The floors are so new and polished that I almost slip. I walk slowly, not wanting to make an ass of myself by skidding over.
The door to Joel’s office is open, and I lean on the door frame, panting as I knock. When he glances up, his expression lights up when he spots me.
“You’re out of the chair!”
“Yup,” I pant, wanting to keel over. The exertion of getting here has left me out of breath.
“Take a seat.” Joel’s oldest daughter, Dana is sprawled in the chair opposite his desk, scrolling through her phone.
Joel taps her leg. “Scoot.”
She scowls at him, then notices me, and her eyes go wide. “Here, Ryan, take my seat.”
I hate taking a seat from a child, but she’s up before I can protest. She leans against the window frame, her attention already back on her phone.
“Thanks.” I sink into the chair, and it’s a relief to be off the leg.
“Good to see you up and about. Savanna must be working wonders.”
I don’t tell him it’s Paige that’s motivated me to get onto the prosthetic. We talk for a few minutes about the leg and the jobs he has for me to do around the place. Then he leans forward and pierces me with his gaze.
“But that’s not why you’ve come to see me, is it?”
I run a hand over my beard and glance at Dana, but she’s preoccupied with her phone.
“Does Paige have any enemies?”
Joel chuckles. “She speaks her mind. That annoys some people, especially in a small town like Hope. She doesn’t behave how some people expect a young woman to behave.”
Dana scoffs. “That’s the patriarchy for you, putting women in boxes.”
She doesn’t look up from her phone, so she doesn’t catch her dad’s raised eyebrows as he runs a hand through his hair.
Joel left the Navy to nurse his wife through cancer. She passed three years ago, and now he’s navigating two teenage daughters on his own.
“Was there anyone in particular who she pissed off lately?”
Joel frowns. “She got the Huntington contract from under the nose of Wild Landscapers. They’ve been established in Hope for years, a family landscaping business. They weren’t happy when Peter Huntington handed the contract to Paige.”
“What’s so special about the Huntington contract?”
“Peter’s well known in the community. He’s on the city council and has a lot of influence around Hope. That contract is more than a big job for Paige; it’ll launch her business if she does a good job for Peter Huntington. And that could take business away from Wild Landscapers.”
It’s a fair reason to want to sabotage the business, but it’s risky if they were caught.
“Would they do something like that?”
Joel shrugs. “Maybe some people aren’t what they seem.”
“How did Paige win the contract?”
Joel grins. “Peter is a huge supporter of the retreat. His father fought in Vietnam, and he did a stint in the Army himself. He was in the first gulf war. He’s donated to the center and has got the entire town behind it. He was impressed with Paige volunteering here, so he took a chance on her.”
It’s a big chance. If the job goes well, this will launch her business to a new level.
“She’s getting trolled online.” Dana holds out her phone showing the article of Paige with the picture of her and Noah.
Dana scrolls down the screen, and the comments section appears.
