Just One Taste Read Free

widened in surprise. “Something wrong?”
    “MYOB. Get going, or Klaus will get a caffeine headache. You know what he’s like.”
    “Whatever you say. You’re the boss.”
    Keeping his ragtag crew happy wasn’t too difficult in this economy. Some daily Dunkin Donuts coffee and Subway sandwiches usually did the trick, especially if Will was buying.
    He went in the open side door into the kitchen, feeling as if he needed sunglasses against all the stainless steel and shiny white marble. A stack of red Solo cups stood next to the sink, the only significant color in the room. Unlike a lot of jobs they worked, Ms. Lassiter had given permission for his men to help themselves to water and use the powder room off the kitchen, even though he’d brought in a Porta-Potty tucked into the trees. Will had lectured them to make sure they wiped the rim and put the seat down after they used the toilet in the tiny silver-papered bathroom, which was way too chic and cramped for his crew.
    Men, as his mother often said, were blind pigs.
    Will grabbed one of the cups and filled it with cold water. His throat tickled from the drifting sawdust, an occupational hazard.
    Before he had much of a chance to finish his drink, the ominous tapping of high heels on white tile alerted him to the presence of incoming women.
    Fuck .
    “Good morning again, Mr. Garrity.” Tonya Lassiter gave him a million-watt smile.
    “Ma’am.”
    Alex was right behind her, giving him the stink-eye.
    “Do you know Ms. Russell? I believe you must have gone to school together, if I read her CV right.”
    The princess was here for a job interview? Fuck again. “Yes, ma’am. That was a long time ago.”
    Ms. Lassiter laughed. “Yes, you’re both so ancient. Well, you know what they say, life is like high school. We never really grow up.”
    “Jeez, I hope not,” Will said. He was focused on the future, not the past. He’d done some dumb things back then, one of which was to needle this bristly little blonde every chance he’d gotten. He’d been a jerk, but it had been too tempting and so easy to send Alex Elliot sideways.
    Ms. Lassiter’s cell phone began to buzz, and she took a quick look at it. “Sorry, Alexandra, I have to take this. You know how to operate a Keurig, I trust. Hi, Kate, what’s up?”
    Ms. Lassiter left them alone in the kitchen, tottering off to her temporary office in a corner of the dining room. Will knew she couldn’t wait until Garrity Construction had finished and she could throw a decent dinner party again.
    “How’s it going so far?” Will asked, just to be polite.
    “I have no idea. She’s been on the phone ever since I got here.” Some of the Princess’s starch had leached out of her spine, and she seemed a little uncertain. Will almost felt sorry for her.
    “She’s a powerhouse. But good to work for, if you work hard.”
    “I’m perfectly willing to work hard! I’m not some princess . I have bills and a daughter to support, you know.”
    “Stars, they’re just like us,” Will murmured. “Well, good luck. What is she looking to hire you for? She sure knows how to dress already.” Will’s house probably cost less than what Tonya Lassiter spent on clothes every year.
    “Her on-air personalities need a makeover. I’d be responsible for their wardrobes. Styling. TV is so competitive—you may think looks are superficial, but people want to watch good-looking women and smart-looking but neat men. There have been studies.”
    “I’ll bet. All those blond bimbos with the short skirts on cable.” Will realized at once he’d overstepped—she probably thought he was talking about her .
    She blinked her very brown eyes just once. Snapped them, more like. “Precisely.”
    “Look, I didn’t mean you. We’re getting off on the wrong foot here, aren’t we?”
    “I want nothing to do with either your right or wrong foot, Mr. Garrity. Not the left one either. I’m here for an interview. Don’t you have a work