Avery straightens, scrambling to pick up a piece of wood. “I’m getting this piece level.” He motions toward the lumber as he puts it in the wrong place before running his fingers through his short brown hair.
He looks ridiculous, but the women can’t stop staring at him as they whisper and giggle to each other. He’s trying to give them a show, but time is money. I pull off my glove and use it to slap him on the back of the head. He may be my construction site manager and a really good one at that, but I still have to keep an eye on him. I think he does it on purpose when he hears me coming. After knowing each other since high school, it doesn’t matter that I’m his boss, he loves being a pain in the ass.
“Get back to work. We don’t have any time to waste.”
In a dramatic display, he rubs the back of his head, his eyes darting to the group of women nearby, like he’s trying to garner their sympathy.
Folding my arms across my chest, I glare, making himstraighten up. “And put your hard hat back on.” I couldn’t be more different from him in this area. I don’t have time for relationships or flirting, and I haven’t ever really wanted anything since high school. A quick fling is all I have time for, but even that has been hard with the long days at work.
“Okay. Fine.” His shoulders sag. “We’re going to Jimmy’s tonight for a few beers after work. I’m tired of you blowing it off. I know you’re stressed with the deadlines to finish this house, but it’ll get done. We won’t if you work yourself to the bone.” He grabs my shoulder and nudges me.
I nod as he talks, but he doesn’t understand. I need this business to be successful. When I’m not at the construction site, I have mounds of paperwork to go through or have to find new ways to advertise. After I bought the business from the Thompsons, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Mr. Thompson was exceptional at construction, and people don’t think I hold a candle to him, even though he’s the one who taught me everything I know. He stayed involved just enough for most clients to stick around, but it hasn’t been easy getting new ones.
Mr. Thompson knew that his daughter, Rylee, didn’t want to take over the business, but as his mentee, he gave me the opportunity to buy it. I’d been working for him for a few years, and he knew I cared about its success. It made it an easy decision to jump at the offer to buy it. Getting a loan wasn’t an option, so he offered to let me pay him monthly. He’s been a father figure in my life, and I’ve always looked up to him.
“Okay. I’ll go for one beer.”
“Great.” He claps his hands together. “Two, it is.”
I exhale loudly as I walk away, stopping when workers need help. Before heading back to the office, I check on the progress everyone is making, knowing we’re getting down to the wire to finish this project by the estimated completion date.
Once it’s time to call it a day, all the hammering, drilling,and cutting halts, and I grab the blueprints and paperwork before I leave. As I park my truck at the bar, I rub my hands up and down my face.
“You know what I figured out?” Avery asks, meeting me at the front of my truck. I look up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Rylee Thompson has been back in town for over three months, and you haven’t been to Jimmy’s since. Are you afraid you might run into her?”
I stiffen at the sound of her name. “No.” My eyes fix on him. “Now, let’s go inside before I change my mind.”
His laughter follows me. “You have to admit, it seems a little fishy.”
I pause in front of the door to the bar. “I have a business to keep afloat. I don’t have time to worry about her.” I know Avery can tell I’m lying, but there’s no way I’ll admit to avoiding my favorite bar because she’s back in town. It’s one of the only places to go after work. I know she doesn’t have a typical job, but she’s good at what she does. I may have checked her social media over the last seven years more times than I can count. She hates my guts, but I’m fine quietly avoiding her for as long as I have to.
Avery shakes his head, chuckling. Exhaling to clear my thoughts, my eyes narrow on him. But my mind always goes back to the brunette beauty who was my first love.
“Whatever. Let’s go,” I growl, throwing the door open.
Walking into Jimmy’s, the place is packed with people hovering around tables and near the bar. We squeeze through the crowd, get a couple of beers at the bar, and find the last available booth to watch whatever game is playing on the TV. Taking a sip from the cold bottle, I relax in my seat and savor it running down my throat, already feeling the stress of the day melting away. I welcome the relaxation as I take another long pull of my beer.
“So are you going to tell me if the business is doing okay?” Avery leans over the table, concern written across his face. “Or are we still not doing well? Mr. Thompson would want to know if people aren’t hiring us,” he says before taking another sip of his drink.
I drain the rest of my beer and signal for another from a waitress walking by. It doesn’t help that I’m not a people person. “I’m not talking to Mr. Thompson. He’s done too much already, and I’m hiring outside help,” I admit. Avery’s eyebrows shoot up. He knows how much I don’t like bringing in someone new.
“Is that so? What kind of help?”
“A designer.” As difficult as this is to admit, I need someone to tell the customers what’s possible after we’re done. People need more than pictures of our past work. They want fresh ideas. “I’m not great at talking with people, so they can help be that buffer and explain the possibilities.” I take another long drink. It’s been hard to admit where I need help and what my faults are. It’s something I’ve been working on with my therapist for years.
Avery’s eyes fill with pride as he slowly nods. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Getting the crew on board is important to me, and Avery is my right-hand. The workers report directly to him, and I know they will go along with it if he does.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the front door open, and a short brunette walks inside. Looking around, her face lights up in a smile, and all the oxygen leaves my lungs. I swear someone punched me right in my stomach, and I can’t remember how to breathe. She’s wearing tight jeans that fit her like a glove and a black low-cut tank top with a plaid flannel button-up shirt, showing off a mouth-watering amount of cleavage. Her hair reaches the small of her back with soft curls. I can’t pull my eyes away as she floats through the room, meeting up with twogirls at a table toward the back. Her eyes sparkle as she greets her friends, and she’s just as gorgeous as I remember.
“Hello? Earth to Clay . . . ” Avery snaps his fingers in front of my face.
My attention whips back to him. “What?”
A deep laugh escapes his mouth. “Oh, no.” He motions to her table. “Go right on ahead and eye-fuck Rylee as I sit right here.” He smirks, leaning back in the booth as he presses his beer to his mouth.
I send him a glare, only making him laugh harder. He needs to shut up because I don’t want her to see me.Oh, shit. I have to get out of here.I knew I shouldn’t have come. This was exactly what I’ve been wanting to avoid. She made her distaste for me clear the last time I saw her. I’d rather not hear about it all over again, and I don’t think I could take it a second time.
