Hard Hat Hottie
(EXCERPT)
Harrison
My eyes ping pong back and forth from the road to the clock on the dash as they have since I left the house.
6:53 a.m.
“Move, damn it,” I plead. It’s almost predictable I’d get trapped behind someone going ten miles under the speed limit when I’m running late.
It’s entirely too early for this guy to be taking a leisurely drive about town. Straining to see if there’s someone in front of them, my fingers tap on the steering wheel, and I squint, taking a second glance. Is anyone even driving that car?
Finally, the older gentleman wearing a straw hat turns in the opposite direction, and I hit the gas. He’d been sitting so low in his navy-blue Buick that it appeared to be driving itself.
My eyes dart from one spot to another until I find an open space. Throwing the car into park, I fling open the door, and make a mad dash for my usual perch atop the scaffolding of the Candy Cane Key Emergency Room.
Reaching the upper rung of the ladder, I try to slow my roll as I head toward my foreman, Gus, already concocting an excuse for why I’m in a rush. Not sure why I bother. He’s used to my tardiness on site. Between getting my mother settled with her nurse and a total lack of drive to deal with the oppressive summer sun, rolling in late has become my norm.
“Calm down, old man. You’re gonna hurt yourself.” He chuckles.
“Who you callin’ old?” I grunt, my lips pursed in annoyance. Gus is easily a decade my senior. While I own Hightower Construction, he’s one of several employees who’ve been with me from the beginning. Yet lately, I have to admit, I’m not sure who’s managing who.
I try to slow my breathing and act nonchalant as my eyes roam the various parking areas down below. The patient and handicapped spaces are closest to where our construction is currently underway, followed by the gated physician assigned spaces, the overflow parking, and finally those reserved for the hard-working staff of the Candy Cane Medical Center. It’s barely 7:00 in the morning, yet the waves of overbearing heat from the dark asphalt below are already dancing above the surface of the employee designated lot in the distance.
My eyes connect with Gus’s, and I jolt at the concerned expression. For fuck’s sake. “Would you stop looking at me like that? I’m fine.”
“Sure you are. You remind me of a contestant in an Ironman, scaling the ladder like that. It’s not even 7:00, and you’re already soaked like you finished the swim portion and are moving on to the next leg of the race.”
I tilt my head, rolling my eyes at my old friend before gazing back over the nurses and ancillary staff making the trek from the new satellite lot erected for hospital employees. Our construction site had overtaken the patient parking, thus the administration moved patients to the old employee lot and provided a shuttle bus for them to use in the interim, to ease the transition. No such luxury was provided for its staff, however. They have to hoof it in the hot summer sun, starting and ending their shift with one more layer of stress. Until our work began, they were able to park much closer. None of us had missed the scorn on some of their faces as they passed us on the way to the entry doors. As if we were to blame.
“I don’t think she’s here.”
My head jerks in Gus’s direction.
“Who?”
“Oh, please.” Gus shakes his head like I’m dense. “You haven’t been on any construction site before 7:00 a.m. in months. Then, one day, you get a flash of pearly whites from the hot tatted brunette in sexy scrubs and suddenly you come racing up here every morning like a squirrel with a nut.”
My brows shoot up to my forehead. “You calling your boss a nut? Maybe you’ve been in the heat too long. I should reassign you to manage the demolition site at Reindeer Falls.”
“The old roach motel? Hell, Harry. The only thing falling in that place is parasites. I’d be covered in bed bugs by the end of the day.” He gives a dramatic shiver, causing the scaffolding to sway beneath us. “And you’re the squirrel in this scenario.”
As if that’s any better. “Well, if anyone’s a nut here…” I toss back, pointing my chin down to the ground below where I find Gino petting the stray cat who keeps coming back.
And now I know why.
“Gino, stop feeding that thing. We’ll never get rid of him. Although I guess I can give him your job if you drop dead of rabies,” Gus yells.
“He doesn’t have rabies. He’s got a collar on. Just no tag.”
I shake my head, relieved by the subject change from earlier, as I peer back down at the incoming staff below. However, the ridiculous disappointment I feel at having, again, missed seeing my little mermaid, has me distracted.
Nurses are bound to do shift work here. It’s not like at a doctor’s office, where they’re only open Monday through Friday. So, there’s no way to know what her schedule is. Hell, for all I know, she does work for one of the doctors who rent office space here. But I don’t think so. There have been too many mornings before 7:00 where she’d tote that heavy bag over her arm the long distance from the temporary staff parking, practically a mile away. Why hadn’t the administrators provided a shuttle for them?
“Uh, oh.”
My face snaps over to Gus.
“I get nervous when you start rubbing that stubble on your chin with a far off look in your eyes.”
Hell, when did I become so transparent?
“Maybe she’s working the late shift,” he utters.
Good grief.
“Maybe she caught a ride with someone who dropped her off closer to the front door.”
