Free Give Us a Chance by Allie Everhart

but it's not true. A few of the other guys have made comments but not to my face. I've heard them talking about me when they don't know I'm listening. I don't think that counts as harassment. And even if it did, I wouldn't report it unless it was really bad. This is an industry where word spreads fast and if you're viewed as a troublemaker you won't get hired, no matter how good you are. And as wrong as that is, and as much as it pisses me off, speaking up when guys say shit about me is the fastest way to unemployment.
    Jake's phone vibrates on the table. He ignores it, which he's done all night.
    "Don't you need to answer that?" I ask.
    "Not right now. Whoever it is, I'll call them back later."
    "But what if it's about work?"
    "It can wait until tomorrow. We're on a date. I'm not spending it on the phone with other people."
    It's another thing that surprises me about him. I thought he'd be constantly checking his phone, texting back all the girls who want to sleep with him. I bet his phone is full of invitations, and yet he hasn't texted or called anyone all night.
    "So tell me about yourself," Jake says, leaning back on the couch with that easygoing smile of his. "Tell me about your dad. You said he's a master carpenter?"
    I tell Jake about some of the projects my dad's worked on over the years. Most guys wouldn't be interested in that, but Jake is all ears. Construction is his life, just like mine, so it's something we can both talk about and not get bored. I also tell him about my dad's accident and how he hasn't been able to work.
    "You think he'll ever be able to work again?" Jake asks.
    "Probably not. At first he was getting better, but lately he's been getting worse. He could try surgery, but the doctor said it may not do much for the pain."
    "That sucks."
    "Yeah, I know. He's only 48 so he has a lot of years left he could've worked."
    "Is there anything else he could do that wouldn't involve physical labor?"
    "Carpentry is all he knows. And he's really good at it. He taught me everything I know."
    "And you said he specializes in finish work?"
    "Yeah, like me. Although he can do any kind of carpentry."
    Jake nods, but his mind seems elsewhere as he gazes behind me.
    After a few moments I ask, "You still here?"
    "Yeah." His gaze snaps back to me. "I was just thinking."
    "About what?"
    "I wondered if maybe your dad would be able to teach, just a few hours a day, or whatever he could do."
    "Teach carpentry?"
    "Yeah, like an apprenticeship for other carpenters who want to develop their skills in finish work. Those guys are hard to find, and when you find one, they're always booked."
    "Which is how you ended up with me." I run my finger over the top of my coffee lid. "I was the only one unemployed." I laugh, but it's not funny. It angers me that I can't get jobs because I'm a woman.
    "That's not why I hired you," he says. "I saw samples of your work and knew right away you were the best person for the job. I didn't know you were a woman until I got your name from one of my subs."
    And here a part of me thought he hired me so he'd have a girl to look at when he got tired of being around guys all day. I shouldn't think that way, but after being repeatedly told a girl can't do the job, when you actually do get hired, you question the motivation behind it.
    "Well, I'm glad you liked my work." I sip my coffee. "And I'll bring up your suggestion to my dad. It's a good idea. I don't know if he'd be able to do it or who would pay him for it, but I'll still tell him the idea."
    "So what was the first thing you made with your dad?" Jake asks.
    "A dollhouse."
    He smiles. "You don't seem like someone who'd play with dolls."
    "I did when I was a kid. My sister and I played with dolls all the time. She'd dress them and I'd make them furniture."
    "The first thing I ever made was a ramp for my toy race cars. I'd use it to jump my cars over shit. It was freaking awesome. My brothers were so jealous. They wanted to make ramps too, so they