Horrendously, my eyes start to water, and my entire body trembles.
I see Glenn toss the empty coffee cup into the trash and take a step toward me.
“You seem out of sorts.”
“Of course I am. You’re mad at me. You won’t even look at me.”
He’s silent when I admit that, and I add, “And as much as I don’t want it to bother me, it does. It fucking bothers me, Glenn.I apologized. I’m sorry. It was stupid and horrible of me, but gods…”
I run a hand through my hair, and I know it’s sticking straight up. My glasses have been knocked sideways, but I don’t even bother fixing them.
“I’m just so fucking sorry.”
He’s quiet for a moment and then nods.
I hate that nod, but then he adds a soft, “Accepted.”
It’s almost a whisper, but I hear it. Something lightens inside of me, and I feel my eyes fill with more tears.
“Okay. Thank you.”
He says nothing else, so I clear my throat, straighten my glasses, and look down at the plan for today.
“Right, well, today we need to finish bracing those walls and framing the interior portions to get ready for the plumbers and electricians. And then, of course, we have another inspection next week.”
“Got it.”
“Hopefully, by the end of next week, we will be done with the roofing.”
“We’re on schedule to.”
I nod and clear my throat once more. “Thank you for covering for me. You did a fantastic job.”
“I know I did.”
His lips twitch slightly, and I bite back a retort. He’s teasing me. That’s a good step. A really fucking good one.
“You should shut the windows in here, Boss,” he says, and I wince slightly. It’s not Mr. Wren anymore, but fuck, I wish he’d just call me by my name. “Temps are gonna drop this afternoon.”
I huff and turn my gaze away. “I-I would, but I don’t smell right.”
Glenn freezes, his nostrils flaring slightly. I brace for it—a mean comment, a snide remark, but he just shrugs.
“Smells all right to me.”
And then he turns toward the door to the trailer, his hand landing on the doorknob.
“Those plants you sent look real nice on my porch, by the way.”
He doesn’t look back when he says it, but I feel it. My chest squeezes and then loosens as he walks outside.
He didn’t throw them away.
He kept them.
My heart skips a beat.
CHAPTER
