Chapter Nine #2
had and she respected him for not only his work ethic but the strong relationships he fostered with subs and crew alike.
When the time was right for her to walk away from Lucas Construction, she knew Bryce would be an excellent successor.
“I’m pretty busy right now with the work we’re doing at Stormhaven, the Pine Beach house and the new East Ridge subdivision
development.”
She made a face at the reminder. “Right. You’re maxed out. I can’t ask you to take on more than you’re already doing.”
“You know,” he said slowly, “I could probably find room in my schedule if you reassigned the Stormhaven project. Or you could
take it over yourself.”
She stiffened. Stormhaven. The house had once been her and Gary’s dream house. Imagining what they would do with it had once
brought her so much joy . . . and also so much pain, after he died.
After the accident, she couldn’t summon any enthusiasm for fixing up that big place for only her and Emma to live.
But what was more important to her? Keeping her daughter here in Wood Briar, or confronting her own ghosts? Easy. Emma would
win every single time. She owed her daughter every chance at success.
Rosie had been a mess after Gary died. No doubt about it.
She had loved him since she was seventeen years old, and losing him at thirty-five had seemed the cruelest trick of fate.
In the midst of her deep pain, she had withdrawn into her grief, shutting out family, friends and especially her daughter.
Emma had pulled away as well, relying more on her friends than her mother, and then eventually turning to anything she could
find to block out the pain. And Rosie had been completely oblivious to how badly her child had been hurting, all the self-destructive
ways Emma had found to escape.
Rosie hated that she hadn’t stepped up to be the mother her daughter had needed during that time of grief and sorrow. She
was ashamed of herself for giving in to her self-pity until it was far too late to do anything to help Emma.
She could help her now. Fixing up the bookstore, making it as productive and as profitable as possible, would not only increase
the profit margin, but it could be exactly what Emma needed to stay in Wood Briar and to give Rosie this chance to make things
right.
Freeing up Bryce by taking over the Stormhaven renovation was a small sacrifice on Rosie’s part.
Rosie hadn’t managed a construction project since handing more and more responsibilities over to Bryce and the other project
managers a few years earlier. The challenge of fixing up the old house would be exciting, even if it meant working with Andrew
Morgan, who affected her far more than she wanted to admit.
“I can do that, I suppose,” she said.
Before he could answer, his phone rang. He ignored it for two rings, then looked at the caller ID and grimaced.
“It’s Vista del Mar.”
The nursing home where his mother lived, she knew.
“Answer it,” she said. “That’s your priority.”
“I’ll take it out in the hall.”
“Hello. This is Bryce,” she heard him say as he walked out.
After he left, Rosie turned to her credenza, pulled out a drawer and withdrew the folder she hadn’t looked at in years. She
should have thrown it away a long time ago, especially after she sold Stormhaven, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself
to do it.
This file held all her and Gary’s hopes and dreams for the crumbling old mansion.
Before she could do more than page through the top few papers, Bryce came back into her office, his features pale beneath
his tan.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is your mom okay?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “No. She fell in the bathroom, apparently. They’re not quite sure how it happened since she
was alone in there, but she somehow broke her hip. She’s in the hospital and is going to need surgery.”
She rose instantly and went to him, giving him a quick hug. “Oh, Bryce. I’m so sorry.”
As if he needed one more stress concerning his mother. For a man so young, he had a great deal on his shoulders.
“Thanks.”
“You need to go be with her. Don’t worry about anything here.”
“What about the planning meeting?”
“You and I can catch up on your projects later. Your mom comes first. Always.”
He released a heavy breath, his expression dark with worry. “Thanks, Rosie. I really appreciate this.”
“Take as much time as you need. And please keep me posted about your mother’s condition.”
“I will.”
If she had a son, she would want him to be exactly like Bryce. Dependable, hardworking, incredibly loyal.
She only wished she could take away more of the burden from his shoulders.
“Oh man. I forgot I have an appointment this afternoon at Stormhaven with Andrew Morgan to go over the final phase of the
work we’re doing on the house. I’m not sure I’ll be back in time. I’ll reschedule on my way up to the hospital.”
Rosie shook her head. “I’ll handle your meeting. If I’m going to take over as project manager, I might as well start now.”
“I’m sorry about this.”
“Stop it. You don’t need to apologize for one moment. Family comes first. You know that has always been the philosophy of
Lucas Construction.”
It was the main reason she had stepped in when it became clear the company would not survive without drastic measures. She
had fifty employees who counted on her. Fifty people who needed good jobs from an employer who paid decently and rewarded
them for their effort.
She knew there were some in the construction industry who held a very different philosophy. They cycled through employees
like they went through finish nails. She and Gary had always felt strongly that part of the reason they wanted to start a
small business was to not only improve their own situation, but hopefully improve the lives of their employees as well as
providing benefits to the local economy.
Her employees had an average tenure of fifteen years. Some, like Pam and a few others, had been there almost since the beginning.
During those tough years after Gary died, when the company had been faltering, she had received a few decent offers to buy her out.
The size of those offers would have left her quite comfortable, especially with Gary’s life insurance policy.
She could have devoted herself wholly to running the bookstore, which she had loved.
She hadn’t been able to do it, especially when she could not get any guarantee from those making the offers that any of them
would keep her employees. How could she reward her workers’ years of hard work by abandoning them?
“Don’t worry about anything here,” she said now to Bryce. “Focus on your mom. We’ll see where things stand next week. We can
even assign out some of your other projects to one of the other managers.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I will keep you posted.”
He hesitated at the doorway. “I mentioned to Em that I would come help her again after work if I get the chance. Will you
let her know I might not make it back?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Rosie. You’re seriously the best.”
He rushed away before Rosie had the chance to tell him she knew better. She was simply a woman with a mountain of regrets
and a desperate need to make things right.