He stepped back into the house without giving her a second glance. “You have twenty seconds to get off my property or I’m calling the cops.” He slammed the door in her face.
I wasted a year of my life with her.
***
“Nick, I need you and Jada to start on the Henderson-Clark project downtown,” Peyton Jenkins said standing at the front of the conference room near the massive size white board. “And Jada, before you start complaining, it’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.”
Jada’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t even say anything. It’s mid-week, and I haven’t complained … to you all week.”
PJ turned to write on the board. “I figured you were due for a complaint.” Everyone in the room chuckled, mainly her family members. Jada didn’t appreciate being singled out. Sure, she complained sometimes, but who wouldn’t? Lately, most of their jobs were in the nastiest furnace rooms or on the roof of the tallest buildings in Cincinnati. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but she didn’t look forward to hanging off the side of the roof of a thirty-story office building installing wall flashing.
“In Jada’s defense,” her cousin Nick started, “I have to admit that this week she’s been on her best behavior and hasn’t complained once.”
Jada wanted to stick out her tongue at PJ, but thought it might be a little too childish. At twenty-four, Jada was working hard to get her family to see her as a mature woman and not the baby of the family who used to get most of them in trouble. Her oldest cousin, Nick, always looked out for her, giving her the least amount of grief. Unlike his twin brother, Nate, who lived to taunt her.
“If Jada hasn’t complained, she must be sick. I can’t recall a day she hasn’t griped about a broken nail, a scar, or her stupid hair,” Martina chimed in, sitting across from Jada, a wicked grin spread across her face. “So, are you sick or something?”
Jada narrowed her eyes at her cousin, who was always trying to start something. “MJ, you aren’t going to always have me around to pick on.”
“Maybe not, but in the meantime –”
“Can we get back to business?” Peyton placed a hand on her hip. She gave both Jada and Martina a look that halted all conversation.
Jada half listened while Peyton made assignments. Others in the room shared progress reports and material shortage updates. Jada loved her family and the family business more than anything, but she was ready for something different in her life.
“Does that work for you, JJ?”
Jada’s gaze shot to Peyton, not having a clue as to what she was about to agree to.
“That’s fine,” she mumbled, knowing PJ would bust her out if she knew she wasn’t paying attention. Jada looked over at Nick who grinned and gave her thumbs up.
Oh great. I’ll probably be crawling through ductwork today.
Thirty minutes later, the meeting ended. It was only eight o’clock in the morning and Jada felt as if she had already put in a full day of work. She hadn’t been sleeping well thanks to her nightly dreams of Zack Anderson. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what about the man turned her mind to mush and her body into a fiery furnace every time she thought of him. That one dance had left her aroused and aching to be touched by him again.
“JJ, I’ll meet you at the van in ten minutes.” Nick broke into her thoughts on his way out the door.
“Sounds good.” She headed downstairs to the reception area. She needed a strong cup of coffee. The coffee in the lobby was always more potent than the coffee Peyton made before the staff meetings.
“Oh, JJ, I’m glad you’re still here. You just had a delivery,” the receptionist, Tammy, said.
Jada poured the dark, hot liquid into a Styrofoam cup while Tammy stood and walked to the hall closet. Jada’s eyes lit up, and a bout of giddiness raced through her veins at the sight of a huge white box.
“What is it?” She walked around the