“Get out!”Penny barked, and Brett looked up from his phone, alarmed.
“What?”
“I said,get out!”
Brett shoved his phone in his pocket and reached for the door handle as Penny slunk down in her seat. He searched outside the windows trying to figure out what was making her act like they were mid-carjacking.
“Penny—”
“Please, Brett.” It was nearly a whimper. He did as she asked and pushed the door open, then reached into the back to retrieve his bag and crutch. He pulled everything out into the parking lot in one less-than-graceful maneuver, gripping the door for balance. He barely slammed it closed as Penny peeled out of the lot.
What the hell was that all about?Brett walked into the gutted office space and took a hard hat from Dominic, who was already inside waiting for him.
“Looks like you're in need of our services.”
Brett turned to see a man dressed in a lavender shirt and charcoal grey pants that looked tailored. His patent leather shoes definitely didn't belong in a construction zone.
Brett opened his mouth, but Dominic leaned in. “I already told him to wear a hard hat, but he refuses.”
The man, who he assumed was Daniel from his email, took Brett’s hand and shook it with a firm grip. “Nice to finally meet you in person. I stopped by last week and thought it was a bit strange you weren't on site.”
Brett motioned at his knee. “I was most likely in the middle of surgery.”
“Right, well, I assume you'll be present from here on out?”
Brett bristled.Wasn't this guy a doctor?He doubted he’d be keen on Brett telling him how often he needed to see patients. “I'll be here as often as needed.” He glanced at Dominic, who dropped his eyes to his notebook.
Daniel continued. “This is the second build-out I've done, but admittedly it's bigger than the first. I just want to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Brett drew a calming breath and leaned on his crutch so he could pull his tablet from his bag. “We take pride in our team. We do good work.”
Daniel barely acknowledged the comment. “I wanted to go over the timeline a bit and make a couple of adjustments to the back corner of the building. Specifically adding a second entrance . . .”
Brett had a moment to gather his thoughts as they walked to the back of the building. His mind swung like a pendulum back to the moment in the car with Penny.What in the world could have set her off like that?
He motioned for Dominic to pull out his notebook as Daniel explained the specifications. Normally, Brett would be happy to take the lead, but he was having a difficult time holding himself upright with his right leg throbbing and his underarm complaining each time he leaned on the crutch.
Dominic understood the assignment and jumped right in to take measurements. The slight deprecating downward glance from Daniel did not escape Brett’s notice. This guy was a piece of work. He corrected Dominic twice on how he should properly hold a tape measure, and Brett was about to jump in to take the heat when he heard the wordschiropractic office.His ears started to ring as all the pieces snapped into place.
“You said this was your second build?” Brett asked, interrupting him.
“Right.” Daniel launched back into his previous sentence, but Brett held up a hand.
“And your other office—where is it located?”
“Does it matter?”
Brett’s shoulders tensed. “Just curious if I know the contractor.”
Daniel looked annoyed but rattled off the name and the location down south. Brett flicked up the general sketch of the building on his tablet and reviewed the list of vendors already signed on for leases. Therapeutic massage, acupuncture, holistic medicine, naturopath, and bingo. Chiropractic and physical therapy: Dr. Daniel Ascott. Or, as Brett was now fairly certain: Danny.
Daniel prattled on about building flow, but Brett was fifteen kilometres away, back at his apartment. This was Penny's ex.
When Daniel was finally satisfied with the numbers Dominic was showing him, they made their way back to the front.
“Anything else I can help you with?” Brett asked. Daniel dipped his head and pulled him to the side, positioning himself between Brett and Dominic. Dominic ignored the rude bid for privacy and stepped back a few feet, writing a few more notes on the page.
Daniel lowered his voice. “I would really prefer that you're on site from here on out.”
