"I would rather not high schoolers," he said not unkindly. "I understand that is how you started, and I know that Brandon liked to give kids a chance, but I need someone with more experience and a larger team behind them."
"I see," she said quietly. "I am sorry for wasting your time."
"You didn't. I truly am sorry for your loss."
Beverly nodded even though he couldn't see her and hung up. At this point, she didn't even know if she should bother to return the other phone call, but she did with the hope that she wouldn't be a glutton for punishment.
The other caller was a businessman who, after learning Beverly's father had passed away, began to ask her all sorts of questions from the nature of her business to what kind of knowledge she had about the construction industry. She answered them all honestly and concisely, some of the answers very similar to what she had overheard her father say to other potential clients, but she could tell he was skeptical and unimpressed with her answers.
In the back of her mind, she couldn't stop herself from wondering if the gentleman would think differently if she were a man giving these answers.
Finally, after an eternity of uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line, he spoke again. "Look," he said gruffly, "I'm not one to hire a woman for this job. I'm sure your father was capable and competent, but his death leaves me in a difficult position." He sighed heavily. "I wish you luck finding someone else who'll hire you."
Beverly thanked him halfheartedly before ending the call and slumping against the car seat in defeat. No matter how hard she tried or how much she believed in herself, it seemed that people still refused to take her seriously as a businesswoman of a construction enterprise.
Her head spun. Three potential jobs. Not a single job offer. She sat there, stunned. She knew her father had created a great legacy with his business, but it seemed like it would come to an abrupt stop due to his sudden passing. His death was a reminder of how fragile life could be and how easily opportunities can be taken away from you in an instant, and that was a difficult lesson for Beverly to digest.
She sighed and shut off her phone, feeling completely deflated. Everything she had worked so hard... it felt like it was all gone in an instant. She knew that she needed to find some way to prove herself and continue her father's legacy, but with Mr. Davis's and Mr. Grantler's refusals and now this businessman's as well, it seemed unlikely that anyone else would take a chance on her either. For whatever reason, it seemed that many people were still skeptical of women stepping into positions traditionally filled by men and saw them as weak or unintelligent when compared to their male counterparts.
Beverly knew that she could be successful despite these preconceived notions.
But only if someone were to give her a chance.
The business had flourished under her father. No matter what, she would not let it go under.
ChapterThree
It didn't take Roy long at all to realize that he was in over his head. Many roofs needed to be repaired, but the storm had left everything drenched, and he didn't feel confident stepping on the roofs for fear of falling. All he could do was to put up tarps to keep the interior dry.
Perhaps it would be best for him to take a more systematic and organized approach. He decided to begin assessing the damage to the farm buildings and making a list of needed repairs.
The hay barn had taken a hit, part of its roof caved in, and it would need an entire reconstruction. A few planks from the nearby fences were scattered around. The chicken coop had fared better, but he'd have to replace some parts that were blown away by the wind. Then, there were all the windows. Some were smashed, and others were just broken. They needed to be replaced so that no wild animals could get into the premises.
Roy sighed as he surveyed the destruction around him. He knew it was going to take a long time for them to fix everything. But fix it they will, he told himself sternly. Before Easter came rolling in, this farm would be back on its feet again. Colton had already made some major changes to the orchard in the few months he had been the owner, and they wanted to open it up to more people to come and see. Plus, he had wanted Susan, his girlfriend, to start a flower garden here. It was just as well that Susan hadn't started that yet, though.
But this was a daunting task for Roy, and maybe he had bitten off more than he could chew. It was very daunting to realize that every barn, shed and outbuilding had been damaged in some way. It would require hours of work to make sure that each opening was secure and weatherproof.
Roy assessed the damage with a critical eye, making lists of what needed to be done and coming up with creative solutions for things like replacing missing shingles or fixing broken windows. He tried his best to salvage whatever materials were left so that he could still use them in some form or fashion. He scavenged from the surrounding area—an old piece of wood here, an extra windowpane there—anything he could find to help him patch together whatever was left standing after the storm.
Then, he set about making a list of all the necessary repairs and went building by building evaluating what needed to be done before he could start on anything else. For every new roof that needed replacing or shingles that had to be replaced, Roy meticulously made notes in his book so he wouldn't forget any details when he eventually started work.
He spent hours assessing each structure from top to bottom, noting down everything from the type of wood used in the walls, ceilings and floors to which sections needed to be replaced versus what could be salvaged.
But what was most worrisome to Roy was the fact that the wind of the storm had been powerful enough to uproot so many old, strong, deeply rooted trees. How was he supposed to know if any of the foundations of the buildings had been compromised?
Rubbing his temple, wishing he didn't have a headache, he headed over to the shed where they kept their tools. Even that was in terrible shape. Honestly, It looked like he could push it over with his finger.
At least the tools were all in waterproof cases, so they had been protected.
While they had a decent amount of tools and supplies in the shed, there wasn't nearly enough for the amount of work this job was going to require. He needed more tools and materials to properly repair the damage done by the storm, and it would be costly, too. Thankfully, Colton had saved some money for such a situation, so with Colton's approval, Roy decided to invest in some new tools and materials to help with the repairs. Roy could now purchase whatever was necessary for the job, from hammers and nails to saws and screws. He also bought some news tarps which would be useful in keeping the interior of each building dry while they worked on it.A lot of the tarps used during the storm had been ruined or ripped.
He took a deep breath as he surveyed everything around him. One thing was certain. This project was going to take a lot of time and effort, but Roy was determined that by Easter, this place would be restored to its former glory.
Somehow, the day got away from him, just by making notes of what needed to be done and the shopping. He hadn't done much aside from laying out the tarp where needed. If his self-imposed deadline was going to be met, he was going to have to work hard and long hours.
He was debating staying later that night to keep working when Parker approached.
"You didn't forget, did you?" his brother asked.