But Ihavebeen bringing her coffee every morning for weeks now. Splash of cream. No sugar. And the lingering looks between us definitely aren’t helping.
Anyone who thinks I’m flirting with Penny Levine is out of their damn minds.
I don’t do relationships.
I remind myself of that for what feels like the nth time.
“Afternoon, everyone,” Penny says as she walks into the room, which we turned into a meeting space.
A choir of greetings fills the small room.
She takes a seat and sets her giant water jug on the conference table.
“I’ll keep today’s meeting short and sweet. Gio and Xander are very pleased with the tremendous progress you have all been making so far. They know this fall has been cooler than usual, and they appreciate you showing up and working hard despite the weather.”
As she speaks, she makes eye contact with every single person in the room.
That’s one of the things I admire most about Penny. She makes people feel seen. Doesn’t matter if someone’s runningthe project or hauling lumber inside. She treats everyone with the same level of respect.
“However,” she continues, “they think it’d be smart to pause construction until spring.”
Uneasy murmurs spread through the room.
A lot of them depend on winter work to get by.
“Quiet down, everyone,” I cut in. “Let the boss talk.”
Penny shoots me a grateful smile before continuing. “That’s why they’ve decided to double the bonus outlined in everyone’s contracts.”
The room erupts.
Euphoria. It’s the only word for it. Everyone’s on their feet. Some are already pulling out their phones to call their partners. One of the older crew members wipes at his eyes without even trying to hide it.
And I get it. This kind of money changes lives.
“I always knew Gio was generous, but double the bonus is crazy,” I say as I walk over to Penny.
She laughs softly. “You know him. He’s not the kind of billionaire who hoards all his money.”
“Yeah.” I shake my head, still impressed. “Does that include my bonus too?” I ask, suddenly feeling weirdly shy about it.
Her grin widens. “Including you and me. Gio went all out.”
I let out a low whistle.
I’m about to crack a joke when someone calls my name from the back of the room.
I turn toward one of the crew guys and head his way, crossing my arms over my chest as I slip straight into manager mode.
“What’s up?”
He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I know it’s silly, but… I feel kinda bad.”
I frown. “Why?”
“I mean, Mr. Gio’s giving us all this money, and we’re gonna sit on our asses all winter?”
A few of the other crew members nod, agreeing under their breath.
