Free Finish What We Started by Amylynn Bright

quadrant of the slab that would house the surgical area and kennels. “I made a few alterations to the plans. I hope they’re all right.”
    She stared at the area marked off with tape and tried to envision what would go there.
    Gesturing with his hands, he said, “Right here at the counter I moved everything over because it will be easier to get to the supplies with your left hand.”
    He’d remembered she was left-handed. She watched him while he talked and gestured, demonstrating how his change would make things easier for her. She stared at him for a long second then, before she could stop herself, she touched his shoulder. “That was really nice. Thank you.”
    “Bennett!” A shout bellowed through the wall-less building, pulling his attention away. “Excuse me.” Lee turned away. “Let me see what the hell’s going on.”
    She closed her eyes again and envisioned the finished building. She wouldn’t be able to set foot in the door without being reminded of Lee and his thoughtful gestures. That didn’t make her as angry as she would have expected.
    She wasn’t thinking of him in friendly terms yet, but she was still thinking of him. Unless they were in the same room, it didn’t happen much when she was awake, but sleeping—jeez. His sexuality was insidious, creeping into her dreams and leaving her panting and achy when she awoke.
    By the time she met him at the truck, he was talking to another guy with a hammer. “I’ll have the rest of it here tomorrow if I have to drive down there myself. Go ahead and start the back with what you’ve got.”
    The other guy strode away and Lee rolled his eyes. “Just give me one second, okay?” When Candace nodded, he got on his phone.
    While he conducted business over some missing drywall, she wandered back to her car. There was a granola bar in there calling her name. She leaned against the front quarter panel and munched while trying to envision the completed building.
    “Hey, pretty lady. How you doin’?”
    She paused with a mouth full of dry oats and turned her attention to the man on her left. She swallowed hard. “Fine.”
    He nodded in appreciation. “Yes, you are.” A Robo Electric shirt with cut off sleeves stretched across his shoulders and revealed well-cut arms.
    “Thank you.” She took a sip of vitamin water and gave him a non-encouraging smile.
    “You must be with the big guy, huh?” He lifted one booted foot and dropped it on her bumper, then leaned forward on a bent elbow.
    She took a small step backwards. “The big guy?”
    He crooked his head in the direction of Lee. “Yeah, Bennett. But if you’re not hooked up yet, you wanna get a drink with me?”
    “Ah. What kind of drink?”
    He settled his weight on the bumper and relaxed a bit. “Any kind of drink that makes some headway with you. What do you say, pretty lady?”
    A deep voice came from behind causing the man to jump upright. “I’d say you’ve got a panel to finish up, Freddy.”
    “Sorry, man.” Freddy nodded and made a face that indicated none of this mattered much. “She didn’t say she was yours.”
    Candace turned a hard glare toward Lee. “What?”
    Lee actually seemed to grow taller. “She’s a client, bonehead.”
    Freddy turned back to her. “So if you’re not with him, wanna get a drink or not?”
    A smile made the let down easier. “I’m sure I’ll come to regret it, but I’m going to have to pass.”
    “Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be here the rest of the week. Bennett will know where to find me after that.” Freddy touched his finger to the bill of his hat in an offhand salute as he headed back to work.
    Lee rolled his eyes. “Sorry. He’s an asshole.”
    She shrugged. “You lose a lot of girls to Freddy?”
    “I lose a lot of patience to Freddy. Come on. I want to get your final agreement on that cabinetry.”
    She couldn’t help herself. She made her voice as conversational as possible. “Are you with anyone these days?”