Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) (5 page)

* * *

Jack
turned back to his computer after Bridget left. He’d been shocked by the
management team’s response when he’d raised the issues. Kevin had waved his hand
dismissively. “That’s just Bridget,” he’d said. “She tends to get passionate
about most things. It’s not necessary to spend so much money.”

Jack
had outlined just how
necessary
it was and by the end of his
presentation, which had mostly been taken from one Bridget herself had done,
Kevin was telling the team it was their number one priority.

It
made no sense. OK, Bridget was passionate about safety,
his
own
conversation with her that morning had proved that, but surely they
could see she knew what she was talking about? Why had they not approved the
funds in the first place? Could it be something as simple as a personality
conflict? Jack hoped not.

The
doubts he had about the company swarmed around in his mind. He had to ignore
them, but it was difficult. Bridget was highly competent, possibly more than he
was, yet they had chosen him as the new manager, someone untried in a
managerial position. He was going to have to work so hard to prove he was as
good as Bridget – at least to his team. The rest of management didn’t seem to
see it.

He
sighed. The contract he’d signed had ensured Dionysus paid all of his
relocation costs but as a result he had to stay for a minimum of a year.
Besides, he wasn’t willing to give up yet. He just needed to figure out how to
solve the mess the plant was in.

* * *

Jack
arrived home looking forward to a cold beer, sitting on the couch and relaxing.
But Hal ambushed him at the front door.

“Good,
you’re home. We’re going to be late.”

Jack
squinted at his brother.
“Late for what?”

“Dinner.
Tanya’s invited us both.”

“It’s
Monday night,” he protested. After the day he’d had, the last thing he wanted
to do was go out and be sociable.

“I
knew you wouldn’t have plans. Tanya’s had the day off and has been cooking all
day. Hurry up.”

Hal
had been out with Tanya almost every night since they’d met. Jack couldn’t
remember him ever mentioning a girl when they spoke while he was in Australia,
but now every other word from him was about Tanya. He was smitten. It was kind
of sweet.

“Let
me take a shower.”

Standing
under the cool spray he closed his eyes and let the water wash the tension of
the day away. He didn’t know what to do about Bridget on either a work or a
personal level. She was good at her job and so obviously frustrated by the lack
of support she received. He could hardly believe Kevin’s attitude himself. If
he’d been in Bridget’s position he would have quit long ago. Why did she stay?

Then
there was his reaction to her. It didn’t matter if she was furious with
him,
there was that spark, that passion that drew him to
her. He wanted to explore it further.

But
she had her stupid rules.

He
sighed and turned off the water, grabbing his towel from the rack. Tonight he
needed to apologize for his assumptions. He’d insulted her and he understood
she was mad, but hopefully they could have a truce. She would be an asset to
him at work.

As
for the personal side, well he’d have to see where it could go.

Chapter 5

Tanya met them at the door wearing a floral sun
dress with an apron that said, “Have you kissed the cook today?”

“I
don’t believe I have,” Hal said and swooped in to kiss her.

Jack
stood back and waited for them to finish.

He
waited a while.

Finally
they broke apart and Tanya invited them in. “Bridget isn’t home from work yet,
but she shouldn’t be long.”

Jack
frowned. She should have left work before he did. Perhaps she had some errands
to run on her way home.

“Let
me get you a drink.”

He
followed Tanya and Hal down the hall to the kitchen and living room. The
barbecue aroma grew stronger and his stomach rumbled.

“Beer?”
Tanya asked Jack, holding up Hal’s favorite brand of beer.

“Thanks.”
He took the bottle she offered, before sitting on the sofa.

“What’s
for dinner?” Hal asked. “It smells sensational.”

“You
mentioned you liked barbecue ribs, so I’ve made you some.”

“You’re
the best,” Hal said, picking her up and spinning her around while she shrieked.

Jack
examined the label of his beer. The sweetness of those two was getting a little
sickening. He’d never seen Hal like this before.

At
the front of the house the door slammed shut. His body tensed. Bridget. He
hadn’t quite figured out what to say to her. Footsteps came down the hall and
as she walked into the room, she saw him and stared. She was still wearing her
high-vis gear and her eyes were shadowed with fatigue. He hoped she hadn’t come
straight from
work,
otherwise she was working far more
hours than she was supposed to.

“Hi
Bridge. Dinner’s almost ready. Why are you so late?”

Bridget
blinked. She glanced at Tanya. “I had to chat with a couple of guys on night
shift.”

“Why?”
Jack wanted to know.

“They’d
asked me to follow up on an issue. These guys never check their email so I
needed to tell them in person.”

