Not even a blink.
He didn’t know who he was messing with.
“Come on,” I said, sounding almost as stony and tough as Rip. I didn’t give him an option to tell me that he wouldn’t follow.
I had learned over the years that if you wanted something, you didn’t make it a question. If you made it into a question, sometimes the other person would take it that they had an opportunity to voice an opinion to. You were basically giving them an opening to say no.
The fact was, the last thing I wanted was for this idiot to back talk me more than he already had.
It only took about ten seconds before Jason’s nostrils flared and he jerked his chin down in agreement… angrily.
What a sweet, lovely man-child, said no one ever.
Trying to keep my body loose and my mouth closed, I led the way to the booth. I’d already opened the double doors when I’d gone in to take the tape off, so I walked right in and stopped by the hood. Walking slower than a freaking zombie with one leg and intestines hanging out of his belly, Jason went around to the other side and stopped.
He didn’t look at me, but it didn’t matter.
“On three, let’s lift.” He still didn’t say anything. Okay. “One, two,three,” I called out, before lifting it. Luckily, he didn’t fight with me over that.
I backed out, carrying my part, keeping my attention over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t back into anything. In no time, we had set the hood down on top of old five-gallon buckets covered with old rags. For a second, I thought about reminding him of what I’d asked him to do but decided against it. He was a grown man and there was nothing wrong with his memory.
So I went to the bathroom, took my time a little and decided to stop by the floor and tell Rip that the hood was ready for them to come get. Instead, I found one of the builders crouched by a Hummer and told him. By the time I got back to my room, the sound of a paint can being shaken filled it, but Jason wasn’t in the room.
Where the hell had he gone?
I had originally planned on letting him paint the engine block that was next on the schedule, but after his attitude, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that.
But….
Kindness and patience. Kindness andpatience.
I’d wait for him.
And that was what I did. I waited, going through some files, checking my supplies… but when my watch told me it had been half an hour and he still hadn’t come back, my irritation went through the freaking roof again. First he was pushing it with twenty minutes? But now thirty?
Patience, Luna, patience.
But patience didn’t mean I had to wait around.
I was going to look for this turd and tell him to come paint the block. If he got another attitude with me, well then, maybe it would be time to go tell Mr. Cooper what was going on with him. Maybe I’d even tell Rip depending on how ugly he talked to me. At this point, I was over the fact the only person under twenty-one I could trust was Lily.
Sighing, I headed out of my room and down the hallway, stopping at the men’s bathroom to kick it open and call out, “Jason?”
But it wasn’t Jason that responded with, “Luna! I’m taking a shit!”
Even being in a little bit of a bad mood wasn’t enough to keep me from snickering. “Sorry! I’m looking for Jason, Owen!”
“He walked by me when I was going down the hall,” he replied, sounding… strained.
I covered my mouth so he wouldn’t hear me laugh at him. “Okay, thanks!” I backed out of there and made my way toward the main floor. Going up to the tips of my toes, I tried to look around to see if I could spot him… but he wasn’t anywhere.
Where was he?
I jogged up the stairs and looked in the break room, but he wasn’t in there either. I thought for a second about going to ask Mr. Cooper if he’d seen him but decided against it. From the stairs, I still didn’t see him. I had never smelled smoke on him before, but maybe he was outside?
I should just go back to my room and do the work myself. I really should. Or go tell Mr. C first and then do that.
But for some dumb reason, I crossed the main floor, heading toward the door that would lead outside.
