Page 9 of Confessions of the Funny Fat Friend

“Retire?” I said.

“When you get to being my age, you think about resting once in a while... And you think about who’s going to take over your legacy when you’re gone, especially when you don’t have any children.”

“Jim, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Nothing’s official. Just the musings of an old man.”

I studied him a little closer as he looked out the window. Jim was getting older—well into his sixties with a thinning head of gray hair and plenty of wrinkles and sunspots. I’d only worked closely with him the last four years, but his age was beginning to show. Was he really hinting that I could be the one to take over? I’d thought I’d grown as much as I could in his company, but now? The possibilities were endless.

“It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Jim said as we pulled up to a vacant lot sporting a giant sign with a mock-up of the building that said FUTURE HOME OF BLUE BIRD LUXURY APARTMENTS.

I nodded in agreement. There was always a buzz that came with groundbreaking. It was full of potential, but if I was being honest, I felt more at home in the day to day of making the project run smoothly than I did in the planning stage or at photo ops.

The driver stopped the car, and while he got Jim’s door, I let myself out, taking in the small group of people. A few news vans lined the property, along with sleek cars like the one we’d arrived in. And then there was Henrietta’s red car. The sight of it, so different from the rest, brought a smile to my face, and I began scanning the crowd of suits for her.

I spotted her immediately, the sunlight glancing off her dark hair. The blue dress she wore clung to her curves, and I found myself wishing I could be just as close. She was clearly in her element, talking freely with her colleagues, a stunning smile on her face.

Jim put his hand on my shoulder, jerking me away from the thoughts I shouldn’t have had. “Ah, there she is. Let me introduce you to the woman you need to meet.” He began walking toward Henrietta, but then stopped short and said, “Tyler, this is Janessa Vogul. She’s head of operations of Blue Bird’s properties in southern California.”

I caught Henrietta looking at me for a moment, but then I heard Janessa say, “Pleased to meet you, Tyler.” Her smile fell perfectly in place like she’d practiced it a hundred times before. But the expression didn’t meet her green eyes—they were just as calculating, assessing as her smile. I felt like a piece of meat being examined at the butcher shop.

Thanking my lucky stars that Henrietta would be working more closely with me instead of Janessa, I said, “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Vogul.”

“Ms.,” she corrected with a wink. “And you can call me Janessa.”

Jim clapped my shoulder. “Janessa, you’ll have to excuse me. I see our publicist. I need a chat with her before we get called for photos.”

“That’s okay. I’ll keep Tyler company,” she said.

Jim chuckled, but I wished he would have brought me with him. Instead, Janessa stood just a little too close, like a shark who smelled blood in the water.

“How did we get so lucky to work with you?” she asked, folding her white arms over her chest, like she wanted me to look there.

An uncomfortable chuckle escaped my throat. “I believe Mr. Crenshaw met with the CEO,” I said.

She forced a laugh. “I trust you moved in alright. I know it gets lonely, traveling so much for work. I’d love to give you a little company after this. Perhaps get some dinner together? Or a nightcap?”

I raised my eyebrows, shocked at how quickly this woman worked and wishing Jim would come back and save me. I didn’t think I could handle dinner, much less an evening with someone who clearly had more than business on her mind. “Ms. Vogul, that’s a kind offer, but I’m sorry I have to decline for the sake of professionalism.”

She gave me an amused grin. The first expression she made that seemed natural. “Hard to get? I can appreciate that. Let the games begin.”

Jim and our publicist, Nancy Finnagan, saved me the challenge of replying. Nancy called out and said, “Can we get the C-suite and property manager in hard hats?”

I hurried away from Janessa, fearing she might be the kind to slap my behind on the way out, and in my hurry, bumped into Henrietta. She swayed in her heels, and I reached to catch her, my hands landing on her curvy hips.

But the feel of her under my palms caught me off guard. She was soft, but solid. And my mind went places it shouldn’t have gone in public. “I’m so sorry,” I said, quickly righting her and pulling my hands away.

She wouldn’t meet my eyes and muttered something about it being okay before grabbing a hat from Nancy.

Great.

Two days in and I’d already made things awkward by practically fondling her on the job site. I’d apologize to her later, maybe with lunch, and hope it would patch things up.

“Over here, Tyler,” Nancy said.

I nodded, going to stand beside Jim in the middle of the empty lot. It was mostly mowed weeds and grass underfoot, but soon it would be dirt, a foundation, framing, a building, a home. I couldn’t wait to see the transition.

With our hard hats on, Nancy lined us up and began passing out shovels to signify the groundbreaking. Janessa squeezed in next to me, and I had to suppress a cringe. Thank god LA was an hour away, probably more with traffic. Otherwise, I had a feeling she’d be one to make frequent pop-ins.

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