“Isn’t
email a standard communication tool?”

“Not
to the guys in the plant,” she said. “They’re barely indoors.”

“Then
it’s something we need to address with the production team,” Jack told her.
There had to be an effective way of communicating between shifts. Bridget
shouldn’t be working such long hours to combat that.

“I’ve
tried.
Though you might have better luck.”
She turned
to Tanya. “I’ll take a quick shower.” She turned on her heel and left.

Jack
winced at the bitterness in her tone. He couldn’t blame her. If management
thought it was just Bridget making a fuss, she’d never get anything achieved.

Tanya
turned to him. “Don’t mind Bridget. Safety is her passion.” She checked the
doorway to make sure Bridget was gone. “Her father went to work one day and
never came home.”

Jack’s
mouth dropped open. “What happened?”

Tanya
shrugged. “She’s never told me the details. She just says she won’t let anyone
else go through that if she can help it. She can be a little intense, but her
heart’s
in the right place.”

“Does
she often work late?”

Tanya
nodded. “She’s gone before I wake up in the morning, and she comes home after
me. They tend to call her after hours and on weekends too, whether she’s on
call or not, because they know they’ll get the help they need.”

That
wasn’t fair to Bridget. Jack had to talk to her about it. He wasn’t sure
whether the site had a fatigue management procedure, but if it didn’t, he was
going to implement one. Everyone needed enough downtime to rest and relax, no
matter what their job was. And if the plant was in as bad a state as he
suspected, it meant Bridget was constantly working. This was something he could
definitely fix.

* * *

Bridget
returned to the kitchen as Tanya was serving. Her hair was damp and
unrestrained, her curls already forming, and she wore three-quarter length
pants and a pink top. Her feet were bare and her toes were painted the same
shade of pink as her top. It was sexy as hell. Lust shot through him. How was
Jack going to keep that image out of his head while he was at work? He would
constantly wonder if her toes were painted under the steel-toed boots.
Like he needed any more of a distraction.

“Smells
great, Tanya,” she said, taking a seat at the dining table. She gave him a
tentative smile.

The
fact she acknowledged him at all was a good sign. It was difficult with the
work thing hanging between them. Would they ever be able to have the easy
conversation they’d had in the bar? He hoped so.

It
turned out he needn’t have worried about what to say. Tanya and Hal started the
conversation with their plans to go to Jamaica.

“When
are you going?” Bridget asked. She seemed as surprised about it as he was.

“As
soon as we can get the time off work,” Tanya said. “You know what my boss is
like. She hates to give us leave.”

Bridget
nodded. “What is it that you do, Hal?”

“I’m
a graphic designer,” he said. “I’m considering branching out and going
freelance. There’s a lot of work out there, and a number of websites where you
can submit for jobs. That will give me the flexibility to be my own boss.”

Jack
frowned at his brother. He’d never mentioned anything like that to him. As far
as Jack knew, Hal was happy in his work. He couldn’t imagine him being
organized enough to go freelance.

“How
long have you been thinking about that?” he asked.

Hal
looked at him and then Tanya.
“For a while now.
Tanya
thought it was a great idea.”

She
nodded. “I want to start my own mobile hairdressing business,” she explained.
“That way I can work when I want to and have the flexibility to travel. We can
see the world together.” She and Hal shared a smile.

Jack
choked back a cough. They were getting serious fast. How were they going to
find clients if they were constantly on the move? He glanced at Bridget who
appeared as amazed as him.

“You
never mentioned anything to me,” Bridget said.

Tanya
shrugged. “It was always a pipe dream until I met Hal.” She put a hand over
Bridget’s. “But don’t
worry,
we’ll probably save for
another six months until we do anything. You won’t need to find a new roommate
immediately.”

Wow.
They were completely serious about it. Jack was pleased for them, of course he
was, but his brother had never struck him as the responsible type. He hoped
Tanya was better.

Bridget
opened her mouth and then shook her head and let out a small sigh. He suspected
she’d be talking to Tanya after they left.

Jack
changed the subject. “These ribs are delicious, Tanya.” The meat fell right off
the bone and was beautifully tender.

“They’ve
been cooking for hours,” she said.

“I’ll
have to get the recipe from you.”

“You
cook?” Bridget asked.

“Sometimes.”

Hal
laughed. “He collects recipes, but he hasn’t cooked since he arrived.”

Jack
smiled. “Mom loaded us up with frozen meals that we’re still working our way
through.”

“Yeah,
the prodigal son has returned.” Hal said it with a good-natured grin.

