Chapter 6
SIX
Anson
“I need to talk to you about the project at Bull Rush.”
Jasper sits down in the chair in front of my desk bright and early on Monday morning.
I haven’t even had time to drink the coffee that’s going lukewarm in my oversized Best Dad in the World mug.
Another reminder of Bristol I don’t need, because while the gift was technically from Ford on Father’s Day years ago, we all know it was Bristol who spent time tracking down a version that had a wrench and hammer crisscrossed under the festive declaration.
“Is it on schedule?” I ask, trying to stay focused on the task at hand rather than drift off to worries about this past weekend’s wedding mishap.
“It is. All the supplies are ordered. I’ve got a couple of guys assigned to help with everything. Mika has the project number you wanted them paid out of, by the way. But she wants to verify whether you want to pull it all from there or if you expect to pull funds from the general account too.”
“I’ll talk to her,” I confirm. “So what’s the issue?”
The project is my wedding present to Hazel and Ramsey, and the funds are being drawn from my private account at the construction company.
One I reserve for pet projects and pro bono work we do for some of the nonprofits in town.
We’re remodeling the old foreman’s place into a haunted house, as well as setting up a maze and a few booths for the vendors who are planning to be at the ranch for the fall fest. Once it opens in a couple of weeks, it’ll run every weekend through Halloween.
“I need to know if you can put a different lead on it. I’ll switch places with whoever you need me to.”
Jasper never pushes back on his project assignments, but given he’s one of my longest-serving employees, I give him a little more latitude than I might someone else on the crew.
“Something going on?” I can guess it has something to do with Bristol, since I passed the two of them kissing in the hall just minutes after she’d been with me, thinking I was him.
But considering things looked like they were back on track and he hadn’t punched me the second he walked into the room, I can’t imagine the problem.
“Well, I haven’t taken any vacation days yet this year, and I was going to take a few days this week.”
I raise a brow. Jasper is a little bit chaotic. Like my brother, Bo, he still lived like his 20s were never going to end. But usually, it didn’t spill over into his work schedule. A hangover here or there on a holiday weekend, but even that he usually planned for.
“Not great timing. But not a problem. I’m sure we can make do without you for a few days.”
“I’d rather not come back to the project either.” He shifts in his seat, and whatever this is has him obviously uncomfortable.
“Why not?” I ask, reaching for fucking straws as I try to make sense of why he wouldn’t want this project.
“Personal reasons. I’ll shift with whoever wants it. I’ll take one of the projects no one else wants. That new apartment development or the reno with Mrs. Van der Kamp.”
My brows knit together. Now I know something’s fucked.
No one volunteers to work with Mrs. Van der Kamp.
She hovers. Cajoles. Complains. Micromanages until you’re ready to pull your hair out.
But she owns half the businesses downtown, and she pays well for the trouble of dealing with her, as she puts it, high standards.
Regardless, there’s no fucking way he’s volunteering for that.
“You cross one of the Stocktons?” I joke. He’s not as close with them as I am, but they’ve all been pretty friendly since we were kids.
He cracks a smile, but it’s not long before it falls to a frown again.
“Nah. That’d be a little less painful. Ramsey’d just punch me and get it over with.”
“All right. I know it’s not my business, but I gotta understand why.”
He cracks his knuckles on his right hand with his left and rolls his neck, buying time like he still doesn’t want to answer. I’ve never seen him this riled over something work related, and the suspense is killing me
“Bristol’s running point on it on their end. She’s making sure things get done to Hazel’s specifications and doing the interior decorations for the haunted house.”
“Right.” I remember that much. Might have thought about it a time or two between the wedding night and now.
How she and Jasper would be in tight quarters for the foreseeable future, which meant I was probably going to have to quickly adapt to the idea of the two of them being a couple.
At least if he had any sense. I could manage it.
I’d watched her with Chris all those years.
But then that was before the other night.
Hazel tapped Bristol to do the interior decoration on the haunted house, and Bristol was letting Hazel borrow some antiques from her business in town, with the hopes that she might be able to sell a few of them to the haunted-house goers at the end of the season.
“I thought you two got along?” I ask.
It’s an understatement given what she did to “him” in the whiskey closet. Who knows what happened outside of it. Or later that night. I really don’t want to fucking know, but now I need to figure out the problem for the sake of this project.
I’m not Bristol’s keeper. Her breakup from her on-again, off-again boyfriend wasn’t that long ago, and I’m going to guess she wants something easy.
Someone easy to help her get over the heartbreak.
Another reason I shouldn’t have touched her to add to the list. I just had to remind myself that Jasper might not settle down easily, but he’s a hell of a lot better than Chris was for her.
“We did. We do. But… uh…” He lets out a rough sigh and then looks at me like he’s experiencing a new emotion for the first time.
“She and I were sort of talking for a while. I’ve liked her for years, you know.
We’ve been friends, but she was with that asshole for so long.
When they broke up, I thought I’d shoot my shot.
But I was trying to wait the customary period of time to let her get over him.
I don’t want to be the rebound guy, you know? ”
I nod even though I definitely did not know that.
