Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
FINN
Sweat drips from the tip of my nose, my hair, my hands.
The summer sun beats down on me unrelentingly, not a cloud in the sky to give us a break as we continue working on this renovation.
I lift the wooden beam onto my shoulder, Raze and Connor behind me supporting the same beam on theirs as well.
Together, we carry it over to the house, where the crane stands ready to lift it into place.
This client wanted mostly steel beams in the house, except in the bedrooms, where he wanted wooden beams only.
I think it’s the worst idea to date, but when I offered my two cents on the matter, he decided to make it abundantly clear that he hired me to build, not share my opinion.
So, now I’m keeping my mouth shut. It’s not something that will compromise the structural integrity of the house, per se, it’s more so something that will make one section of the house weaker and more vulnerable to weather damage.
I offered to put a steel beam into the structure and a wooden beam that can remain exposed when decorating, but it would seem that simply deciding to renovate your home makes you an expert.
Rich bastards like this guy have been moving to Liliton more and more as time goes on.
They think that living in a small town gives them the right to parade their dicks around like some kind of peacock.
Money makes them think they can do anything, including treat those they hire with complete disrespect.
He thinks that because of my job, I am worth less because I make less.
Little does he know that my company is worth twice as much as his.
When my business deal with Sam goes through, I swear to God, I’m not going to be like that.
We lower the beam down to the ground and let the roof team take it from there.
There’s about ten of us on this job. One of my boys had an accident on-site and is out for a few months, so I’m filling in for him.
Nowadays, I’ve been leaving my teams to it.
I trust them and I know that they all work hard and don’t cut corners.
Yeah, sure, I still have the occasional dickhead like Benny, but what can you do?
When I fired him the other week, it wasn’t just because he hit on Oakleigh, although I must admit that it was a contributing factor.
It was more because it wasn’t the first incident I’ve had with him.
A few months ago, one of our clients was a young female.
She was getting her roof redone after finding a leak, and she came to me to let me know that Benny was being incredibly unprofessional.
I called him out on it and told him that while he’s working, he needs to ignore his dumbass urges and be strictly professional.
I gave him a warning and told him that if it ever happened again, I’d fire him.
He did it again, and with the wrong woman.
I was going to hire him back, really I was, but what kind of message would that send if I had?
I had to show that my warnings come once and that’s it, otherwise others like Benny will think that they can exploit my kindness.
They’ll see a quiet owner who helps out occasionally and believe that I won’t say anything.
Hard workers such as Raze on the other hand, I give rewards where I can—extra vacation days, shorter hours, the occasional pay rise.
“All set, boss,” Raze says as he wipes sweat from his brow. “You want us to start with the brick work?”
“Let them fix this dumbass beam into place first and then we can start with it. Everything by the book, I don’t need this guy giving any unnecessary grief.”
“Do we ever do it against the book?” Raze asks with a laugh.
“Good point.” I give him a playful shove and make my way back to my truck. I hop up into the bed and try my best to tackle some admin. My phone vibrates in my back pocket and I answer the call without checking who it is.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Southwick?”
“Speaking.”
“Hello, sir. This is Martin from the planning department?”
I bolt upright, my spine straightening. “Yes, hello.”
“Hello. I’m just calling today to let you know that your planning request has been approved.”
Not even the unrelenting heat could disrupt the elation that covers me better than any air-conditioning ever could.
“Thank you,” is all I can seem to bring myself to say. I suppose even happiness can block words and trap them in your throat.
“Do you need me to explain what happens next?” Martin asks.
“No, no, thanks. I’m familiar with the process.”
“Excellent! Well, you’ll receive a confirmation of the approval in your email today and I wish you all the best going forward.”
He ends the call and I’m left here, phone stuck halfway to my ear, mouth hanging open.
I’m not surprised it’s been approved. I knew it would be.
I’m just surprised that everything is going so …
right. Things are going my way, things are happening for me that I’ve wanted for myself for so long and I’m happy. Truly happy, for once.
Admin lies forgotten about, the bastard client’s emails go unanswered.
All I can think about is the fact that I finally get to do what I’ve dreamed of for years.
All I want to do right now is call Oakleigh and let her know.
