Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) (19 page)

Shit.
Not the best way to make a good impression. Then he remembered how Carmen had
fooled him with her hysterics over the phone and relaxed.

“Mama.”
Bridget’s tone was a warning.

Carmen
sighed and said something to Bridget in Spanish. Her expression was concerned.
Bridget’s answer was slow, soothing.

Carmen
turned to Jack. He braced himself. “You know about the Lionel affair?”

“Mama
–”

“Shush.
I’m asking the man a question.”

Hell.
“Yes,
Senora
Flanagan. Bridget told me about it.”

“So
you know it almost ruined her career?”

“Yes.”
What was he supposed to say? He couldn’t say he loved her and wanted to marry
her. That would freak Bridget out.

“What
would you have done in that situation?” Carmen asked.

“I
would have owned up to my mistake.”

Carmen
nodded with approval. “My Birdy now worries too much about what people think.”

“That’s
enough, Mama,” Bridget said sternly.

He didn’t
want Bridget to be embarrassed, but he was curious about what Carmen was going
to say. He stepped closer to Bridget and took her hand. “I care for your
daughter.”

“Yes,
I see how much you care. You have no regard for her reputation and the gossip
that will fly when people know you’re together.”

Her
accusation hit him right in the chest. She was right. He didn’t care what
people thought, he wanted everyone to know they were together. “We’re being
careful. We have separate rooms and we’ve told no one how we feel about each
other. They all think Bridget’s doing me a favor.”

“So
you’re embarrassed to admit the truth? Are you ashamed of your relationship
with my daughter?”

Jack
couldn’t keep up with her, but he suspected he was digging a deeper hole for himself.
“We are doing nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, standing taller and looking
her in the eye. “Your daughter is a beautiful person and I care for her.”

Carmen
squinted at him, examining him carefully. Then she nodded once, said something
in Spanish to Bridget and walked off.

He
let go of the breath he’d been holding. “What did she say?”

Bridget
was silent, her mouth open in surprise. “She’s OK with it.”

Relief
flooded him. He’d wanted her mother’s blessing.

“We should
go back inside,” Bridget said and, without waiting for an answer, she hurried
out of the greenhouse.

What
had got into her?

* * *

Bridget
couldn’t believe what her mother had said. She’d turned to Bridget and said, “I
like him. Don’t let him get away.”

She
didn’t like the level of commitment the statement implied. She was relieved
Jack didn’t speak Spanish.

Safely
inside the house, she sat on one of the sofas to chat with Carly and Zita. The
other girls had made themselves scarce, with the exception of Elena, who was
trying to improve her English and was listening carefully to every word.

“How
many foster children have you looked after over the years?” Jack asked.

“Thirty
five,” Carmen answered.

“It
must be hard to see them go.”

“Sometimes,”
Carmen said. “Some are going to their families, where they are much happier,
and others grow up and move out, like two of my girls have. We keep in touch.”
She smiled at Zita, who still lived at home.

Bridget
was so proud of her family. She remembered the day when her mother had declared
she was going to be a foster parent. There had been a lot of talk about child
refugees and how the migrant community couldn’t afford to take them, because
many were struggling themselves. Her mother had been working at a local wholesale
nursery, and while she wasn’t earning a fortune she had enough money to provide
a bed for another child, especially since Bridget and Carly had already moved
out. It had grown from there.

“That’s
really nice,” Jack said.

Carmen
nodded. “It was easier when Carly bought this property and we built the house.
It gave everyone a little more space, and meant our celebrations didn’t need to
be held at a nearby park.”

“The
foster girls all come to celebrations?”

“Of course.
They are my daughters as much as my own are.”

Her
mother had always been a nurturer.

The
conversation moved to Carly and her software company and Bridget sat back,
content to listen. Jack asked interesting, intelligent questions and it was
comfortable, companionable. There was no tension there at all. She should be
grateful.

Instead
she was worried. Lionel was the only other guy she’d brought home to her family
and he hadn’t fit in at all. She should have seen it as a sign, but she hadn’t.
But now with Jack, it was as if he’d known her sisters for years by the way
they were laughing together.

