For the rest of the day, Ladd and I worked together to solve the problems pointed out by the inspector. They were mostly nitpicky little things that most inspectors would never even look twice at, but since they were on the report, they had to be addressed for us to move forward. Ladd had been right. We were in a good spot even if we did have to close down for a few days to get the mold situation handled. We worked really well together.
“Connor, which other outlets does it say need new covers? I’ve finished the ones in this room,” Ladd said as he came out of one of the apartments on the second floor. We were almost done with the bullshit list from the inspector, and I just needed to pack and move my stuff over to Ladd’s place. He looked cute and rumpled in his jeans and button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up and bowtie crooked. He hadn’t been planning on doing manual labor this morning when he’d gotten dressed, so seeing his cute dressy clothes mussed just made him all the more sexy in my mind.
“That was the last one. Now, all we have to handle is the mold situation, and we can leave for the night.” I walked over to him and wrapped him in my arms to give him a quick kiss.
“Connor, let me go.” He giggled and tried to get away. “I’m all crumpled and sweaty. You can’t want to kiss me like this.” I squeezed him a little until he raised his head to look into my eyes.
“Ladd, I want to kiss you any way I can get you, and any time I can get to you. Believe me, though, seeing you rumpled and tie askew has got to be one of the sexiest things I’ve seen in years, so be still and let me show you how much I appreciate all you’ve done to help me today.”
Ladd’s eyes glazed over and he licked his lower lip, then swallowed thickly before he replied with a soft, “Okay.”
I leaned down to lay one on him when I heard the front door open, and a few guys make their way in with one yelling, “Yo, Ladd, you here, man?”
Ladd started giggling while I dropped my forehead to rest on his and shook my head at the remediation guy’s crap timing. I gave him a quick peck on the lips, and Ladd yelled down, “Up here, Monty! We’ll be down in a minute.”
I looked over the railing and saw a mountain of a man starting to come up the stairs to the landing. “That’s all right, Ladd. You said the mold was up here, right? I’ve got the other guys looking around in the usual places downstairs, but I’ll check this out up here for you. It’s probably nothing, and you’ll be back up and running in a day or two.”
The guy, Monty, came right up into Ladd’s space and grabbed him in a bear hug, even picking him up and giving him a little shake. I couldn’t contain a little growl under my breath, and the guy let Ladd go and looked me over before raising an eyebrow as a question. “And who might this be?”
Ladd walked over to me and put his hand into mine and with a huge smile on his face said, “Monty, this is my boyfriend, Connor McDaniel.” Then looking at me he said, “Connor, this is Monty, Gwen’s younger brother. We’ve been friends for years, so don’t get all broody.” He gave me a mock frown, and I had to laugh. I’d acted a little possessive, but he didn’t seem to mind. I held out a hand to shake with Monty.
“Hi, I’m Connor, nice to meet you. Sorry for my reaction, it’s been a long day.”
Monty gave me a good firm shake and let me off the hook, “I’m Monty, and it’s fine, really. Believe me. I get it. If some strange guy came up and hugged my Ellie girl, I’d want to know who the hell he was, too.” His smile was wide, and I couldn’t help but smile back. His dark blonde hair was cut short, and his bright blue eyes seemed to glow in his darkly tanned face. Monty looked like he could double for the comic book version of Thor. Thank God he was obviously straight, or I really would have been a jealous ass.
With a nod, Monty and Ladd walked back to the bathroom with the mold, and I stayed out on the landing and took the time to admire the plaster work the guys had been working on the last few weeks. The tracery details on the ceiling were gorgeous, and I had insisted it be restored completely. The intricate designs were neoclassical according to Ladd. I didn’t know what time period it harkened back to. I just knew I loved the white plaster swirls and shapes against the now creamy yellow ceiling. This building really was special just as Ladd had told me on that first day we had done our walkthrough. He had spent hours talking with each crew, going over the importance of certain design details and the need to restore them lovingly. The rough construction guys would all listen quietly every time Ladd told them about some aspect of the building he wanted them to be careful around while working. They caught his enthusiasm and always made absolutely certain they followed his recommendations. Ladd really was something special, and I was feeling so lucky that he had just told his friend that I was his boyfriend. We hadn’t talked about labels, had only had one official date, but the name seemed to fall onto my shoulders and fit comfortably. I wanted to be his boyfriend more than anything.
