His pleased smile grew deeper. “Of course. I’m not an office kind of guy. I just thought it was about time I set up for the future.”
“Congratulations,” Boston said. “That’s a smart move.”
“Thanks, man,” A.J. countered.
“Boston owns a fourplex,” Mandy put in.
“You guys are monsters. I don’t own anything,” Marc lamented. He was finished with his water so he shoved the empty bottle at Mandy. Mandy glared at him.
“They’re smart.” Mandy shoved the bottle back.
“Time to start taking care of yourself. The trash is over there.” She jerked her head in the direction of a few scattered boxes, filled with garbage.
Marc grumbled and headed toward the boxes.
“I’m so happy for you, A.J.” Mandy turned to him.
“That’s really great.”
“Thanks to you.”
“Me?”
“You inspired me, baby doll.”
A.J.’s green eyes held hers for a long time. An old pleasure echoed through Mandy she couldn’t deny or ignore. She took a deep breath and finished the last of her water, her gaze moving to A.J.’s new house.
By the afternoon, the entire house began to darken with the walls filled in. Now, the only light streamed in from the vacancy above where the trusses would go tomorrow, and through the framed windows.
The job was nearly over and emptyness wedged inside of Mandy. She tried to focus on the pleasant fact that they’d created A.J.’s house. That her first job had been a success—she’d carried her share of the load. And she’d met Boston.
Mandy marveled that they worked like a well-oiled machine the last few days of the job, the trusses fitting in place just right. She enjoyed Larry’s music, and let Marc’s chiding slide by without comment. Boston and A.J. talked about the business of being a landlord like they’d known each other for years, not weeks. It was fun to hear A.J.
plan how he was going to finish the inside of the house.
Boston offered his suggestions and so did Mandy. By the time the last piece of plywood was nailed in place on the roof, the sadness of leaving the site, of the team dismantling and going their separate ways had dwindled to a dull ache and Mandy was ready to move on to the next project.
Parting was bittersweet. With Marc scheduling their dad’s framing crews, odds were that she’d work with some of them again, but she wasn’t sure when. She’d miss Larry’s raunchy antics. What would the work day be without A.J.’s gentlemanly gestures? At least she’d see Boston.
As dusk fell over the site and they piled into the truck for the last drive to the home office, Mandy sat in the cab, looking at the house Memories flashed. She wished she could drag out the job a little longer, but good framers got in and out on schedule so that the overall timetable for the project wasn’t compromised for those standing in line next.
Boston climbed in next to her and smiled. His musky scent filled the cab and her head, causing her heart to take a spin. “Hey.” He surprised her with a kiss. His lips were warm and a little salty.
“Hey.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. The truck swayed as the others climbed in the back, the guys’ laughter mixing with the memories of the past few weeks running through her head.
“Let’s get something to eat. Want to?” Boston asked.
Mandy nodded. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the pictures of the job flashing in her head. She felt Marc get in, close the door, and start the engine. Who’d have thought, she mused, thinking about the first day she laid eyes on Boston, that he would be sitting next to her, that he’d kiss her and they’d be together?
Next Job
“When can I get back to work?” Mandy asked Marc. Six weeks had gone by since they’d wrapped her first framing job, and she was itching to get her hands on some wood. She missed the sweat, the scents and the hard work.
The weeks had been fun in the interim. Boston had been assigned to another crew and he’d asked her to meet him each day so they could take off for lunch together. She’d spent her days either at the bookstore or hanging with Cam when he wasn’t working day shifts.
She’d also enrolled for fall classes at the local college to start her GE classes that would eventually lead to her contractor’s license.
“You can start tomorrow,” Marc said. It was early evening; he’d just gotten home from a meeting with their dad. He was his usual cranky self as he poured himself a snack of cereal.
“Dad must love the sales,” she said, getting the milk out of the refrigerator and handing it to him.
“Yeah. Only four more houses to go and the development will close. But the pressure, man, I had to hire five new framers this week.”
“So you’ll be overseeing everything to make sure the quality is—”
“You don’t have to tell me how to do my job, Mand.” He poured some milk.
“I know. You do a great job, you really do,” she said, pulling out a barstool next to him. They both sat.
He was trying really hard not to smile and let the pleasure show on his face, Mandy could tell. She grinned, reached over and plucked a nugget of cereal from his bowl.
“You going out with Lar tonight?” she asked. He shrugged, spooned and chewed. “What? You two not making the rounds anymore?”
“He’s making them. You know Larry.” He paused.
“I’m out of that scene, at least for a while anyway.”
“I’m proud of you. You want to come to the bookstore with me and Boston tonight?”
He let out a good-natured sneer. “Don’t push it.”
“I thought you said you could appreciate a babe anywhere. There are babes at the bookstore, you know.
You might do well with an intellectual type.”
“Like I care if she’s interested in my brain.”
Mandy plucked another piece of cereal from his bowl. “You care or you’d be hanging with Lar tonight.”
