Page 23 of Second Chances
Chapter 13
Josh watched Meganleave the construction site and hop into her fancy SUV with a pretty brunette. The morning Timber drop-offs had consisted of small-talk and what he thought were nervous giggles. He found that his heart was starting to pump a little harder each day as he walked toward the thick carved door of her mountain home. He loved the way she absentmindedly twirled her ponytail with her fingers as they chatted in the doorway. Timber had even gotten in on the excitement and started to whine when they crossed over the covered bridge and onto Sugar Peaks Way, excited to see his new friend.
He liked the way that she looked him in the eye when she talked to him, not a common experience with a lot of the other rich Chance Rapids residents. Her eyes had an inherent sadness to them, and even though she looked tired, he could imagine the way her eyes would sparkle when she laughed. The crinkles beside her eyes were evidence that she had smiled and laughed a lot in her life, and he found himself wanting to bring them to life.
He had heard rumors that the owner of the big house in Sugar Peaks was in real estate, but Megan didn’t strike him as a savage businesswoman. She seemed like she was going through something and he noticed that the wine bottle collection on the counter had grown exponentially throughout the week.
She had offered to drop Timber off after their walks, but Josh wasn’t ready for anyone to see his house, especially a fancy woman like Megan. His little house was just off the main street, and even though he had lived there for years, it sat in a permanent mid-reno state. He was a talented carpenter, but by the time he got home from work, the last thing he felt like doing was working on his own house.
When she walked onto the job site, he had assumed Timber had destroyed some of her expensive furniture and that she’d had enough of him, so when she announced that she was the one behind the new coffee shop in town he was floored.
He didn’t have a problem working for a woman, but he knew that some of the older crew members would take issue with it – especially since she didn’t seem to know what she was doing.
If Megan were a normal person, someone who lived in Chance Rapids year-round, someone who knew what it was like to be strapped for cash, someone who knew what it was like to try to make ends meet in a small town, he would be interested in getting to know her better. Megan was the first woman that had caught his eye and made his pulse skip in five years – the first woman he could imagine drawing into his arms and holding since the accident.
“Who was that?” Freddie, his electrician asked after Megan left.
“That was the owner,” Josh said, shaking his head.
“She’s hot,” Freddie grinned and pulled some wire through the studs. “Is she single?”
Josh felt his face grow red. He swore that he would never get involved with one of the ‘across the bridge’ residents, so he had no right to feel like he had any claim over Megan, but Freddie was one of the town’s biggest womanizers, and the idea of that sweet woman falling into Freddie’s bed made his blood boil.
“She’s outta your league.” Josh turned and flicked on one of the industrial heaters.
“No such thing,” Freddie grinned. “Those rich ones loooove-slumming-it with us blue-collar guys. It wouldn’t take much to slide those yoga pants over that sweet ass of hers. And, I love me a cougar. They know what they want, and you don’t have to show them what to do.”
Josh felt the sudden urge to punch Freddie in the face. He took a deep breath, “Fred. Easy now. No sleeping with the boss.”
“Since when?” Freddie slapped Josh on his back.
“Since now,” Josh growled.
“Ha. Chill out, Josh.” Freddie screwed in a junction box and then snapped his head up to look at his boss and friend, “Oh, I see.” He grinned.
“You see what?” Josh turned so that Freddie couldn’t see the redness in his cheeks.
“Somebody’s already called dibs on the lady.”
“Enough! Nobody has called dibs. That woman is signing your check. Have a little respect.” Josh pounded a nail into a stud, acutely aware of the protective nature rising in him. “Do you think you’re going to be able to get all of that wire pulled today?”
“Not sure, might have to come back tomorrow,” Freddie affixed a metal junction box with some screws.
“How about we see if we can get this done today, that way Brian will be able to get to start with the duct work.”
Freddie looked up at Josh through his safety glasses. “Did this job just become a little more urgent bud?”
Josh knew what Kyle was getting at. He never asked the guys to work late, they got things done on their own time. “Just keep working Fred.”
Josh ended up staying late to help Freddie install the final electrical boxes.
The sun had set, and the construction lights shone brightly through the skeletal job site. Freddie jogged out to his truck and came back in with a couple bottles of beer and handed one to Josh. “Thanks for helping out.”
Josh took the beer, screwed off the cap and took a swig. “Thanks for staying.”
“Hey Josh, man. I’m sorry for being a little crass earlier. I mean, you know I’m just joking – job site talk.”
“I know Freddie, but that woman, she’s, I don’t know. She’s different.”
