Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) (6 page)

“Tell
me you don’t feel anything and I’ll drop it,” he challenged.

She glared
at him. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. I don’t do work relationships.” She bit
off the last words.

“They
can work. I’ve seen it.” There had been a couple at his last job.

“You
have
no
idea.” She ran a hand through her hair. “You’re a man. Your
actions won’t be questioned. At worst you’ll get a slap on the back and a ‘good
for you’.” She took a breath. “
I’ll
get accused of sleeping my way to
the top, of getting my projects approved because I’m dating my boss, and if
anything goes wrong, I’ll be blamed for it.”

She
was so fired up, so sure of herself.

“You’ve
been through it before,” he guessed. That put a whole different spin on things.
It must have gone really wrong.

Her
mouth dropped open. She closed it and nodded once. Then she closed the door.

Jack
sighed. It was complicated, but he wasn’t willing to give up yet. She was too
intriguing, too fiery. He’d just take it slower. He needed to get to know
Bridget away from work and perhaps Hal and Tanya’s relationship could help him.
They could have more dinners like tonight, which would show Bridget he wasn’t
like her ex.

He
was tempted to ask Tanya about what had happened, but it didn’t seem right. He
wanted Bridget to trust him enough to confide in him.

But
he didn’t know how long that would take.

* * *

Bridget
flopped down on her bed and put her head in her hands. She was a fool.

She’d
overreacted and blown things out of proportion. If she’d had her wits about her
she wouldn’t have panicked when Jack suggested helping her with her dive
certification. The urge to say yes had been so damned strong. He had a way of
slipping through the cracks in her defenses and making her relax.

But
she couldn’t do that. Not with him. There was too much at stake, too much to
lose, too much that could go wrong.

And
then he hadn’t had the decency to leave her alone. He’d followed her to her
room, made her mad, and made her say things she shouldn’t have said. He didn’t
need to know she’d been burned in the past.
Though he was
sure to hear about it sooner or later.
Everyone in the industry knew
about the Lionel affair. All Jack needed to know was she wasn’t interested.

But
Bridget didn’t have the nerve to say it. She couldn’t lie to him, couldn’t say
she felt nothing. It was easier to run away.

If he
wasn’t her new boss … she shook her head. No. It didn’t matter. There was
no point playing “what ifs”. She had her two rules for a good reason and
breaking the first one had got her into this mess.

Jack
would just have to deal with it, like she was.

Chapter 6

The next few days were stupidly busy. Now that
her project had been given the green light, Bridget had a mountain of work to
do. She worked long hours, collaborating with the guys on the plant.

Bridget
avoided Jack where possible. She had to keep reminding herself that he was her
boss and she had to concentrate on her job – keeping the site safe.

“Bridget,
I’ve got the latest results from the line scanning.”

She
looked up at Mike, the plant inspection engineer. His expression was somber.
“Bad news?”

He
nodded.

“We’d
better get Jack.” She went next door and knocked on Jack’s door. “You got a
minute?” Her skin warmed as he glanced up and met her eyes. She ignored it.

“Of course.”

She
motioned Mike inside. “Mike’s our plant inspection engineer. He’s got the
latest results for you.”

She
stepped back while they shook hands.

“Take
a seat.” Jack gestured for Bridget to join them.

She
was curious about what Mike had found. The last time they’d scanned that
section of the pipeline it was thin in places, but it was difficult to judge
how quickly it was thinning. The previous inspection records had been lost.

“We’ve
got a bad case of corrosion,” Mike began. “The pipeline is corroding faster
than I predicted. We need to do something about it ASAP. It’s not going to last
until the next turnaround.”

Jack
swore. “What are our options?”

Mike
outlined the few choices available. “I’ve set up a meeting tomorrow with
production and maintenance and thought you’d want to be in on this.”

“Yes,
please,” Jack said. “Is it just this section, or are there issues elsewhere?”

“The
inspection was postponed and we’re a few weeks behind, so I can’t tell for
sure. Priority is the areas where the records have gone missing. In my opinion,
I think that whole line is going to have to go. It wasn’t made from the right
material in the first place.” Mike stood. “If that’s all, I’d better get back
to it.”

“Of
course,” Jack said. “Can I have a word before you go, Bridget?”

“What’s
up?” she asked as Mike left the room.

He ran
a hand through his thick hair and she itched to do the same. It was luxurious.
Then she noticed the dark rings under his eyes and the worry in his eyes.