Bridget
wasn’t ready for
this,
she didn’t want to look more
long term than this week. The whole situation with them working together was
too tenuous. She was relieved when it was finally time to leave the house, say
goodbye to her mother and little sister, and drive back into the city.

After
they dropped off Carly, Jack said, “That went well.”

She
nodded. “Better than I expected. Mama likes you.”

“She’s
a great woman. It must have been so difficult for her to move to a new country
with three young children while she was still grieving for her husband.”

Bridget
was sure it had been. It wasn’t something her mother liked to talk about. She
only knew bits of what their life in El Salvador was like, the things she could
remember and the stories Carly sometimes told.

“She
did it for us.” It was the one thing Bridget would never forget. She’d left her
home country to give her daughters a better chance at life.

She
didn’t want to talk about her family any more. “When did your parents split
up?” she asked Jack. At the party, Anna and Eric seemed on good terms, despite
no longer being married.

“After
Hal and I moved out,” he said. “I think they wanted to give us a stable home
life, but we knew they weren’t happy. We were both pleased when they split, and
they’re enjoying life now. Dad might have a girlfriend, but he’s keeping it
quiet.”

“It’s
nice they still get along.”

“It
is. It’s so much easier at family gatherings.”

Bridget
pulled into the driveway and they went inside. Jack pulled her into his arms
and kissed her.

“Thank
you for introducing me to your family.”

“If I
hadn’t, Mama would have turned up on the doorstep,” she joked.

He
frowned and she realized she might have hurt his feelings. She gave him a
squeeze. “I’m glad you like them. The girls have been anxious to meet you since
I first mentioned you.” She brushed her lips against his and moved away. “Are
you hungry?”

“Only for you.”

She
glanced back at him and he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom. She
shrieked and then laughed as he tossed her onto the bed. He stripped off his
shirt and desire spread through her.

“Come
and get me then.”

Chapter 19

Jack was ready for anything when he went to work
the next day. He’d had a fantastic weekend, introduced Bridget to his family
and met her family, and was confident they would be able to resolve the issue
of working together soon.

His
mood wavered when Anthony stopped him in the hall. “Have you got a minute?”

Jack
nodded and followed him into his office. Anthony closed the door behind him and
indicated he should sit.

“Dirk
has made an official complaint about you.”

Jack’s
mouth dropped.
“On what grounds?”

“He
believes he’s not being treated equally and is missing out on opportunities.”
Anthony checked his notes. “There’s a safety forum this week he wasn’t allowed
to go to.”

Jack
clenched his hands. “The forum covers high-level safety and environmental
issues for managers and senior managers, which is why I’m going and taking
Bridget as my second-in-command. Sally is also going because she’s the
environment officer. There’s no need for anyone else to attend. I’ll be
debriefing with the whole department when I get back.”

“He
suggested Bridget is getting more opportunities because she’s female.”

Jack
stared at the man in disbelief. “He’s claiming gender discrimination?”

Anthony
sighed. “Yeah, I know he’s talking bullshit but it’s my duty to investigate it
anyway.”

“You
know what the issue is, Anthony. We discussed it last week after I disciplined
him at our team-building session. The truth is
,
Bridget is a better team member in all regards: she’s dedicated, has the
respect of the technicians, has a passion to change things for the better, and
she gets results.
That
is why she is getting the opportunities. Dirk is
happy to go with the status quo and the guys at the plant don’t like him.
Neither do most of the people in my department.”

Anthony
nodded. “Depending on how far he wants to take this, we may have to have a
session with an intermediary. I’ve suggested
to Dirk
that over the next month he records any instances where he feels he’s being
treated unfairly. I recommend you do the same – keep a record of whenever his
work or his attitude has not been satisfactory. Then we can have another
meeting to discuss the issue.”

Jack
ran a hand through his hair. “Sure, I can do that.”

“Great.
I think we can work this out to everyone’s satisfaction.” Anthony stood and
shook his hand.

Jack
wasn’t sure Dirk would ever be satisfied, but he would do everything he could
to protect Bridget. He walked slowly to his office. Being in charge did have
its disadvantages. And putting up with jerks like Dirk was definitely one of
them.

