all the way across the parking lot.”
Brett motioned to the free spots. “Were you planning to park at the back? Need to get some steps in?”
“Ha. Hilarious coming from you.” Penny was already heading toward the front. “Just get out, I'll be there in a second.”
“Are we shopping together then? Having a little roommate grocery date?” As soon as the words left his lips and Penny’s face shifted, Brett regretted it.
“No. Of course not.” She stopped in front of the doors. “Just go get what you need and I'll meet you back at the front when you're done.”
Brett opened his mouth to say something, but didn't know how to respond to that. He hadn't meant to insinuate anything, but he’d obviously gotten too comfortable. He nodded once and got out, debating whether to grab his crutch from the back. He opted to take it since he'd forgotten to do any stretching on the drive.
He took his time walking inside, half hoping that Penny would catch up with him. She didn't, so he started through the produce section.
