Frenemies to Lovers

Chapter Seven

THENEXTDAYat work Andre had a skip in his step. The complaining subcontractors, the upcoming safety investigation and the delay in the track lighting for the building did nothing to diminish his mood. The night before with Tamara had been fucking fantastic. Not just the sex, but her openness and the way she’d taken charge. Everything she’d done was a turn-on, and he couldn’t get enough of her.

Conversations still needed to happen. They’d spent their time together making love and sleeping. She’d made him coffee at four in the morning when he’d finally said he needed to get home to shower before work. He’d kissed her goodbye and tried to pretend he hadn’t noticed the multiple questions in her eyes. What were they doing? Where was this going? How did they move forward now? What they’d done didn’t necessarily mean they were automatically in a relationship, but dammit, he didn’t want a one-night stand. For the first time in his life, the idea of long-term or commitment didn’t make him itch and want to back away. Tamara seemed like a commitment type of person, so he felt pretty confident that she was feeling the same way. He hoped so at least.

The door to the construction trailer where Andre was taking a much-needed coffee break opened. The lanky frame of Alvin Edwards, his foreman, filled in the door. The frown on Al’s face foretelling bad news.

“Hey, Andre, we’ve got a problem.”

Andre suppressed a sigh and sipped his coffee. He stopped scrolling through emails on his phone and put his cell into his back pocket. “What now?”

“We got the wrong Sheetrock. The architect called for a five-hour rating and the supply company says it’s out of stock. Instead, they’re sending over half inch.”

Andre’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh, that. I spoke with the supply company a week ago, and they told me they didn’t have what was on the plans. They won’t have what we need in time to fit our schedule, so I made the decision to go with the half inch. It’ll give us the same fire rating if we use two sheets of that.”

“Did you run that by the city to make sure they’ll accept it?”

Andre shrugged. “I didn’t see the need to do that. We’re getting the same thing.”

Al scratched the back of his head. “I know that, but you know how some inspectors get. They’ll try to call us out for going against the plans.”

Andre waved off Al’s concern. “You don’t worry about the inspector. I’ll handle that.” If the inspector gave them trouble, then he’d get his architect to approve the change. He’d been in construction long enough to know that he wasn’t risking safety with the change. Some inspectors understood that and went with him if he made field changes. Others could be jerks about it and insist on an architect’s signature.

Al nodded and shrugged. “You’re the boss. I know it’ll work. The inspector should, too. Hey, me and some of the guys are going for beers after we wrap up the site tonight. Want to join?”

Andre had joined his crew for beers a few times when they were on a job. The automatic yes was on the tip of his tongue. Then he thought of Tamara. What was she doing tonight? Would he get the chance to spend time with her again?

“You know, let me get back to you. It’s something I want to do, but if my plans change, I’ll show up.”

“Works for me. I’ll get back out here.”

Andre stood from behind the desk. “I’ll go with you. I need to see how things are going with the electrician.”

He followed Al out of the construction trailer and into the bright late-morning sunshine. He was proud of the project. Even more proud to be a part of something that would make Peachtree Cove a better place to live. People hadn’t thought he’d amount to much back when he’d been a kid here. Now he was doing something that would leave a permanent mark on the town. Something people could be proud of.

Miriam had even brought up the idea of him serving on the town’s planning commission or joining the local chamber of commerce. He’d pushed the thought aside, not sure the good folks of Peachtree Cove would want to have a former hellion on one of their boards or commissions, but maybe he’d disagreed too soon. Just like he’d brushed aside his mom’s suggestion that he find someone to settle down with too soon. Maybe, just maybe, he could make a life in the one place he never thought he’d ever want to belong.

TAMARAFINISHEDHERmeeting with Robert on the progress of another commercial building proposal before grabbing her tablet and hurrying to a meeting with Miriam, the town manager and the public relations director on an upcoming public meeting about changes to the county’s comprehensive plan. A project she was personally responsible for as the planning director. The retrofit of the old mall was one of the major components of the plan’s goals to bring life back to the once-thriving part of town.

She had to admit she’d considered the project a long shot when Miriam first became mayor and set her sights on bringing the old mall back to life. But after she’d turned around the downtown area, there wasn’t much Miriam couldn’t do when it came to making Peachtree Cove prosper again.

The meeting went as expected. They quickly outlined what handouts and exhibits they’d need for the public meeting, which council members to invite and how to handle recording the meeting to post online for those who couldn’t attend. Once they were done, the four chatted about other projects happening around town.

“Tamara, how are things going with the mall project?” Miriam asked. “Have they started construction yet?”

“They were starting on the interior renovations this week. Demo of some walls that weren’t needed.”

Steve, the town’s manager, sat up. “Andre Kemp is the contractor, right?”

She nodded. “He is. Do you know him?” Steve had been town manager for the past two years. A transplant from a town outside Atlanta who’d been excited about the opportunity to work with Miriam and revamp Peachtree Cove.