* * *

By
the time the forum rolled around on Wednesday, Jack was relieved to get out of
the office. It seemed like Dirk had made it his mission to be as difficult as
possible. Bridget had asked him to supervise the contractors who were enclosing
the relief valves, and when they were missing a single permit he’d canceled all
of the work that day, instead of writing it himself. That affected the whole
project plan. Jack had words with him and dutifully recorded the details in his
journal. Dirk had also been surlier than normal, and Jack had received a number
of complaints from his team and others on the plant.

Jack
took a sip of his take-out coffee as he and Bridget walked into the hall where
the safety forum was being held.

“I’ll
introduce you to some of the people working on neighboring plants,” Bridget said.
She waved to a short, dark-haired guy in his mid-forties.
“Hi,
Graham.
How’s things
?”

“Same old, same old, Bridget.
You still in charge over at
Dionysus?”

She
shook her head. “No. This is my new boss, Jack Gibbs.” She turned to Jack.
“Graham is the Safety Manager at the oil refinery across from us.”

Graham
shook Jack’s hand.
“Pleasure to meet you.
Bridget here
is a great woman.”

Her
eyes widened.

Jack
smiled. “I know. She sure makes my job easier.”

They
were called into the hall as the forum was about to start.

Jack
found the first panel discussion interesting. After three years working in
Australia he was fascinated to note the differences in the way the two
countries dealt with safety and the environment.

At
the end of the panel there was an opportunity for questions from the audience.
Bridget asked for further details about a particular aspect relating to process
safety. It was a great question and Jack knew she was immediately thinking
about how to apply it at the plant. She was always on the ball. He made a few
notes of his own.

At
the end of the day there was a cocktail party. Bridget introduced Jack to
people she knew, and eventually excused herself to speak with someone else. A
guy about Jack’s age with black hair, not a strand out of place, came up to
him.

“You
must be one of Bridget’s colleagues.”

“Jack
Gibbs,” he said. “I’m the new safety manager over at Dionysus.”

“I
didn’t think they’d give Bridge the job.” The man’s smile was genuine but for
some reason it made Jack’s skin crawl.

“I’m
sorry,
I didn’t catch your name.”

“Lionel
Mathers. I’m the safety manager at Premium Oil.”

Now
it made sense. Jack clicked his fingers together. “You’re the guy who messed up
and then blamed everything on Bridget.” The same jackass who’d made her so
reluctant to be in a relationship with him.

Lionel’s
genial expression turned hard. “I don’t know what she’s been saying but it was
not
my fault.”

Jack
held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry, it’s just the rumor I
heard. The technicians at Dionysus sing her praises and she’s proved extremely
competent so far.”

Lionel
glared at him. “I’d watch your back. She can fool the best of us.”

At
that moment Bridget came up to them. She completely ignored Lionel. “Jack, I
want to introduce you to our inspector.” She gestured to a man standing a few
yards away.

“Aren’t
you going to say hello?” Lionel asked her with a smug grin.

She
squinted at him as if he were a speck of dirt on a clean linen tablecloth and
said, “You’re not worth my time.” She walked off.

Jack
swallowed his grin and nodded to the man. “I’ll see you around.”

The
moment he turned around his grin spread wide over his face. She was a hell of a
woman.

* * *

Bridget
concentrated on her breathing as Jack and Victor chatted. She’d assumed Lionel would
be at the forum, and she’d prepared herself to be civil and polite. But when it
came down to it, she just couldn’t. The man was an insect she wanted to squash.
She smiled. The shock on Lionel’s face had been rather rewarding. Perhaps she
should have been professional, but she didn’t have it in her to feel sorry for
what she said. It was actually the nicest thing she could come up with.

“Bridget,
can I have a word?”

She
excused herself and turned to Graham. “Sure. What’s up?”

They walked
a small distance away and Graham cleared his throat. “The last time we spoke, I
told you about the safety projects coordinator position I was trying to get
approved.”

Bridget
nodded. The position had sounded amazing. He’d wanted someone to solely work on
projects that would improve the safety at his plant. They would have a
significant budget and the full support of senior management.

“It
was approved last week.”

“That’s
excellent. I wish we could get a position like that at Dionysus.”

“Well,
I wanted to ask if you were interested in applying.”

