Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (52 page)

But she almost didn’t make it.

She started to switch lanes and heard loud honking. That was when she realized that the truck was so big, she couldn’t see small cars in the right-hand lane, even in her mirrors. She tried again, with the same result, just a different car. Nikki felt tears coming to her eyes, and she wondered if she’d ever get over into the right-hand lane when she heard a honk and a man waved her over. She moved right, then waved back to him.
I have to get some bubble mirrors for this thing before I kill somebody,
she thought, making a mental note to herself to take it to the shop when she got back.

The day went pretty smoothly, all things considered. Nikki felt like everyone was watching her, waiting for her to make some kind of terrible mistake, but they were all very nice to her. That afternoon, she went to her house and pulled artwork off the walls, loaded it into the truck, and took it back to the office. It was doing no one any good at her house, since there was no one there to see it, and it would brighten up her and Clayton’s office.

Clayton walked in at quitting time to see Nikki’s artwork all over their shared office. “Wow!” He gazed around. “This looks great! Hey, what happened to my stuff?” he asked, looking for the boxes he’d piled everywhere.

“All in here.” Nikki pointed to a whole bank of filing cabinets. “Every box now has a drawer, and everything is in hanging folders so you can find it. I hope that was okay.” The smile she gave him was small and timid.

“Okay? It’s great! You’ve really worked hard. I hope Dad plans to reward you with a nice dinner or something.”

“I’m sure he’s got something wonderful in store for me.” Nikki shot him a dreamy smile. “He always does.”

“So, how do you like your truck?”

“I hate the damn thing. It’s too big. I feel like I’m in some kind of tactical vehicle.”

“Okay, why don’t you tell me how you
really
feel?”

“Why can’t I just have a normal truck, Tony? Something not so, oh, I don’t know, fucking
huge
?”

“Because there’ll be times when you’ll have to hook up to something and winch it free, or drag something heavy, or power something with the generator, and you’ll need that
huge
truck. This ain’t no job for sissies, little girl.”

“Well, I ain’t no sissy. But I am little. And I can’t see out of the damn thing. I almost crushed two tiny little cars today because I couldn’t see them.”

“Then they should stay the hell out of your blind spot. Or better yet, if they were that little, they should stay the hell away from a truck that size. In that thing, you’ve got the power, sistah.”

“Well, hell yeah, I guess I do, huh?” she grinned.

N
ikki looked at her checklist for the day. Contracts signed, correspondence done, disaster averted at the university jobsite, and she’d had the damn truck in for its first thousand mile service. She was pretty sure she’d never get used to driving that thing, although it was so huge that the Volvo had started to feel small to her.

They were staring down the barrel of a loaded August, and things were going pretty good. There’d been a couple more incidents at jobsites, some GoGreen graffiti at one, and a couple of pieces of earth moving equipment disabled at another, but nothing major. She felt like she was actually earning some of her pay too, although she still didn’t really understand half of what was going on around her. She’d spent some time helping central supply streamline some inventory issues, and she ran lots of errands.

At least one day each week Nikki spent the day with Tony, doing whatever he needed to do, shadowing him to see how he handled things. She had to admit she was impressed and very, very proud when she was with him. Not only did he know exactly what to do in every situation, but he was tactful, diplomatic, and kind, while still being extremely strong and forceful. He got results. She smiled to herself – he had the same effect on her in bed, and she loved it. He was a one man force of nature, and she considered being part of his world a privilege.

She told Cheryl goodbye for the day and strolled to the truck. Tony was at a jobsite on the other side of town – something to do with one of the university buildings – and she didn’t know when he’d be home. When she got to the house, she woke Bill and Hillary and sent them outside, then changed into some workout gear and headed to the garage. Tony had ordered an HVAC unit and had it installed, and the workout room in the garage was about as comfortable as they could make it. They had several weight machines, a treadmill, spin bike, and plenty of free weights and benches, plus a rowing machine. It was no commercial gym, but it would do.

When she finished her workout, she showered off quickly, changed into sweats, and started working on dinner. Bill and Hillary were still outside, probably playing in the dirt, their favorite thing to do; baths tonight for sure. It had been odd that they’d been sleeping when she came in, but they’d been alone all day. They’d probably been pretty bored.

She texted Tony:
Coming home anytime soon?
He responded almost immediately:
Leaving the school site now. Be there in fifteen.
She smiled as she roasted the peppers over the open flame of the rangetop, then laid them aside to cool while she cut up the chicken for the stir-fry.

By the time she had everything cut up, Tony had come through the door, kissed her, and changed and headed to the garage. After putting the rice on to steam, she started making the stir-fry sauce, a special concoction she’d come up with years before, and Tony had decided he loved it. She was getting ready to go to the garage and ask when he’d be done when she heard it: Tony bellowed her name so loudly that it made her jump even in the house. Her heart almost stopped, and she dropped the towel she’d used to dry her hands and bolted out the door.