Steve shook his head. “I haven’t, but the street committee is keeping me in the loop. They say he was a troublemaker.”

Tamara barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. The “street committee” was the nickname the people who worked for the town had given to the local gossips. The Peachtree Cove gossip mill was always in the know and typically could give you news on something faster than you could blink. Mostly they didn’t base decisions based on rumors spread by the “street committee,” but they always stayed up-to-date on what the citizens were saying just in case it could affect a project.

Miriam held up a hand. “I knew Andre in high school. Did he get in some trouble, yes, but none that he initiated. Not only that, but I know Kevin from college. He wouldn’t have hired Andre as his contractor if he was a hothead who couldn’t do the job.”

“I believe most of us wish we could go back and change some of the decisions we made in high school,” Tamara added.

Miriam nodded. “I won’t hold any of that against him. Especially when he’s working on this project. I don’t want any hiccups on this. Understand?”

Steve cleared his throat. “Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, I don’t think we should be too hasty with showing our enthusiasm for this project outside of this room.”

Miriam frowned. “What do you mean? The entire town knows I’m enthusiastic about this project.”

“I mean I’ve already heard grumblings from some of the local architects and builders that they believe we’ll give Andre expedited service,” Steve said. “Even though we want the mall refurbished, we can’t give the impression that we’re giving preferential treatment. We have to show them we’re being fair in all of our decisions. As town manager, I have to make sure all of the town’s departments are running efficiently and with integrity.”

Tamara sat up straighter. “Excuse me, but there has been no preferential treatment. Andre reached out to find out exactly what he needed to submit for his permits and got everything to us on time. If anything, that’s why their permits went through easily. That’s the same service we offer everyone else. If they chose to follow the instructions we give.”

Steve nodded. “Good. I’ll be sure to pass that word along. It’s settled then.”

Steve followed Tamara back to her office after the meeting. “I know the mayor wants this project to finish ASAP, but the home builders are chewing my ass off about not being treated the same as this project. They’re going to start complaining to the other council members.”

“I promise you, Steve, my group is treating everyone the same. And I can guess which home builder is giving you the biggest headache. We shut down Rudy Gumbee’s project last week for a ton of deficiencies.”

Rudy Gumbee was also a friend of the council member who wasn’t a fan of Tamara. She’d already had to deal with the blowback of shutting down Rudy’s project. The man was too clueless to realize that if he actually followed the regulations, his projects would go quicker.

Steve rubbed his temple as if the mention of Rudy’s name brought on a headache. “You’ve got it. He’s been around longer, and his pockets run deep. If he gets at least three council members to believe we’re giving the mall retrofit preferential treatment, then they’ll start giving the mayor hell and we all know which way shit runs.”

Tamara sighed. Three votes against Steve could result in him losing his job. Leading to instability in the town’s government and the possibility of bringing in a new manager who might ultimately try to get rid of Tamara. Balancing the needs of the town and the shifting sands of the local politicians was the one part of the job she hated the most.

“Downhill,” Tamara said. “I’ll reiterate to my team to watch the mall project with just as much thoroughness as they would any other project. I’ll also remind them to keep immaculate records. If it does get hot, then I’ll have the paperwork to back up what we say.”

Steve nodded. “Good. I knew you had things under control, Tamara. Let me know if anything happens that has the potential to blow up.” His phone vibrated and he pulled it out.

Like sleeping with the contractor. That was something she should disclose immediately. With threats of favoritism, if word got out about what had happened with her and Andre, then Rudy’s claims would be considered valid no matter how much of a shoddy operation he ran.

She opened her mouth. “There is something.”

Steve frowned. “What? Please don’t throw another fire to put out on my day. I’ve got two more emails with problems in animal control and public works.”

It was a one-night stand,a voice whispered in her head. No promises had been made. No plans to repeat. In fact, they’d staunchly avoided talking about anything the night before. She hadn’t pressed because she knew what to expect from a guy like Andre. He wasn’t a stick around, let’s start a family and have a life together kind of guy. Andre hadn’t brought up their future because...well, he probably just wanted to keep things casual.

She waved a hand. “Never mind. I’ve got it.”

“You sure? I’m here to help.” Steve always made the offer, and he was a great boss, but the lines around his eyes deepened with whatever emails he’d scanned.

“I know you are, but my job is to put out small fires before they become big ones. This one is barely smoking. Handle animal control and public works, and I’ll call you at the end of the day if I need backup.”

Relief flooded Steve’s face. “Thanks. Now, let me head over to animal control first.”

She watched Steve stride off and let out a heavy sigh. Her body still held the sweet soreness from a night of fantastic sex. But that was all last night had been. He’d been angry, she’d felt guilty, her apology kiss fired out of control and that’s all it was. A one-night stand. She wouldn’t disclose anything or put her integrity on the table for debate. As much as the idea of keeping things casual with Andre caused an ache around her heart, she had to accept that what had happened the night before couldn’t happen again. Her job might depend on it.