“Is
everything all right?”

“No.
It’s not.” Jack picked up the report Mike had left and then tossed it down on
the table in disgust. “This whole plant is falling apart. It’s ludicrous. We
deal in flammable and highly dangerous substances and yet no one realizes
disaster could be only moments away.”

Bridget
felt his disbelief and frustration. She’d been feeling the same way since she
started here.

“Dionysus
is going through a period of rapid expansion,” she said. “They’ve bought
several companies in the past two years, and are consolidating their assets. They’re
focusing on systems and processes across the company worldwide and letting each
plant run itself.” She wasn’t sure how much Jack had been told before he’d
started. “They bought this plant two years ago. It was built in the fifties and
much of it is due to be upgraded, but head office doesn’t want to spend any
money. As long as we keep pumping out the gallons, we’ll be fine.” Bridget
sighed. “When I started here, I searched for the old records, tried to figure
out what safety systems they had in place because the documentation was
abysmal. Record-keeping wasn’t a strong requirement of the previous owners.”

Jack
shook his head.

“Since
I’ve been here, the number of incidents per month has decreased from ten to
two. Most of those are minor or insignificant, but our disabling injury rate is
still too high.”

“That’s
an impressive decrease.”

She
acknowledged the compliment, ignoring the warmth that spread through her body.
“It’s why management
believe
everything is fine, but
there’s still so much more to be done. If I’m not visibly seen keeping an eye
on safety it’s ignored.”

“How
much staff turnover was there when Dionysus bought in?”

“Not
a lot. There was an organizational reshuffle that
laid
off a few people, but a lot of the guys working here have done so their whole
lives.”

“So
they don’t think there’s any need for change.”

He
understood. Bridget let out a deep breath and nodded.

“How
many of our team
are
as passionate about this plant as
you are?”

“The
environment officers, Nick and Sally, are facing the same issues as we are.
Jeremy has brought the fire teams up to the best they’ve ever been, but the
equipment needs replacing. And the trainers need management support to ensure
training is current.”

Jack
pursed his lips. “What were your plans to fix this?”

She
stared at him. She hadn’t expected him to ask for her opinion.

“Bridge,
I know you wanted this job, and from what I’ve seen of your work, you would
have had a plan in mind, if not written down. I’d like to hear it.”

She
ignored the pleasant tingle at being shown some respect. “Our team needs more
cohesion,” she began. “Jeremy, Nick, Sally, and I are all new since Dionysus
bought the plant. We’ve seen how well things can run when they’re done
properly, but there are some, like Dirk, one of the safety officers, who are
old school and don’t like change. The thing is they have some amazing knowledge
about the plant and if we can get through to them, they’ll be an asset.” She
paused. “And finally you’ve got a couple who will do what they’re told, they
just need some direction.”

“A team-building session?”
Jack suggested.

She’d
been considering that herself. “I’ve researched a few options. We could do a
fun team exercise on one day and then a department brainstorm or action plan on
the next day. Find somewhere to stay overnight to completely get away from it.”
She met his eyes as she said overnight and her cheeks heated at the intensity
she saw in them. She looked away. “But that’s probably stage two. We need to
focus on those corrective actions, and now the line issues.”

“Can
we get contractors in to help?”

She’d
been hoping he would ask. “Yes. It’ll cost though.”

“Send
me the details and I’ll do what I can. And while you’re at it, send me the
information about the team building.”

Bridget
got to her feet.
“Sure thing.”

“Thanks.
I appreciate your help.”

She
smiled at him,
a lightness
in her chest. “No problem,
boss.”

As
she walked back to her office she realized it was the first time anyone in
management had thanked her for doing her job. It felt fantastic.

* * *

Jack’s
heartbeat sped up at Bridget’s smile. She hadn’t really smiled at him since
he’d met her at the club. It was so warm, welcoming, and sent heat straight
through him.

He
was doing a much worse job than her at ignoring the attraction. In actual fact,
he wasn’t sure whether he hadn’t already slipped from attractive stranger to
never-going-to-go-there work colleague in her mind. He hated the thought it was
a real possibility.

Her
work ethic was admirable. She worked more hours than she had to, went beyond
the call of duty, and had the best interests of the plant at heart. It made
Jack respect her even more. To continue with that level of passion, despite the
lack of management support, showed real dedication.