Hmmm. That’s a possibility. That would suck. I need to?—
“Maybe she’s on vacation.”
Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll drop it.
“Or, maybe, unlike you, one of the smart, hot, rich docs put a move on her, and she’s rolling out of his bed as we speak.”
I tamp down a growl, but not before my irritable expression gives me away.
“Ha! I knew it. Your face is as hot as the tar down there. There’s steam rolling out of your ears.” Gus slaps his leg, and I have to fight the inclination to shove him. Just my luck, I’d push him off the scaffolding. “Jesus, Harry. Just ask her out.”
“You’re talking nonsense, ya meddlin’ old fool.”
But he’s hit the mark, and he knows it.
I don’t know this girl’s name or even what she does here. For all intents and purposes, she’s a mirage in this concrete and asphalt desert. She probably has a husband and kids. Or is self-centered, her sights set higher than the likes of me. Hell, I’ve got the scars of Stephanie’s footprints on my back as she walked all over me to prove that’s a very real possibility.
I need to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground and stay focused on what’s important. My work. My friends. My family. Not another woman that spells trouble. Even if I wouldn’t mind dancing with that colorful temptress for just one night.
* * *
Bzzz. Bzzz.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I reach into my back pocket to retrieve my phone, answering it without bothering to look at the screen. The sun’s rays are so heavy atop this scaffolding, I’d likely not see it clearly for the glare, anyway. “Hello?”
“Harry. How’ve you been?” The comforting sound of my little brother’s voice instantly cuts through the harsh shrill of machinery in the distance. He’s one of the few people who can bring a genuine smile to my overheated face. “Sorry it’s been a few days. I’m in the middle of my long stretch, and we’ve been busier with brush fires than normal. I feel like I spend each of my days off between twenty-four-hour shifts in bed.”
A hearty laugh belts from my chest at his statement. Matthew works with the fire department in Sycamore Mountain. He loves living amongst the lush hills and valleys of North Carolina. And while his permanent rotation includes a week of on again off again, twenty-four-hour shifts, he also has a live-in girlfriend for the first time in his life. And not just any girl, but one he’s crazy about.
I was lucky enough to witness the two of them together when he fell hard and fast for Ellie last July. He’d dropped everything to come and help me when I asked, even working under the scorching summer sun with our guys on a remodel while he was here. But nothing got him as hot and bothered as Ellie. It did this old curmudgeon’s heart good to see my little brother on cloud nine. “Cut the shit, Matt. Something tells me your girl has as much to do with your permanent lack of sleep as your fire shifts.”
A low chuckle rumbles through the line, confirming my suspicions. “Okay, okay. But I really did mean to call.” The joy of living his best life is emanating from Matt’s every breath.
My brother and I have faced our fair share of demons. The biggest of which was having a deadbeat dad who walked away from us when he divorced our mother.
Matthew and I were adopted by our parents, which was no easy feat by my mother’s retelling. The paperwork, time, patience, and financial obligations were daunting. Yet, despite this, Henry Hightower walked away without a second glance.
I admit it. I’ve struggled with all of it. Why did my birth parents give me up? Why wasn’t I good enough for my father to stay? To some degree, Matt grappled with similar questions. Yet he managed to see through the fog of his internal self-loathing enough to find his one true love. I’ve accepted my past for what it is. However, hearing one of the two most important people in my life reverberate happiness over this cell phone is the salve I need on this blistering hot day.
“I’d ask how it’s going there. But I’m painfully aware. I don’t know how you do it, Harry. Putting out fires in my heavy turnout gear in the summer heat of Sycamore Mountain is still more tolerable than working shirtless on the top story of a remodel in Candy Cane Key.”
Wiping the sweat from my hands, for fear the phone will slide out and tumble to an untimely death several floors below. I laugh. “I think you’re right. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, starting a construction business down here. And last summer felt like a cold front had moved in compared to this year.”
“Well, thank heavens you’ve got things under control with Joyce now. I barely managed last year.” In true baby brother form, Matt had been the butt of many jokes from the guys on the crew when he’d temporarily joined our team. He took it all in stride, but let’s just say working with the fire department in a sleepy mountain town is probably a better fit for him.
Joyce Mason is nothing short of a miracle. A composed and capable nurse who came into my life precisely when I needed her, and I’ll be forever grateful.
My selfless mother devoted her life to me and my brother. All of my early childhood memories are happy ones, solely because of her. She worked hard enough for two parents, even before my father left. It really wasn’t until we hit adolescence that we questioned our identity. Why our adopted father and biological parents had chosen not to be a part of our lives, and how it had shaped our place in the world. Yet our mother was a lioness to her cubs, rooting us on like a determined force in the wild. She tried to keep us focused on all the positives in our lives. And the universe thanked her by stealing her mind like a thief in the night.
