by A. J. Wynter
Charlotte sighed and pulled up in front of a construction site on the main street. "No. The funniest thing happened, I decided that I just didn't care anymore. That, and nobody in this town knows who I am. Charlotte O’Hare is just another rich ski bunny with the biggest house on the hill."
"How is it possible that nobody recognizes you?"
“I guess I'm a far cry from the girl in the dirty ripped coat. That and I only come here a couple times a year, and then I usually just heli-ski with clients, so I really don't run into anybody in town."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say it sounds like you’re avoiding it."
"You're right. That was another life, one that I'd rather forget all about."
"Well, I'm proud of you Charlotte. I always knew that you were incredible, but to see where you came from makes your accomplishments that more monumental."
Charlotte smiled and pulled the folio of plans from the back seat and slapped them on Megan’s lap. "Are you ready for your first day on the job?"
"Wait, what?" Megan gripped the handle of the folio.
Charlotte pointed to the construction site. "This is the future home of Chance Rapid’s first coffee shop."
"Aren't you coming in with me?" Megan's eyes were wide as she took in the fenced-in, semi-completed building.
"That's the thing, Meg. I don't want anyone to recognize me."
"So, what? You want me to pretend that I'm you?"
"Zeesh. I'm not a lunatic. That sounds crazy."
Megan breathed a sigh of relief, "It does."
"No, you're going to be you, Megan, and I don't need you to lie, but if people happen to think that you're the boss, that you own the business, I don't want you to correct them. Okay?"
"That's almost just as crazy!"
"How? You've got the plans, you've got the car, and you've got the fancy house. The contractors will listen to you. I'll be behind the scenes, guiding you, you will just be the face of Sugar Peaks Café."
"You've lost your mind. I can't do that."
"Yes. You can. Now go check on the progress with the contractors. The roof was supposed to be finished last week."
Megan's eyes ran to the red steel peak of the building, "Looks finished to me."
"Come on Meg. You've gotta go in." Charlotte pleaded.
Megan's stomach churned, and she wished that she had consumed more than just a slice of toast and a glass of wine. She put her hand on the door handle and pushed it open, but then paused, the cold air rushing into the car, "Wait." She shut the door again. "We haven't exactly talked compensation."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed, but then her face broke out into a huge grin. "I knew it!" she slapped Megan on the shoulder. "There's a shark in there after all."
"So..." Megan prodded. As nervous as she was, she was excited about the coffee shop, and now that she saw it in person, the vision had become a reality. Yes, she needed money, but she also needed a distraction, and this project could get her mind off Alex and her train wreck of a life.
"Ten percent," Charlotte was quick to reply, "and you don't have to put up any capital, that's a good deal, Megan. Risk-free. Investors kill for this kind of opportunity."
"Charlotte, this is going to be a lot of work. I think that's a little low."
Charlotte grinned again and eased back into her seat. "Well, then, my business partner, what do you propose?"
"Fifty," Megan blurted out.
Charlotte's smile faltered. "Fifty. That's a little aggressive for someone who doesn't have any skin in the game. Thirty."
"Thirty-five, and I'd like the option to buy in for the other fifteen once my divorce is settled."
Charlotte stared at her and then smiled, "You've got it."
"Really?" Megan would've been fine with ten percent.
"Megan here's your first cut-throat business lesson - you don't get what you don't ask for."
Timber started to whimper in the back seat of the car and Megan reached back to offer a reassuring pat on the head. "Do we have a deal?"
"Deal." Megan held out her hand. Charlotte slid off her deerskin glove and shook Megan's hand enthusiastically.
Timber’s whimpers grew louder, and Megan noticed Charlotte's eyes divert over her shoulder and grow wide. "You lucky girl," she whispered, a wry smile on her face.
Megan turned in her seat to follow Charlotte's gaze.
His back was to her, and he had a stack of lumber on his shoulder, his tool belt slung around his waist, but the red hat was a dead giveaway, that, and Timber whimpering in the back, excited to see his owner.
Chapter 12
"Wait. I don't know what I'm doing."
"I'll help you. For today, just go in there and check with the head contractor to ensure that the plumbing and heating guys will be there this week."
"That's it?" Megan's hand was on the door handle, but she had yet to pull it open.
"That's it. They just need to see a face on site. My assistant has been doing everything remotely, and it's taking forever to get anything done."
Timber started to claw at the window. "Go, Meg. You can do this."
I can do this, Megan thought as she nodded her head and hopped out into the cold air.
"Take the dog with you," Charlotte shouted and tossed the braided rope leash out the door.
Megan clipped the carabiner onto his collar and the two of them walked through the gate onto the job site.
Megan pulled the makeshift plywood door open and stepped into a swirling sea of sawdust and activity. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw a man wearing canvas pants and plaid insulated jacket step out of the back. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"How did you know I was here?" the voice came from behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned and even through the clear safety glasses, she felt his crystal blue eyes piercing through her body. She looked Josh up and down, and then glanced back at the other workers and wondered if there was an onsite uniform. The only difference between the three was the color of the plaid checks on their jackets. The mystery men in the back were in green and blue, and Josh was in red, the same color as his hat.