Which
reminded him – he’d read through the fatigue management procedure and found
Bridget was working too many hours. He wanted to give her the time off in lieu
of all the extra work she did. It was the least he could do. He checked her
hours on the security log and confirmed with Anthony that he could give her the
time off. He caught up with her a couple of hours later.

“Bridget,
can I have a word?” he asked.

“Sure.”
She turned from her computer.

He
leaned against her desk, crossed his ankles, and tried to look as unthreatening
as possible. He wasn’t entirely sure how Bridget would take the order to have a
couple of days off. Most people would jump at the chance, but Bridget wasn’t
most people.

“I’ve
checked the hours you’ve been working,” he began.

She
shifted in her chair, sat straighter, bracing herself for defense.

“You’ve
been working too many hours and, as I’m sure you’re aware, fatigue can begin to
creep in without you noticing.”

She
opened her mouth to say something but he held up his hand.

“You
need to take two days off this month. You can choose which days.”

She
was already shaking her head. “Jack, I can’t afford to right now. The work for
the project has already been delayed for too long.”

He’d
prepared his counter argument. “You don’t need to do everything, Bridget. Tell
me what needs to be done on your days off, and I’ll make sure it happens.”

“There’s
too much to explain. It will be easier if I take time off after it’s
completed.”

“Fatigue
doesn’t work like that. Do you want to be so tired that you make a mistake?” He
hated to say it, but he needed to convince her.

She
reared back as if he’d hit her. “You think I’d put the plant at risk?”

He
held up a conciliatory hand. “Not on purpose. You’re too focused to think of
some of the potential consequences.” He continued before she could say anything
else. “Let me know by Monday which days you’ll take. It might be a good
opportunity for you to do the dive training you’ve been talking about.”

She
glared at him but he simply smiled and walked out of the office. She was too
busy taking care of everyone else. Someone had to take care of her.

* * *

It
had long since grown dark by the time Bridget arrived home. She’d been so
annoyed by Jack’s insistence she take time off that she’d stayed past her
normal working hours to get more of her project completed. At that time of the
evening there was little chance of interruption.

He
couldn’t stop her from doing what needed to be done. The gall of him, to even
suggest she might put the plant at risk, that she might make a mistake. She
knew her limits and she was far from them.

“Bridget,
is that you?” Tanya called from the back of the house.

She
frowned. Tanya had barely been home since she’d met Hal, and Bridget hadn’t
expected her to be there.

“Yeah.”
She
wandered down the hall to the kitchen. She hadn’t eaten since lunch and her
stomach was telling her it was way past time to be fed.

As
she walked into the living area she found Tanya and Hal sitting side by side on
the couch.

“You’re
later than usual,” Tanya said.

“I
had some work I needed to finish. It’s easier to get it done when there’s no
one in the administration building.”

“You’re
working too hard,” Tanya admonished. “They don’t deserve your loyalty.”

Bridget
glanced at Hal and back at Tanya. “They gave me a chance,” she said and turned
to rummage in the freezer. There had to be some sort of frozen meal in there.

She
hated to remember the time when her world had crumbled around her, when her
boyfriend had betrayed her and she’d lost all the credibility she’d worked so
hard to gain. She was lucky Jeremy had convinced the safety manager at Dionysus
that she was worth hiring.

She
found
a frozen
lasagna and put it in the microwave to
heat. It was the weekend, but she’d brought her laptop home to do a bit more
work on the project. She could spend Saturday on it and then it was her turn to
drive to her mother’s for lunch on Sunday.

“You
need to chill out. Why don’t you come to the movies with Hal and me tomorrow?”
Tanya suggested. “We’re going to have lunch beforehand.”

There
was no way she was going to be a third wheel in their cozy party. She shook her
head. “I’ve got some work to do.”

“That’s
ridiculous, Bridge,” Tanya stood up and walked into the kitchen. “If you don’t take
a break, I’ll tell Jack. I’m sure there’s something he can do.”

Bridget
groaned. It was not a good thing that her best friend knew her boss. “He’s
already told me I have to take two days off this month.
Time
in lieu.”

“Good.
When are you going to take them? We can have a girls’ day.”

Bridget
shrugged. She should have kept her mouth shut. Now she’d have both Tanya and
Jack hassling her. “I’m not sure. Jack suggested I look up diving courses.”

The
suggestion appealed to her. The idea had been simmering in her mind since she’d
first discussed it with Jack at the bar and she’d checked out prices only the
other day. But she couldn’t just take time off. Not with all the work that
needed to be done.