The Personal Shopper

by T. L. Quinn

  I figure I might as well get started, so I open up the schedule to see who is first. I smile when I read the first name. Let me preface this with saying that I love working at my dad’s company. I have always been interested in construction ever since I was a little girl and my dad first helped me build my very own birdhouse from scratch, but I love it even more recently because Tyler works here. He started about 6 months ago, and we have been doing some heavy flirting ever since.

  I try to always stay professional with all my dad’s guys, but with Tyler I may have bent my rules on that just a little. In my defense, I think any girl would. I mean when he gives you that sexy boy next door smile and his dimples peek out. Swoon.

  I may or may not have made up excuses to be near him on the job site in the past. It’s too addicting to watch the way his tool belt hangs low on his hips while he hammers and drills away while he works. His t-shirt will cling to his sculpted chest with the sweat from a hard day’s work. Most of the guys that work for my dad are older with beer bellies, but Tyler is probably only about 2 or 3 years older than me.

  I could tell Tyler was about to ask me out a couple of times, but I changed the subject before he got the chance. I want to talk to my dad first about whether he’s okay with me dating one of his guys. Not that I need my dad’s permission about who I can or cannot date. I am not a little girl anymore, but my dad is the only family I’ve got, and I respect his opinion. I wouldn’t want to make things weird at work if he wasn’t okay with it.

  My dad had a rough past. He grew up on the rough side of town, and he got my mom pregnant when they were still in highschool. He didn’t even know about me though until I was five years old. One day my mom decided she couldn’t handle raising a little girl anymore, and so she came and dropped me off at my dad’s place.

  I haven’t seen her since that day. Good thing too. I’d rather she just be out of my life completely than have her popping up every now and then to remind me that she didn’t want me.

  My dad is enough for me anyway. Ever since the day he found out about me, he has been the best dad a girl could ask for. It’s always just been me and him.

  It took some getting used to at first, but I was pretty young. I think it almost worked out in my favor with it just being me and him. He had to learn everything with me. It led to some pretty open and honest conversations like when I first got my period or my first boyfriend. I think I have a closer relationship with my dad than most girls with both parents do.

  I get up and decide to search for Tyler on the job site to let him know about our meeting today.. Usually I send out email reminders of when the next one-on-one is a week before, but since I’ve been gone the last three weeks, I didn’t have the chance to. I walk out of my office trailer and head toward the job site.

  I don’t see anyone out front, so I will probably have to go into the actual job site to find Tyler. I pause before heading in. I have my steel toes on, but I need a hard hat. I don’t know why I forgot to grab my own. I don’t feel like walking all the way back to my office trailer, so I head over to where we keep the spares for when contractors come onsite without one.

  I bend down to grab one from the box, but all the extra large ones are sitting on top. Why do we always have people with big heads as visitors? I am digging around deeper in the box to find a smaller one, when I hear a deep voice behind me.

  “Can I help you with something?”

  I glance over my shoulder but don’t recognize the guy. He must be one of the new contractors that started since I’ve been gone. Weird. My dad didn’t tell me he hired any new contractors while I was away. Well, I guess I haven’t actually talked to him since I’ve been back yet. We are meeting for lunch later today. He’ll probably fill me in on everything I’ve missed then.

  I turn back toward the bin and reach down deep for one of the smaller hard hats. “I’m good. Thanks.”

  I grab the hard hat and turn back around toward the man. He is still standing there just staring at me. I put the hat on, and he gives me a funny look. I start walking toward the job site, and he reaches out and grabs my wrist. I turn my head back around and glare back at him. “What’s your problem?”

  He just stares back at me just as intensely. “I can’t have random people walking around my site. I’ll ask again. Can I help you with something?”

  I scoff. “Your site? Who do you think you are?”

  He lets go of my wrist and crosses his arms over his chest. “The foreman.”

  Now that he is standing back a few steps, I take a second to take in the man. He looks kind of familiar, but I can’t quite place what company he is with. If you can get past his angry scowl, he’s actually really attractive. Not like Tyler with his boy next door charm. This guy is more of a mysterious, brooding, sexy type. Where Tyler has blonde hair and blue eyes, this guy has dark, black hair and eyes so dark and intense they are almost hard to hold contact with.

  I laugh out a disgusted sound. “Do you always lie to people or am I just special?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Was that supposed to impress me or something? What company sent you here?”

  He looks back at me just as serious as he was before. “I’m not sure what game you are playing here, but I’m not lying. This is my job site and frankly, you can’t be here.”

  I laugh again and take a step toward him. “Oh really?” I take another step forward so that I am standing right in front of him. I look up at his face and reach my hand to touch his chest.

  “Wow dad. You’ve really gotten in shape since I’ve last seen you.” I run my hand from his chest over to his bicep and give a little squeeze. It barely budges. God, this man is even stronger than I thought. Not sure why I didn’t expect that considering the way his t-shirt is stretching tight across his chest. “How did you get so buff in three weeks?”