"I-I-I didn't know you were here actually," she stammered, gripping onto the leather folio and Timber's leash.
"Oh, I thought that this guy might have been giving you a hard time and you tracked me down to return him." Josh smiled and scratched Timber's head.
"No. No, he's been a doll," she gushed.
"A doll, huh." Josh smiled.
Zeesh, doll, you're in your forties, not your eighties, she chided herself, but then remembered why she was standing in the freezing cold job site. She wasn't there to flirt with the good-looking carpenters, she was there to run the show.
"Josh, who is the lead contractor here?"
"You're looking at him," he pointed to his white hard hat.
"Oh, ok." her voice wavered. "This is my project, and I'd like to know if we are on schedule for the plumbers and electricians."
"You? I've been dealing with Andrew from the developer's office. He didn't tell me someone else was going to be taking over.
Shit. Shit. Shit. He thinks that I'm batshit crazy.
"Feel free to call Andrew if you must. He's my assistant," she felt the lie slip from her tongue easier than it should have. She strode over to the workbench in the middle of the room and brushed the pile of sawdust off with her glove and then set down the folder. "So, where are we with the electrician?"
"Freddie, he's scheduled to come in on Thursday."
"And the plumber?"
"He's going to come in when the heating contractor is finished. No sense in installing all the pipes if they're just going to freeze."
"Good," Megan said. "That makes sense." Of course, that made sense. "And when is that going to happen?"
"He should be here today, but I heard that his son broke his arm at hockey practice."
Megan was confused. "So, can't someone else fill in?"
Josh laughed. "Lady,
you're not from a small town, are you?"
"You know that I'm not," Megan said defensively.
"And you've never done a project in one either, have you?"
"Do you talk to all of your project managers like this, or just the women?"
"Easy now." Josh held his hands up in front of him, stick up style. "That came out wrong. I didn't mean to sound condescending, it's just that things happen at a different pace around here in Chance Rapids. We call it 'Chance Time'."
"How do you ever get anything accomplished?"
"Things always seem to get done. Now, Brian, the heating guy, is a one-man show. His wife works at the courthouse, and he had to take his son to get a cast. He's a good guy. He will be here tomorrow. If that sets us a day back, it sets us a day back."
Megan had a lot to learn. Not only did she have to pretend that she knew how a construction site operated, but she also had a whole small-town culture to learn as well.
"Okay, well I will be back tomorrow to check on the progress." She banged her gloves together to try to get the sawdust off them and extended her hand for Josh to shake.
"You're going to be here every day?"
"Every day," she replied.
Josh grinned, "So, no more doggy daycare?"
Megan exhaled, she wondered if Josh knew that she was totally clueless. "I've scheduled in time for my new furry assistant," she smiled, thankful for the subject change.
"Are you leaving him here, or can I pick him up at our usual time?"
Timber looked between the two of them as if he knew that they were talking about him.
"Our usual time." She smiled and turned. "Let's go, Timber."
"See you soon, Boss," Josh yelled as she stepped onto the porch.
Megan smiled but didn't correct him.
Chapter 13
Josh watched Megan leave the construction site and hop into her fancy SUV with a pretty brunette. The morning Timber drop-offs had consisted of small-talk and what he thought were nervous giggles. He found that his heart was starting to pump a little harder each day as he walked toward the thick carved door of her mountain home. He loved the way she absentmindedly twirled her ponytail with her fingers as they chatted in the doorway. Timber had even gotten in on the excitement and started to whine when they crossed over the covered bridge and onto Sugar Peaks Way, excited to see his new friend.
He liked the way that she looked him in the eye when she talked to him, not a common experience with a lot of the other rich Chance Rapids residents. Her eyes had an inherent sadness to them, and even though she looked tired, he could imagine the way her eyes would sparkle when she laughed. The crinkles beside her eyes were evidence that she had smiled and laughed a lot in her life, and he found himself wanting to bring them to life.
He had heard rumors that the owner of the big house in Sugar Peaks was in real estate, but Megan didn’t strike him as a savage businesswoman. She seemed like she was going through something and he noticed that the wine bottle collection on the counter had grown exponentially throughout the week.
She had offered to drop Timber off after their walks, but Josh wasn’t ready for anyone to see his house, especially a fancy woman like Megan. His little house was just off the main street, and even though he had lived there for years, it sat in a permanent mid-reno state. He was a talented carpenter, but by the time he got home from work, the last thing he felt like doing was working on his own house.
When she walked onto the job site, he had assumed Timber had destroyed some of her expensive furniture and that she’d had enough of him, so when she announced that she was the one behind the new coffee shop in town he was floored.
He didn’t have a problem working for a woman, but he knew that some of the older crew members would take issue with it – especially since she didn’t seem to know what she was doing.
If Megan were a normal person, someone who lived in Chance Rapids year-round, someone who knew what it was like to be strapped for cash, someone who knew what it was like to try to make ends meet in a small town, he would be interested in getting to know her better. Megan was the first woman that had caught his eye and made his pulse skip in five years – the first woman he could imagine drawing into his arms and holding since the accident.
