Page 53 of The Wrong Guy
I nod, furious even though I understand. “Gimme till Monday, at least. Please. I can have the guys bust ass tomorrow and all weekend, working overtime. We’ll get as much done as we can, so the guys get a little cushion and we clear out some materials so they don’t go to waste before this gets straightened out.”
“I can do that,” Wren agrees, looking at Ben and Francine for consensus.
I stand and take a deep breath. “I gotta go, then. I’ll let the crews know, but I want to spend some time out at the site tonight making a plan of attack.”
Wyatt and Winston rise too. “We’ll go with you and help. If nothing else, we can help set up materials so they’re ready to roll in the morning.”
I shake both their hands appreciatively. “Thanks, the pay is zero dollars an hour, but I’ll order us pizza later. Overtime’s a beer at Puss N Boots.”
“Deal,” Wyatt says.
Winston kisses baby Joe on the head and then Avery. He points a finger at Grandpa Joe, instructing him, “Take care of my girl and my li’l man for me.”
Grandpa Joe couldn’t do a thing but press his emergency alert button if something went wrong, but Winston respects him and his place in their extended family unit.
I wrap my arms around Wren, and she presses her palms to my chest. “I’ll talk to you later, Birdie. Maybe set your meeting for as late on Monday as you can?”
She smiles and curls her fingers, digging her nails into my flesh through my shirt. It’s all the answer I need, and I have to swallow the growl that threatens to escape. I think her dad would have my hide if I made those kinda noises with his little girl, no matter the fact that Wren likes them. As evidenced by her sweet smile turning sly. I bend down as she raises up to her toes and our lips meet in the middle. It’s a goodbye for a few days while we both bury ourselves in work, and a promise to bury ourselves in each other after Monday.
With that, me and Wren’s brothers head out.
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Winston says in the driveway as we head to our individual vehicles. He’s got some sort of SUV with a high-safety rating, a total Dad-mobile, while Wyatt drives a truck. It’s nothing like mine, though, which is beat up from job sites and hauling materials. Wyatt’s truck is fancy and shiny, only used for carrying an occasional small custom furniture piece in Bubble Wrap and soft blankets or towing a trailer with more of the same.
“What?”
“Some guy actually being worthy of Wren,” Winston answers. “Really never thought it’d be you.” He’s grinning as he says it, likely thinking he’s teasing, but it cuts deep.
“Me neither,” I growl. “Let’s go. I’ve got a fuckton of work to do.”
Chapter 19
WREN
This weekend has sucked.
First, I thought I’d be alone the whole time while Jesse’s working at Township. And I really wanted to see him. But instead, my front door might as well have been a revolving door.
Mom and Dad came to see me, wanting to talk about Jed, the contract, and what I suspect to be their real reason for coming, Jesse and me.
Then Ben and Francine stopped by. They at least stayed on topic, giving me all sorts of advice and ideas on what to include in the new contract. But I had to shut down Francine’s hopes of adding in a way to attract migrating ducks to the pond. “They’re awful for the bank’s soil erosion, can pollute the water with foreign algae, and most importantly, they already have migration plans in place, so drawing them off-path can lead to them being lost.” She’d cried about the poor, lost duckies while Ben and I drafted a few clauses about signage instead.
Hazel stopped by to bring food from Puss N Boots to stock my fridge and pastries from Daisy’s bakery. She also gave me the scoop from Wyatt about working on setup at Township with Jesse, so I was glad to hear that.
Despite the cupcakes and flatbread pizza from Hazel, the whole weekend had been rough. Today’s not going to be any better.
Sitting in the conference room again, with Ben at my side, I have a sense of déjà vu. “What do you think?” he asks.
“I’m expecting an explosion from Chrissy, because she has no idea how to run a company so it probably hasn’t occurred to her that in changing ownership, the existing contract is null and void,” I reply reasonably. “And I think Jed’s gonna laugh his ass off. Maybe offer to complete the contract with his new company if Dad’s right about his plans.”
“Yep,” he agrees. “But you’re ready.”
The vote of confidence is kind, and appreciated, but deep down, I wish Jed and Chrissy could just hold out for a couple of months until Township is finished. Then, none of this would be necessary.
That’s actually my first option to present. It makes the most sense and serves them both well financially, while keeping Cold Springs’ best interest at the center of the deal. Not that either of them cares about that. But it’s a last-ditch effort before we go whole hog on the contract with Chrissy.
Oliver and Chrissy arrive first this time. Chrissy’s smiling, further assuring me that she has no idea what’s going on. Oliver’s smiling, too, but that seems to be directly related to me. “Hi, Wren. Wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon, but this is a very pleasant surprise.”
He pulls a chair out for Chrissy, guiding her to sit across from Ben, and then sits directly across from me. His blue eyes dance as he takes me in, and I feel like he could probably accurately describe me to a sketch artist or draw me himself. It’s a bit unnerving.