Page 19 of For the Record
This was news to Sawyer. McCoy hadn’t bothered to contact her after their meeting the day before. She hated being the last to know things and couldn’t stop the scowl from appearing as she eyed the handsome butch. “Is that right? So, you’ve decided you can follow the stipulations I’ve laid out?”
McCoy visibly swallowed, and Sawyer silently acknowledged the thrill she got from the submissive action. That was good. If they were going to be spending time together, there could only be one boss. It sure as hell wouldn’t be a young player with alook at mebow tie around her neck.
“Erm, well, I mean. I’ve been told I flirt with my nana, sooo …” A gust of air left McCoy, and she blushed for the second time in five minutes. That had to be a record. “I might not know the difference. But I promise not to hit on you. Intentionally, I mean. Unless you want me to.” She clamped a hand over her mouth, glaring at her friend’s fit of laughter from across the table.
Sawyer scoffed at the ridiculous reply. Even nervous, McCoy couldn’t seem to help the crap that came out of her mouth. “To be clear, McCoy, Ineverwant you to hit on me. If you’re going to be working for me, that’s all that’ll be happening between us.Comprendre?” With McCoy’s nod of agreement, Sawyer glanced between them once more. “Good then. Enjoy your meal.”
As she walked away from their table, she heard the roar of Abs’ laughter as she reprimanded her friend. “You told her you hit on your nana?”
Sawyer smirked. She’d thoroughly enjoyed that part as well.
Chapter 10
McCoy
“Hey, hey, sorry I’mlate. Did I miss much?” Coy wondered, slowly lowering herself into the armchair beside her father’s old recliner. Her muscles protested with the effort, but she sighed the moment her ass molded into the plush seat.
“Bo just got hit while up at bat,” Sloane supplied from her place on the sofa. Watching the Sunday baseball game with their dad had been a tradition of theirs for years, and one Coy made happen no matter what else she had going on.
“The Jays are playing strong, but the Yankees are always one step faster today,” Greg added excitedly. He reached into the cooler beside his chair, pulling out a beer for Coy. “‘K, it’s back on.”
Coy turned her attention to the sixty-five-inch flat screen on the wall. She’d bought it for his fiftieth birthday the year before. Sloane had bought him a new recliner, but he’d loved his old onetoo much to give it up. The new one was currently sitting in their apartment, and there was a constant battle between their friends about who would sit there.
“Whoa, Vladdy baby is on fire!” Sloane commented to no one in particular, one hand digging into her bowl of popcorn. Vladimir Guerrero Jr had been her favorite player since he’d joined the roster in 2019.
Coy sipped her beer, her attention to the game taking a back seat as the McLaren, and by proxy, Sawyer came to mind. She couldn’t imagine keeping something her loved one had died in. It didn’t matter if it was an exotic car or a thousand-dollar bed she’d bought at Sleep Country. If death touched it, that shit was gone. Goosebumps broke out on her arms just thinking about the McLaren. Sawyer had acted so aloof about the whole thing. Was it because the accident happened a long time ago, or was there something Coy was missing?
“So did you sign the paperwork for the car job?” Greg asked during the next commercial break. He shifted in the recliner, giving Coy his full attention.
“No, not until I see her tomorrow. Why—do you not think I should? She won’t hire me otherwise, Pops.”Not with that level of obsession with contracts,Coy snickered to herself.
“Who is this?”
Coy glanced at her sister again. “Her name is Sawyer—the woman from the warehouse, remember? I told you about the flat tire.”
“Pause, game’s back on,” Greg told them, all business. Coy sighed, reining in her impatience. Her father was as hardcore as fans got. He had his Blue Jays jersey and cap on, and it wasn’t unheard of for him to occasionally jump from his seat and yell at the TV. “It’s not a bad idea. I just wanna make sure you’re able to commit to that contract. It’d take up way more time than you’re used to, Coy,” he said a bit later. “But man, luck must have beenon your side when you said you were looking for extra work this summer.”
Coy agreed, and then her father wanted a refresher rundown of the kind of work the McLaren needed. It took the entire commercial break, so she had to wait until the following one to reel in her dad’s attention again. “Since I have to rebuild it there, do you think an industrial lift would fit in? I haven’t measured the ceiling height or door clearance, but it looks like a standard two-car garage.”
Greg considered that for a moment, stroking his short goatee like he did when he was in deep thought. He had the same hair color and similar eyes as she and Sloane. “What about a scissor lift, just to be sure? It’s small, and you can move it back and forth with a dolly. They usually hold three tons or more. And then you can buy car dollies to roll the McLaren over to the lift. Just buy an attachment that supports the caliper where the rims are missing. She’s paying for it all, right?”
“That’s what she said.” Coy nodded. She hadn’t thought of a scissor lift, which was just one of many reasons she loved talking things out with her dad; he was always a fountain of information. “Great idea. Think you could help me get it on the lift when the time comes?”
“I was hoping you’d ask.” Greg laughed his big belly laugh. Talking shop was the only thing that excited him more than sports. “If this Sawyer woman gives the okay, I’d love to get a good look under the hood. We could take J.D. along.”
“Okay, game’s back on,boys,“ Sloane drawled. She didn’t share the same love of engines. If it wasn’t for Coy, her sister’s red T-top Trans Am wouldn’t even have a name. Coy shuddered at the thought. “Sara” had been named the same day she’d named Tegan.
They watched the final inning with minor interruptions. Coy still had Sawyer on her mind, but now it was back at Desmaraisand how gorgeous she’d looked in her chef’s uniform. Coy had been shocked stupid when Sawyer approached their table, looking sexy and confident and truly boss-like. Conversing over menu options had gone well until Abi let it slip that Coy planned to take the job. Sawyer had clearly been thrown with that tidbit. Her eyes had widened seconds before narrowing to slits on Coy. She wasn’t someone who enjoyed surprises, and a part of Coy had felt guilty.
For once, she wanted to do something Sawyer was okay with, and it wasn’t merely the insane attraction she felt making her feel this way. She wanted to know things, details she’d never wondered about before. What made Sawyer smile? Did she love being a chef? Was she as passionate about her job as Coy was with hers? What kind of food did she like? Coy could learn a lot about a person by knowing those answers.
Setting her empty beer bottle on the coffee table, Coy dug her phone out and pulled up Sawyer’s number, which she’d already added to her contacts. It felt strange to soon be working alone on Sawyer’s property when they’d barely said a civil word to each other. Or rather, Sawyer hadn’t said as much toher. Coy’s thumb hovered over the SMS box as she hesitated, wondering what was on Sawyer’s “safe list” of questions to ask. But Sawyer had said to text if she had some, so there was that. If Coy could think of some that didn’t include thewhysorWTFsconcerning the supercar, she should be golden.
Coy pulled up a new SMS under Sawyer’s name, deep in thought. She had a feeling she could ask the simplest of questions, such as the color of the sky, and Sawyer would tell her to lose her number. But what if Coy supplied facts rather than asked them?
Only one way to find out.
Coy: Hi, it’s me, McCoy. You never requested a background check or anything so I thought I’d fill youin on a few things about me. In case you have nosey neighbors or something LOL. 1. I was arrested once at a protest but the charges never stuck. 2. I listen to a lot of gay music and audiobooks while I work, sometimes without headphones in. 3. Dogs love me. You’ve been forewarned! If your neighbor has one, chances are I’ll get acquainted with them or their human. And 4. You make the best food I’ve ever tasted.