Bridget’s
mouth dropped open. “Me?” Excitement hummed over her skin at the idea of having
that much opportunity to make improvements.

Graham
smiled.
“Yes, you.
I’ve wanted you on my team since we
first met. I can pretty much guarantee that if you apply for the position,
you’ll get it.”

She
was speechless. She blinked, realizing she had to say something. “What about
the Lionel affair?”

Graham
snorted. “Most of us know what an idiot he is. There aren’t many who believe
his story. You know that, don’t you?”

Bridget
shook her head. She’d thought everyone had believed him. But maybe it was just
those who were willing to be vocal about it. That put everything in a different
perspective. “In that case I’d love to know more. Can you send me the position
details?”

“I’ll
do it first thing in the morning. But don’t tell your new boss. He seems nice,
and I don’t want him angry at me for poaching his best team member.” Graham
winked and walked away.

Bridget
took a glass of wine from a passing waiter and sipped it, trying to get her
brain working again. She’d been convinced the whole industry thought she was to
blame for the incident at her previous plant. It was one reason why she’d been
so dedicated to Dionysus – she’d been sure they were the only company who would
give her a chance, and didn’t think she’d get another job if she applied
elsewhere. Obviously she’d been wrong.

If
she had a new job, there was nothing stopping her and Jack being together. They
wouldn’t have to keep their relationship secret anymore because they wouldn’t
be working together. That held an immense amount of appeal.

Plus
she knew Graham would support her in what she wanted to achieve and senior
management were behind the role as well. There wouldn’t be the constant uphill
battle every time she wanted to improve something. Her skin tingled with
excitement.

She
took another sip of the wine. Perhaps things were looking up.

* * *

The
next morning Bridget checked her email as soon as she got to work. There was
nothing from Graham. Perhaps he wasn’t in the office yet. Slightly
disappointed, she read through the rest of her emails, flagging those she
needed to follow up. She hadn’t mentioned the job offer to Jack. She didn’t
want to get her hopes up in case the position wasn’t as great as Graham made it
sound, and she didn’t want any pressure from Jack to apply. She would make her
own decision.

Her
phone rang. It was Joe. “Bridge, can you come out and take a look at
something?”

“Sure.
Be right there.”

Joe
didn’t generally call her unless he was genuinely worried about something. She
grabbed her gear and met him at the supervisor’s office. “What’s up?”

“Can
you shut the door?”

Bridget
frowned but did as he asked and took a seat.

“We’ve
got a line shutdown next week on the cracking unit.”

She
nodded.
“Any problems with it?”

“A couple.
I spoke with Dirk yesterday while you were off-site. Some of my crew
are
new and this will be their first shutdown. I wanted
someone to give them a refresher on the safety systems: permits, risk
assessment, that kind of thing. He said none of you had time.”

Bridget
gritted her teeth. The safety culture was bad enough on site without Dirk
making it worse. If the shifts were reaching out to them, they had to respond.
“Of course we’ve got time. When do you want it?”

“We’re
not on days again until next week, so today would be good.”

“I’ll
fit you in. Just give me a time.”

“Thanks,
Bridget. I knew I could count on you.”

And
that was the problem. Joe should be able to count on the
entire
safety
department. She had to mention this to Jack.

Joe
hesitated a moment and then sighed. “There’s something else. Dirk’s been
spreading rumors, telling the guys this new project of yours is a waste of time
and will cause them extra work.”

Anger
stirred in Bridget’s belly.

“He’s
saying it’s management covering their asses and wasting money that could be
used to make a real difference in safety.”

The
man was unbelievable. What he was saying was downright dangerous.

“How
many are listening?” she asked.

“The usual bunch.”

Bridget
scrubbed at her eyes. Damn him. The usual
bunch were
the ones who caused them the most amount of grief because they weren’t willing
to change their ways – they’d been doing it for twenty years and didn’t see any
reason to. She was going to have to check with the other shift supervisors and
ask if Dirk had been spreading these lies to them as well.

“All
right,” Bridget said finally, “I’ll go around and catch who I can today at
lunch. See if they want to vent, and then try to explain the value to them
again. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Thanks
for caring.”