So now it’s my turn to fight the good fight for her. To give my mother the love and care she deserves. The situation seems sadly too similar to what she provided for Matt and me when no one else wanted us. Through her support, I’ve built a great business. A successful life I likely wouldn’t have had otherwise. I wish there was a way to cure the progressive dementia that’s taken over her mind. Hell, I’d settle for merely slowing it down. She’s only in her sixties. But if there’s one thing this life has taught me, it’s that you don’t always have a choice in the cards you’re dealt. It’s how you respond that matters. And I’m showing up for her. She’s my biggest priority.
When her confusion evolved quicker than I’d expected it might, I had to make some difficult choices. I refuse to place her in a facility unless there’s no other option. However her safety is paramount.
Last summer I reached out to Matt, asking him to come help while I attempted to create a secure environment so Mom could remain in my home. He never hesitated, and shortly thereafter, Joyce came onto the scene. She has a real calming spirit about her. She has a way of communicating with my mother, where Matt and I still struggle. She’s a soothing, tranquil presence in my mother’s life. In all our lives, to be honest. One I hadn’t realized I needed. I’m aware the day may come when I have to re-evaluate our current situation, but for now, I’m simply grateful I can have my mother home with me.
Even if it makes for a lonely existence when Mom is trapped in her own head.
“Hey, boss. We’re gonna knock off for the night,” Vincent bellows from the ladder, the familiar rhythmic clank of work boots against metal as he descends before making his way to his car.
Glancing at my watch, I notice it’s 6:55 p.m. Hell, this day really got away from me. I give another colleague a curt wave before returning to my call. “Hey, Matt. I’m going to wrap things up here and head home.”
“Holy shit, you’re still at work this late?”
“Yeah. The weather’s thrown us off schedule lately. Trying to catch up where we can.” We normally finish up around 4:30, but with the recent afternoon thunderstorms blowing through the southern coast of Florida, we’ve been attempting to make up for lost time. Reaching behind my neck, I pull my soaked T-shirt over my head and wipe my brow. “I’m going to pick up some food on the way home. If you can keep your hands off your girl long enough, give me a call later. Okay?”
He snickers. “Not making any promises, but I’ll try. It’s been too long, bro. We need to come pay you guys a visit.”
“You’re right. You’re overdue.” My heart clenches. I miss this guy more than he knows. His life is full with a job he loves, his brotherhood of firefighters, and Ellie. A stark reminder that I’m basically just going through the motions. But I’m committed to providing for my mother. And I’m tired of putting my trust in fickle bitches who don’t understand my priorities. So, it is what it is . Isolated or not. I rub concentric circles over the location of the recurrent ache that’s returned to my chest. “Talk later?”
“Yeah. Definitely. We’ll grab a beer and a video chat.”
As the call ends, I bend to gather my things and try to push away the emptiness I feel. If things get bad enough, I can always ask Joyce for an extra night with Mom so I can try to hook up with a tourist at The Wild Shrimp. It’s a local hangout, but we get plenty of vacationers there who won’t be looking for more than one night.
At least I hope not.
Yet honestly, one-night stands haven’t done much for me lately. The work of finding a woman with enough physical chemistry to be worth dealing with the before and after can be exhausting. I’m too old to be excited by the chase. And the work of remaining anonymous or simply aloof can get tiresome. The itch has to get pretty bad for me to want to scratch it anymore. It’s almost easier to take care of business on my own. Jesus, what’s happened to me? Who knew thirty-one years of age was old enough to cause my libido to dry up?
Returning my phone to my back pocket, I glance down to find my crew making their way to their cars so they can head home to their loved ones, tools in hand. I reach to massage my stiff neck muscles, stretching my sore back, preparing to face another quiet night alone when my eyes land on the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
It’s her.
The curvy, brown-haired beauty with colorful tattoos trailing down her left arm, reminding me of the silvery scales of a mermaid. I have no idea what it is about this particular creature that steals the very air from my lungs every time I see her. Sure, she’s stunning. But I’ve met a bevy of beautiful women in my life. And growing up in Candy Cane Key, Florida, tanned, tattooed women aren’t unique.
Yet, there’s something different about her. It’s as if I can feel her presence when she’s near. And though we’ve never spoken, it’s as if an entire conversation occurs with one look from her eyes to mine. Are they green? Blue? Gray? I’ve yet to be close enough to tell for sure. And if she has this effect on me from a distance, what the hell would she do to me if I was up close and personal? My dick twitches at the sheer thought of it.
With fantasies of this sexy siren, who needs a disappointing hookup with a random, nameless tourist?
As if she can hear me, this striking woman’s eyes hold mine as she walks closer to the emergency room entrance. And just before she moves out of sight, a dazzling smile curls the corners of her mouth. Suddenly, the hollowness in my chest has dissipated. One look from her is all I need to send my night on a whole new trajectory.
If she only knew the things I’ll be doing to her later.