Next, the two of them tackled the red counter for the diner. “This is much easier. No angles. Just a rectangle frame of two-by-fours,” he told the boy.
Within ten minutes, they had the frame screwed together, and secured to the top of the makeshift counter.
Once again, Ryder stood back and let the boy take over, watching as he applied the glue to the top of the frame. Then, together they carefully set the pre-cut laminate in place.
“Had this been an actual counter, it would’ve required a ¾ inch thick piece of cabinet grade birch or oak piece of plywood,” he pointed out. “Do you know why we didn’t do that?”
The kid nodded. “That would be too heavy for a set that needs to roll on and off the stage.”
“Exactly.” Ryder slapped the counter and smiled. “Looks great.”
“Thanks.” The student smiled. “Are we done for the day?”
Sophia approached with a grin. “Yes. Thanks so much for your help. This looks amazing.”
Color rushed into the boy’s face as he stared at her. Ryder couldn’t blame the kid for being flustered. The woman didn’t realize how damn beautiful she was, or how sexy.
Today, she had on a white, lacy dress, and he marveled over the fact she managed to work on the set without getting it dirty.
When the boy disappeared off the stage, she stepped closer to him, a wicked gleam entering her eyes. “No one screws better than you,” she said, low enough for only his ears.
A certain favorite body part heard and perked up at the praise. “Yeah?”
She grinned. “Yeah. Are you almost ready to go?”
“Almost,” he replied, putting away his drill and the rest of his tools in record time. “Now I’m ready.”
“Good.” She nodded toward the crew. “As soon as they clean up and leave, we can head out, too.”
While waiting, Ryder pulled out his phone to check for missed calls. One. The office. Since there were no voicemails, he hit call, hoping to catch Cathy before she left for the day. “Hey, Cathy, what’s up?”
“Hi, boss. Sorry to bug you, but you told me to call whenever I got news on a bid.”
Something in her tone made him stiffen. “And?”
A sigh rustled through the phone. “We didn’t get the ice cream place.”
“Are you kidding me?” He swallowed down a curse. “The ice cream parlor? Who got it? Don’t tell me Colarusso outbid us again?”
Sophia’s head snapped in his direction, so he forced himself to calm down. This wasn’t the time or place to lose his shit.
“Okay,” Cathy said. “I won’t tell you, but it was. Sorry. I hope you’ll forget about it tonight and enjoy yourself.”
Just when he thought he was gaining some ground, out of the blue, Colarusso snagged a job out from under him. He had no fucking clue how they got this one.
Even though the job was on the outskirts of the county, he’d gone low. So low, he’d practically be doing it for free. But the location was sweet, so was the visibility for the company.
Or, at least it would’ve been if he’d gotten the damn job.
Sophia touched his arm. “I’ll be back. I need to go make sure I turned off my computer.”
He nodded and watched as she walked off the stage. His chest tightened. He hoped she wasn’t put off by his aggravation.
“Did you hear me, Ryder?” Cathy asked. “Go home and enjoy yourself. You still have a few other bids out there.”
He blinked, having momentarily forgotten he was still on the phone. “True.” He blew out a breath, releasing what was left of his frustration. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Not too early,” Cathy said. “I mean it. Enjoy yourself.”