But for now, I hold it in. I rein in the need for it that almost overwhelms me because Cherry is busy working her first day shift in forever and I’m not going to disrupt her while she’s saving lives.
“If you have somewhere to be, I can hold the fort,” Raze says to me, a knowing smile on his face.
I shake my head, but my smile doesn’t fade at all. “I’m good. It can wait.”
“I saw you the other day. Didn’t seem like anything can wait when it comes to her.” He sees the way my smile drops slightly. Raze holds his hands out. “Not judging at all. If I had someone like that, I’d grab them with both hands and never let go.”
I shrug, turning my head so he doesn’t see the way my cheeks heat up. “Eh, I’m not entirely sure that I have her.”
Raze’s eyebrows dip as he leans against the truck. “Trouble in paradise?”
I shrug again. He eyes me up and down but takes his time speaking. “We don’t usually talk about personal shit much, do we?”
“Not really, no.”
“And yet despite that, I’d consider you a close friend. So, can I give you some personal advice as a close friend?”
I huff out a laugh, but still nod. Raze remains serious.
“Life is way too short, Finn. Shit happens and within seconds, what was once supposed to be a long life is shortened and ended.” He looks as if he knows this from experience, his blue eyes dimming solemnly.
“So, you seriously just got to go for what you want. Regrets are for people who are sure they have a hundred years to live.”
My expression is mirroring his by the time he’s done.
For someone as young as us, it’s never escaped my notice that Raze seems to carry a heavy weight on his shoulders, much heavier than mine, that’s for sure.
As he said, talking on a personal level hasn’t really been something we’ve ever done.
Raze is kind and a hard worker, and yeah, in a weird way I do consider him to be a close friend.
After all, we’ve worked together for almost ten years.
It’s only now, though, that I’m realizing that maybe Raze has been watching me just as much as I’ve been watching him.
“You know?”
His smile is subtle. “I pay attention.”
“And you never mentioned anything?”
“It was never my place to. Besides, it’s never stopped you running the company, so why bring up something that’s not a problem?”
I look up to the sky and close my eyes, my head hanging backward in relief.
It has always been somewhat a concern for me—knowing whether or not my staff would still think me a respectable boss if they knew about my OCD.
Knowing that Raze has known for a while and hasn’t found a need to be concerned, lightens the tightness in my chest.
“I actually wanted to ask you something,” he says.
I look back down. “Anything.”
This time, he actually seems a bit nervous, scratching the back of his neck. His face is already red from the heat, but you can still see a fresh wave flush his face.
“I wanted to ask if I could work with you after you leave.”
“But you don’t even know what I’m leaving to do.”
He chuckles. “You forget one thing.”
I tilt my head.
“I live in Eaglewood.” He smiles.
Well, fuck.
“Nigel.” I sigh.
“Nigel.” He laughs. “And you remember what my degree is, right?”
I think back to Raze’s resumé. I remember seeing University of Denver on there, but the degree…
“Architectural Engineering?” he offers.
Huh.
I nod and clap him on the shoulder. “Then let’s talk.”
* * *
The moment I see Oakleigh, I scoop her up into my arms and spin her around. She shrieks as I do. Her shrieks turn to laughs as I place her safely back on the ground.
“What on earth is this?” she asks, a massive smile on her face.
“I got some good news so I’m in a good mood and I want to share that with my woman.”
“Oh, your woman, huh?” She chuckles.
“Damn right.”
“And who is this hunk?” A man around our age asks. He’s a fellow nurse judging by the uniform.
“Finn, this is Antoine, and no he isn’t gay.”
I take Antoine in. “Huh.”
Antoine flaps his arms up and down in frustration. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Lee. What is it exactly that’s giving off this vibe?”
“Can’t quite pinpoint it. It’s just your genuine sort of … energy?”
He huffs in frustration making Oakleigh laugh.
“Now—” she places a hand on my chest “—what’s this exciting news?”
“I’ll tell you in the car.”
We both wave bye to a frustrated Antoine and hop into my car.
I’m so glad that Oakleigh has started letting me drive her to work as well.
It means that her little Fiat 500 that I barely fit in can stay at home and I no longer have to leave my car at her house and take a cab to the hospital so I can drive her car back.
“Okay, spill,” she says the moment we’re out the parking lot.