Chapter 32 - Jesse
Kayla was right. Her father had known exactly what he was doing. I didn’t feel exploited, though. I was thankful. “Thanks! You were right.”
“Perfect! Now, back to business.” John handed me a printout of the apartment complexes and our managers. “We have a meeting tomorrow morning with everyone, but I wanted to show you around so you’d be familiar with each location. Each property has its own manager who handles maintenance and security and gets a salary and a complimentary apartment. We also have an employee who handles maintenance at all of the single-family homes, and Jan, you’ve already met, fields calls, schedules repairs for maintenance with residential clients, and handles minor complaints.” John referred to everything as we, making me feel like a real partner.
“So, what exactly do you want me to do?” I asked.
“I want you to oversee them all and, of course, we’ll discuss any new acquisitions and ideas. It may not sound like much, but it will keep you busy. I want you to root out issues before they arise. You’re familiar with all things construction, and what you don’t know, I have a feeling you’ll learn.” John took a deep breath and continued, “What I don’t want you to do, though, is to waste away your life at work. I’d do well to take my own advice.”
I laughed at his candor. I wondered if this conversation was really about business or about his daughter.
As we drove around, I understood what John had meant about handling issues before they arose. Many things needed attention, especially a few roofs that needed replacing before they caused bigger issues with mold and damage to interiors. I was hesitant to point them out, at first, but figured John wanted me to be honest. Once again, John gave me an approving nod, making me wonder if he’d brought me by these specific locations to test my judgment.
As the day progressed, I got bolder with my appraisals, and started taking notes on things we could discuss later. My only concern now was how the employees would react to an eighteen-year-old taking over as their boss. I was sure no one would thwart John’s orders while he was there, but what would happen when John started taking days off? It wasn’t my nature to be a tyrant — or a pushover — so I hoped it’d go smoothly.
One of the reasons I assumed my own father had never grown his business, and maybe even the reason he’d lost my mother. I would make a conscious effort to watch everything John did and learn from him.
At six p.m., John headed toward his house. The day had flown by. No surprise, since I really liked to work. I’d actually been able to move Kayla to the back of my mind and pay attention to John’s instructions. Now that we were on the way home, however, she was front and center in my thoughts. I imagined coming home tomorrow to our house and finding her waiting for me.
Only five more nights, though. The thought punched me in the gut. In six days, I had to leave Kayla again… hopefully for the last time.
After dinner, we sat around the living room and talked for a while, but then John stood, informing us that he had business matters to tackle. “Jesse, I’ll see you at the office at seven and, Kayla, you’re going to school, right?”
“Yes, Daddy. Thank you for everything.” She stood and hugged him goodnight, and then he left for his office.
I walked over to her and took her hand. “Let’s go home,” I said longingly, but then remembered our things and started for the stairs. “Of course, I guess we need our things.”
Kayla tugged on my hand. “They’re already in your truck. The only bad thing is we have to take both of our vehicles. I’ll need a way to get to school in the morning.”
It was the first act of our normal, everyday life together. She never drove. I picked her up and drove her everywhere. If she wasn’t with me, she was home. Such a simple thing, but I felt the heat wash over me. We really were married, and heading to our home. I’d get up in the morning, go to work, and she’d be waiting for me when I returned home.
“Let’s go, shall we? We have to be up early, and I don’t want to miss any time with my wife.” I kissed her lightly as I closed the door behind her.
I led the way to the house, making sure I arrived ahead of her. When she parked, I opened her door for her to get out, but then scooped her up and walked up the few steps to the front porch. I allowed her to unlock the door, and then kissed her as I carried her over the threshold. “Welcome to our home, cowgirl, my bride.”
I breathed in deeply and smiled. She’d been cleaning. The house no longer smelled musty; it smelled like autumn. Curtains adorned the windows, new pillows were on the couch we’d just purchased, and a few black-and-white prints of outdoor scenes hung on the wall.
Framed pictures of our spring and summer escapades that I’d emailed her from my phone, sat on the coffee table and a bookshelf against the opposite wall in the living room.
Kayla had been busy, indeed. I was home, and it didn’t matter what house we lived in or what furniture we purchased, Kayla had made it a home. She was my warmth, and she made everything beautiful.
“What do you think?” she asked while I just stood there holding her in my arms.
“I think, as I’ve always thought, you’re amazing.” I pressed my lips to her forehead. “And you’re smarter than I am.” I kissed her cheek. “And you have more faith than I do.” I kissed her other cheek. “And that I love you more than you could ever imagine possible. More than any person — real or fictional — has ever loved another. I love you, Kayla O’Brien, always.”
Her eyes lit up and a flush warmed her cheeks. “Is that all?”
“If I say anything else, you’ll think I’m a wuss.”
“Never. But I was talking about the house,” she clarified.
I set her down. “Uh … so was I, sort of … because of the house, because of everything.”
She took my hand and walked toward the back of the house. “Let me show you around.”