“What I care about is eating this bowl of cereal right now. Don’t you have something to do, like read a book or something?” He lifted the nearly empty bowl and drank down the milk.
“You can camouflage all you want Marcus, but I know you. You’re tired of disposable. You’re ready for a keeper.”
“Who asked you?”
“Sister’s intuition.” Mandy tapped her temple. “Try the bookstore. You never know,” she said, standing, stretching. She looked at her watch: one more hour until she saw Boston again. “So, tomorrow, work. Yes! I’ve been dying to get back.”
“Well, then, your dreams are about to come true.”
Because Marc was now overseeing all of the houses under construction, Mandy didn’t drive with him to the development. She liked having her own car, anyway.
That way, she could meet up with Boston at lunch.
The morning was warmer than usual, even for late August. The air felt as if temperatures were going to skyrocket. She opened the sunroof and let the hot beams bathe her. From her CD player, something jumpy blasted, and her nerves ticked thinking about the new job.
She’d worked with the best crew already, she doubted this group of guys could top the fun camaraderie she’d felt with A.J., Larry, Marc, and Boston.
That was a given. But it really didn’t matter. She was excited about the work, about building, watching yet another home rise from the dust.
With a smile on her lips, she pulled up to the site. The area buzzed like a beehive, and her stomach fluttered in anticipation. A large truck with a load of wood was parked in front of the cement foundation. Men she didn’t recognize were unloading the lumber and carrying it to piles outside the groundwork. She couldn’t wait to inhale the natural scent.
One Haynes truck was parked on the street as well as a handful of other trucks. Not knowing any of the new crew didn’t bother her. She was there to learn, and the variety in foremen and their techniques was nearly as vast as the variety in home designs and floor plans.
She got
out, went around to her trunk, and fetched her tool belt. She’d worn khaki shorts and a white tee shirt today figuring she’d spring her tanning attire on the crew once she knew them better.
After she secured her belt, she jogged onto the site. One of the workers, an older man with gray hair and black glasses, smiled at her. She waved. There was no need to feel butterflies. These guys all knew who she was, but the butterflies were there, stuck in her stomach anyway. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to jump any hurdles like she had on her first job.
Two young guys in jeans and ratty tee shirts passed her as they hauled a load of two-by-fours closer to the cement floor. Both spared her a quick glance. One nodded his head in greeting at her.
Mandy nodded back with a smile.
Another guy, his bald head gleaming in the morning sun, frowned at her as he dropped a box of supplies on the ground near the foundation. Mandy just smiled at him.
The gray-haired man was shouting instructions to the lumber truck driver, now backing out the truck. When the last lumber was moved and the truck went on its way, he crossed to her.
“You must be Mandy.” He stuck out his hand and they shook. “I’m Ben.”
“Nice to meet you, Ben.” Mandy eyed the growing lumber pile and took a deep breath.
“You like this, don’t you?” Ben asked with a fatherly grin. “Never have worked with a woman framer before, this’ll be a first. I was told you were a pro, and that we’re lucky to have you on our team.”
Mandy’s eyes widened. “You were?”
“Yup.”
But her dad would never brag like that, knowing how she prided herself on not using nepotism. And Marc giving her any kind of public compliment was out of the question. “Well, I can’t imagine who told you that, but I’ll try to live up to it,” she said.
“And I was told not to give you any special allowances, that you could carry your weight and then some.”
“Sure, yes. I can.”
“All the same,” Ben leaned close. The smell of his sweat tickled Mandy’s nose. “If the guys give you any trouble, you come to me. Understand?”
What a difference between Ben and Marc, Mandy mused, smiling. “Sure. Thanks, Ben. But I’m sure I can handle the guys.” The pressure was on, but she relished proving herself. She set her hands on her tool belt, ready to work.
“Where do you want me?” she asked.
“How about right over here?” The friendly, low tone rolled through her body and awakened her senses. She whirled around.
A.J. stood behind her. His green eyes twinkled over a grin. “Hey, baby doll.”
Mandy’s heart started to thump. She smiled. “Hey.
Good to see you, A.J.”
A.J. had on shorts and a blue tee shirt. A red bandana was wrapped around his head. He reached out and tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “You too. How’s it going?”
“Great.” Mandy’s thumping heart started to slow.
“How’s the house? Homeownership agreeing with you?”
They started in the direction of the cement foundation. “It’s agreeing with me just fine. So, you’re working on this crew.”
She nodded, then gestured with a tilt of her head to the other workers. “Think they’ll give me a fight?”
“Nah.” A.J. dug out his nail gun. “Come on, baby doll. Show ‘em what you can do.”
About the
author
Jennifer Laurens writes novels for young adults from the office of her Pleasant Grove, Utah home. She has six children, one of whom has autism.
Other Titles:
Falling for Romeo
Magic Hands
An Open Vein
A Season of Eden
Heavenly (Book 1)
Penitence (Book 2)
Absolution (Book 3)
Overprotected
www.jenniferlaurens.com
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