As if he needed one more stress concerning his mother. For a man so young, he had a great deal on his shoulders.
“Thanks.”
“You need to go be with her. Don’t worry about anything here.”
“What about the planning meeting?”
“You and I can catch up on your projects later. Your mom comes first. Always.”
He released a heavy breath, his expression dark with worry. “Thanks, Rosie. I really appreciate this.”
“Take as much time as you need. And please keep me posted about your mother’s condition.”
“I will.”
If she had a son, she would want him to be exactly like Bryce. Dependable, hardworking, incredibly loyal.
She only wished she could take away more of the burden from his shoulders.
“Oh man. I forgot I have an appointment this afternoon at Stormhaven with Andrew Morgan to go over the final phase of the work we’re doing on the house. I’m not sure I’ll be back in time. I’ll reschedule on my way up to the hospital.”
Rosie shook her head. “I’ll handle your meeting. If I’m going to take over as project manager, I might as well start now.”
“I’m sorry about this.”
“Stop it. You don’t need to apologize for one moment. Family comes first. You know that has always been the philosophy of Lucas Construction.”
It was the main reason she had stepped in when it became clear the company would not survive without drastic measures. She had fifty employees who counted on her. Fifty people who needed good jobs from an employer who paid decently and rewarded them for their effort.
She knew there were some in the construction industry who held a very different philosophy. They cycled through employees like they went through finish nails. She and Gary had always felt strongly that part of the reason they wanted to start a small business was to not only improve their own situation, but hopefully improve the lives of their employees as well as providing benefits to the local economy.
Her employees had an average tenure of fifteen years. Some, like Pam and a few others, had been there almost since the beginning.
During those tough years after Gary died, when the company had been faltering, she had received a few decent offers to buy her out. The size of those offers would have left her quite comfortable, especially with Gary’s life insurance policy. She could have devoted herself wholly to running the bookstore, which she had loved.
She hadn’t been able to do it, especially when she could not get any guarantee from those making the offers that any of them would keep her employees. How could she reward her workers’ years of hard work by abandoning them?
“Don’t worry about anything here,” she said now to Bryce. “Focus on your mom. We’ll see where things stand next week. We can even assign out some of your other projects to one of the other managers.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will keep you posted.”
He hesitated at the doorway. “I mentioned to Em that I would come help her again after work if I get the chance. Will you let her know I might not make it back?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Rosie. You’re seriously the best.”
He rushed away before Rosie had the chance to tell him she knew better. She was simply a woman with a mountain of regrets and a desperate need to make things right.
Chapter Ten
Andrew
As he stared at the blank screen on his laptop, Andrew’s head throbbed in concert with the pounding coming from somewhere in the house.
The crew was working on the drywall in one of the upstairs bedrooms, if he wasn’t mistaken. Either that or they had decided to play a John Philip Sousa march using nail guns and hammers.
He was finding it increasingly difficult to create in the middle of a construction zone but he didn’t have the liberty of time now. This book should have been finished before they left California. That had been his goal, but between packing up their apartment, end of school year requirements for the kids and tying up all the loose ends, time had gotten away from him.
