Even as she said it, she knew that wasn’t what happened. She’d used scaffoldings just like that one several times over the years. Not once had she ever had one wobble, let alone collapse like that one had.
“It could’ve been a manufacturing issue, for all we know.” She looked back at Grant. “I’ll deal with it later.”
Grabbing her jacket from the barstool where she’d left it, Brynnon put it on and followed him out the door. The chill in the air had more of a bite to it than when they first got there, making Brynnon excited for the impending winter weather.
Texas wasn’t known for getting much snow, but the farmer’s almanac, along with every weather forecaster around the country, were predicting a much higher-than-average amount this year. As a kid, she’d always wished for a few feet of the stuff so she could build a snowman or throw snowballs at her brother. Unfortunately, the only time she ever got to play in the snow was when her family went to Colorado on the occasional skiing trip.
Grant started the truck but didn’t put it in drive right away. Instead, he sat there, looking at her cabin and the immediate area around it.
“You’re awfully secluded out here.”
She glanced over at him. “That’s kind of the whole point.”
“What are your plans for security?”
Brynnon wondered when he was going to bring that up. “I keep meaning to get a security system installed.” She looked at her cabin’s front door and back to him. An idea struck. “Hey, doesn’t your firm install those?”
“We do.”
“Great. I’ll just hire you guys to do it, then. Can you get me in touch with whoever I need to talk with to get it all set up?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
She wanted to argue about him taking over, but something in his eyes told Brynnon he was actually pleased she wanted his company to handle that end of things.
“Okay. Just get me some quotes on the systems you think are the best and let me know what it costs. We can go from there.”
With his signature nod, Grant began driving them back to the city. “I still need a schedule from you that covers the next two weeks, at least.”
Crap.She’d given him the list of contacts but completely forgot about the schedule. “I’ll get that done as soon as we get to the condo.”
“That’s fine. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
She hesitated, unsure of how he would react to her plans. “Sunday brunch at my father’s at ten-thirty. After that, we need to make a trip to Children’s Medical.”
“Children’s Medical?” He actually sounded concerned. “Someone sick?”
She smiled sadly. “Almost every kiddo there.” When he gave her ano shitlook, Brynnon figured she should explain.
“A nonprofit group I’m associated with delivers Christmas gifts to the cancer wing each year. Tomorrow’s the day we scheduled for this year.”
Grant’s lips became pinched, and his right eye twitched slightly.
“Seriously? You’re going to get upset about this, too?”
“I’m not upset,” he grumbled.
“Could’ve fooled me.”
The confusing man’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “It’s not ideal, from a security standpoint. But what you’re doing”—he glanced over at her, his expression softening a tad— “It’s a good thing.”
“Oh.” With a chagrined smile, she offered a soft, “Thanks.”
Okay, so maybe she needed to quit jumping to conclusions where he was concerned. Of course, it would help if the man changed his expression once in a while, rather than wearing that perpetual scowl all the freaking time.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, she spoke again. “One of the few things I like about my father being a senator is the charity work I’ve been given access to through his platforms. Among collecting and delivering presents to the children at the hospital, this particular charity works throughout the year to help Children’s Medical raise money for juvenile cancer research.”
At the mention of cancer, a shadow crossed over Grant’s face. Before Brynnon could ask him about it, he changed the subject.
