Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (12 page)

“Exactly!” Cal agreed enthusiastically. Tony had to fight to keep from laughing. The short, bald, stocky guy was definitely the best foreman Walters Construction had ever had, but he was the epitome of high-strung. Tony took everything very seriously too but, unlike Cal, he tried not to give himself a stroke over anything. Virtually everything could be fixed, but the goal was to not have to fix anything.

“Okay, so go pull the mesh, replace it, and get that truck down there. We need that concrete poured tomorrow morning or we’re going to be behind schedule.” Tony rose from his chair and crossed the room to the coffee pot. “I’d really like to get this job finished ahead of schedule. We’ve got the possibility of landing the contract for that new hospital in Willisburg and I’d hate to have to pass because we’re dragging ass on this job.”

“You got it, boss. Anything else before I go?”

“Yeah,” Tony turned and grinned. “Tell Matt I said congratulations and I hope Andrea and the baby are doing great. Boy or girl?”

“Girl. Madison Paige.”

“Thanks. I’ll be out on the jobsite tomorrow morning if I don’t see you before then.” Tony shook Cal’s hand as the younger man headed out the door. He turned back to his coffee, dropped one sugar cube in and stirred.

“Hey, Cheryl?”

“Yeah?” Tony’s secretary called back.

“Could you please send flowers over to the hospital for Andrea Fowler?”

“Already done. Took care of it first thing this morning.”

“Ah, you’re a good one, Cheryl Brooks. Remind me of that on Secretary’s Day, would you please?” Tony laughed.

Cheryl called back, “Yeah, I’m on it!” She was still laughing when he closed his office door.

He made a note to himself to find out exactly when Secretary’s Day was. He owed it to Cheryl to treat her like the valuable employee she was. She’d gotten him out of more than a few jams over the six years she’d worked there, and she was always one step ahead of him. That was her greatest asset, as far as he was concerned.

Tony sat back down with his coffee and looked at the bid package for the hospital project. Getting the contract would be a plus, but definitely not their bread and butter. Underneath it was the bid package for the new runway and hangars in Lexington; now
that
would definitely be bread and butter. He’d have to hire more employees and buy more equipment if they won that one. Those were the kinds of jobs Walters Construction wanted to reel in. He’d have to see what the acquisitions department could do, have the numbers crunched, run it by Vic.

He glanced up at the clock. If he left in the next ten minutes and got to the gym, he could be home, showered, eating, and parked on the sofa in plenty of time for the tipoff. He rinsed out his coffee cup, grabbed his gym bag, and yelled goodbye to Cheryl as he headed to his truck.

Tony liked the gym. Chris, the manager, always kept it spotless. Tony had a well-appointed workout room in his home in Shelbyville, but the house in the Louisville township of Anchorage where he spent his work week was too small, so the gym was a necessity.

He didn’t know any of the others who frequented the gym, but they all seemed friendly. He did know a few of their names, like Todd, the young blond guy. And there was Alvin, who had the most incredibly large nose Tony had ever seen. There were also a couple of twins who came in and out, but he didn’t know their names.

As for women, there were only two there on a regular basis. There was Kelly, who had the largest breasts east of the Mississippi. They were fake, had to be. No one had real tits that big. Even in a sports bra, they were enormous. He’d been noticing her there for the last couple of years.

And there was another woman – probably not a lot younger than he was? – who was usually there in the evenings. She was small, fair, blond, and trim. He never spoke to her, even after seeing her there for at least four years, but lately he’d taken to smiling and nodding at her. She always smiled back, but then she’d look down, like she was shy. He’d love to talk to her or Kelly, but that was really frowned upon in gym etiquette – he only knew Kelly’s name because she’d been featured in an advertisement for the gym. He’d learned early on that guys who tried to pick up women at a gym were considered creepy. When it came to women, he was shaky enough already – he certainly didn’t need the “creepy” label.