“How’s
the house-hunting going?” Tanya asked.

Jack
smothered a grin at the abrupt change of subject. He suspected she was ready
for him to move out. She’d stayed over a lot during the last week.

“I’ve
found a couple of places, but the fact I’ve just started a new job doesn’t sit
well with the banks.” He’d been to several to ask about loans, because he was
ready to buy, ready to settle down. It didn’t seem to matter that he had a very
healthy down
payment,
they were reluctant to give him
the money.

“What
about renting?” Tanya asked.

She
definitely wanted him out. He’d have to talk to Hal about it. He could always
move in with his mom or his dad if they wanted the place to themselves. His parents
had divorced after he and Hal left home and they both had room for him, though
his mother lived closer to the oil refinery than his father. It would mean a
longer commute but Jack didn’t mind.
Especially if he didn’t
have to wear ear plugs to bed anymore.

“I’d
prefer to buy,” he said. “I’m ready to settle down.” He ignored the pointed
look Tanya gave Bridget.

As
they cleared the table, conversation switched back to the Jamaican holiday and
Tanya pulled out some travel brochures she’d picked up. They moved over to the
sofas and with Hal and her engrossed in their conversation, Jack sat next to
Bridget. She shuffled slightly away from him and he acknowledged the sting of
hurt.

“If
you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” he asked.

She
held herself stiff, upright, as if she didn’t want to relax.
“For
fun?”

“For any reason.”

She
was quiet for a long moment. “If it was safe, I’d take Mama back to El
Salvador,” she said finally. “She misses it so much, even though she has some
bad memories.”

“Does
she still have family there?”

Bridget
nodded.
“Her mother, a sister, and two brothers, plus all the
nieces and nephews.”

Jack
knew nothing about the political situation in El Salvador. “Isn’t it safe?”

She
shook her head. “There’s too much violence.”

He
couldn’t imagine it. Growing up in the United States made him take certain
things for granted. All the time he was in Australia, he’d been secure in the
knowledge he could leave whenever he wanted and return to his family.

“Does
your mother keep in touch with her family?”

“She
calls my grandmother every week, and at least one of her siblings.”

“She
must miss them.”

“She
does.” Bridget’s posture had relaxed, but now she seemed sad.

“So
where would you go for fun?” he asked, hoping to distract her and cheer her up.

She
frowned as if the question was difficult. Surely she had locations on her
bucket list. There must be places that inspired her or intrigued her.

“I’d
love to trek the Inca Trail, and maybe go to the Galapagos,” she said.

“Ugh!”
Tanya scowled at Bridget. “Sounds like too much hard work. You don’t know how
to relax.”

Bridget
flushed. She looked away and waved her hands. “It’s only hypothetical.”

Jack
could tell Bridget was getting uncomfortable. “Everyone has their own ways of
relaxing,” he said. “There are some great dive spots in the Galapagos. I’d love
to go there myself someday.”

She
smiled at him. “What about you? Where would you go?”

“Antarctica.”
His answer was instantaneous.

“Why?
There can’t be much to do there.”

“I’d love
to dive under the ice. It would be incredible.”

“Wouldn’t
you freeze to death?”

“You
can get special suits,” he explained. He’d watched documentaries showing the
underwater world of Antarctica and it fascinated him. It would be the ultimate
dive. “Imagine being under all of the ice and seeing things no one has ever
seen before.”

“It
could be interesting,” Bridget said.

“Have
you thought any more about learning to dive?” he asked. Maybe that was a way he
could get to know her away from work. He could help her get her dive
certification.

She
shook her head. “I haven’t had time to look into it yet.”

“You
should. It’s a great experience. I’d be happy to buddy up with you for a dive
when you’ve got it.”

Her
face closed down immediately. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine.”

Jack
debated for a moment whether he should push the subject. He wanted to hold her
hand, tell her it was
OK,
there was nothing to be
afraid of. But he didn’t know how she would react. He leaned closer to her so
Hal and Tanya couldn’t hear. “I know you felt a connection with me the other
night. Why should working together prevent us from exploring it?”

Her
eyes turned to stone and she got to her feet. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
She strode out of the room.

No.
She didn’t get to hide. Jack wanted an explanation. If she wasn’t as attracted
to him as he was to her, he deserved to be told so he could move on. He walked
after her and caught up as she was shutting her bedroom door.

“Wait.”
He put a hand against the door to stop her from slamming it in his face. “Don’t
run away from me.”

She
flung the door open again, her eyes flashing. “I’m not running away. I don’t
have to discuss this with you.”