Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor
CHAPTER ONE
Reid
Every fiber in my body was taut with anger. My head was thumping and my jaw ached from clenching it so tightly while trying my best to hold my temper inside. Running my fingers through my hair, I glared at the door, longing for the noise to stop.
Yes, building work required builders, but who knew they started so early or were quite as loud. The constant chaos and disruption had been going on since they arrived at 7AM on Monday and I hadn’t been able to get anything done since. I’d tried everything–noise canceling headphones, slamming the door repeatedly so they would get the message, swearing at them at every opportunity I got–nothing worked.
I had been staring at the same piece of paper for over an hour and I’d done nothing. With a deadline looming and an angry editor to keep happy, I needed to get these changes back to him today, or he’d be on the phone. Again. I had no other choice; I needed to find somewhere quiet to work, and the only place I could think of was a coffee shop.
I fucking hate coffee shops at this time of day. They were always full of post-school run parents, eating cake and talking about how perfect their lives were, as well as the overly enthusiastic breakfast meeting types shouting into their mobile phones.
Just then, another crash echoed through the house. Frustrated, I threw my papers, laptop, and phone into my battered, black leather messenger bag and called out for John, the man who was supposed to be in charge of all these noisy meat heads currently trashing my house and destroying my sanity.
“John!”
He appeared in the doorway a moment later, tool belt slung low on his hips and a yellow hard hat in his hand. “You hollered, Boss?”
“Seriously, man, what the fuck are you doing out there?” the anger in my question sounded in the air around us.
John paused, appearing confused. “Umm––we’re building you an extension like you asked us to. Is there a problem?”
“You mean, apart from the twenty people in my house, the noise, the disruption, and the mess. Oh, and did I mention the noise, John? I work from home and that is an impossible fucking task with you all here making all kinds of racket.” I sighed in frustration. “I’m heading out for a few hours. Call me if there’s a problem. And, please, try not to destroy my house. If you get it done quicker than you’d originally planned, I’ll pay you a bonus.”
“Well, we could do it quicker, but then it might fall down after we leave. We’re working as fast as we can. Which is precisely why I have so many people here. You need to suck it up and let us do our job, Boss. Deal?”
Before I could respond, I heard someone call John as another crash rang through the house. Without a word, he turned on his heel in search of the source of the latest mishap. I shook my head and reminded myself never to have any work done on the house, ever again, as I gathered my belongings and headed out the front door.
◆◆◆
My feet crunched over the gravel drive as I made my way to the gated entrance of the house. The silence helped to calm my mood. I quickly pressed the button on the gate that unlocked it to let me out. Closing it behind me, I listened for the familiar double click of the locks, shaking it to ensure that it was secure. Outside the safety of the gates that surrounded my home, adrenaline flooded my body and caused my mood to darken once again.
As I walked, I realized I was woefully underdressed for the freezing temperatures outside. I sometimes forget that I live in the North East of England, where it always seems to be colder than everywhere else in the country. My thin, black denim jacket did nothing to warm me, so I reached into my bag and retrieved my grey beanie and thick black scarf I kept in there for times like this. Despite the freezing weather, the sky was bright blue, and the sun was blinding. Slipping on the sunglasses I had brought with me, I used them to hide myself from the world. Exactly the way I preferred it.
My usual coffee shop, which was hidden away in one of the historic alleys in the old part of town, was too far to walk. Not only would I probably freeze to death before I got there, but it was also tiny and I knew I’d never find a seat at this time of day. No, for today I needed to find somewhere with half-decent tea and space to work. And I knew just the place.
◆◆◆
It wasn’t long before I found myself stepping inside the coffee shop not too far from my house. I hung my sunglasses on the front of my t-shirt and removed my beanie and scarf. Pulling my phone from the back pocket of my jeans, I pretended to type out a message, so I could look busy and avoid as much small talk as possible. Normally, it worked like a charm, and I had a feeling that today would be no exception.
“Take a seat anywhere and I’ll bring it over in a minute,” a tall woman announced from behind the counter after she took my order.
I nodded as I strolled over and placed my bag, beanie, and scarf on a low table, which was next to an equally low pink sofa. At six foot four, it wasn’t the easiest, or the comfiest, place to sit, but I didn’t expect to be here all day. I just needed to get my work done and emailed off. After that, I could escape this overcrowded hell-hole and hopefully hit the gym for a few hours.
Peeling off my coat, I pulled the papers from my bag and began reading through the notes my editor had made while tapping a pen on my chin to help me stay focused.