It wouldn’t be a long tour; the house was barely more than a small apartment. She took me first to the kitchen, with its small eat-in area. She’d added little homey touches in the kitchen, a few small plants on the window ledge that looked out over the backyard, and put more pillows on the window seat behind the table. A few of the books I’d brought were stacked on the seat.
Next, she led me to the first room off the hall where she’d placed a small desk. She’d already equipped the desk with pens, notepads, and spiral bound books. Above the desk sat a small lamp and another picture of the two of us from our day at Juniper Springs. I’d held the phone out at arm’s length to get a shot with the blue water in the background. The room was devoid of anything but the desk and a bookshelf, but was sure to be a full-fledged office soon.
Kayla passed the next room, which was empty, leading me straight to our master bedroom. A white down comforter and more pillows decorated our new bed. The aroma in here was different from the living room. I breathed in deeply again, trying to place the scent.
“Sandalwood and lavender,” she said. “You like scents, I noticed.”
“I do,” I agreed. “How did you know?”
“I pay attention, too.” She gathered the hand that she was holding around her waist and pulled my other hand around her other side. “I thought that maybe we should go straight to bed. What do you think?”
“I think I’ve created an animal.” I wasted no time in sweeping Kayla off her feet and carrying her to the bed.
She didn’t waste any time either, pulling off my clothes immediately. Then she pulled off hers as well as she scooted herself back on the bed, grabbed me, and pulled me down on top of her.
“Uh, Kayla, shouldn’t we —”
She kissed away my words. “I’m ready, believe me. I’ve thought of nothing but you all day.” She gripped me tightly. “Make love to me.”
I obliged, and the feeling was euphoric. I held back nothing, and she continued to pull me closer to her with every ounce of strength she had. Her eyes closed as her hips arched.
I wanted to watch her as she felt
the pleasure. “Open your eyes, Kayla. I want to see you.” Her green eyes opened and held mine. A surge of pure pleasure rushed through my body. I held her gaze, watching the ecstasy build in her eyes. “I love you,” I murmured. “God, how I love you, Kayla.”
Afterward, we lay quietly for a few minutes, but then she looked up. “I’m gonna take a shower. Wanna join me?”
“Good luck trying to stop me.” I laughed and clutched her closer for a brief second, kissed her, then released her. She started to get up, but I pulled her back in my arms again. My mouth was back on hers. “I just don’t want to let you go.”
She lifted her eyes to mine. “Then don’t.”
I didn’t miss the ambiguity in her words. Her words, whether she’d meant them or not, sliced through my soul like a knife. I dropped her hand, letting her go. “I’ll be in in a minute,” I said flatly, feeling as if she’d slapped me. She hadn’t meant her words to be mean, but I’d caught the sadness in her tone. She was afraid I would be gone more than a few weeks. She was worried that my dad would try to keep me until December. It’d been her idea, though, so why was she making me feel guilty? I didn’t want to go back to Florida. How many times had I told her I didn’t want to leave?
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I dropped my head into my hands. The shower turned on, but if I went in now, she would see the pain in my eyes.
Delicate fingers ran through my hair, lifting my head. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I won’t do that again. I forget how much you know me. I was trying to be sly with my words, and it was wrong.”
“But if you meant them —”
With a shake of her head, she cut off my words. “I was just being a brat.”
I suppressed a laugh. “No you weren’t. I’ve never seen you be a brat.”
“Oh, yes, I was … and I can be a brat, believe me. I’m an only child with a doting father, after all. Dad has always reined me in, or I probably would’ve turned out like Charity. I’m sorry, though. I really didn’t mean to upset you. And it was my idea for you to help your father. I’m just feeling a little selfish right now, that’s all. I’m not used to sharing my toys.” She smiled as she pulled me off the bed, then led me to the shower. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Suddenly, selfish sounded nice.
Chapter 33 - Jesse
The week had flown by and it was now Sunday evening. I’d decided to leave after dinner, which would put me in Florida around three a.m.
I’d get six hours of sleep, and then get to work finding a replacement. I also planned to make it clear to my father that I wasn’t staying. I wouldn’t stress out my new marriage in any way. Forget missing Kayla. I could deal with that. What I couldn’t handle was the strain it would cause her. She wanted me home, so home I’d be as soon as it was possible.
More than likely, my father hadn’t even put out an ad as I’d requested. I’d showed him how to do it on Craig’s List, but he hated using computers.
Two weeks passed without one qualified applicant. My dad needed someone motivated and reliable. Problem was, all the good plumbers worked for themselves or large companies. Rarely did I find prospective employees who didn’t care about health insurance — and had clean records. It was really starting to stress me out. John’s teachings about managing a business and life floated through my head, along with a future glimpse of looking for a maintenance person who could also serve as manager. If I couldn’t find a plumber, I couldn’t imagine finding someone who could handle multiple responsibilities.
Now that I’d agreed to choose my successor, I was being even pickier than my father was. I couldn’t hire just anyone and stick my dad with him.
Friday arrived and still nothing. I decided I’d cut out early so that I could drive to North Carolina and be with Kayla before it was time to go to bed. How I longed to have her beside me. Even if we did nothing, just to have her in my arms as I fell asleep and still be there when I woke up would be wonderful.