Ah, women. They were impossible to figure out. Well, okay, it was probably a little easier when they weren’t completely nuts. Nuts like Dottie. Crazy. Certifiably insane. Mentally ill. Chronically mentally ill. How exactly did you describe someone like Dottie? Cunningly insane? Yeah, that was more like it – cunningly, irritatingly insane. Her illness would’ve been easier to take if she hadn’t been such a bitch on top of it. So good riddance.

But it still made him sad to think of all the precious years he’d wasted on her, continued to waste. She was the reason he couldn’t seem to bring himself to start over. It seemed like far too much work to try, and extraordinarily scary on top of that. Even if he did try, he was sure wherever he started would turn out to be the wrong spot.

He pulled up in the parking lot and grabbed his gym bag, hoping that maybe just one time when he got there the blond lady would be leaving, and he could stop her and talk to her out in the lot, away from the actual gym and prying eyes. But he wasn’t sure he’d have the courage even if that ever happened.

Once changed and out of the locker room, Tony walked to the far end of the main room to hit the free weights. Most of the usual people were there. Kelly and the blond lady were on the treadmills. When he passed, Kelly looked up first and he nodded, only to have her return his greeting with a sexy little wave and a 100-megawatt smile.

Then the blond glanced his way. Tony smiled a small, warm smile and nodded. She smiled back and looked at her feet. She was so cute when she did that – that shy thing, like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. He wouldn’t exactly call her a beauty, but she was a nice-looking, very well-put-together woman, with decent-sized, real-looking breasts, a nice, tight ass, and not an extra ounce of fat on her, just lean and strong. Tony thought she looked like someone who could hold a decent conversation. He’d really like to find out.

But not tonight. Tonight he’d work out, eat, and watch the game. Then he’d go to bed like he always did – alone – and get up tomorrow and start all over. Tomorrow evening he’d smile and nod, and she’d smile back and look down at her feet. Then same song, second verse.

Like always.

“W
e’ll get those delivered tomorrow morning for you. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, I think that’s everything. She’s going to love them!” the young man said, grinning from ear to ear as he turned to leave.

“If she doesn’t, you let us know right away and we’ll make it right,” Nikki replied. “Have a great afternoon.”

Nikki turned a bit and noticed the young woman in the far corner. “Miss, is there anything I can help you with?”

“Uh, yeah. I need something for my girlfriend,” she said, caressing a large pink rose.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Our anniversary,” the girl offered. She was petite and lovely, with long, dark hair, golden skin, and soft brown eyes that lit up when she mentioned their special day.

“First? Or long time?”

“We’ve been together for five years,” the girl replied, looking at a crystal vase.

“Well, congratulations to you both! What’s her favorite color?”

“Lavender.”

“I think I might have just the thing. Let me get them.” From the cooler, Nikki brought out an armload of something wrapped in tissue. She opened the tissue to reveal a dozen exquisite lavender-colored roses. “Whaddya think? Think she’d like these?”

“Oh, my god, she’d love those! Maybe in this vase? With some other stuff in them, you know, those little white things . . .”

“Baby’s breath? Of course. And some fern. We can do it up right nice. I think you’ll be pleased,” Nikki smiled at her. “So let’s get some information and get started. Your name?”

“Annabeth Walters,” the girl replied.

“And they’re going to . . .”

“Katie Reynolds. 451 Thrush Lane.”

“Oh, she’s my neighbor! I live on Bluejay Lane.”

“Really? We’ve lived over there for the last four years, ever since we had our ceremony.”

“Commitment ceremony? Wedding?”

“Well, we call it our wedding, but it was a commitment ceremony. You know Kentucky’s not that progressive!” Annabeth laughed.

“Don’t I know it!” Nikki was impressed with the young woman. She exuded self-confidence. “You’re so lucky to find each other.”

“Thanks! Yeah, I don’t know what I’d do without Katie.” A wistful smile stretched across Annabeth’s face. “She’s smart and funny and beautiful. And she understands me better than anyone.”

“Everyone deserves to have someone like that,” Nikki said thoughtfully, pulling the crystal vase from the shelf and putting it with the order slip.

