His next message comes through, finishing the thought.

“ealize just how full of crap that statement is. Yeah, today can always be better, but it can also be a lot worse. Still, it gets me out of bed.”

It’s not a bad response.

Another message comes in, reading, “What about you?”

I respond, “The thought that maybe, just maybe, something big is going to happen today, and that I don’t want to miss it lying in bed.”

“What ya doin’?” Kristin asks, effectively startling the hell out of me.

“Nothing,” I tell her, dropping the phone to my side. “I’m just watching the movie.”

“I may be drunk, but I’m not—what’s the word?” she asks.

“Stupid?”

“That’s no way to talk to your sister,” she says and lies her head back on the arm of the couch.

My phone beeps and I watch Kristin closely, hoping that there’s some way I can check my phone without her noticing that I’ve fallen right into her little trap.

For a moment, I think I’m going to be okay, but as soon as I pick up my phone, she says, “You are so fucking busted.”

“What?” I ask. “Someone just sent me a message. That’s all.”

“Yeah, but someone’s been sending you a lot of messages. That usually doesn’t happen unless you’re sending messages right back.”

For now, my unwillingness to prove her right outweighs my curiosity regarding what this guy just sent me, but drunk as she is, she can’t stay awake forever.

Chapter Six

Learning to Work Around Obstacles

Eric

It’s been a few days since the big blowup between Jessica and I, and we’ve only managed to keep the peace because we’ve completely avoided each other. Sometime today, though, I’ve vowed to myself that I’m going to get Alec his job back or I’m walking right the fuck off the job.

I won’t force the decision on my guys, though. If things go sour, I’ll simply let José—who narrowly avoided arrest due to the quick thinking and quicker words of Linda—know that he’s in charge and tell the guys to stay on the job.

They’ve gone long enough without a good payday.

Jessica comes out of her office, and I’m ready to put my cards on the table, but she’s quickly approached by a customer. As much as I’d love to put her in a position where she’d be forced by propriety to say yes, I don’t want to do anything to ruin her business either.

There are limits.

“Hey, boss,” Ian says, “we’re ready to put this window in. You wanna let Miss Davis know, or do you just want to chance it?”

“Go ahead and put it in,” I tell him. “I’ll be right back.”

Jessica’s dealt with the customer and I know she sees me coming. She doesn’t look at me, but I can see her deep breath from here.

I don’t want an argument, but I’m ready to give one if that’s what has to happen.

“Hey,” I say, approaching her. “Could we talk for a minute?”

“I’m kind of busy right now,” she answers. “Is it important?”

“Oh, I’d say so,” I answer.

“All right,” she says, “but we’ve got to make it quick. I’ve got a meeting with a supplier in a few minutes, and I’d really prefer not to have him come into a screaming match in my store.”

“I don’t see any reason why it has to go that way,” I tell her.

“Let’s go,” she says and we walk in silence back to her office.

I close the door as usual, but before I can start, she jumps right in.

“I thought about what you said, and you’re right: It’s not fair that that man lost his job for trying to stand up for one of his coworkers,” she says.

“Great,” I tell her. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What I do think is fair, though, is for you to fire whoever actually did break into my store. So I think if anyone’s being unfair here, it’s you,” she says.

“Me?”

“Yeah,” she says, “you. Once you told me he wasn’t the guy, I didn’t want to see him go any more than you did. I was angry, though, and I just let it go the way it went. That part was my fault. Knowing who broke the law and broke into my store, however, you shouldn’t have just let him quit like that. You should have held the right person responsible and that should have been the end of it, now I have to go. It looks like my supplier is here a little early.”

“No, we’re not done here,” I tell her. “Either my guys—all my guys—stay, or I go. They’ll finish out the job for you, but I’m not going to work in a situation where you’re going to try to dismantle a group of people I’ve worked with and come to trust implicitly for years.”

“Hmm,” she starts, “you’d think that having one of your own people commit a crime against one of your clients might do something to that trust. Maybe you should think about your judgment. Now, unless there’s anything else—”

“What’s it going to be?” I ask. “Lose me and Alec, setting you and your plans, whatever the hell they are this hour, back who knows how long, or realize that a mistake was made, but it’s no reason to fire anyone and you can have me and my whole team working hard for you until this job is finished.”

“Neither,” she says. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Here’s my predicament: She’s opening the door now, so anything else that I say to her has a good chance of being overheard, not only by my guys and her staff, but by this supplier of hers.

If I do something to screw with one of her business partners, chances are that me and my crew are immediately let go. If, however, I hold my tongue, Alec, a good friend of mine, either stays out of a job because he did a good thing for José, or I lose the best guy on my crew for making a mistake.

Fuck it.

“It’s going to have to be one or the other,” I say quietly and with a smile on my face.

“Now really isn’t the time,” she says, mimicking my actions, trying even harder than I am not to see the whole situation explode.

“Now is the only time,” I tell her. “Either make your choice or I walk now.”

“I don’t do business with people who hold a gun to my head,” she says. “Mr. Burbank, it’s great to see you again. This is Eric. He and his men are doing some renovations for us. Would you come into my office and we can talk about our future together.”

I wait for the older man to walk past me and then I give her my best “I’d make a choice unless you want me to really embarrass you” look.

She takes a step toward me and, still smiling, she whispers, “Call your guy and get him back here. Don’t think that I’m going to forget this.”

“Thank you,” I tell her. “You made the right choice.”

Although Mr. Burbank is already in her office, we’re still too close for her to do anything but mouth her final thoughts on the matter.

“Screw you.”

I smile and walk back over to the work area.

“What’s got you so happy?” Tripp, the newest new guy asks.

“I’m going to call Alec and tell him to get his ass down here. He’s late for work.”

I glance back toward Jessica’s office as the crew claps and offers their congratulations, but I can’t see anything more than the door closing.

“Great job, boss,” Ian says.

Even José has a smile on his face.

I walk outside and make the call.

“What’s up, boss?” Alec answers.

“Good news,” I tell him, “José’s safe. The inquisition is over and you’re hired. When do you think you can get here?”

“Uh, I’m kind of busy at the moment,” he says. “Any chance I can just come in tomorrow?”

Right now, I’m glad I stepped outside for this.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but you have no idea what I just risked to make this happen and the shitstorm that’s going to be waiting for me before the day is over because of it. So, do you want the job or not?”

“Of course I want the job,” he says, “it’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

“Well,” he says, “I’m kind of out of state.”

“How can you be kind of out of state?” I ask.