At the first job, he inspected the previous day’s work and talked to a few of the workers. The second stop was a meeting with potential clients at an empty lot. I waited in the truck. We grabbed a fast-food lunch (unfortunately not Mickey D’s) and headed to the final stop of the afternoon. It was a staircase he’d been working on for a client, but they weren’t home.

“Did you buy these?” I asked, running my finger over the intricate details of a spindle.

“Nope. I made them.” He slipped on his tool belt.

Although I kinda hated him from our morning conversation, I couldn’t not appreciate how sexy he looked in a tool belt.

The scruff on his face a little longer.

His shirt nice and snug in the chest but loose over his tight abs.

“Are you serious?”

He glanced up, gathering the spindles in his arms to haul them inside the house from the garage. “Why are you constantly doubting my skills?”

Because he was the most amazing man I had ever met, but I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t hand him the last drop of my dignity because I didn’t trust him with it.

“I’m just used to seeing you walk around staring at other people’s work or barking orders. I have yet to see you in action.”

“Well, grab the rest of those spindles, and I’ll show you some action.”

I carried the spindles into the house.

I handed him tools.

I ran and grabbed stuff from his truck.

I got him ice water.

I answered his phone when people called for him.

I watched Fisher Mann feed my obsession with him to the point where I knew no other man would compare, which meant I’d die a single and barren virgin. Occasionally, he’d lift the front of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. And on more than one of those occasions, he caught me gawking at his abs while wetting my lips.

“I’m going to start deducting pay from your check if you keep stealing free peeks at my body.”

I cleared my throat and glanced at his phone. “Hailey just texted you. She said Brad’s crew is done. She wants to know if you’re coming by the office before you go home.”

“No.”

I risked a glance up at him. “You want me to just say no?”

Sliding a pencil behind his ear, he lifted his gaze to me from three steps down. “To Hailey, yes, I want you to say no.”

“Who else would I say no to?”

He shrugged. “I’m hoping that’s your last no of the day.”

What did he mean by that?

I replied with a “no.” Then I watched Fisher finish the railing. At some point I started nibbling at my fingernails; I wasn’t a nail chewer.