Monty and Ladd came back after a few minutes, and I caught the end of their conversation, “bullshit, complete and utter bullshit, Ladd. I don’t know what that inspector was smoking, but that’s not black mold, that’s soap scum for Christ’s sake. I’ll do your air quality test, just to cover you, but you won’t have anything to worry about.” Monty came over to me and gave me one more firm handshake, “Sorry, this’ll close you down for a day or two, but at least you’ll have a clear report to go forward.”
“Not a problem, we’re good on time, so I appreciate you getting this done for us.”
“Anything for Ladd and the family, Gwen loves Helen, and that makes all the Eldridges family in my book. I’m gonna go grab the guys and head out. Ladd, you’ll meet us over here in the morning to let us in?”
I reached into my pocket and removed the extra key I usually held on to for my guys. “Here, you can have the extra key so you can come and go. Ladd trusts you, so I do, too.”
Monty took the key with a deep nod and a quick, “Thanks, man, that means a lot.”
Ladd gave me a big smile and then walked with Monty down the stairs to say hello to all the guys he seemed to know. I gathered my clothes and packed up everything I would need for the next few days and then made my way down the stairs to get going. I saw the last of the guys closing the door as I was reaching the foyer. I set my bags down and had just turned to go find Ladd when the front doors opened with a bang and in walked Parker Radcliff. The fucker strolled in unsteadily like he owned the place with a smug smirk on his face despite the bandage over his nose. I smiled, remembering the satisfying crunch under my fist when his nose had broken. I was not going to let this douche ruin my afternoon.
“Looking good there, Parker. I love the bruises. Purple is definitely your color.” I observed which had Ladd barking out a quick laugh as he walked into the foyer from the bar. He had to bite his lower lip to keep the rest of his smile contained when he noticed Parker’s face turn red with anger around the dark bruises surrounding his bandage.
“Laugh it up, asshole, go ahead while you can. You won’t be here long, so I’m not worried about anything you have to say. I’m here to inform you that you’ll be having a second inspection day after tomorrow. If any of the problems aren’t finished by then, the city will shut this project down.” He was slurring his words a little, and I could tell he’d been drinking.
“What the hell business is it of yours when our inspections happen?”
“Well, you see, I’m the new acting attorney for the city, and I’m taking a special interest in this project. I wouldn’t want there to be anything that might cause any legal problems for the city now or in the future. I’m going to be keeping a very close eye on everything you do. You know, just to make sure you don’t cut any corners or violate any laws. I want to make sure everything you do is perfect. My parents have been all over my ass since you attacked me in that restaurant. They think it’s my fault and they’re threatening to pull my trust because you made such a scene in public. I swear to you that if they follow through, it’ll be all your fault and you’ll rue the day you ever fucked with me.”
Fucking asshole!
I was pissed, but Ladd was giggling nonstop, and soon I was laughing right along with him. Parker became livid, “What the fuck is so funny?” he screamed as he balled his hands into fists and made long strides across the room toward Ladd. I moved to intercept him because there was no way that douche bag was getting within punching distance of my boyfriend.
“I wouldn’t if I were you, asshole,” I growled, and he stopped on a dime.
“You better both stop laughing at me. What the fuck is so funny?”
Then I heard Ladd through his giggles, “Rue the day, oh, my God. Connor, who saysrue the daybesides chief inspectors in old black and white B-rated movies or those villains in the old cheesy westerns that used to come on Saturday mornings?”
I couldn’t help it because he was absolutely right. I busted out laughing again, and Parker had heard enough, I suppose, because he turned, unsteadily, and left, banging his fist on the wall beside the front door before storming out. As we both calmed down, the weight of what Parker had said finally hit. I had no words and Ladd looked a little shell-shocked when we realized Parker had just threatened the development of this building because he was holding a nasty grudge. Ladd pulled out his phone and called Taylor to tell him about the new situation. They decided to sleep on it and talk about it the next day, but each agreed this was going to be a very difficult situation.
