It feels like time flies and I’m pulling into a lot with a half-built house on it. A crew is working all over the place and I step out, my eyes searching for Henry. I’ve known him for a long time. He and Linda, Warren’s mom, were welcoming people who loved to have Warren’s friends over whenever we could make it up the mountain.
They were good people.
A bubble of nerves rests in my gut and I take a deep breath as I spot Henry talking with some men. All of them are wearing hard hats and I slowly approach.
Their conversation comes to a lull and because Henry doesn’t see me right away, I call out his name. “Mr. Blake.”
He turns and gives me a small grin when he sees me. “Archer.” He reaches out and I shake his hand with a firm grip. “Good to see you. Glad you could make it up.”
“Thank you for the call, sir.”
“No prob—” He squints and looks down at my chest, then back to me and back to my chest. Then, unexpectedly, he bursts into laughter. “Now, that is funny.”
I glance down and suppress a groan when I see what shirt I grabbed. It has four foxes on it with the word “sake” under it, indicating “Four Fox Sake.”
Derek got me the shirt. He was one of those people that loved to gift others random T-shirts with goofy sayings on them.
Why didn’t I check the shirt before I left the loft?
“Oh, shit.” I chuckle at Henry, glad he has a sense of humor about it. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to throw this on, I was in a rush.”
He waves me off. “Well, I don’t really allow graphic tees without my business name on them, but since I called you up in a hurry, I won’t penalize you for it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He guides us a little away from the crew and when he stops, I give him my full attention. “So, I talked with Warren a bit about where you were at, and he tells me you have a business degree.”
“Yes, sir. I completed a business degree at the community college in Denver.”
“But you never did anything with it?” he asks, taking a casual stance and leaning against the tailgate of, presumably, his truck.
“I had plans for it, but I lost my savings to an investor and haven’t been able to get back from that.”
“Oh shit. Sorry to hear that. Was it a lot?”
I frown. “Everything my grandmother left me.” The words are tinged with bitterness. The investor I trusted swore to me that I would earn back triple what I invested, but I lost everything.
“Fuckers. Investors are finicky. You gotta find one trustworthy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, Warren says you’ve worked in construction before?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve worked on several different jobsites and have a few certifications, I completed an apprenticeship out of college but that company went under. I’ve been working in landscaping and even did some snow removal jobs over the winter. I haven’t done construction too often lately. It’s hard to get on a consistent crew.”
“I see.” He rubs his jaw and sighs. “It’s hard to find consistent workers, too. I’ve got a few good ones I scatter about, but I’d like someone I could eventually take under my wing.”
I lift a brow and nod slowly, trying desperately not to get my hopes up. “That sounds good,” I reply slowly.
He smirks. “I’d like that to be you. You and I both know Warren isn’t interested, I’ve made my peace with that. But I’d love to have someone close to the family who will help take Blake Construction to the next level.”
Dumbfounded, the shock nearly overwhelms me. “You’re serious? You want me?”
“You a hard worker who will get shit done?”
I nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Then yes. I want you to join our crew. I’ll have you start under Devon, he’s the project manager for this site. Get a feel for this crew and regain that knowledge you lost. Once you’re more comfortable, we’ll talk again and see where you’re at.”