Tony had dropped to his knees in the yard. Bill was lying in front of him, convulsing wildly. Not ten feet from them, Hillary lay still, a puddle of vomit by her face. “What is it?” she screamed, running toward them. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know! I found them like this when I started to the house! Quick, run and get some towels to wrap them in – I’ll get the truck!” Nikki bounded up the back steps and into the laundry room, grabbing an armload of towels from the dryer and running back outside. Bill had quit convulsing and was lying perfectly still like Hillary. She threw a towel over him and scooped him up, then did the same with Hillary. Both were limp as rags in her arms, and she feared the absolute worst.

Tony had the truck running and she threw both dogs into the front seat beside him, then scrambled in herself. “Everybody’s closed now,” she wailed. “What are we going to do?”

“There’s a twenty-four hour clinic off Westport Road.” Tony was trying to keep the panic at bay. “I’m heading there.” Nikki held on as he gunned the big truck and she heard the engine whine as the turbocharger kicked in. She touched first one dog, then the other, but they were completely still, and she couldn’t tell if they were breathing.
Oh, god, please let them be okay,
she whispered to herself, horrified by what she was thinking.

Tony skidded to a stop in front of the clinic, and he grabbed one dog while Nikki grabbed the other. They ran inside, and the lady at the front desk whisked them into the back, calling to one of the vets as they ran. Within minutes, a team worked on both dogs as Tony and Nikki stood close by, watching and trembling.

They sat in the driveway, neither of them able to get out of the truck. Nikki pressed her forehead to the glass of the window, and tears rolled down her cheeks in torrents.

Finally, Tony spoke. “Baby, we did all we could do.” He reached for her, and she choked out a sob and turned to him, collapsing into his arms. Her chest ached so badly that it hurt to breathe, and she remembered the days right after Randy and the kids were taken from her – this felt exactly the same. Those two little dogs had been the only family members she’d had left, their little bodies wrapped in towels and lying in the bed of the truck now. Tony couldn’t understand how she felt – no one could. It was like the last connection she’d had to her old life was destroyed, and now there’d be no one but her who remembered it, remembered any of them, knew they’d even existed. She was wracked with guilt. She’d been so busy lately that she hadn’t spent much time with them, but she’d tried to give them some attention, even if just a little, every night. How had she let this happen?

“It’s my fault.” She wept loudly and clung to him. “The vet said they probably drank the first batch this morning, but I didn’t notice, I should’ve been more careful. I thought they were just playing. I should’ve . . .”

Tony shook his head. “Hey, you couldn’t possibly know this would happen. Those bastards are cowardly little shits, to hurt a couple of innocent little things like them. Those two never hurt anybody. What kind of monster does that? No way could you have dreamed they’d do that – you’re not wired to think like a monster. It’s definitely not your fault, or mine, so we can’t beat ourselves or each other up over this, sweetie.”

“No, but I should’ve been more careful! I knew they were still outside. I should’ve called them in.” Nikki cried harder. “Now they’re gone. It’s all gone. My life is all gone.”

Tony ran his fingers through her hair tenderly and asked, his voice almost a whisper, “What about your life with me? Doesn’t that count for something?”

Nikki pulled back to look at him. “Of course it does. But you don’t understand. They were it – they were all I had left of my old life, of my old family. Now they’re gone too.”

“But you have a new family, Nik. We love you. I know it hurts to lose them, but you won’t ever forget your old family. They’ll always be in here.” He patted her chest just above her left breast. “They’ll always be alive in there. But we’re all here, and we love you. I hope that’s enough.”

Nikki looked into his face to see a huge tear roll from the corner of his eye, down beside his nose, and eventually drip off his chin. “You know, I loved those little guys,” he said softly, his voice breaking. “I’m going to miss them too. They were the first dogs I ever had. Well, you know what I mean.” He wiped his eyes and blinked hard.

Nikki smiled through her tears and took Tony’s hand. “Thanks, baby. That means the world to me.” She thought for a minute, then asked, “Can we take them to the crematorium tomorrow? I’d really like that.”

“Sure. Whatever you want. We’ll get some urns or something. But Nik,” he told her, looking out the window instead of at her, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of this. I’m sorry you’re being hurt by people who want to hurt me. I’m sorry I ever asked you out, and . . .”

Nikki let loose an anguished cry. “What? Oh, god, no, please don’t say that! You’re sorry we’re together?”

His head whipped around, absolutely horrified. “No-no-no! No, baby! What I meant was, if I’d known somebody would try to hurt you because of me, I might have been slower to get involved, that’s all. No, I don’t regret a single second we’ve been together. But I feel guilty that it’s my fault you’re getting hurt, that’s all.”

“That’s not your fault, Tony Walters. That’s those bastards with GoGreen. If I ever get my hands on them, so help me god, I’ll . . .” She buried her face in his chest, and he wrapped her up in his arms and squeezed her tight.

“Let’s go inside. I’m not really hungry – I’m sure you’re not either – but we really need to try to eat something. And then let’s try to get some sleep, even though we probably won’t be able to. Tomorrow will be another day, and we’ll start again. Okay?”

“Okay. I love you, Tony.”

“Oh, little girl,” he murmured, stroking her hair, “I love you too.”