Margie clasps her hands together in front of her. “Oh, summer wedding, I bet. You’ll need to have it when the sunflowers are in full bloom.”
I grab Ryder’s hand, tugging him back toward the door. “Bye Margie!”
I push through the front door, Ryder following on my heels, as Margie rises from her seat and shouts, “Do you need a flower girl? I’m available!”
30
RYDER
“You must be fucking kidding me,” Eve mutters as she wanders into the kitchen, barefoot and wearing an oversized sweater with her little spandex shorts that highlight her ass in the most delicious way. She sits in the chair next to me, dropping her laptop on the table and angling it so I can see the screen. “This quote must be a joke.”
I abandon my own work—which is a lot, considering how long I’ve been pushing it off to hang out with Evie—and scroll through the PDF from the guy Margie suggested.
“There’s no way it costs more than an overpriced rooster to fix the goddamn water wheel,” I say.
She rests her head in her hands. “I don’t fucking get it.” She lifts her head again. “It’s a couple pieces of wood. It’s not like it’s fiberglass or titanium or something. It’swood.”
“Is there any chance he sent you the wrong quote?” I ask, searching through the document for a description of the work or something else that confirms this is for the tiny water wheel that’s not even fully broken.
And all I see is a price for materials. A really, truly exorbitant price for materials.
“Maybe he just accidentally added an extra zero?”
“Or two?” Eve suggests.
“Well, if it’s one extra zero, it would be the high end of reasonable. Two zeroes and you have to wonder whether he’s licensed or not.”
She gives me a flat look.
“But that’s beside the point. You’re right.”
She groans, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t know what to do. Ilovedthe guy we chose. He seemed excited about the project. Knowledgeable. Interested in the history of the water wheel.” She shakes her head. “And this guy couldn’t be bothered to show up until he heard amanon the other side of the phone and spent all of two minutes staring at the water wheel with a dumb look on his face until I asked if he wanted to take a look at the other side. I can’t believe Reed approved this guy.”
I had been on a call when Rich arrived, and although I came outside the second I was free, the damage had already been done. He didn’t want to deal with a woman—as evidenced by Evie’s unreturned phone calls—and couldn’t bother giving her the time of day when she’s so obviously both the brains and brawn behind this farm.
Even though he gavemea lackluster explanation by the time I joined them, Evie’s face said everything. She wasn’t impressed. In fact, I’d argue she was downright furious.
I dealt with him for the rest of the visit, very aware that although Rich was obviously the bottom of the barrel, he might be our only option. And Evie looked like she was about to give him the same welcome she gave me—that is, push him into the stream. Though I’m not sure she would have let him back out of it.
And something about this whole experience, from his initial lack of interest to the exorbitant price he’s charging for materials, has my spidey senses tingling.
Something is not quite right here.
“See if he’ll give you a vendor for where he’s getting those materials. If it was a normal price, I probably wouldn’t push, but he should have documentation ready if he’s going to try to charge someone that much money. We could buy a whole new water wheel with that sort of money.”
She rears back, her eyes wide.
“Not that we would,” I say. “Just that wecould.”
She shakes her head. “Can you do it? He probably won’t answer my email. He addressed the quote to you anyway.”
“Did he really?” I scroll up, my blood boiling when I seemyname at the top, despite it being sent toheremail. “Wow, this guy is a fucking twat.”
She throws her hands out in front of her. “Welcome to farm life as a woman. Fucking misogynistic assholes who won’t return my call and come in here thinking I’m stupid because my nails are painted. I keep this place afloat by myself and he has the nerve to send me a quote like this, thinking I’m just going to pay it without questioning it?”
I tug her chair closer, slipping an arm underneath her knees and one around her back to pull her onto my lap. “I love it when you get allburn the world down,” I say, leaving a kiss on her temple. “Want me to go kill him for you? I promise it’ll be slow. Although with you and your manicured little Hulk hands, I’m sure you’d want to do the honors.”
She grumbles. “It’s probably not worth the prison time.”
