Page 16 of Hearts of Wealth

Catherine

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I ARRIVED AT THE HOUSE, my footsteps echoing against the walls as I made my way inside. There was good progress being made. So far, I had managed to avoid Henry since the blowup with him and Timothy. I still wasn’t sure what all that was about. It did seem strange they’d both ended up in the same small town. It gave credence to what Timothy had said about his old friend wanting to cause problems for him. It wasn’t jealousy. Maybe a little, but their rift went way back.

“Have you seen Luke?” I asked one of the contractors. “The electrician.”

I’d needed to touch base with him before heading to New York City for the day. I trusted him to keep things running while I was away. The man had turned out to be a staunch ally. That was something I needed while working in this environment. The contractor grunted and jerked his head.

I spotted him across the room, kneeling down and working on an outlet. I made my way over, glad he was on the job. I had a feeling that today was going to be a challenging one. I was glad Luke would be here to keep things running so I could focus on my goal.

“Hey, Luke,” I greeted him. “Can we chat for a minute?”

He looked up and smiled. “Hey, you’re early. What’s up?”

“Outside preferably,” I said.

His expression was serious as he followed me outside. “Is everything okay?” he asked with concern.

“Yes, fine. I wanted to let you know that I’ll be in New York City for the rest of the day. I won’t be back until later tonight.”

He nodded. “All right. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, fine.” I smiled. “You have my number. If anything comes up, just give me a call.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked with genuine concern.

Before I could respond, Henry’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “Why the hell aren’t you going to be at work today?” he demanded, his tone sharp and accusatory as he stomped toward us.

I turned to face him, my jaw clenched with frustration. “I’m not your employee, Henry,” I retorted, my voice firm. “I’m your contractor. Right now, I don’t need to be here because my subcontractors are handling the job just fine.”

“I hired you to oversee this project, not some electrician,” he hissed. “I’ve barely seen you here.”

“As I’ve explained to you several times, I am not needed here twenty-four-seven,” I said calmly. “I am overseeing the project. Everyone has their jobs. They all know what to do.”

“You’re leaving a bunch of strangers in my house unsupervised,” he spat.

“I’m doing the job,” I said. “This is how this works. I’ve explained this to you from day one.”

“Why did I hire you if all these guys are the ones doing the work?”

“Your lack of trust is beginning to become a problem, Henry,” I continued, my tone sharpening. “If you hired me for the job, then you need to trust that I know how to do it.”

His face reddened, a vein throbbing in his temple. “You don’t tell me what’s becoming a problem,” he spat venomously. “This is my house.”

“I respect that it’s your house. But remember, you hired me because I’m good at what I do,” I shot back, maintaining my firm stance. “I have everything under control here.”

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he took a step toward me. Luke instantly stepped closer. Henry barely looked at Luke. His focus was on me.

“If you have a problem with me, Catherine, then just say it,” Henry spat, his eyes narrowing with hostility.

I held his gaze, unflinching in the face of his aggression. This wasn’t my first rodeo. Men liked to throw their weight around. “If you have a problem with me, Henry, then you can find yourself another contractor,” I shot back, my voice cold and steely. “I’ll pack up my crew and leave today, and you can fly in the closest contractor approved by the Historical Society. Good luck getting on anyone’s schedule this year.”

He glared at me. I glared right back, daring him to push me. “Your professionalism sucks!”

With that, he stormed off, slamming the door behind him. I let out a sigh of relief, the tension draining from my shoulders as I turned back to Luke.

“Sorry about that,” I said, offering him a small smile. “I just needed to set him straight.”