Leo retreats, pulling out his phone as he strides across the site, waving to his team. But not before shooting Reed a dirty look. Reed watches me with an expression I can’t read.
“What?”
“You handle authority well.”
“Disappointed I’m not a clueless prima donna?” I snap, but immediately regret the sharpness in my voice. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I’ve been under a lot of pressure.”
“No apology needed.” His voice drops to something rougher, and heat coils in my stomach at the sound. “You’re handling this better than I expected.”
My stomach flips at his compliment, but I also bristle at the fact that he clearly underestimated me…just like every man,including my father. This is my first solo project. If I fail, Dad will probably never let me run another. If I succeed, maybe he’llfinallytrust my vision and let me take over the company.
“Maya.” Reed touches my upper arm and guides me back toward the SUV. “We should photograph the rest of the site before the storm washes away the evidence.”
The heat of his palm through my jacket makes me want to lean into him and relax.
We park at the far end of the site, and I give Reed a full tour. He asks about construction timelines, worker schedules, access points. Every question reveals an impressive attention to detail. Ghost Security’s reputation is stellar, but seeing it in action is different.
“This is personal,” he says, examining spray paint on a bulldozer. “The messages like ‘Save Our Lake,’ ‘Leave,’ the dead fish are all meant to make you abandon the project.”
“Then they don’t know me very well.”
He looks at me then, but I don’t know what he was expecting. I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. “No, they don’t.”
The certainty in Reed’s voice makes me wonder how much he’s researched me, because he seems a lot less surprised at my commitment to this project and the fact that I’m not shrinking back from whatever is going on here.
My phone rings, and my dad’s name flashes on the screen.
Sighing, I hold a finger up to Reed. “I have to take this.”
“Maya, I heard about this morning’s incident,” my dad says—no greeting, just straight to the point. “Perhaps we should reconsider having you lead this project. I’m sure I can get your brother to step in.”
“I’m handling it. You and I both know Martin isn’t interested in this project.” What I don’t say is that my brother knows how important this is to me, and he wants to see me succeed. I think I’d have to be in the hospital in a coma for my brother to step in.
“Are you?” I close my eyes and force myself to unclench my jaw. I love my dad, but life and this project would be a lot easier if he’d just trust me.
I grew up tagging along on projects with him. Real estate is in my blood, and I want to take our company to the next level by getting into developing vacation properties, not just managing rental apartments and selling houses.
I take a deep breath. Rain is starting to pick up, fat drops hitting my face as I turn away from Reed for privacy. “I have things under control. The security company I’ve hired is installing surveillance equipment today. I’m not letting all this slide by and crossing my fingers that the vandalism will stop. Trust me on this, okay?”
“Maya.” His tone shifts to the one that used to make me cave as a child. “If you can’t manage this, say so.”
“I can,” I say without hesitation, standing up straighter even though he can’t see me. My dad was always so supportive when I was starting at the family business, and it’s surprising and infuriating that he thinks I’m good enough to manage the existing business our family has built, but not good enough tolead new and bigger projects, despite all the successes I’ve had up to this point.
“Your stubbornness will be your downfall, Maya. Just like—”
“It will be what gets this project finished on time.” I end the call before he can finish that sentence.
The model home’sdoor slams behind us, cutting off the wind. We’re both damp from the sudden downpour that caught us between the site inspection and the house, and now I’m trying not to stare at how Reed’s shirt clings to his chest and shoulders.
“Wow.” I push wet hair from my face. “That escalated fast.”
“Your father sounds supportive.” His tone is carefully neutral, but I hear the question and disbelief underneath.
“He means well, I think,” though I wonder if I really think that, or I’ve been conditioned to defend my father because he’s family. “But he doesn’t think I can do this. Change isn’t part of his DNA, and it was hard enough to get him on board with this project in the first place.”
“You can,” he says simply. His blanket confidence in me catches me off guard. Is he saying this because I’m his client and he wants to keep me happy? Or is he somehow able to look at me and see what my dad doesn’t seem to see in me?
My phone buzzes, but I let it go to voicemail without checking it. I pull up my email instead, needing to focus on something that doesn’t involve talking or arguing. Three messages from contractors, two from the insurance company, one from my bestfriend and sister-in-law, Lucy. I make a mental note to call Lucy as soon as I can. Everything else can wait, but I want to make time for my best friend.