I hadn’t scheduled any appointments, and so far there were no emergencies, so I was just catching up with paperwork when a gentleman I recognized walked in. I’d met Brock about a year ago in a plumbing supply store. Even though he was a few years older than I was, we’d hit it off immediately. Brock had worked for his father-in-law, if I remembered correctly.
I stood to greet him. “Brock, right? You work for Bill’s Plumbing?”
“That’s right,” Brock said. “I was hoping you’d remember me. Only, used to work for Bill is more precise.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was it possible? Was Brock here looking for a job? “What happened?”
Brock shrugged. “Honestly, nothing. Bill and I get along great. I’ve worked for him for years, since I was a teenager. Met my wife — his daughter — through him. Well, ex-wife now. Since we didn’t have any kids, our divorce went through immediately, and then she went crying to her father. As much as he and I still got along, she complained. Said it wasn’t right. Now I’m out of a job. I know you’re a small operation, but I thought maybe if I brought some of my contracts, you’d be willing to take me on.”
Dear God, thank you, I prayed silently. Not only did Brock seem like a good guy, but he’d do what I’d been planning to do: bring on more contracts.
“It just so happens we’re looking for someone, Brock.” I pulled out an application form. “Here, fill this out please, and if you could give me the names of a couple clients, that would be helpful. Is it okay if I call Bill now?”
“Absolutely. He knows I’m out looking.” Brock sat down at the table in the area of our shop that displayed different models of pipes, plumbing catalogs, and such.
I walked into my father’s office and closed the door. I couldn’t contain myself; I sent a quick text to Kayla. Nothing meant anything until she knew.
Interviewing hopeful, looks good.
She texted back in seconds: Yay! Love You!
Bill provided me with an exceedingly positive, but sorrowful, evaluation. He relayed the same story Brock had. For a fleeting second, I pictured myself in Brock’s shoes. What if that happened with Kayla and me? Would John fire me? It was a ridiculous concern; nothing was going to happen to Kayla and me.
I returned to the front showroom. Brock stood and walked toward me, application in hand. I mulled over his experience. He’d worked for Bill as long as I’d worked for my father, in practically the same position. I read over the clients, some large ones I’d been eyeing. “Looks good. Do you have a few minutes? I’ll make some calls right now. I was just taking off, so I have time right now.” I couldn’t help but feel a little smug; I was a natural. I was certain that what John had in store for me would be a piece of cake.
I called a few of the references. Not only were they positive, but several mentioned that he should call if he made the switch, indicating they’d change companies.
I almost shouted with joy. It would postpone my trip, but I could walk through everything with Brock and maybe leave the following night. Brock was smart and knew what he was doing.
I called my dad, requesting that we meet for lunch.
My dad agreed with my assessment of Brock, and they made an agreement immediately over lunch. Thrilled and unable to contain my elation, I excused myself from the table and walked outside to call Kayla. She was out of school by eleven due to her small class load, so she’d be at the house.
While the phone rang, my heart pounded in anticipation. I’d never experienced a relationship so personal that I couldn’t wait to share something. She’d truly become not only my wife and lover, but also my best friend. The ringing continued, and I found myself getting edgy.
She was breathing heavy when she finally answered. “Sorry, I was on a ladder when I heard your ring.”
Of course she was. She was always working on something around the house. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to descend a ladder when someone isn’t holding it? Oh, right … you do know that. Why are you on a ladder, Kayla?” Worried about her, my good news slipped t
o a back burner in my brain.
“I was just scraping off the old paint, so we can repaint the outside of the house.”
I sighed. “When you said paint, I thought you meant the inside. The outside is a job for professionals. Would you please stop thinking we’re broke and that you have to do everything yourself.”
“Why exactly did you call, Jesse, other than to fuss at me?”
I could tell by her tone that she wasn’t upset, so I continued, “Stay off the ladder, cowgirl. At least until I’m there holding it for you. Do you think you could manage not to climb a ladder for a couple of days?”
“Oh, Jesse, really?” she shrieked.
“Just hired him. He’s perfect. Nice guy too, someone I met about a year ago. He just walked in looking for a job. I need to show him around, but I figured I could be home by late tomorrow evening.”
“And you won’t have to leave again?” she choked out the words.
“Even if you tried, you wouldn’t be able to get rid of me again. I have to go now, though, so I can finish up. I’ll call you tonight, okay? I love you.”
“I love you too, Jesse, and I promise I won’t go back up on the ladder.”
“Thank you. I’ll talk to you later.”
It was early, but I felt wide-awake. After talking to Kayla the previous evening, I’d had the best night’s sleep that I’d had in almost three weeks. It felt like someone had removed a tremendous burden from my shoulders. I understood what John had meant about stress. It was hard to turn it off when you turned off the light. But I had found a replacement, a good one, and I’d see my wife tonight.
My alarm hadn’t gone off yet. I stretched, feeling energized, but then glanced at the clock; it was barely past four. I rarely woke up before five.
Love Like Crazy (Crazy Love Book 1) Page 19