  I go to reach for his stomach when his hand shoots out and grips my wrist tightly to stop me from touching him. I just continue to stare up into his eyes as he glares down at me. His hand squeezes tightly around my wrist, almost painfully so, and he is about to say something when Kenny walks out. “Oh Emory! You’re back!”

  Kenny has been working for my dad for as long as I can remember. He is a tall skinny ginger with a full orange beard. He’s more like an uncle than an employee. He comes up to us, and the contractor man drops my hand. Kenny wraps his arm around my neck. “Welcome back kiddo. I see you already met the new mean ole foreman of ours.”

  The man just rolls his eyes at Kenny. They obviously have met before he started here. Kenny would only joke around like that with someone he knows well.

  Kenny steps back from the hug and jabs his elbow softly into my side. “We all said Emory here should be the new foreman, but instead we are stuck with this hardass.”

  I look over to the mystery man and raise my eyebrows at him. “My dad never said he was hiring a new foreman.”

  Kenny just laughs. “Well, technically our Alaric here is a founding member of the company. Started it with your dad all those years back. Sorry kiddo. He has to be your boss along with the rest of us sorry souls.”

  I shoot my eyes back over to Alaric, and he just has a smug grin on his face. My face forms into a snarl. “Alaric? Alaric Coleman?”

  He just nods back. “Emory.” He says my name with such disdain.

  I just scoff. “What are you doing back? I thought your psycho family ran you out of town or something?”

  He just sneers back at me. “I see you still can’t find a real job and are still relying on daddy to take care of you.”

  I can’t believe Alaric is back. I haven’t seen him in so many years. When my dad first started getting his life on track, he started working at a construction company. He assisted everyone in the company until he knew the trade through and through. When he was 21, he started his own construction company. He needed help, so he hired the boy down the street from him.

  He had come in contact with Alaric a few times before when he’d found his older brother bea
ting on him and he’d break it up. Alaric’s family was heavy into some bad stuff. Drugs, prositituion, you name it.

  My dad kind of took Alaric under his wing. After working closely together for so many years, they became close friends even though Alaric was 6 years younger than my dad. Alaric was mature for his age though. Growing up in a rough family home will do that to a person.

  My dad made Alaric an equal partner after a few years of working for him and when he turned 18. The company started to pick up business after a while, and that’s when Alaric had to leave.

  I was just a little girl back then so I didn’t understand, but Alaric’s family had started pressuring Alaric more and more for money. He would sometimes give in and give it to them, but eventually it just became too dangerous for everyone involved when his family started showing up around the jobs sites, so he moved south. Every once and while he’d come to visit my dad, but I didn’t usually see him often.

  He has definitely grown up since the last time I’ve seen him though. I didn’t even recognize the man standing in front of me as being the same young man I used to see hanging out with my dad. Obviously he didn’t recognize me either. Unless he did and this is all his idea of

  a joke.

  I am still standing there glaring at him when he adds. “Oh wait. That’s right. Now you’ll be relying on me to take care of you.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “You asshole.”

  Kenny looks between the two of us and slowly backs away. “Oh no, I am not getting in the middle of whatever this is.” He turns and starts walking away. I look his way and see Tyler walking towards us. I can’t help the way my face lights up when I see him. He gives me one of those side smiles, and his cute little dimple peeks out.

  Tyler walks up to me and Alaric. “Hey there she is. We all missed you here.”

  I give a small, shy giggle. “I missed you guys too.”

  Tyler rolls his eyes. “Oh please. We all know you were not thinking about us guys while you were out there soaking up the sun sipping on cocktails.”

  I playfully pat his arm and give him a little wink. “Well, maybe it was just you I missed.”

  Tyler gives me a huge grin then nods his head at me. “I just have to finish something up with Brian and then I’ll be over to your office for our monthly.”

  He walks backward a few steps still looking at me, and I give him a small wave goodbye as I smile at him. He finally turns around and walks away back into the job site. I turn back toward Alaric, and he has a mean smirk and a cocked eyebrow. “You know they won’t respect you if you flirt like that.”

  My mouth drops open a little at him. Then I take a step forward toward him again. I don’t know why I keep putting myself up in his personal space. I should be backing up, but he keeps pushing my buttons. “They are my subordinates. They will respect me because I tell them to. The only person I would need to worry about that with would be you bossman, and trust me, if you were the last man on earth, I wouldn’t consider flirting with you.”

  He just cocks an eyebrow at me and smirks. “Weren’t you just calling me all hot and buff?” He taps his chin like he is remembering our conversation from a minute ago.

  I roll my eyes at him and turn to leave, but then I look over my shoulder. “I never said you were hot.”

  He just smiles back at me. “But you were thinking it.”

  I roll my eyes again and walk away. “Keep dreaming!”

  About The Author

  T.L. Quinn

  Hope you enjoyed! If you loved this book, I would love if you could leave a review. To stay on top of the latest news, check out my instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/t.l.quinn/

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