“Who was that?” Freddie, his electrician asked after Megan left.
“That was the owner,” Josh said, shaking his head.
“She’s hot,” Freddie grinned and pulled some wire through the studs. “Is she single?”
Josh felt his face grow red. He swore that he would never get involved with one of the ‘across the bridge’ residents, so he had no right to feel like he had any claim over Megan, but Freddie was one of the town’s biggest womanizers, and the idea of that sweet woman falling into Freddie’s bed made his blood boil.
“She’s outta your league.” Josh turned and flicked on one of the industrial heaters.
“No such thing,” Freddie grinned. “Those rich ones loooove-slumming-it with us blue-collar guys. It wouldn’t take much to slide those yoga pants over that sweet ass of hers. And, I love me a cougar. They know what they want, and you don’t have to show them what to do.”
Josh felt the sudden urge to punch Freddie in the face. He took a deep breath, “Fred. Easy now. No sleeping with the boss.”
“Since when?” Freddie slapped Josh on his back.
“Since now,” Josh growled.
“Ha. Chill out, Josh.” Freddie screwed in a junction box and then snapped his head up to look at his boss and friend, “Oh, I see.” He grinned.
“You see what?” Josh turned so that Freddie couldn’t see the redness in his cheeks.
“Somebody’s already called dibs on the lady.”
“Enough! Nobody has called dibs. That woman is signing your check. Have a little respect.” Josh pounded a nail into a stud, acutely aware of the protective nature rising in him. “Do you think you’re going to be able to get all of that wire pulled today?”
“Not sure, might have to come back tomorrow,” Freddie affixed a metal junction box with some screws.
“How about we see if we can get this done today, that way Brian will be able to get to start with the duct work.”
Freddie looked up at Josh through his safety glasses. “Did this job just become a little more urgent bud?”
Josh knew what Kyle was getting at. He never asked the guys to work late, they got things done on their own time. “Just keep working Fred.”
Josh ended up staying late to help Freddie install the final electrical boxes.
The sun had set, and the construction lights shone brightly through the skeletal job site. Freddie jogged out to his truck and came back in with a couple bottles of beer and handed one to Josh. “Thanks for helping out.”
Josh took the beer, screwed off the cap and took a swig. “Thanks for staying.”
“Hey Josh, man. I’m sorry for being a little crass earlier. I mean, you know I’m just joking – job site talk.”
“I know Freddie, but that woman, she’s, I don’t know. She’s different.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen you like this since Erica.”
Josh sighed and looked at his friend. Even five years later people tried not to mention his ex’s name in front of him. “Well, it doesn’t matter. You know how they are on the other side of town.”
“What, you mean, rich?”
“I always said I wouldn’t get involved with one of them. They’re from a different world, I mean, you saw her, she has no idea what it’s like to deal with small-town life.”
“Well, from what I saw, maybe you should teach her.”
Josh finished off his beer and handed the empty bottle to Freddie. “How did that work for you?”
“Touché,” Freddie grabbed the bottle. “That was years ago.”
“And you’re not the first guy from town to get wrapped up with one of them. They always leave, they always go back to their fancy city life, back to their cocktails and cosmopolitans
.”
“I think that those are the same thing.”
“Exactly. We have no place in their world, and they don’t have any place in ours. I mean, could you imagine taking a girl like that to one of the town events?” But as the words left Josh’s mouth, he knew that he didn’t believe them. The local ski team was holding a wine tasting fundraiser at the end of the month and he could see how beautiful Megan would look walking into the chalet in her designer dress and expensive shoes. He knew that she might look out of place, but the warmth that she exuded, her huge smile, could melt the hearts of any hardened locals. He could almost feel the softness of her hand in his as they entered the room.
“Yeah, she wouldn’t exactly fit in. Remember last year, Jen wore her snowmobile boots on the dance floor the whole night?”
“I didn’t go last year.”
Josh hadn’t gone to any of the snowflake fundraisers since Erica died. He had become a bit of a recluse. He hadn’t touched his skis or his climbing gear in so long that they were covered in several season’s worth of dust.
“Maybe it’s time for you to get back out there.”
Josh knew that Freddie wasn’t referring to the fundraiser, and even though people had been trying to get him to date for the past couple of years, he still felt like he wasn’t ready, until today.
Chapter 14
“Mmmm. Smells amazing,” Charlotte said and leaned up against the kitchen counter.
“It’s just something I whipped up,” Megan grabbed some hot pepper flakes, sprinkled them into the bubbling concoction on the stove and opened the oven to pull out a tray of roasted garlic.
“I think that you missed your calling.” She dipped a wooden spoon into the sauce pot and blew on the Bolognese sauce. She took a small taste and closed her eyes in appreciation, “Oh my god.”
“A cook?” Megan popped the cloves out of the roasted husks and started to mash them into a paste.
“No. Meg. Martha. You know that your dinner parties were legendary – and it wasn’t because of Alex. They were all you.”
Megan wondered if Alex’s new girlfriend was spending her days prepping and planning for his dinner parties. She had loved entertaining, loved the way that he looked at her with appreciation when the guests raved about the Michelin level spread, she would create.
