Brett narrowed his eyes. “I told you—”
“Listen, I'm a business owner. I understand how it is to hire a team. You expect great things, yada yada, but we all know that unless the man in charge is there, corners get cut.”
Brett had said the same thing yesterday to Penny, but now the words felt sour. Especially when accompanied by the flicks of Daniel's eyes toward Dominic. His jaw tightened as he stepped back, gripping the handle of his crutch. “Dominic, would you come here for a second?”
Dominic stepped forward. He'd started out as a contractor working for Brett six years ago on a grocery store project downtown. Brett had been so impressed with his work that he'd helped him build his own team, and now he was a partial owner in Brett's company. Not a full half partner but close.
“I think with all the chaos when I walked in I forgot to introduce you two fully. Daniel, this is Dominic. He's not a contractor who works for me. He's my partner.” Daniel's eyes widened slightly, and Brett doubled down.
There was no way in hell he was going to let this man talk down to one of the most honest, hard-working men he knew. Not because he was quiet and kept to himself and not because of the colour of his skin. “Dominic is one of the most thorough, detail-oriented men I know, but more than that, his team respects him. They do an excellent job, which is why I've worked with him for six years and invited him to partner with me. I assure you, no matter which of us is on site, the work is going to get done right, and if for some reason it’s not, we will make it right.”
Brett paused, waiting for Daniel to respond. When he didn’t, Brett continued, “I recall we came highly recommended to you, correct Dr. Ascott?”Daniel definitely didn’t come highly recommended to him.
Daniel's smile was all charm. “Of course, of course, I have no concerns whatsoever. I'm just always thorough whenever I'm not the only one with hands on the reins.”
Brett forced a smile and squeezed Dominic's shoulder. He couldn’t tell if the rage bubbling up inside him was only due to Daniel's rude behaviour that morning or if it was partially influenced by the knowledge that this dickhead had treated Penny poorly. He didn’t want to know what he’d done to make her slink behind the steering wheel and pull out of the parking lot like she was in The Fast and Furious Part Five.
As soon as Daniel left the site, Brett pulled out his phone. He searched for Penny's number since he hadn't used it in a while, then typed out a text.
Hey, are you okay? Seems like you might have some history with the client who hired me for this build. He's a twat, by the way.
Brett watched his phone, waiting for her to reply. After a few minutes, he turned it off and slipped it back into his pocket.
“All good, bro?” Dominic walked up next to him.
“Yeah.” Brett rubbed his temple. “That guy was a piece of work, eh?”
Dominic made a face. “They don't make them the same out west.”
Brett laughed. He’d met plenty of good people from Van City, but Daniel wasn’t one of them. Dominic clapped him on the shoulder, and they went back to work.
Brett checked his phone four more times that morning, but there was nothing from Penny, and he was starting to get nervous. He had no reason to believe that Penny wasn't fine. Yes, she'd reacted strongly to seeing Daniel in person, but she'd probably gone home and gotten distracted with something. That was what normal people did.
But Brett had been surrounded by enough people who were abnormally adjusted he couldn’t quite let it go. Once, he'd sponsored a kid through his AA group in university—about to graduate in engineering. He'd been sober for two and a half years when one of his ex-girlfriends blocked him on social media. One benign thing and he was back to the bottle.
To be fair, it wasn'tonlythat thing. The kid hadn't been coming to meetings for a couple of weeks. Hadn't been doing his step work. It was too easy to get to a place where you thought you didn't need support anymore. Where you thought you could do it all on your own.
Brett needed to hit a meeting. He thought about stopping at the one in the plaza on the way home, then realized he didn't have a car.Was Penny planning to pick him up?They hadn't talked about anything before she turned into an ostrich and buried her head in the sand.
He typed out another quick text.
Hey, would really love to know that you're alright. I should be done here around four. Since you told me to assume away, I wondered if you'd be able to pick me up. I don't mind catching a rideshare though so no pressure
He stared at the text and then deleted the whole thing.
Hey, Penny. Let me know you're okay. I'll catch a rideshare after work. See you at home
He pressed send. This time, three dots appeared within seconds.
Hey, sorry I didn't respond sooner. I went for a run when I got home, not to rub it in, and just barely got cleaned up. I was planning to pick you up, so don't you dare order a ride. See you at four
No mention of Danny and no response to his question about whether she was surviving. Either that meant that she'd already forgotten about the whole thing, or she was avoiding it. He knew plenty about that strategy.
Brett and Dominic got burgers and poutine at A&W next door for lunch, and then he put his head down and drowned himself in work for the rest of the afternoon. When he saw Penny's car pull up through the window, his heart picked up speed.
Dominic followed his stare, then turned to look at him. “Who's that?”
Brett grabbed his crutch from against the wall. “A friend.” Dominic raised an eyebrow, and Brett ignored it. “I'll be at home the remainder of this week, but I'm hoping next week I'll be able to drive again.” Now that he was walking on his leg more consistently, he hoped it was only a matter of time.