“You’re the flower shop lady. You’re in the business of making love bloom! That makes you an expert – I bet you have a special someone, too.”

“Well, I did. But not anymore. Some things don’t last forever.” Nikki couldn’t bear to make eye contact with Annabeth.

“That’s so true. Divorces are hard for everyone. My parents are divorced.”

Nikki swallowed hard. “Not divorced. My husband, um, passed.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! That’s awful.” The sad look on the girl’s face was exactly what Nikki didn’t need.

“It certainly has been,” Nikki replied. She hesitated before adding, “We’d been married for thirty years.”

“Wow. Do you have kids?” Annabeth asked.

“Had.” She hesitated again. “They passed as well.” Nikki couldn’t force herself to look up, to see the look on Annabeth’s face. She’d seen it too often, that mixture of horror and pity.

It took a minute before the young woman spoke. “How terrible for you. I’m so, so sorry. It seems like you’re doing very well, though. That’s good, right?”

“Looks can be deceiving, dear. But enough about me. Planning a big anniversary date?” Nikki asked, smiling.

Annabeth was relieved that the topic had changed. “Yeah, dinner at Brisbane. It’s Katie’s favorite place.”

“I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s really nice.” Then Nikki had a thought. “Would you like for us to send them to the restaurant? They’ll put them on your table when you come in.”

“Oh, that would be great! What a good idea.” Annabeth smiled warmly. “You know, it’s been really nice talking to you. Most people recoil in horror when they find out I have a girlfriend. You didn’t.”

“Of course I didn’t. The heart wants what it wants. And everyone deserves love, don’t they?” Annabeth couldn’t help but notice how warm Nikki’s eyes were when she spoke.

“Yes, you’re right – everyone does. What’s your name, by the way?”

“It’s Nikki. Nikki Wilkes. And it’s been really nice talking to you, Annabeth. Have a great afternoon and let us know if she’s not satisfied with the flowers,” Nikki called behind her as Annabeth turned to the door.

“At this point, I’m way more concerned about paying for the dinner!” Annabeth laughed, waving as she walked out.

Nikki smiled. What a sweet young lady. She was probably a little younger than Nikki’s daughter Amanda would’ve been. Nikki wondered if Amanda would’ve found someone special by now. She thought about Jake, too. He’d just gotten the paperwork on his divorce a week before the accident. He might’ve started over by now.

At that point her mind couldn’t help but drift to Randy. Even after five years, she still thought of him almost every second of every day. He’d been ripped from her so violently that she couldn’t help but feel life was hemorrhaging from her daily. She couldn’t say she hadn’t looked at other men since, but she hadn’t considered dating anyone. Didn’t matter; no one had asked. She wondered if she had that “wounded animal” look that turned men off completely.

The phone rang and interrupted her reverie. She was thankful for every distraction. Another customer, another order. Weddings, funerals, birthdays. Everyone had something special to celebrate, someone’s life to commemorate.

Except her.

“H
i, baby! What can I do for you?”

Tony was always glad when Annabeth stopped by. She was like a ray of sunshine come to sit in his office for a few minutes. “Could Katie and I please use the house in Gatlinburg next weekend?” Annabeth toyed with the tiny Camaro on Tony’s desk. The model was painted to look exactly like his car.

“Sure, honey. I’ll call Roselle and ask her to have it ready for you. Big occasion? Or running away?” he laughed. The house in Tennessee had long been a haven for his little family when things with Dottie got too difficult in Louisville.

“Running away. Work’s been extremely brutal for Katie lately. We just need to go somewhere that isn’t ‘da Ville.’” Tony didn’t like the tired look that passed across her face.

“That bad?” She looked more stressed than he’d ever seen her.

“Yeah. When she took this promotion, she didn’t realize she’d be cleaning up some really bad loans the last guy made.” Annabeth frowned. “She’s working lots of evenings and Saturdays, but she’s insisted on being off on Sundays. That’s all that’s saved us.”