Jasper was traditionally the rebound guy when we went out to the bars.
If he saw a girl crying to her friends about her ex, he was there to buy her a drink and make her laugh all the way back to his bed that night.
He was happy to get her breakfast and a ride home the next morning, and who she dated after that was none of his concern.
“But… uh, I guess there’s someone else she’s seeing. She told me last night. Said she wanted to clear the air since we’d be working together, and this weekend we almost hooked up.”
She’s got a fucking boyfriend? I had my hands all over her two days ago. She was kissing Jasper ten minutes later. I’m silently starting to spin down the drain as I do the math, but I do everything I can to keep a straight face. I can’t let on that I’m upset about this guy too.
But knowing I was feeling her up when she was supposed to be meeting up with Jasper was bad enough; knowing it was while she was dating someone else entirely feels like salt being poured into the wound.
Slowly, while someone holds me down, given the fact that I’m having to process this while talking to Jasper.
“So what, he’s jealous and doesn’t want you on the project?” I try to recover our conversation.
“No. I doubt he knows I exist. But I just feel fucking low. I really liked Bristol a lot. I thought if we ever had a chance, things would be pretty damn good. We’ve got a lot of the same interests, and she’s fun as hell, you know?
So I just… feel like I lost out before I even had a chance to try.
I guess this is what being friend-zoned feels like. ”
“I thought you liked being just the friend?” I joke to try to clear the air, but it lands flatter than I’d planned. I feel like an asshole.
“I thought so too. But it turns out not so much this time around.” He shrugs, and I feel a roll of guilt flow through me.
I had no idea Jasper had a thing for Bristol.
Friends, yes. Maybe even fuck buddies under the right conditions.
But more? I hadn’t imagined them together, if I’m honest. She’s a little wild.
A little reckless. They get along fine on that front.
But I always imagined her with someone a little more serious than Jasper when she finally dumped the asshole she gave way too many chances.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out. Who knows, maybe this guy will be out on his ass soon too, and you’ll have another shot.”
“Maybe. But I’d rather just try to move on.
I promised Marlowe I wouldn’t make things awkward if I did take a shot with her, so I just want to take a few vacation days.
Head up to Denver maybe. Hang out with some old friends and maybe make a few new ones.
” The half grin on his face that fades quickly tells me that’s probably not going to be the easy out he hopes it is, but I can’t blame him for trying.
“But you don’t want to see her?”
“Not right now. Not every day. I don’t want to have to hear everything about this new guy and how much she likes him. You know how it is when you’re seeing someone new.”
I don’t. Not really. The only people I saw in that capacity were people from my spousal support group. A bunch of widows and widowers talking through what life is like when you’re alone.
Hazel made me join years ago, and I stuck around because I made friends there.
Maybe a few friends with benefits too. Those women weren’t excited about seeing me so much as they just wanted to escape their thoughts for a few hours.
I could give them that much, and they could do the same in return.
But we always knew it wasn’t going anywhere, so none of the new-relationship sparks ever flew.
But I don’t even know how to explain that to someone who hasn’t been through it, and it’s certainly not going to help Jasper with the sting of rejection. I’ve got no tips there. Just a whole lot of the same need to avoid a certain brunette for the foreseeable future.
Which brings me to the problem. I don’t know that I can give Jasper the escape he needs. Not for more than a few days.
“I get it, but I don’t know that we have anyone else to cover it.
They’re almost finished with the Van Der Kamp renovation, and with that next project, I need someone with lots of commercial experience.
This one on the ranch is perfect for you.
” Jasper’s not a commercial real estate expert, but he’s a very experienced jack-of-all-trades. The ranch is an otherwise perfect job.
“I’ll try, I guess.” He looks downtrodden, and my guilt resurfaces.
“Listen. Go on vacation for a few days. Go up to Denver. Have some fun. See if you don’t feel better when you come back.”
He nods his agreement to the temporary plan.
If Jasper doesn’t take it, I’ll have to.
I’m the only other one who has the ability on such short notice.
Not to mention familiarity with the ranch and the Stocktons.
I don’t want my new guys just wandering around gaping at the property and sticking their noses where they don’t belong.
The Stocktons are good friends of mine, family really, thanks to my sister.
But they’re infamous for a reason, and I don’t need my guys playing tourist on the job.
“I can cover for a few days. Go get some rest.” I try to offer sympathy, but I have absolutely zero fucking interest in doing the job either. For all the same reasons as Jasper, and then some.
For one, I won’t be able to escape her regaling me with tales of her new boyfriend.
I have to see her at a dozen other places outside the ranch and work.
Ford’s football games. The dinner table.
When I drop things off at my former mother-in-law’s house.
For two, I don’t want to have to face her knowing everything we did in the closet.
I can’t stop seeing it when I close my eyes.
I can’t take much more of the torment, and seeing Bristol?
Smelling her perfume? Listening to that full, sweet giggle she makes when she’s happy? I’m fucked.
But I made my bed. Now I have to lie in it.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Jasper gives me a forlorn look, and furrowed brows underscore his apology before he takes off for the road. At least one of us gets to run from the Bristol problem. Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to survive it.